Silica packets in gun cases?

[2GQ4U]

Anyone use silica packets in their gun cases to keep humidity down? I never throw them away and I was collecting quite a stash so I figured I'd put them to use by using them in my gun cases and ammo boxes.

[uhlan1]

I would never store a gun in a foam lined case with or without silica. The foam attracts and retains moisture.

[AreWeFree]

Please throw those things away. They absorb moisture from the air and have a short, finite life span. More than likely they will have more moisture than your room air, and at that point they become the moisture source.

Get yourself some silicon infused gun socks.

[uhlan1]

Great point.

[Walking Fire]

You can regenerate and reuse them, just do it correctly..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3twxGjGRE-A

http://www.jakesmp.net/CSD_Silica_Gel/CSD_Silica_008_M.html

[The Gleam]

Please throw those things away. They absorb moisture from the air and have a short, finite life span. More than likely they will have more moisture than your room air, and at that point they become the moisture source.

Get yourself some silicon infused gun socks.

Sure, throw the small cheap ones away. But the larger ones such as military surplus or those durably made and 3" or larger in size, can be baked dry and used again and again.

Also, they don't "leak" moisture or become a moisture source in the way you are describing. They can only take on so much, and then they are done. They don't "emit" moisture - think of them as a hard sponge. They would have to be swimming in water for that to happen, and then there would already be so much water present they would not have made a difference anyway. Silica desiccants are not the same moisture reducers like as Calcium Chloride.

And while silicon infused gun socks while good, they still won't stop moisture build up in enclosed spaces. You should still use those but in combination with the above.

[AreWeFree]

^^ I didn't know there were larger reusable desiccant packs, good to know!

To clarify, my reasoning is that if the desiccants work as expected then by the time the 'saved' dessicant is used, it's no longer useful, and since it is saturated with moisture it could be a corrosion source if resting against an unprotected surface.
Edit: I think this is called "Humidity Buffering"


Desiccant packs certainly have good uses, but the application is important. I use a rechargeable desiccant, it's sacrificial like a zinc anode, and the primary rust prevention is quality oil or silicon gun socks.

I do think brand new desiccant packs would be great for any sealed containers in long term storage, it's what they are made for, but once you open the container it's likely time to change them.

[unclerandy]

So are guns no more or no less prone to corrosion if they are loose in the safe as opposed to being in their cases in the safe?

[Gunsmith Dan]

Silica Gel beads chemically locks water in place so unless you heat them to 225 degrees F or higher to break the chemical bond the water DOES NOT come out and become a source of moisture when they are full.

A cheap source would be Powdered Iron placed in a fine filter bag as it will absorb moisture, not as much as Silica, plus is very cheap compared to Silica Gel.

[far from tactical]

I just have them in gun socks for xtra protection

[Chapped Hide]

I throw mine in the bottom of my safe

[NOTABIKER]

I just bought a rifle that was in a foam lined hard case from 1981 until last week. One mag had a slight amount of surface rust on one small spot. I think in so cal in a dry closet it was safe. it did have a factory 3-3 gel pack inside.

[Exospeed]

I throw mine in the bottom of my safe

me too

[davefromca]

I had a problem with rust, the gun socks totally solved it. However I did buy a small pack of those silica packs off amazon just in case.

[postal]

I keep one rifle stored in a pelican case with a large amount of dessicant in the case.

The pelican is airtight/water tight... and the mil surp type dessicant is in an old sock in the case. A baseball sized amount.

I use them in my ammo cans as well.

My rifle has been living in that pelican since around 2003.

It has been in bad weather. I try to keep the inside of the case dry when it rains, or a night shoot, and the dew falls.... but the rifle gets wet, and gets moisture in the foam when the rifle is put in the case.
After the rains, I clean the rifle, remove the foam and let it dry for a week inside the house with good airflow. I live inland socal, so it's usually very dry here... and in the cooler weather, my heater REALLY dries out the house.

I would caution people about using any generic kind of foam, but pelican foam is inert. Others have traces of acid in them that will ruin a gun blue in a matter of weeks. (voice of experience)

I do bake the dessicant about twice a year. I've stored it this way for over 11 years... If you do it right, it's perfectly fine.