Questions On Storing Guns For Long Term (Not At Gun Stores/FFL)

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Evergreen

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I've hit hard times and the small family software business I help build and devoted my heart and soul to for the last 16 years is dying and I am finally going to have to say goodbye. It is hard being in a small business in this country, but I won't go into more of that. I made a lot of bad decisions sticking with this business and I have hit hard times. So, now , I am partially disabled with degenerate discs and neck problems from years and years of software work. I have dwindling savings and I will be having to live very, very cheap for the next year or so.

It's heartbreaking for me to say goodbye to my guns (something I love) and sucks, but this is life. I am getting older and suffering with disability and I understand there is a chance if I cannot get a job in my condition I could be in the worst of situations. I need to try to dig myself out of this ditch while I still have the chance.

I have not been on the software job market in 15+ years and it will probably take me a year of studying algorithms and preparing for interviews before i can get a real software job. Until that time I will be having to live very cheap and will probably have to find a roommate and move to a city that has a good amount of software jobs. Sadly, these days so many people are anti-gun and since i will be needing to live cheap I will have to get a roommate. In fact, I attempted last year when I moved to Colorado to try to find a gun friendly roommate, but almost every I tried inquiring about the people told me they would not allow guns or just didn't respond back. I am at the point now where I know staying alive is more important. Of course, I do not want to sell off my gun collection, especially with 2020 approaching and gun bans being a very realistic situation. Even without gun bans, I would not want to sell them, have NRA gun insurance and I feel worst case if they get stolen I can hopefully get reimbursement of some sort.

As of now, I have a small gun collection compared to many people, but still too large to bring into shared housing situation, especially with an anti-gun roommate. I have a 600lb safe I will also be just storing along with my ammo and stuff. The tricky thing I hear about storing guns for the long term, in addition to issues with rust and moisture is if I store them with somebody who has an FFL I will be required to do a background check for each gun before I can receive them again. If they have an AWB, e.g., after I want to get them back I may be denied my own guns. Also, I would have to pay exorbitant fees.

Back when I lived in Colorado, there was actually a gun vault storage place where I stored my guns temporarily when I moved from North Carolina to Colorado. The place certainly was not cheap, but for like $80 /mo or so I was able to store all my guns, no questions asked in a secure area. Sadly, I am now in Nashville, TN and there is no such place that i know of here to store them. I am looking to find a place in the Nashville area or something within a reasonable distance. I could also consider storing them wherever I end up moving to.

I have no desire to store my guns at storage facility as I do not feel they are secure at all and have heard many stories of how people have broken into storage units. I'm definitely looking for something more secure and more accommodating to the weather conditions that could cause guns to rust. I'm also going to look into silicone gun socks and other type of accessories to protect the guns from rust.. Any advice here on how people have stored their guns for the long term would be helpful as well.

I appreciate the advice people can give me.
 
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I have no desire to store my guns at storage facility as I do not feel they are secure at all and have heard many stories of how people have broken into storage units. I'm definitely looking for something more secure and more accommodating to the weather conditions that could cause guns to rust. I'm also going to look into silicone gun socks and other type of accessories to protect the guns from rust.. Any advice here on how people have stored their guns for the long term would be helpful as well.

I appreciate the advice people can give me.

Sorry to hear about your misfortunes. On storing guns long term from damage, you want to combine techniques. One is to use a non-hardening grease. RIG works well and does not harden and is commonly available. https://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Ca...grease&qid=1575466658&s=sporting-goods&sr=1-1 You will need to cover all metal surfaces for it to work its magic which is denying air containing moisture access to metal. Another is using Breakfree CLP Collector which has silicone preservatives in the oil. It is a bit easier to apply to small parts than RIG. Supposedly the Collector CLP can give up to five years of protection. The ordinary CLP does not suffice here but you must find the one labeled Collector. https://www.amazon.com/BreakFree-Model-CO-4-Collector/dp/B07T9772C4 Then some sort of anti-corrosive bag, paper, or vapor. Use the search term anti metal corrosion storage bags on Amazon and you will see an assortment.

