Storing a Rifle in hard case = Rust?

[dlouie87]

I currently cant afford a nice gun safe yet so I bought a pelican 1720 to store my OLL Ar and a dosko case for my 870. I've heard about rifles rusting in foam cases and it got me a little worried. Do you guys store your guns in a foam hard case?

What is the Cal gunners take on this and how can I prevent this from happening? Hydrosorbent Silica Gel in the case? like the little ones for 3cu ft?

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0005567220673a&type=product&cmCat=froogle&cm_ven=data_feed&cm_cat=froogle&cm_pla=0340299&cm_ite=0005567220673a

-Dan

[Ballistic043]

i used to. and yes sometimes rust would accumulate, but thats what cases do

usually you can throw in a decissant and you are good to go. as far as gun safes are concerned, most dont block moisture much better, and the good ones usually have some sort of dehumidification system to prevent metals from rusting. but you can usually always add something of your own to help
what you posted will probably work well.

[M1A Rifleman]

You need to let things breath. Keeping firearms closed up in safes and cases can account for rust.

[Rust]

In chico you'll have less of a problem than those of us on the coast do. I go to a place like payless shoes or a target or wal-mart and ask the people in the shoe department if they have any dessicant packets left over from the shoe boxes. Most of the stuff they get is shipped with a small packet. Throw a few of them in around the edges of the case, wear latex gloves when cleaning, and oil everything right before you put it away. (Your skins oils are slightly acidic). My girlfriend also bought us a small electric dehumidifier for about $80 that we run in various rooms of the house on and off to keep the moisture at bay.

[Eric_Oh]

In chico you'll have less of a problem than those of us on the coast do. I go to a place like payless shoes or a target or wal-mart and ask the people in the shoe department if they have any dessicant packets left over from the shoe boxes. Most of the stuff they get is shipped with a small packet. Throw a few of them in around the edges of the case, wear latex gloves when cleaning, and oil everything right before you put it away. (Your skins oils are slightly acidic). My girlfriend also bought us a small electric dehumidifier for about $80 that we run in various rooms of the house on and off to keep the moisture at bay.

If we're gonna take any advice about preventing oxidation on our firearms... i guess the best place to turn would be the guy named "Rust" lol.

[aplinker]

Nice....


Any container that's not hermetically sealed and contains any water vapor will cause rust.

To reduce the chances, add dessicant and change it frequently as well as coat the gun frequently with a good rust inhibiting lube (preferably a thick one that won't evaporate. You can also use no rust bags.

[postal]

Good that you have the pelican. Air tight.

Throw a GOOD amount of dessicant in the case, and dont worry about it. I have probably about 2 cups of dessicant in my 1750 and leave the rifle in the case all the time for almost 5 yrs now. Not a hint of rust.

[Telperion]

The problem is that the open cell foam traps moisture in the air. Silica gel can help but there is a limit to how much moisture it can hold before it is saturated, and then you have to bake it again.

If you're using the case for home storage only, you can just take all the foam out.

[sb_pete]

Guns in closed up environment = rust. Period. I have a plug in rechargeable desiccant unit for my safe. I live less than a mile from the ocean though so I literally need to recharge it at least once a week. Yeah, no joke - and its a fire safe too so it has drywall inside insulating it.

Those desiccant packs from cabelas will work. That is a great case - definitely water tight and more or less air tight.

Just keep in mind where you have been with it. It also helps to leave the case open when it is warm out and you are using the rifle. That cuts down on the amount of moisture in the foam that the des pack will have to make up for. leaving it open in the sun will do even better BUT exposure to the UV like that will rather quickly harden and discolor the foam making it less effective at protecting from shocks so I wouldn't really advise it.

When I am out shooting on cold, windy rainy/moist winter days, I usually stuff some paper towels in the case for the ride home and then leave the rifle AND the case in the bathroom with the fan on, the door closed and a small space heater on (one of those old school heat bulbs would work too if your bathroom has one of those). That dries out the room and the rifle pretty quick (assuming somebody doesn't get cute and take a shower while it's in there.

I haven't used those cabelas des packs, but the small one looks like it has a metal casing. I prefer these ones from Ammunition To Go. They make it very easy to see when it needs a recharge. Also, because they are plastic, you can recharge them in the microwave really quickly.

I wrap them in paper towel, then microwave them on 10% power for 8 minutes, take them out, remove them from the paper towel to which alot of the moisture has been transferred, then let them cool. Then I repeat. Sometimes twice is plenty, sometimes it takes a third run, but they are really moisture free after that. Just be sure you don't go microwaving them on high - they melt into a pretty nice mess when you do that.

Maybe the easiest thing is to get something like this. That is what I use in my safe. They are available at Sportsman's Guide. They plug into the wall to recharge, so you just plug them in at night, then take them off the plug in the morning. They have a small electric heater inside like the kind for those cheapo travel coffee mug heaters. You can't leave the thing on the wall for days though or it will ruin the silica crystals (supposedly - never tried it). Something like that would be way overkill for a rifle case, but if you have the blocky make-your-own-cut foam, then you could make a space for it. It would not need to be recharged very often at least (assuming it was closed most of the time anyways - if the case is open, it will start absorbing moisture from the air).

If I were in your shoes, I would probably do something like that. It would give you peace of mind and be less of a hassle to recharge. Those little des packs are great for ammo cans and stuff, but in a rifle case that was opened fairly often, they would need to be recharged way too often and would get really annoying. If it were me, I would either stop recharging them often enough or stop handling my rifle often enough - neither one a good situation.

On a completely different note, check out this thread on making your own des packs.

Hope that helps,
-Pete

[Nefarious]

I use these

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H0XFD2

I know there are more of us on here that use the same exact ones. They work great for inside the safe.

[sb_pete]

Ah, didn't think of Amazon. Yeah, here's the ticket.

[bohoki]

i spray my gun down with breakfree and put it in a plastic bag then put it in a case

same with leather spray the pistol put it in plastic then put it in the holster

[soundwave]

I wipe my 870 and AR down with Ezzox and put them in my Pelican for long periods of time (sometimes more than a month without opening), no rust to speak of.

[dlouie87]

Thanks for all the info guys. Yeah, my 870 and AR is wiped down with Break Free CLP before they go in....I'm going to get some desiccant online...then I'll make my own. Hopefully I can afford a safe soon.

-Dan

[soundwave]

Give Ezzox a try, it is leaps and bounds better than BF for rust protection/prevention.