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Storing/Preserving guns

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Category: Firearms, Bows, and Ammunition
Forum Name: Firearms
Forum Description: All makes, models and uses
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Topic: Storing/Preserving guns
Posted By: Sneaky
Subject: Storing/Preserving guns
Date Posted: February/08/2009 at 20:56
I haven't been on the sight in awhile, but was thinking about away to store my guns and figured some on here would have an idea.  I have a few guns now that don't really get used and I also have a food saver.  I was thinking about vacuum sealing some of them.  Anybody think this would be a good idea, my dad laughed at me and thought it was kind of dumb.  Any comments are welcomed even the smarta$$ ones for humor sake.  Thanks in advance.



Replies:
Posted By: rifle looney
Date Posted: February/08/2009 at 21:03
If you have a safe which I hope you do get a dehumidifier rod and be done with it. case closed.

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Posted By: martin3175
Date Posted: February/08/2009 at 21:07
Humidity / moisture is your enemy ...keep you rifles dry and relatively warm.. even an inexpensive safe with a dehumidifier rod will get'r done.. Oil'em up and put them in there and you'll be set


Posted By: silver
Date Posted: February/08/2009 at 21:19
Coat it down inside and out.  Wrap it in some version of the vapor paper (Unless plated or alloy).  Then bag it at least once. If you can vacuum seal, then great.  At least try and get most of the air out.  You can use water to displace the air by placing the bag in a filled tube or bucket depending on the size of the gun.
 
There are some vapor lined bags from some people.  Those are rated for three to five years. The first thing I notice about those are that Brownells and some other well know names do not offer them for sale.  Makes me wonder...


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"If we weren't all crazy we, We would go insane."   Jimmie Buffet

WWW.formitch.com



Posted By: rifle looney
Date Posted: February/08/2009 at 21:22
Silver do you really do this or is it just suggestions?

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Posted By: Monster
Date Posted: February/08/2009 at 21:23
Has anyone tried putting a lot of disecant (sp?) in a coffee can with holes in the top to help get rid of the humidity? I have heard of this but not sure if it works?

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"Get Busy Livin' or get busy dyin'" -Red (Shawshank Redemption)


Posted By: Roy Finn
Date Posted: February/08/2009 at 22:11
I use the desiccant packs you can buy at gun stores or on line. Depending on the level of moisture you will have to take them out to reactivate them by placing them in an oven for 2-3 hours. If you are worried about rust you could also apply Birchwood Casey Sheath which comes in a spray. Pull the barreled action out (if applicable) and coat all metal. On the desiccant packs, there is a moisture level "window" to tell you when they need to be reactivated.


Posted By: Monster
Date Posted: February/08/2009 at 22:19
Thanks Roy 

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"Get Busy Livin' or get busy dyin'" -Red (Shawshank Redemption)


Posted By: Sneaky
Date Posted: February/08/2009 at 22:29
Thanks for all of the advice, unfortunately at this stage in my life I do not have a gun safe.  No little ones around yet to worry about.  Back to the original question good idea or bad idea on using the food saver to vacuum seal a gun?


Posted By: rifle looney
Date Posted: February/08/2009 at 22:32
If you do this, oil it really good or you will be sealing in moisture?...how long are you going to store them?

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Posted By: Kickboxer
Date Posted: February/08/2009 at 22:50
If you are going to store a LONG time, cosmoline in plastic, in a vacuum if possible...  It has been used successfully for quite some time.  Cosmoline is a KNOWN preservative.

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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living


Posted By: Roy Finn
Date Posted: February/08/2009 at 23:18
Is that how you store your binoculars


Posted By: silver
Date Posted: February/09/2009 at 04:46
Originally posted by rifle looney rifle looney wrote:

Silver do you really do this or is it just suggestions?
 
Most of it.  It is also how I have received several "surplus" guns.  Many makers use  a light coat of oil and a vapor paper and often a plastic bag.  When used to I buy a lot of new or surplus handguns, that's how they came in. S&W used a brown paper, those are coated,  a light coat of oil and a thin plastic bag. The  surplus rifles would be greased, then wraped in a waxed paper and plastic baged. 
 