The anti-corrosive bags are more expensive if you get the gun branded ones but you can get the generic industrial bags on Amazon for fairly cheap--you will have the seal the ends with a semi-permanent type tape for these to make them air tight. The anti-corrosive paper works if you have an airtight storage container and I believe Zerust has some capsules for things like gunsafes that also work. In enclosing your firearms, do so on a very low humidity day, have the firearms totally cleaned before applying the grease/oils, and then bag them with anticorrosives (either capsules, paper, or the bag itself) or enclose them in some other airtight method--safes, plastic/vinyl tubes, Pelican cases or their clones, etc. Buy you some cheap dessicant to put into the airtight container--if you don't mind repackaging bulk crystals, you can buy the stuff cheap at home decoration places (used to dry flowers etc.) or you can buy the prepaks used in shipping. This method has withstood even the infamous Chinese Drywall used in some gun safes and not had firearms rust inside it for a year. Replacing that drywall in that safe for my FIL is a task that I will probably have to do this Christmas.

Cosmolene is probably the ultimate in preservatives but it is messy and expensive now and most people cannot hot dunk the firearms that is necessary to get a good coating. RIG is far easier to apply and remove.
 
If you store the guns in a safe for which only you have the key or combination, and then leave the safe with someone else (even, perhaps, an FFL), there is no "transfer" to that other person. This is often done with NFA items, for example, when the owner is deployed overseas.
 
First clean the guns inside and out. The coat with one of the following: Rig grease, LPS3 or Breakfree COLLECTOR. These are listed in reverse order of ease of application / removal. Rig is a lot of work to remove, LPS3 is somewhat less and Breakfree COLLECTOR doesn't have to be removed at all. Don't even consider cosmolene unless you have access to the unlimited supply of cheap labor the military enjoys.

Once the guns are coated store them in VCI bags from www.polygunbag.com . The bags are about $5 each, but if you need a large number you can buy them in bulk. The bags will protect the guns and keep them from rusting.

I have guns that have been stored with Collector and VCI bags that have been in storage for ten years without rust.
 
By the time you spend $80/month over the course of a year, you could own a safe of your own to keep them secure. barring that, family members in the area to help out?
If you're sure you won't need to access them, then follow the advice above about a good cleaning, lubing and maybe some cosmoline. I helped a friend sell an inherited gun (SKS) where the barrel was plugged with the stuff form the 60s - still in perfect shape
 
Invert your guns so not to soak the wood or remove completely and Hose down the metal parts with LPS-3 and or Corrosion X metal preservative.
We used both allot in aircraft industry.
 

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I've grown to really appreciate ^^^ Renaissance Wax ^^^ for guns either getting set-away for a while or to be handled more than normal as well.

I even use it on *parkerized* guns. My favorite CZ/VZ 52 took on a beautiful tone after 6-8 applications of wax.

RIG? While still a fairly big fan of it these past 20 or so years, my endorsement has to carry significant qualifications.
While I know the average guy may "... never had that happen" far more often than I care to deal with, RIG has solidified to the point of all but locking a gun up for me requiring it to be loosened with; G96, brake-cleaner, WD-40 or the like.
Here now, doubtless, it has much to do with long-term storage in Arizona conditions but it is significant enough that I no longer use excessive amounts when I DO choose to use it for long-term.

G-96 bought in gallon jugs and applied with commercial (Smart&Final) spray bottles has been FLAWLESS regardless heat or cold and the odor is quite pleasant -unlike a great many other options. Rather like bananas. Good for wood and metal.

Todd.
 
I have guns that haven’t been fired since I was a kid, several that may have never been fired, others since before I met my wife, others since we had our first child more than a decade after marriage, lots not since the last election.

Any climate controlled area and a little preparation will go a long way.

Feel for your situation, I have let some go in adverse conditions while keeping others, I’d rather starve and keep. Generally the ones with the most sentimental value to me are the cheap ones that are not worth much anyway.
 
Do you have any friends who would be willing to store your guns at their house? Under federal law, private transfers between residents of a state who are legally allowed to possess firearms aren’t required to involve an FFL, so (providing your state doesn’t have any extra requirements) you could just give your guns to a friend until your living situation allows you to take them back. There wouldn’t even be a need to keep them locked up and inaccessible to that friend; he’d just hold onto them until you can take them back.

EDIT: I just noticed your other thread in the Site Questions sub-forum where you mentioned you may be moving to GA, and your first post says you’re currently a resident of TN. Keep in mind that giving your guns to a friend for long-term storage constitutes a transfer, and then when you take them back that’s another transfer. Both of those transfers are fine if they’re between residents of the same state, but once you move to GA then you immediately become a GA resident under federal firearms law. So at that point you’d have to go through an FFL to get your guns back if they’re with a friend in TN. So maybe @AlexanderA’s recommendation in post #3 is the best option: If you store your guns with someone else but they’re in a locked safe that only you have access to, then that wouldn’t constitute a transfer under federal law. So at that point taking the guns back once you’re a resident of a different state wouldn’t constitute an illegal interstate private transfer.
 
