Foam bad for guns

[geoint]

So Ive read that foam is bad for storing handguns. However, every glock Ive ever bought came with foam in the box, and none of them had any rust but I believe there are silica gel packs in the boxes in the little sleeve with all the papers.


So my questions is, if you use silica gel packs in a foam lined container, does that stop rust?

I haven't owned any of my glocks long enough for rust to develop, but Ive only owned my 'oldest glock' about 2 years. And yes, I store most of my glocks in the factory provided box, same with my Sigs.

[Merc1138]

What you've read is correct, but what you're forgetting is that not all foam is the same. The environment you're in is also going to make a difference as well, with regards to humidity, temperature, and so on.

It's not factory cases that I've seen people have rust problems with, it's cheap storage cases both hard plastic and soft fabric, that can cause problems. Also, those little silica packets you find in everything from shoes to jerky, aren't going to do much unless you can get the moisture out of them first, and unless the case is airtight, once the silica packet is "used up" again, it's no longer doing anything.

Get a safe.

[jcwatchdog]

All foam can trap humidity, and it's not good to use to store for long term. They come with foam in the cases from the manufacturer, but guns don't sit that long before getting sold that it's much of an issue. And they do include a dessicant pack. But don't store in the cases even with the dessicant for long term.

So Ive read that foam is bad for storing handguns. However, every glock Ive ever bought came with foam in the box, and none of them had any rust but I believe there are silica gel packs in the boxes in the little sleeve with all the papers.


So my questions is, if you use silica gel packs in a foam lined container, does that stop rust?

I haven't owned any of my glocks long enough for rust to develop, but Ive only owned my 'oldest glock' about 2 years. And yes, I store most of my glocks in the factory provided box, same with my Sigs.

[Sabesimpson]

I never heard of that. The only thing o know is to never put a hot barrel I the foam case. Let it cool a bit. I own a few GLOCKS and mine never came with silica they all came with moisture absorbing paper.

The foam thing boggles me every firearm I purchased if it had a case was in foam.

[Sabesimpson]

I guess I stand corrected. I don't store my stuff in cases.

[Oneblood]

It's the CLP

[Mitch]

It's the bacon.

[Oneblood]

Clp=crispy lovely pork

[CK_32]

I store mine with barbwire.

Adds character and doesn't attract moisture.

[sonofeugene]

Lots of things absorb moisture. Foam is only one.

Desiccant packs can be rejuvenated by drying in an oven.

[pacrat]

There are no absolutes. Too many variables. Many kinds of foams. Some foams do not play well with some lubricants. Become gooey.

[Degrelle]

I have guns inside several Speed vault SVB-500 gunvaults all around the house. All the speedvaults have foam inside. No rust on my guns. Have had them for three years now.

[Rosereader]

The only issue I have found with foam is that it absorbs lubricant. Glocks have an FNC coating, not much of an issue in the short term, especially if the overall environment is dry.

A lot of my C&Rs have a lot of finish wear, so they need a coating of oil to be rustproofed. Foam will strip that from them, which isn't a good thing.

But if it's just to the range and back it's not really an issue. For long term storage it's a problem.

[dgax65]

When I was in the Navy we used airtight poly/aluminum transit cases for shipping and holding parts, tools and test equipment. Many of the transit cases had foam padding or were completely filled with foam sheets that had cutouts for the equipment. We usually threw some desiccant bags in the case for protection. That only helps if the desiccant is dry and there isn't too much moisture.

I remember unloading some transit cases coming back from deployments in Thailand and Korea. We found some cases with a lot of moisture trapped in the foam or under it. Open cell foam will trap a lot of moisture. In really humid climates you can get a lot of moisture trapped in the foam if you leave the cases out in the sun. Every time you close the lid the interior heats up and all the moisture in the air ends up in the foam. The problem is that you can't really tell when the open cell foam is damp. It still looks the same. There were some cases I opened where I wouldn't have known there was any trapped moisture if it weren't for the paper tech manuals being damp and wrinkled. Some of the cases had several cups of water soaked into the bottom layer of foam.

You probably won't experience anything that bad as long as you stay out of the tropics or the Gulf Coast states. Still, probably not a good idea to store things that rust easily in open cell foam unless you know you can control the humidity carefully.

[hellayella]

depends whether or not you live in a humid enviroment