Best way to bring a cold gun into a warm environment?

[usmarine0352_2005]

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So I just brought my cold shotgun in it's plastic gun case to my warm basement for the end of the season. I thought you were supposed to let guns stay in their cases to slowly acclimate to the temperture as not to rust. However, when I opened the gun case up an hour later there was a thin film of water beads on the gun. I took the gun out and put it leaning against the wall, muzzle down with the bolt taken out. (In the past I've left the gun in the case overnight and had no problems, although I never took the guns out until the next day.)




So what is the best way to take your cold gun into a warm enviroment without it rusting?




Also, does what type of case you have effect on how you handle bringing it from a cold to warm enviroment?


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[jmstevens2]

We just let them warm up then dry, clean and lube (dry lube if really cold environment). Keep cold when going in and out to prevent condensation.

 

[HOWARD J]

When I came home from hunting I took gun out of case---Took the wood stock off gun &
cleaned rifle & coated it with Sheath ( now Barricade) rust stop. After a few days I checked for rust & recoatd gun with Sheath & put away in gun safe. Every month or so I would check for rust---I had a Remington 700--for some reason it would have a very very fine coat of rust on surface of barrel but you could not see it with your eye--I ran a Sheath rag over it & it was gone.
Have fun
HJ

 

[hey_poolboy]

I've always let it warm up slowly. If I come in from a hunt or something I let it sit in the case in the garage. Next morning I move it in to the basement still in the case. Never had any problems doing it this way. For the most part my gun just stays cold all winter long. It rides in the back of my work van most of the time just in case I get time to go hunting on the way home.

Gun...Like I only have the one.

 

[toivo]

IMO, the best idea is a case that "breathes" -- lets moisture escape without accumulating on the metal surfaces. I like the Boyt canvas cases that are padded with flannel rather than foam. The next best thing could be to put the gun in a silicone-impregnated gun sock inside the plastic case.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Best way to bring a cold gun into a warm enviroment?

I suggest carrying it; Throwing, dragging or kicking is likely to cause damage

Seriously, though, keep the internals lighlty oiled, and just wipe any condensation off the outside once the thing warms up.

 

[303tom]

While you are outside hose it down with WD-40.

 

[Carne Frio]

I have used this method when bringing in a rifle that I was
shooting at about +10: Leave it in the case in an unheated
porch. The porch temp was around +35, or so. The next
day I bring it into a warmer room, still in the case for about
a half a day. By then I get no condensation. Then I wipe it
down good with CLP.

 

[Arp32]

I actually thought this post was a joke or spoof until I read a little bit in.

It never occurred to me that this could be a problem (I live in Phoenix...).

 

[vellocet]

Right before you clean it.

 

[Sport45]

Leave the plastic case closed until the gun has warmed up. The cold air trapped in the case is dry. If the gun has warmed to room temperature before the case is opened no moisture will condense on it. It doesn't even have to get to room temperature, as long as it is above the dew point. Dew point is probably a little more than 10°F below room temperature.

When you opened the case you exposed the gun to the humid air in the house which immediately began condensing on the surface.

 

[bergmen]

I used to have to bring cameras in from the cold all the time. What we did was bring a plastic bag outdoors, put the camera in and seal it then bring it into the house.

Sealing it in a bag keeps moisture from condensing on the item. Just let it stabilize at room temperature, then remove from the bag.

What I would do is get a large (30+ gallon) plastic garbage bag, bring it outside and place the firearm in the bag and seal it. Bring it indoors and let it acclimate like I described above.

Dan

 

[armoredman]

I live in the desert, what is "cold"?

 

[1911 guy]

Temperature change will cause condensation, especially going from cold to warm. Every time, all the time. The greater the temperature difference and the less time is allowed between the extremes, the more moisture will condense.

First rule is get it inside the house and out of the case. All a case does is trap all that moisture right next to the metal on your favorite and perhaps only shotgun. Or rifle, or pistol, etc.

Secondly, if you're single or have an understanding wife or S/O is to put it under the covers of your bed. You don't have to rest the muzzle on a pillow, though. Most shotguns won't complain about not having a pillow. The blankets act as an insulator and let the firearm warm to room temperature slowly, which causes less condensation. The cloth also wicks away a bit of that moisture. Like I said, you'll need an understanding Lady of the House.

Thirdly is to never let it go beyond a few hours until cleaning. Here, WD-40 comes into its rightful place. Water Displacer is exactly what you want. I'm not going to disparage it for other times, but I'll advocate it for these times.