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So maybe @AlexanderA’s recommendation in post #3 is the best option: If you store your guns with someone else but they’re in a locked safe that only you have access to, then that wouldn’t constitute a transfer under federal law. So at that point taking the guns back once you’re a resident of a different state wouldn’t constitute an illegal interstate private transfer.
Yes, in that situation it wouldn't matter in which state the guns were stored. It would be as if you were traveling with your own guns.

I might add that the "gun" is legally one particular part -- for example, in the case of an AR it would be the lower receiver. That means that guns can be stripped down and only the key part stored in the safe. You can therefore use a smaller safe and not worry too much about where you store the rest of the parts.
 
Now, I know the security-utopians are gonna poo-pooh these but hear me out.
The Stack-On cabinets rather than safes offer an alternative somewhat in line with what you may be thinking. They are inexpensive, light and can be bought in sizes presenting a small footprint should you wish to ask a family member or friend to store your items.

Some of the down sides:
As they are easily identified, they should be placed WELL out of site.
As they are easily identified, EVERYONE knows there are likely guns inside.
They should ALWAYS be anchored on at least one side but with Stack-Ons, I suggest two and possibly three sides to include the bottom. They are simply too easy to move - even when loaded to NOT anchor them.
The inexpensive models are not fire-lined/rated so insure accordingly.

I've used these and have set them up for others in situations of particular considerations where a proper safe is simply not an option. It is also worth considering using them laying flat on their backs. Easier sometimes, to build over them or pile crap on top of.

https://www.stack-on.com/product-category/safes-security-products/

Todd.
 
Take a look at FM 38-700 Packaging of material, Preservation. Chapter 3 seems to be the most relevant. Of course when you are looking at it, you will see equipment you cannot afford, processes you are not going to duplicate, finishes you are not going to apply. But, you can see that the problem of long term storage has been addressed before and you can understand some of the problems.

Early in the FM it addresses that surfaces need to be clean. In terms of firearms, to me that means removing all the powder residue off everything. Powder residue attractants moisture and that causes rust. Also, regular lubricating oils just won't work as rust preventatives. They don't have additives which block oxygen migration. I don't remember if the FM addresses this, but you have to keep rust preventative greases from drying out. Once they dry out, they don't block oxygen migration to the surface.

Since you cannot afford the industry process described in the manual, what you are most likely to do is what the rest of use do:coat all the surfaces in rust preventing grease. I do recommend a wax paper wrap followed by a saran wrap over that. The combined wraps are to prevent evaporation of the grease. I have done this with several sword blades, coated them with RIG, then a wax paper wrap, which I ran tape over. Ten years later I uncorked the things and found the grease was still pliable and the blades were not rusted.

All bets are off if stored in humid or wet environments. Might as well take a can of primer and spray everything metal. It will take longer to rust.
 
The tricky thing I hear about storing guns for the long term, in addition to issues with rust and moisture is if I store them with somebody who has an FFL I will be required to do a background check for each gun before I can receive them again.
Just a point of clarification. If you decide on an option that requires you to legally "transfer" the guns back to yourself from someone else, you'll only need to do one background check for all the guns in that transaction, not one for every gun.
 
I really appreciate the advice people are giving me here. I'm hanging on by a thread to my life and career as I have known it and trying to keep my head above water. I will do all in my power to not have to store my guns, but I have to prepare for the worst scenario. I will definitely be checking back to this thread to look at different suggestions for good storage. Most of my guns are polymer/steel/alloy , basically ARs, pistols , but also some revolvers. I don't have any guns with wooden parts. Of course, I've always yearned for a nice lever rifle and it's something I yearn for, when I can be less worried about being homeless and disabled. My handguns will all be coming with me, but it's the rifles that would probably have to be stored.

I know many have suggested friends and if I had good friends who could take care of me, I may not have had to write this thread. Sadly, all the friends I have had in life and family have gone to other places and I basically do not have any friends or family anymore. I am pretty much on my own and that is just how my life unfortunately worked out. Of course, some mention the issue with interstate transfers and that could also be a problem. I have parents in Oregon, but with Oregon's looney laws I don't think I trust leaving my guns there and rather not burden them with my guns. My parents are not exactly "gun friendly" people, anyhow. So, I basically got to find my own way to make this work out.

