Storage tips?

45Smashemflat

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I’ve had a Goldenrod dehumidifier in my safe for a while. The safe is in a small closet. In the closet, I have those “rechargeable “ desiccant units. I’m contemplating calculating the cubic feet of the closet (it’s quite small) and wiring up a Goldenrod outside the safe as well.

I’m curious what others use for humidity control and what brands. I’ve noticed that my local Academy does not sell the Goldenrod brand, and what they do sell does not get great reviews.

Thoughts, suggestions?
 
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One of these and a Sportsman's Warehouse Golden Rod.

What part of the country do you live in?
 
I’m in the southeast. The reason to consider changing is simply the “up keep” of the desiccant. (Yeah, lazy. I have units similar to those pictured above.)

I have not experienced any rust issues and the guns get wiped down or waxed annually or more often.

Always trying to learn more and take good care of what I have.
 
I used to use those rechargeable dessicant packs but quit some time ago . Most of my firearms are kept in Bore Stores while others in a soft gun case .
All firearms are inspected and wiped with a lightly oiled rag on a pretty regular basis and I've never had any problems with rust/corrosion.
They are stored in a locked safe in the basement with a dehumidifier .
 
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I live at 5500 ft in an area with 9" annual precipitation. I get rust if I leave metal outside under a sprinkler. Sorry can't help.
 
I’m in the southeast. The reason to consider changing is simply the “up keep” of the desiccant. (Yeah, lazy. I have units similar to those pictured above.)

I have not experienced any rust issues and the guns get wiped down or waxed annually or more often.

Always trying to learn more and take good care of what I have.
I assume since you live in the southeast your home is climate controlled. That, coupled with wiping the guns down with a descent quality rust preventative gun oil should suffice. Personally I have never used a Goldenrod and although they are quite commonly used by many, I never liked the idea of running one longterm.

If for some reason your home is more humid than most, or your safe is in a humid garage, I would personally recommend RIG Universal Grease. A light coating on your firearms (inside and out) will keep them rust free for as long as you own them. I have stored a couple of guns for decades after being treated with RIG and when I opened them up they were as perfect as when I originally stored them.

HINT: For long term storage, remove the grips and thoroughly clean the gun, wipe down both the inside and outside of said firearm with a RIG coated patch. Treat the bore and charge holes too. After the gun is wiped down, wrap it in waxed paper and then aluminum foil. Store the grips separately. When you want o bring the firearm back into service, simply wipe the RIG grease off with a flannel cloth and Hoppes 9. Dry it, lightly oil it and your back in business.

BTW, RIG Universal Grease is the best, long term rust prevention I know of and I have used it on many non gun items as well including steel that sits outdoors 365 days a year - never any rust! just make sure to clean items first before the application of RIG.
 
I lived 20 years in what was literally a converted barn with nothing but a wood stove for heat and a fan for cooling in humid SC. I still own most of the guns I owned then, and none is rusted despite the complete lack of humidity control in my then-homemade gun safe. Keeping guns lightly oiled works...
 
My (now 45-ish) baby girl was diapered with old-time cotton diapers. I still have a few of them, squirted with 3-in-One oil, used to wipe down any firearm handled before putting it away in a safe. Keep the diapers in a zip-lok bag hanging inside the “safe” door.
But Each Gun is kept within it’s own, cheap “Hard-Case” by Flambeau or Plano for further protection, especially protection from being banged-around, and dozens more can be uniformly stacked/stored within each “safe” that way instead of trying to figure out how 15 guns can be kept in a “safe” which claims to be a 36-gun “safe” with 36-grooves cut into particle-board. (pawn-shops and garage-sales commonly have the hard-plastic cases for $10 or less. I toss out gun “safes” interiors because all they do is take-up room and complicate matters. I only keep a top-shelf for accy’s, pistols, paperwork, etc)
I keep a large qt-jar of “dessicant crystals” inside the “safe” with a wire-screen top, and which I spread the crystals out onto a cookie sheet once/year and bake until the crystals turn from pink back to blue…. I think that’s probably just rearranging Titanic deck-chairs….but it gives me something to do.

It’s important a proper rubber seal is maintained on the door. Also, seal up any entrance-holes intended for lighting or bolting-down to the floor…because any flooding will use that to enter the “safe” …(the word is a farce… they should be called “Child-resistant cabinets”. The better ones take a little more time to break into…but that is all they really do, and unless they are kept in a concrete, fire-resistant bldg ..they are not really “fire-proof”.)
They satisfy insurance agents and local laws regarding weapons and children however.
 
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I live down here near the coast in hot and humid Florida. My gun safe is in a closet, and I don't keep any of my firearms in any type of bag or sleeve. All of my firearms are wiped down twice a year with a quality CLP, followed by some Ren Wax. My home's A/C is my humidity control for most of the year...although I do have a couple of desiccant bags tossed into the safe for the few months that the house is open and the A/C is off. I've never had any issues with rust or corrosion. Many years ago I did have a rust problem when I had a couple of vintage Winchester rifles hanging on the bedroom wall...the salt air attacked the finish, but I cleaned off the rust and applied some protective firearm grease. Once they started living inside the safe there were no further issues.
 
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