If you can discipline yourself to go inside and strip your gun right away, you will save yourself a lot of headaches and probably not have to break out anything but a rag and some solvent and oil. If you must wait a while, be thorough when cleaning.

 

[JTHunter]

Arp32 - think about what that nice tall glass of iced tea does when you take it outside (even in Phoenix).
Now, reverse that and take that cold gun inside. Same problem.

Poolboy - the problem with leaving a gun in the case, esp. a hard-sided luggage style case is that they don't breathe. Any moisture on the gun stays in the case and on the gun. Lay the rifle on the case in the garage for a few hours until it is above 40-45 degrees, then inside and wipe it down or clean it, if necessary.

 

[Sport45]

the problem with leaving a gun in the case, esp. a hard-sided luggage style case is that they don't breathe.

You don't want the case to breathe. Assuming the air was cold and dry when you put the gun in the case the air is still dry as it warms up. Bergmen's description above of sealing it in a plastic bag outside is spot-on. Plastic cases keep the gun in a dry environment while they warm up.

Now if it was covered in snow or rain when you put it in the case that's another matter...

 

[1911 guy]

Even dry winter air isn't as dry as you'd think it is. Unless you've been outside in a truly arid environment, I'd advise getting it our of the case.

 

[Sport45]

It doesn't have to be bone dry. It just has to be drier than the air in the house to prevent condensation.

The condensation occurs because you take it out of the case, not because you don't.

Cold air isn't capable of holding as much moisture as warm air. 100% relative humidity on 25°F day represents less moisture in the air than 50% relative humidity at 70°F.

I'd rather prevent the condensation from forming that try to dry it all out after it has. Luckily, most of the condensation when you bring a gun in is on the outside. There's not much air movement inside the gun or it would be wet inside and out. Of course, if you bring a cold gun in and take it apart all of the pieces will have water condense on them.

One saving grace is that most homes aren't humidity controlled and in the winter time are very dry (often less than 20% RH).

 

[Owen Sparks]

This is the problem with storing guns in non-climate controled enviroments like garages and attics. If the night is cold and the morning air warms up too rapidly, the cold steel will sweat like an iced tea glass and cause rust. Metal is much denser than air and takes a lot longer to warm up. It is not heat or cold or even humidity that rusts steel, but rather a quick change in temperature.

 

[230RN]

I usually leave the TV set (old-fashioned CRT type) running when I leave. When I come back in, the sidearm next to my bod is warm, but the one I keep in an outside coat pocket is cold, so I stick it on top of the TV and let the warm air coming up through the set keep it dry until it warms up. Tops of refrigerators are OK, too. I also slipped a couple of those sheet-metal bookends between the wall and the baseboard hot water heating covers to park cold things on and to set epoxy. For long guns, it's a simple matteer to slip two of these sheet metal bookends in there a couple of feet apart and put the rifle or shotgun on them.

Terry, 230RN

To wit:

 

[LaVere]

As a retired photographer I run into this all winter long ( Michigan). If traveling indoor location to indoor location with periods of warm moist indoors. I seal in a weather proof case such as a pelican case at the warm temp. Also in a warm car not the trunk. At the end of the shoot all cases come indoors. Closed and sealed until the next morning. It's not the cold that the problem but the warm moist room air. Seal from the moisture.

 

[Sport45]

Where I'm at the problem is in the summer. When bringing guns from my air-conditioned house and transporting them to the range in my even more air-conditioned truck them suckers are pretty cold when I get them out. They'll sweat like bandits when I take them out of the case on a warm summer morning.

I leave them in their case until I'm ready to shoot them. They seem to warm up and dry out fairly quick...

If I decide not to shoot one it stays in the case and is fine until I get back home. I've never opened a case at home to find a wet firearm, even in the soft cases.

 

[BeerSleeper]

I use my garage as a thermal midpoint. It's attached, but unheated. Generally the temperature in the garage is halfway between the indoor temp of the house, and the temp outside. A freezing cold gun stands in the garage for a while, to warm up slowly away from humidity.

If I notice a gun drawing condensation when I bring it inside, it gets hung above the mantle, or above the wood stove, depending upon which one is lit at that time. Placing an item in the hot upward draft from your wood stove is the most effective way of drying just about anything that I have found.

 

[JohnBT]

Cold or wet guns get leaned against the radiator in the kitchen to drip dry. It doesn't take long. Then they get wiped down.

 

[22-rimfire]

If I am concerned, I will leave the gun in the garage or inside the vehicle in the garage and transition it inside the house the next day hopefully after it warms up a bit. My garage seldom gets below 32 degrees, but there are colder spells.