I do have a 600lb safe, but I just don't know where I will end up that I can bring it with me. Storing my guns along with a safe, as long as I can find a way to prevent rust is an option and I appreciate hearing that I may be able to circumvent having to do a transfer with an FFL if I can keep my guns stored. But, then again, what FFL will let me store my 600lb safe in his gun store or facility? I have heard of some gun ranges allowing people to store guns and offer lockers. Does anyone have any ideas about gun ranges who do this and if there is any issues doing this if you go out of state?

As of now, I have excellent credit and I am going to try to take out a large personal loan that would allow me to spend next year to prepare for software job and possibly even launch a business, but I don't know how much money and how low of an interest rate i Can get. If I Can get a good enough loan, I will just take my guns with me and may be able to push through these rough times. I still would be living as cheap as I can, but maybe can find a place large and secure enough to lug my 600lb safe and gun collection.
 
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I really appreciate the advice people are giving me here. I'm hanging on by a thread to my life and career as I have known it and trying to keep my head above water. I will do all in my power to not have to store my guns, but I have to prepare for the worst scenario. I will definitely be checking back to this thread to look at different suggestions for good storage. Most of my guns are polymer/steel/alloy , basically ARs, pistols , but also some revolvers. I don't have any guns with wooden parts. Of course, I've always yearned for a nice lever rifle and it's something I yearn for, when I can be less worried about being homeless and disabled. My handguns will all be coming with me, but it's the rifles that would probably have to be stored.

I know many have suggested friends and if I had good friends who could take care of me, I may not have had to write this thread. Sadly, all the friends I have had in life and family have gone to other places and I basically do not have any friends or family anymore. I am pretty much on my own and that is just how my life unfortunately worked out. Of course, some mention the issue with interstate transfers and that could also be a problem. I have parents in Oregon, but with Oregon's looney laws I don't think I trust leaving my guns there and rather not burden them with my guns. My parents are not exactly "gun friendly" people, anyhow. So, I basically got to find my own way to make this work out.

I do have a 600lb safe, but I just don't know where I will end up that I can bring it with me. Storing my guns along with a safe, as long as I can find a way to prevent rust is an option and I appreciate hearing that I may be able to circumvent having to do a transfer with an FFL if I can keep my guns stored. But, then again, what FFL will let me store my 600lb safe in his gun store or facility? I have heard of some gun ranges allowing people to store guns and offer lockers. Does anyone have any ideas about gun ranges who do this and if there is any issues doing this if you go out of state?

As of now, I have excellent credit and I am going to try to take out a large personal loan that would allow me to spend next year to prepare for software job and possibly even launch a business, but I don't know how much money and how low of an interest rate i Can get. If I Can get a good enough loan, I will just take my guns with me and may be able to push through these rough times. I still would be living as cheap as I can, but maybe can find a place large and secure enough to lug my 600lb safe and gun collection.

Right now, network security jobs are the hot thing and there are some programs that might help you get into the field.

Also, regarding software jobs, might want to meander over to the Ace of Spades blog as there are some folks there that do software development and maintenance type jobs. A lot of the commenters are current or former military folks and the talk can get a bit salty at times but Ace and his cobloggers post multiple times a day and the commenters after the first hundred or so discuss whatever else is going on in their lives. They have a gun thread every Sunday evening along with gardening, cooking, art, movies, culture, and politics. The Morons (self described) there are good folks and putting in a pleg (pleading and begging) post outlining your circumstances might get some results and perhaps career advice. ace.mu.nu is the website.

Don't let the primitive web appearance throw you off as they continue to use it for a reason (humorous sock puppets) that modern commenting systems would not permit. It pretty much looks the way that it started back in the early 2000's
 
Right now, network security jobs are the hot thing and there are some programs that might help you get into the field.

Also, regarding software jobs, might want to meander over to the Ace of Spades blog as there are some folks there that do software development and maintenance type jobs. A lot of the commenters are current or former military folks and the talk can get a bit salty at times but Ace and his cobloggers post multiple times a day and the commenters after the first hundred or so discuss whatever else is going on in their lives. They have a gun thread every Sunday evening along with gardening, cooking, art, movies, culture, and politics. The Morons (self described) there are good folks and putting in a pleg (pleading and begging) post outlining your circumstances might get some results and perhaps career advice. ace.mu.nu is the website.