I have been using Break Free's "Collector" and vapor bags for the blue guns I have.  I used some other stuff, a dry lube, and was not pleased with how it treated the fininsh. It left things a but dull.  I "squeeze" most of the air out of the bag and seal it and date it.  
 
Cosmoline is now out of production.  So is "Rig."  I called Brownells last week and I should have thier recommend substitutes soon. 


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"If we weren't all crazy we, We would go insane."   Jimmie Buffet

WWW.formitch.com



Posted By: geezer
Date Posted: February/09/2009 at 12:21
Anybody tried "bore stores" products?  I've been storing some pistols and long guns in them.  I clean them up as I normally do and then put them in the appropriate sized one.  I have been using them for about a year and had no problems to date.  They also help cushion everything in case of minor bumps.

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I would give you my two cents worth, but then you would probably have to give half to the gov't and what good is one penny


Posted By: supertool73
Date Posted: February/09/2009 at 12:36
Originally posted by Roy Finn Roy Finn wrote:

Is that how you store your binoculars





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Lifetime warranty and excellent customer service don't mean a thing when your gun fails during a zombie attack.

"A Liberal is a person who will give away everything they don't own."


Posted By: Tip69
Date Posted: February/09/2009 at 12:43
supertool......... your avatar is starting to make me ill.  Puker How about a new one, please.

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take em!


Posted By: Urimaginaryfrnd
Date Posted: February/10/2009 at 07:12
to answer the original question - vaccume sealer -- GOOD --- However add some of the small packs of desicant like you might find in a bag of new brass. These small bags of desicant can be reactivated by removing the moisture through baking them in the oven at about 240 degrees for two hours.  Many sporting goods stores offer the larger packs of desicant suitable for a larger container like a safe or closet.  Depending on the size and type of items stored you may wish to own a pelican case or two which are waterproof and you can put a desicant block and several firearms inside - short of a safe with a goldenrod electric dehumidifyer this is probably the best means of controling the moisture level over time yet allowing ready access. http://www.pelican.com/ - http://www.pelican.com/

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"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".
Bobby Paul Doherty
Texas Ranger


Posted By: Kickboxer
Date Posted: February/10/2009 at 08:32
Originally posted by silver silver wrote:

Originally posted by rifle looney rifle looney wrote:

Silver do you really do this or is it just suggestions?
 
Most of it.  It is also how I have received several "surplus" guns.  Many makers use  a light coat of oil and a vapor paper and often a plastic bag.  When used to I buy a lot of new or surplus handguns, that's how they came in. S&W used a brown paper, those are coated,  a light coat of oil and a thin plastic bag. The  surplus rifles would be greased, then wraped in a waxed paper and plastic baged. 
 
I have been using Break Free's "Collector" and vapor bags for the blue guns I have.  I used some other stuff, a dry lube, and was not pleased with how it treated the fininsh. It left things a but dull.  I "squeeze" most of the air out of the bag and seal it and date it.  
 
Cosmoline is now out of production.  So is "Rig."  I called Brownells last week and I should have thier recommend substitutes soon. 
You can occasionally find cosmoline at gun shows. I got a 1lb can of it a couple of years ago... for just in case. 
Actually, you can get the "new and improved" environmentally safe cosmoline HERE:
http://www.schafco.com/cosmoline.asp - http://www.schafco.com/cosmoline.asp


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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living


Posted By: Sneaky
Date Posted: February/11/2009 at 14:27
Thanks urimaginaryfriend,  I think I will try sealing them in with those packets.  They will only be sealed for up to a year at a time, at the absolute longest.


Posted By: silver
Date Posted: February/11/2009 at 17:25
Originally posted by geezer geezer wrote:

Anybody tried "bore stores" products?  I've been storing some pistols and long guns in them.  I clean them up as I normally do and then put them in the appropriate sized one.  I have been using them for about a year and had no problems to date.  They also help cushion everything in case of minor bumps.
 
