Gun storage question..

[Mr. Blue]

I recently read that its a good idea to store pistols in Pistol Rugs. The soft clam shell cases. I used gun socks...is this a bad idea? Would a silicone treated gun sock trap moisture thus cause corrosion? Does anyone have experience with this?

[TAS]

Gun socks are fine but I would not store them in the clam shell cases - they will hold moisture.

[bergmen]

Climate has a lot to do with safe gun storage. If you are far enough away from the sea coast so that the salt air is not an issue, rugs are fine in a safe. I have stored mine in rugs since the mid-70s and my handguns look like new. These are properly wiped down with an oily rag first, especially my blued guns. California is basically an arid climate with generally low humidity so moisture caused corrosion is rare on anything.

Back in the day, we stored our long guns in zippered cases in closets with the same results, no issues. We have always been miles from the coast so the sea air has not been part of the scene.

I have found that the worst threat regarding rust is contact with the hands during handling. Wiping down after handling is a must. When I was younger, I wasn't so careful and got a bit of minor surface rust on the receiver of my 39A. I knew exactly what caused it and have been careful since. When I had a local gunsmith do a make over on this rifle (including a polish and re-blue), they were able to polish out the tiny rust specs. Good thing.

Dan

[ABR]

Assuming the guns are in a safe, a golden rod is a must for me. All pistols are in cloth socks. Never ever any rust. I also make it a habit to apply a thin coat of gun oil to all.

[SanDiego619]

As TAS said you shouldn't keep 'em in the foam-lined plastic case or they will rust. It happened to me... but with a sig. My mags got little rust spots all over them. Now I use silicon socks. The socks allow moisture to escape and the box keeps it inside.

[Mr. Blue]

Climate has a lot to do with safe gun storage. If you are far enough away from the sea coast so that the salt air is not an issue, rugs are fine in a safe. I have stored mine in rugs since the mid-70s and my handguns look like new. These are properly wiped down with an oily rag first, especially my blued guns. California is basically an arid climate with generally low humidity so moisture caused corrosion is rare on anything.

Back in the day, we stored our long guns in zippered cases in closets with the same results, no issues. We have always been miles from the coast so the sea air has not been part of the scene.

I have found that the worst threat regarding rust is contact with the hands during handling. Wiping down after handling is a must. When I was younger, I wasn't so careful and got a bit of minor surface rust on the receiver of my 39A. I knew exactly what caused it and have been careful since. When I had a local gunsmith do a make over on this rifle (including a polish and re-blue), they were able to polish out the tiny rust specs. Good thing.

Dan

[Mr. Blue]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I use silicone socks...When I was a couple months into shooting, I went to my local range and for some reason the whole staff was behind the counter. Maybe a staff meeting, idk..But one of the girls noticed I had my guns in gun socks and she started making fun of it, like not in a funny way but a “look at the loser” type way. LOL. I’m not easily offended so I just found it strange. Maybe she had commission on specific gun cases that month.

[Milsurp1]

[SanDiego619]

Did she call you a barney?

Maybe leave the socks at home and use them for storage, I think that is what most people do. I take my guns out of their socks before I go out to the range for the sake of convenience. When I get home I clean them and put them back in their socks.

She probably handles heavily used guns all day so she has lost the feelings of pride, joy, and protection we feel for our own personal gunbabies.

[MARKFP]

As pointed out above, the wipe down after handling is key, the salts on your hands is very potent. I use dry cotton gloves when wiping down prior to storage, then use socks if being stored a long time. I also use silicon socks on long guns although mostly because "safe knocking" because of tight quarters.

[GeeBee49]

Before I bought a safe I kept all of my handguns in rugs and rifles in zippered cases and never had any problems. When I got the safe I bought some nice handgun racks for the shelves but they only hold five guns each. After the racks were full I continued buying guns so I'm back to using gun rugs for the recent purchases.

[bergmen]

As pointed out above, the wipe down after handling is key, the salts on your hands is very potent. I use dry cotton gloves when wiping down prior to storage, then use socks if being stored a long time. I also use silicon socks on long guns although mostly because "safe knocking" because of tight quarters.

Good advice. One thing I forgot to mention is I keep an oily rag in a ziplock bag in one of the pockets in my range bag. After shooting and before zipping up in the rugs, I carefully (and fully) wipe down each handgun when packing up. That way, if they are not going to get cleaned when I get home , they can go right into the safe.

Also, from time to time, I will go through the guns in the safe and if they look a bit dry, wipe them down and shine 'em up. I just like checking them out anyway so two birds...

Dan

[bergmen]

Thank you for this advice, I have been handling my new 1911 a lot and it never really occurred to me I should be keeping it wiped down. I like the way a silicone rag shines my black guns. Would this be ok?

The oily rag I have in my range bag started out as a silicone rag. But the silicone seems to dry up over time so I supplement with gun oil. Once a year or so I will throw it into the wash (or a bucket with Dawn and warm water) to clean it up, dry it out, re-oil and back into the ziplock bag. If I wasn't cheap, I would just buy a new one instead.

Dan

[L84CABO]

+1 Bore Stores are excellent.

[newbie1234]

Gun rug or sock doesn't matter, they are both work the same, but you need this inside the gun safe/storage shelf/cabinet/box/….

https://www.amazon.com/Improved-Eva-dry-333-Renewable-Dehumidifier/dp/B000H0XFCS/ref=sr_1_8?crid=3I9C4OJ7AA67F&dchild=1&keywords=dehumidifier+for+closet&qid=1592780281&sprefix=dehumidfi%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-8