Long-Term Storage

[guyfromohio]

My safes are getting a bit over-crowded with guns that I'm wanting to hold on to, but I really don't shoot. Buying a larger safe isn't really an option right now. I was thinking of storing them in the crawl space of my house. It is a functional space built only ten years ago with our home addition. The basement doesn't get water, but I do empty a gallon-sized dehumidifier nearly daily down there. Are there any decent cases out there that I could maybe oil the guns up, put in a gun-sock, and then lock away? For the handguns, could I just oil, gun-sock, non-foam OEM gun box? Other suggestions?

These aren't all Junkers.....just don't need them in the safe.

I probably want to remove around six long-guns and maybe 6-8 handguns.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

This dovetails in quite nicely with a question that came up in personal discussion a couple of months ago. I was asked about options available for another type of long term storage in case the past election had gone t'other way. My answer was sonobuoy cases. Not the sonobuoy itself, just the case that's discarded after the buoy is deployed. I was then asked where you could get them & had to reply that I didn't know. Maybe they're sold on street corners in Norfolk and San Diego, but not in rural Montana. I also have no idea what they go for.

However, they would seem to be ideal for your storage needs & hopefully cost a lot less than some of the whoopee-ding rifle cases.

900F

 

[Drail]

Please don't store them in a crawl spaces. I have spent some years under houses and I would never store firearms there. You could take one that you really don't care about much and stick it down there AND pull it out and look at it every couple of weeks to see if it starts to rust. Guns should be stored oiled and in open air that is less than 45% humidity. You don't want any foam or fabric or cardboard or leather touching them. I store unused guns on wood racks supported by heavy wood dowels covered in vinyl or rubber tubing. You can buy a cheap gauge at the hardware store and see what level of humidity you have. The best oil for long term storage is Breakfree's "Collector". I have used it for years and it will protect the steel for 5 years in open storage but can be pulled out for immediate use at any time (unlike grease). I mop it on with a small paintbrush. Never had any rust yet. The most important thing is to look at them every couple of weeks to see how they're holding up - even in a safe. CB, do you know what sonobuoy cases are made from and are they gasketed? I'll bet the Navy has big piles of those. Maybe they get re-conditioned and reused.

 

[guyfromohio]

Crawl space reservations noted....may rethink that placement.

Does anyone have experience with these ZCORR storage bags? I could probably stack a few in some rubber-made bins.

https://www.zcorrproducts.com/collections/

 

[cdk8]

I've toyed with the idea of storing some handguns in a vacuum sealed (non-reactive) plastic bag with a little bit of silica gel inside the barrel and mag well to absorb any internal humidity. I've done this with knives and it has worked well so far, but I'm only a few months in. Some of the knives are coated in Eezox, which is arguably one of the better products for long-term storage given its endurance and how it is a dry lubricant instead of a grease. One Shot may provide even better rust resistance, although I havent read much about it for long-term storage as it's still relatively new.

A few Members on here have posted pictures of some locking modular storage containers they found at yard sales for a good price. Sometimes you can find some pretty good stuff there and on CL?

 

[firewrench044]

Brownell's has storage bags and descant chips for them
When I have used them I also sealed the whole thing in a seal a meal bag
Then in a hard side gun case
Don;t forget a label as to what it is ( memory fades with time )

 

[splattergun]

If a new safe is out of the question, then how 'bout just a locker? Meaning those Stack-on cabinets. I'm jumping to the conclusion that you don't have the cash for a safe. Also jumping to the conclusion that you do have room for a small cabinet, somewhere in the shack. Perhaps in a closet. They also make a pistol locker that could sit right on top of the rifle cabinet or safe. Inexpensive solution to keep nosey neighbor kids (but not burglars) away from them. Not fire safe either, but this is recommended for temporary overflow storage.

But IMO, keep 'em out of the crawl space unless you plan to soak them in grease, entomb them in airtight canisters, and plan on storing them there for years.

 

[guyfromohio]

If a new safe is out of the question, then how 'bout just a locker? Meaning those Stack-on cabinets. I'm jumping to the conclusion that you don't have the cash for a safe. Also jumping to the conclusion that you do have room for a small cabinet, somewhere in the shack. Perhaps in a closet. They also make a pistol locker that could sit right on top of the rifle cabinet or safe. Inexpensive solution to keep nosey neighbor kids (but not burglars) away from them. Not fire safe either, but this is recommended for temporary overflow storage.

But IMO, keep 'em out of the crawl space unless you plan to soak them in grease, entomb them in airtight canisters, and plan on storing them there for years.

Truth be told......a new safe signals the better half that I may have been actually buying more guns than I need. And space, of course. I'm going to abandon the crawl-space idea and see what Elsie I can come up with.

 

[bigtee]

Another option for protection is Kroil. I keep a shotgun in the barn for snakes and other critters, when I first put it there I would check it every month or so and was always showing signs of rust. I tried several different types of gun oil, but all had the same results. I finally stripped it down, cleaned it good and covered all metal parts with Kroil, haven't had any problems with it and it's been there for a couple years now.

 

[natman]

Kroil is a fantastic penetrating oil, but it's very thin and volatile. Not what I'd want for long term rust protection.

Here's some oils that are great for storage:

Break Free Collector. Easy to apply, easy to remove, stays where you put it.
LPS3. Sprays or wipes on, dries to a thin grease, excellent rust protection. A bit harder to remove than Collector, but not bad.
RIG Grease. Wipes on, superb protection, harder to remove.

Whichever oil you choose should be supplemented by storage in a VCI bag. VCI bags emit anti corrosion vapors and protect every part of the gun. Poly gun bags are relatively inexpensive and work great. I recently stored a collection of guns using Collector and Poly gun bags for more that 5 years with no rust.

 

[InfoLoader]

Hi if have a vacuum sealer and bags you can cut bag to length(heavy duty thick mil bags preferred, then you can oil your gun with collecters gun oil which states it will store for years without re-oiling, And then vacuum seal in the custom cut to length bag and get better results.

 

[InfoLoader]

You do still have the potential for rodents/ critters biting bag but as long as you vacuum seal you shouldnt have to worry about moisture anymore