The Kleenbore bags? I bought a couple of those over the winter.  I oiled down with BreakFree and placed it in the bag squeezing most of the air out.


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"If we weren't all crazy we, We would go insane."   Jimmie Buffet

WWW.formitch.com



Posted By: silver
Date Posted: February/11/2009 at 17:53
KickBoxer,
 
Brownells sells Rust Veto packaged with thier logo.  I just got some in.  It seems to be a lot like Cosmoline, but maybe a bit smoother.
 
 To replace RIG they sent me stuff called "Boeshield T-9" which is a light oil.  I just opend the bottle and put a drop on a magazine to see what it is like. Then it dries to a light film in just a few minutes. If you left a finger print then that may dry to.
 
Brownells also has some stuff called gun paper wrap.  That says not to place in direct contact with plated or alloy guns. 
 
They have a Mylar bag they recomend with or without rust blocks.  They look like they may be vacuum sealer friendly, but I don't have a vacuum sealer; YMMV.
 
A couple of the big questions need to asked when you start into this stuff.  Where are you located and how long do you want to store.  Minot and Mobile are differant.  The same thing if you are storing in a basement. 
 
 
 


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"If we weren't all crazy we, We would go insane."   Jimmie Buffet

WWW.formitch.com



Posted By: BobFair
Date Posted: April/08/2009 at 12:39
The desicant block is necessary for any http://www.competitor.net/pelican-box-brand.html - Pelican Cases .  I can't stress that enough.  Save the pain and invest a few dollars, its worth it



Posted By: Kickboxer
Date Posted: April/08/2009 at 13:13
Originally posted by silver silver wrote:

KickBoxer,
 
Brownells sells Rust Veto packaged with thier logo.  I just got some in.  It seems to be a lot like Cosmoline, but maybe a bit smoother.
 
 To replace RIG they sent me stuff called "Boeshield T-9" which is a light oil.  I just opend the bottle and put a drop on a magazine to see what it is like. Then it dries to a light film in just a few minutes. If you left a finger print then that may dry to.
 
Brownells also has some stuff called gun paper wrap.  That says not to place in direct contact with plated or alloy guns. 
 
They have a Mylar bag they recomend with or without rust blocks.  They look like they may be vacuum sealer friendly, but I don't have a vacuum sealer; YMMV.
 
A couple of the big questions need to asked when you start into this stuff.  Where are you located and how long do you want to store.  Minot and Mobile are differant.  The same thing if you are storing in a basement. 
 
 
 
 
Just saw this.  Thank you, Silver.  I will check those out.


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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living


Posted By: RifleDude
Date Posted: April/08/2009 at 17:44
I just wipe all metal down with Break Free and put 'em in my safe.  Even when not stored in the safe, and even after long term storage, I've never had rust problems by just wiping down my guns after each use with Break Free on a cloth.  This is especially critical after exposure to rain / wet conditions.  If you live in a damper climate than I do, your experience may differ from mine, but nothing more than a simple, thorough wipe down with a good preservative oil has worked just fine in keeping rust off my guns for many years.

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Ted


Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.


Posted By: tahqua
Date Posted: April/08/2009 at 18:46
I have a food saver and I don't think the bags nor the pump are up to the task, especially a long gun.
I used to wipe them down and store them in a dry closet for years without a problem. That was with plain Hoppes #9 Lubricant. I'm sure any of the modern lubes are even better, like Ted has suggested. I have been impressed with Ballistol in recent years.


Posted By: Kickboxer
Date Posted: April/08/2009 at 21:31
I like cosmoline... it is a great wrinkle cream, as well and does wonders for dry skin.  

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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living


Posted By: Urimaginaryfrnd
Date Posted: April/09/2009 at 01:26
Conversation from last gunshow.
Dirty HarryHave you been to Home Depot to pick out your PVC pipe?
Evil Black RifleBuy plastic grips - wood rots.


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"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".
Bobby Paul Doherty
Texas Ranger



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