storage question: glove box and heat

[neon8]

I tried looking for answers using the search options but did not find anything satisfactory. I think it would be safe to store a gun in the glove box (along with spare ammo). I live in the south and it gets really hot down here. I mainly need reassurance. I don't don't think the heat would be enough to discharge the firearm if stored in the glove box under the intense summer sun. All thoughts welcome. The glove box is lockable and I have a pistol permit. Model 10-5 2". Thank you.

 

[Revolver King]

I have done it for years, No problems. and it gets plenty hot here in VA.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Don't worry about ammo going off, but to be very conservative, perhaps you should have an ammo rotation program, whereby your practice is with the ammo stored in the glove compartment, with the result that your "carry" ammo is never very old.

 

[GF]

Hot or not, your revolver will not discharge in the glovebox unless the trigger is pulled and the hammer falls on a loaded round. Ammo should be used and new loaded up a coupla' times a year (maybe more often in your area) in any carry weapon.

A blued gun may be more prone to finish rust from the humidity than a stainless revolver.

I worry more about theft of the revolver, you might try keeping it in a Kydex holster and take it with you as much as possible. Leather will damage the finish even quicker in a hot & humid environment. Check it and clean it regularly.

Probably the leather holster, if that's what your useing, and someone breaking a window to get your revolver are more of a danger to your Mod 10 than the heat.

Just my .2 cents!

 

[Spotteddog]

+4

 

[Texas1941]

Hot or not, your revolver will not discharge in the glovebox unless the trigger is pulled and the hammer falls on a loaded round. Ammo should be used and new loaded up a coupla' times a year (maybe more often in your area) in any carry weapon.

A blued gun may be more prone to finish rust from the humidity than a stainless revolver.

I worry more about theft of the revolver, you might try keeping it in a Kydex holster and take it with you as much as possible. Leather will damage the finish even quicker in a hot & humid environment. Check it and clean it regularly.

Probably the leather holster, if that's what your useing, and someone breaking a window to get your revolver are more of a danger to your Mod 10 than the heat.

Just my .2 cents!

FWIW, I agree. Barring some unlikely defect in the ammunitioin, the cook off point is going to be way higher than the interior temp of a car or truck. I've never heard of it, even on the internet, where you hear all sorts of impossible stuff.

The point about holster construction is well taken and may be even more important when you carry. If you live in an area like the Texas Gulf Coast, the humidity and temprature will be high most of the year. If you are outside much, you are going to sweat and your clothing will trap a lot of water vapor against your revolver and holster. When you get into a car or truck and turn on the AC, there is a good chance that water vapor will condense out on to the flat surfaces of your handgun. A leather holster will absorb some of this water and hold it against the metal.

Kydex might be a good idea. A daily wipe with a good rust preventative is neccessary to keep the corrosion at bay. Before stainless steel, people did this as a matter of course. It's just one of those habits that makes life a little easier.

Excellent choice of revolver, by the way. M&Ps are rock steady, work first time every time, and even with short barrels, are user friendly under stress.

 

[neon8]

I do in fact have it in a leather holster and will soon replace it with a kydex as what everyone has suggested. This particular revolver has had it's share of finish issues but is mechanically excellent that's why it earned the right to be the "truck gun", and besides, it's accurate and reliable. (or i could use a stainless steel revolver). I am in North Alabama and a good distance from the coast. Thank you for all who responded. I always appreciate your opinions.

 

[1943]

Texas1941- Are you a real 1941 model?---------------
1943

 

[n4zov]

One warning regarding the ammunition you use in a handgun stored in an automobile. If your ammunition uses cast bullets there is a significant risk that the bullet lubricant can melt and contaminate the powder charge. I found this the hard way when I once stored a box of 500 .38 Special reloads in a car trunk during an hot summer. Not one of those round would fire because the lubricant contaminated the powder charge.

 

[jrm53]

Glove compartment

I would not leave anything that I valued very much in the glove box, except truck or car manual but not a high dollar revolver, the fellows are right about cast bullet lube I know Tamarack lube will melt very easily. Jeff

 

[SLT223]

The activation energy of powder and primers is NOT in 100-200*F range, so don't worry. Think about the guys in Iraq.

 

[Texas1941]

Texas1941- Are you a real 1941 model?---------------
1943

I think you have me by seniority; I'm a '49 model. "Tx1941" was my company ID number and it was used for everything, including email. I started using it for a user name because I can remember it. At least I don't use it for a password.

I started shooting in 1959 with my dad's K-22. I got a used early post-war K-38 in 1961 (it cost $52 and since about $20 of that was his, my dad was not happy about the price). We put together a "hardball" gun in 1964 from a Colt 1911 frame and a Remington Rand slide and from that point on I had delusions of breaking 2600. Never happened.

We fought this heat and humidity thing constantly through the '50s and '60s because our house, like most in Houston, did not have central AC. We had an attic fan that sucked in the humidity by the bucketfull, while providing no noticeable cooling. There was never any shortage of rust or mildew. The guns had to be wiped down every week, even if they weren't used because the constantly circulating warm, moist air either evaporated the gun oil or coated it with dust, pollen, or general crud. I learned that in those circumstances, you had to wipe down the whole firearm any time you touched it, because even one missed fingerprint would etch the blue in a day. I have a perfect copy of my 13 year old thumb print on the bottom of a K-38 trigger guard to prove it.

Blued guns are extra work and I never managed to keep one perfect. If you use them, especially everyday, the finish will suffer. But to me nothing looks as fine as a blued Smith, even if it shows a little history.