Don't let the primitive web appearance throw you off as they continue to use it for a reason (humorous sock puppets) that modern commenting systems would not permit. It pretty much looks the way that it started back in the early 2000's

Thanks for the suggestions boomboom.. I am pretty heavily invested in my software career and currently trying to shift from many years as a desktop developer to a full-stack web developer; but, if for some reason, I just cannot get work in this field anymore or my disabilities limit me from doing the long 60 hr weeks (I already cannot sit on a chair anymore, I work on my computer laying down with the weirdest setup you ever seen and alternate with some standing) I will definitely consider it. Network security is huge money and had a friend in Seattle who was making $400k a year to travel and give lectures. He did seem to be disgruntled about all the travelling he had to do though. His job was so lax to the grueling 70+hr weeks I was putting in, but I took a huge paycut and sacrifice to try to keep alive one of American's dying institutions , small, home-grown family businesses. Especially in the software world, its rough.. Not looking forward to being a big corporate person.

I will definitely check out that Ace of Spades blogs you mention. And, no worries about aesthetics, I never judge a website by its HTML template ;)

I'm going to see if I can get this loan secured, I will know if I am going to be renting a room in somebody's home who will most likely who will be anti-gun , super liberal and annoying, as the way most people are in big cities today. I was shocked even when I was living in North Carolina, I could not find a single roommate in Charlotte or Raleigh area who was not against me having guns in the home; even a few who said they support the 2nd Amendment, but no guns.. Nevermind you have more of a chance of being killed crossing a cross walk than by a responsible, law-abiding gun owner who even has multiple CHLs. But, logic and reason doesn't sit well for most brainwashed people today and that also scares me with the upcoming election. If they institute federal red flag laws, then if my roommate is having a bad day, all they have to do is go to the police and say I am a risk and I can kiss my guns goodbye. Another reason why I left my home state of Oregon and would no longer live in Washington, Colorado or any of the other states that have abolished the 2nd Amendment in the name of "state security aka red flag laws". If you live in a state like that, even if your roommate says they are gun friendly, unless they have a sizable gun collection , themselves and are truly pro-gun, you are best not leaving all your guns in a house like that, because you are at the mercy of these people.

As far as lying to the roommates, well as long as there is no provision on the lease to not have guns in the house, I would have no problem ethically with lying. The problem is it is kind of hard to sneak long guns into a house and just a crappy way to live.. Pistols are a piece of cake and I will already be keeping pistols with me, even if the roommate demands no guns in the house. To say this lifestyle will make me feel like vomiting every day is an understatement. I grew up in the country and lived for years being free. At one point I was living in rural Oregon in the mountains with acres of land back when the home business was going good. This will be a miserable transition , but life isn't always roses and struggle is just part of humanity.

I am praying I can get this loan and spend next year preparing for job interviews and even possibly launch a side software business, as I am working on some projects that have some potential. It's tough, because I am in pain a lot of the time and refuse the opiate medications they want to pour down my throat. I am doing lot of physical therapy, taking breaks frequently and trying to survive this 70 hr work week I am forced to do now.

I am looking at relocating to Atlanta, Georgia and want to get the heck out of Nashville. Atlanta is pretty close to me and Georgia's gun laws are pretty good. I am not 100% on Atlanta yet, but it's a serious consideration. BTW, if anyone knows of a gun range or any type of business who does offer gun storage in the area, it would be very helpful to know about them. I obviously would want to avoid having to do a transfer of my guns. If there is any kind of business equivalent to the Vault/Gun storage place I had in Colorado that would be good to know as well. Either in Atlanta or possibly Nashville, since it is only 3.5 hours away and I will be storing a lot of stuff here in Nashville, anyway. As there is a chance I may end up having to store some of all of my long guns , if my loan prospects fall through.
 
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Thanks for the suggestions boomboom.. I am pretty heavily invested in my software career and currently trying to shift from many years as a desktop developer to a full-stack web developer; but, if for some reason, I just cannot get work in this field anymore or my disabilities limit me from doing the long 60 hr weeks (I already cannot sit on a chair anymore, I work on my computer laying down with the weirdest setup you ever seen and alternate with some standing) I will definitely consider it. Network security is huge money and had a friend in Seattle who was making $400k a year to travel and give lectures. He did seem to be disgruntled about all the travelling he had to do though. His job was so lax to the grueling 70+hr weeks I was putting in, but I took a huge paycut and sacrifice to try to keep alive one of American's dying institutions , small, home-grown family businesses. Especially in the software world, its rough.. Not looking forward to being a big corporate person.

I will definitely check out that Ace of Spades blogs you mention. And, no worries about aesthetics, I never judge a website by its HTML template ;)

I am looking at relocating to Atlanta, Georgia and want to get the heck out of Nashville. Atlanta is pretty close to me and Georgia's gun laws are pretty good. I am not 100% on Atlanta yet, but it's a serious consideration. BTW, if anyone knows of a gun range or any type of business who does offer gun storage in the area, it would be very helpful to know about them. As there is a chance I may end up having to store some of all of my long guns , if my loan prospects fall through.

Depending on where you want to go in GA, I can give you a bit of advice on both medical care and maybe gun storage via PM. Since we dodged a bullet in the 2018 governor's race, for now, the gun laws are pretty favorable as the GWL (Georgia Weapons License--it includes knives for example) pretty much is to pay the fee, pass the background check.

One thing that you might consider is looking at Pawn Shop/gun dealers and storing the firearms in their safe there. A lot of these are small businesses and might store your safe of firearms for a reasonable amount of "rent" and they are used to dealing with individuals.

One of the things that I have shifted to due to some medical issues is using voice recognition software which has gotten pretty good for the mainly text issues that I run into today. Ironically, the older version of Dragon is preferable to the current version so I had to build a Windows 8.1 machine from spares to run the thing along with an older version of Word Perfect, and MS Office.

During ye olden days of Fortran, Cobol, Pascal, and other long dead languages, when I programmed using those languages, I used text editors including the early word processors for a lot of programming and then copy and pasted the stuff into the programming environment as needed for compiling. It was easier to use key loaded macros in the text editor for repetitive coding than a lot of half-baked compilers that I dealt with in the day. The only problem with that approach today is the gui based versus text based environments--even today that is a pain when I have to do revert to some light terminal work in text editors for Linux system maintenance.

Oh, btw, consider maybe rooming up with college students around the various campuses in the Atlanta area as most have quad type residences where each person (4 is the usual) gets a private lockable bedroom with a shared common area. That might be fairly cheap for residence and if your business takes off, might be a source for future employees as well as ATL has quite a bit of tech education programs around town.
 
Depending on the number of long guns you have maybe you could ditch the safe and store your long guns in a lockable hard sided golf bag.
 
Depending on where you want to go in GA, I can give you a bit of advice on both medical care and maybe gun storage via PM. Since we dodged a bullet in the 2018 governor's race, for now, the gun laws are pretty favorable as the GWL (Georgia Weapons License--it includes knives for example) pretty much is to pay the fee, pass the background check.

One thing that you might consider is looking at Pawn Shop/gun dealers and storing the firearms in their safe there. A lot of these are small businesses and might store your safe of firearms for a reasonable amount of "rent" and they are used to dealing with individuals.

One of the things that I have shifted to due to some medical issues is using voice recognition software which has gotten pretty good for the mainly text issues that I run into today. Ironically, the older version of Dragon is preferable to the current version so I had to build a Windows 8.1 machine from spares to run the thing along with an older version of Word Perfect, and MS Office.

During ye olden days of Fortran, Cobol, Pascal, and other long dead languages, when I programmed using those languages, I used text editors including the early word processors for a lot of programming and then copy and pasted the stuff into the programming environment as needed for compiling. It was easier to use key loaded macros in the text editor for repetitive coding than a lot of half-baked compilers that I dealt with in the day. The only problem with that approach today is the gui based versus text based environments--even today that is a pain when I have to do revert to some light terminal work in text editors for Linux system maintenance.

Oh, btw, consider maybe rooming up with college students around the various campuses in the Atlanta area as most have quad type residences where each person (4 is the usual) gets a private lockable bedroom with a shared common area. That might be fairly cheap for residence and if your business takes off, might be a source for future employees as well as ATL has quite a bit of tech education programs around town.

Wow, cool to meet an old school programmer like you Boom Boom. You sound like you go a bit farther back than even me. I start programming in QuickBasic in the 80s (as a kid) and started my software career programming VB6 and VC++. Well, I could go into a long discussion about IDEs and editors.. I will say one thing I don't miss about those clunky old editors is the lack of intellisense. Intellisense has made my life many times easier (and wrists), as well with many new IDEs you can create many advanced macros. As far as me now, I am a .Net Develoerp and currently training to learn ASP.Net Core on the backend and Angular 8+ on the Front-end. I am a mostly famliar with Windows, but hoping to migrate to Linux platform to host my web apps. .Net has gone cross platform and getting more Linux friendly all the time now. BTW, check out Visual Studio Code if you want to see completely free and powerful IDe that a good many devs are using these days. It packs a good punch for not costing a penny to use :D

I didn't realize you were in the Atlanta area and that is great to hear. I could definitely use the advice some people in the area. You are right about Georgia dodging a bullet and I fear that Georgia could end up going downhill like my home state of Oregon. What once was a bastion of freedom and independence, the land of lumberjacks and ranchers has turned into a complete crapshow. I won't go into more details as I don't want to be too political.

I'll definitely send you a PM here soon as I can get some free time and would definitely appreciate whatever advice you can give with me moving to GA in regards to these subjects. Thanks for your help. The ideas about the pawn shops and renting one of those Quad type of living arrangements are all good and some things I may consider as well. I was looking at prices in Midtown and for being a super large city they actually look cheaper than Nashville. I have a lot to learn about Atlanta and have a lot of research to do.

PatRiot, it isn't about finding a suitable container as much as the security of the safe. Golf bags are kind of an interesting idea though... Haha, sure hope my potential roommate doesn't figure out that I don't know the first dang thing about golf, but then wonders why I am always lugging my golf bag in and out of the house :p To be honest, if I have roommates (which who knows if I trust), I'd probably want some kind of safe, even if itt is just a Stack On as somebody suggested. Even if they are "gun friendly", you never know if they have a little gathering, friends or a child comes to visit what can happen. Crap happens and I like my guns locked up and secured.
 
Thanks for the tips, I have been more or less out of programming for years except for statistical packages and Linux maintenance. You have an impressive background in programming and I'm sure that you will find a place and job that suits you. ATL is not really mentioned as a tech hub but maybe because of costs, a lot of tech firms are relocating to the Beltline projects along Ponce De Leon Ave. (U.S. 78) and its telecom past (MCI and BellSouth) and a major Tech University (Ga Tech) has left the city with some good infrastructure.

Personally, I learned on a Commodore Pet with a cassette tape drive and 4k memory that was the first computer in our high school. Even had to learn some assembly language to to some simple things. I read magazines like Byte, cover to cover, and starting reading Jerry Pournelle's Chaos Manor column talking about his S-100 microcomputers. Friend got a Trs-80 and we built a D&D program to run on it by using random number generators and the tables from the original books for it to as a DM supplement. At that time, you had to pretty much write your own code to do anything.

I wrote a spreadsheet program for the family business for IBM's business S/23 computer with tandem 8 inch floppies and some other amusements. Took formal programming classes due to my major and learned on a Harris mainframe that had really sucky compilers except for Fortran. Later I moved into database programming and did some programming under contract as well as in the service for organization readiness reports. Got out of it as I was never that good at visuals as I don't have a great visual sense. Been running Linux now for about 10-12 years but have always kept a Windows machine for compatibility with some desktop programs.

Now doing something else entirely except for the stats on projects. Right now, I am not even doing that as my interests in dealing with large statistical projects is simply not interesting after doing it for a number of years.
 
Thanks for the tips, I have been more or less out of programming for years except for statistical packages and Linux maintenance. You have an impressive background in programming and I'm sure that you will find a place and job that suits you. ATL is not really mentioned as a tech hub but maybe because of costs, a lot of tech firms are relocating to the Beltline projects along Ponce De Leon Ave. (U.S. 78) and its telecom past (MCI and BellSouth) and a major Tech University (Ga Tech) has left the city with some good infrastructure.

Personally, I learned on a Commodore Pet with a cassette tape drive and 4k memory that was the first computer in our high school. Even had to learn some assembly language to to some simple things. I read magazines like Byte, cover to cover, and starting reading Jerry Pournelle's Chaos Manor column talking about his S-100 microcomputers. Friend got a Trs-80 and we built a D&D program to run on it by using random number generators and the tables from the original books for it to as a DM supplement. At that time, you had to pretty much write your own code to do anything.

I wrote a spreadsheet program for the family business for IBM's business S/23 computer with tandem 8 inch floppies and some other amusements. Took formal programming classes due to my major and learned on a Harris mainframe that had really sucky compilers except for Fortran. Later I moved into database programming and did some programming under contract as well as in the service for organization readiness reports. Got out of it as I was never that good at visuals as I don't have a great visual sense. Been running Linux now for about 10-12 years but have always kept a Windows machine for compatibility with some desktop programs.

Now doing something else entirely except for the stats on projects. Right now, I am not even doing that as my interests in dealing with large statistical projects is simply not interesting after doing it for a number of years.

Sounds like you have a very intriguing background boomboom and I am sure I can have some interesting conversations about this. Developing a spreadsheet program sounds like quite a feat , especially back in the day with the limited development tools and resources on the devices you had to utilize. I remember writing software in GW Basic and Quick Basic. In fact, our original software was written in QuickBasic. Commodore Pet sounds way before my time. Believe it or not my first computer as a kid was a Commodore 64, although I did play around on my father's Apple and old PCs before I got my first computer :D I'd love to hit you up on your Linux knowledge as I am trying to migrate to CentOs and Ubuntu to host the various web applications I am trying to launch. ASP.Net Core runs on Linux just fine now. I am kind of stuck using Window Servers until I can increase my Linux knowledge. I'd also love to get more familiar with Bash scripting, although I do enjoy PowerShell in Windows. Both are a skill in themselves. Server Administration is a career in, itself, as well. BTW, Fortran has come back with a vengeance and is still widely use to day in a lot of scientific based applications. F# is very popular language for engineering applications. It is basically Fortran .Net.

My friend Michael is about 10 years older than me and started out a generation before me in programming. He is one of the few 50+ year old guys I know still grinding away in the industry. He was doing low level device programming before his company laid him off (after 10 years of working there) and was one of the guys who help create the Codecs that did compression for Blu-Ray players before the world switched to online streaming. Today he does low-level programming for micro-processors for electronic devices. Takes that old school knowledge and utilizes it in new ways. He is heavy duty into Linux Kernel programming and such. It is something that intrigues me. As far as me, I have done some pretty low-level Win32 programming and basically know the Windows OS down to its root level and have programmed a lot of low level Win32 applications over the years. I'd wish I would have invested in Linux, but being desktop .Net developer ,cross platform wasn't an option until recently.

I am hoping I can find some kind of work, but I have not been on job market for years and I got slammed hard at my interview at Microsoft I had a little while back (when I was thinking of bailing from my biz back then) with all the brain-teaser algorithm questions. So, I know I need to spend a lot of time studying my algorithms/Data structures ,as I have not really been studying this for years and the high pay companies can grill you pretty good on these. I've got a lot of preparation to do. I definitely try send you message as soon as I can.. I've been swamped with trying to prepare for moving again, figuring out my life and writing an Appointment Reminder software four our medical EHR type software that I was hoping could make some me some extra money; but , could pose a challenge to release with HIPAA restrictions and cost overhead.



Just one thought. There are safes that are basically drawers you fit under your bed. You could potentially have your guns locked, under your bed without your roommate's knowledge. Certainly not ideal, but it could be an option.
Best of luck.
Lucky Derby, once I figure out if I can get this loan and how large of a place I can afford and how hard it may be for me to move my safe and guns to my next destination then I will know better. If I am living in a house with an anti-gun roommate, sneaking a safe and my guns into the room could be an option, but I would have to see how I would feel living day to day with this person, knowing I have to sneak around and lie. As well, I'd hate to be in a situation where the roommate suspects I am holding something back or threatens to kick me out or threatens to leave themselves, etc. I may also consider another situation of renting a 2 bed apartment and putting in a roommate ad my self and finding a landlord who is down with that. That way if I am the first person there then it is not really there business what it is in my bedroom. I probably will not have this luxury though as I will need to find a place as soon as I can.
 
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I own my house so I configured a couple of walls to put my guns/pistols inside. Pistols in gallon bags and long guns wrapped in plastic after spraying them down with CLP. I have checked them every 2 years and CLP still wet with no rust.
 
Sounds like there are many different ways to keep your guns preserved.. Maybe, I should have just left my guns in Colorado where the humidity is so low its never an issue.. LOL.. If I have to end up storing them I will definitely be reviewing the different posts here.. I got plenty of CLP and if that could be a quick and dirty fix maybe that is an easier way to go. I just live in a small apartment now and definitely don't have the kind of setup where I can dump an entire rifle in a vat of wax or anything like that. I wish I had my own little shop or room, but apartment living just sucks period. I don't have a garage anymore :(

Most of my rifles are just ARs and a couple AKs. They are not super expensive or fancy rifles, but I rather still keep them in good shape. I'd probably keep one AR with me too (have an LMT I rather not store away).. One nice thing about an AR is you can separate the upper and lowers, which makes transport easy.. But, having lugged these rifles all over the USA, I can tell you , it would not be feasible sneaking a bunch of these in a room with a potentially hostile roommate.

I've been so busy I haven't been able to look into detail at all the advice here, but I got the thread bookmarked and when the time comes I am appreciative of this different techniques and material people use to preserve their guns.. It's always a good thing to learn about.. In fact, I haven't had a lot of money and time to do much shooting and have some safe queens that should probably be receiving some long term storage treatment, anyway. I've not treated my guns as nicely as I should have. I hate to admit that.
 
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