doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - OT: Gun storage climate control

I want to build a little "trappers' cabin" on my property to house all my hunting, fishing, and outdoor junk in one common organized place. I want an aquarium for live bait and a place to tie flies without my cat's help. My own private tiny sporting goods store with shelves, racks, and so on. It will get the clutter out of my house and workshops. If I move it can become an accessory dwelling unit.

My question is how much, if any, climate control do you think is necessary to properly store guns and ammo? Thanks.

Oh, my goodness.

My late father was a tinkerer, a rough and finish carpenter, and at one point a Coleman repairman, and he amassed a veritable trove of hardware, fasteners, tools, spare parts, and gewgaws over his lifetime. When he had a stroke and my folks had to move out of their house into assisted living, I took everything in their cellar and hauled it to a tiny shed on a lakefront property we co-owned. Because, when you're six kilometres from the nearest hardware store, no phone, no internet, and you need something RIGHT NOW to solve a problem....

A decade later, my neighbor at the lake, an ex-Canadian Army combat engineer officer, was building a camper out of an old white Chevrolet van, to tour around in during high pandemic. A fine gent. One day, he saw me tooling around my mother's property eating blueberries or whatever, and hailed me. Because I'd told him I had a shed full of tools and stuff, and if he ever needed anything, to not be shy. "Hey! Look, this is a longshot, but I'm trying to rig a potable water system in the van, and I need a 3/8" hose clamp. The hardware store in the village doesn't have any that small. I'll have to drive sixty kilometres to Shawinigan. We were planning on leaving for Gaspé tomorrow. I don't suppose....?"

"I might. Cut me a one-inch piece of the hose you need to clamp, and give me a half an hour." He did as bidden. I climbed into the shed's attic with the hose sample, roused-out a couple of roll-your-own tobacco cans that my father had labelled "HOSE CLAMPS," and spilled them onto the floor. Ten, fifteen minutes later, I walked down the hill and dropped the appropriate clamp into the major's hand. I had only one of 'em.

But it worked. Solved his problem.

Does Otis still sleep in it? Gil

Luck probably has very little to do with this, unless it is considered lucky to know enough that it takes a multifaceted approach to keep gun metal free of rust. Common red rust is ferric oxide (hydrate), and the only way to totally prevent it is to keep oxygen away from the surface of steel. That isn't easy when oxygen is 21% of the air we breathe. Bluing on our guns is a different oxide that inhibits the formation of red rust, but bluing alone isn't nearly enough. Over time, unprotected blued steel will acquire a brown patina, which is a nice term for rust. So I would assume that eightbore is lucky enough to know he has to use something that inhibits oxygen from reacting with his gun metal, such as wax or a good gun oil. I find it hard to believe he has never used any gun oils or products that inhibit corrosion, especially in a climate with seasonal high humidity. All gun oil is not created equal, and some last longer and do a better job than others. We have all seen the tests and debates about which ones are best. Products like RIG or cosmoline are great for long term storage, but a pain to remove for frequently used guns. You can store a gun in a very dry climate and still get a fine grained rust over time if it isn't properly cleaned and protected. Perspiration contains salt which is hygroscopic, and will pull in moisture, which contains oxygen. So merely handling a gun could cause rusting issues, which is why curators of gun museums handle them with clean white gloves.

The vapor phase corrosion inhibitor (VPCI) paper or plastic that Stan and I mentioned earlier is wonderful stuff, because it emits a volatile vapor that collects at the surface of steel, and displaces oxygen. But even that has limitations because the VPCI chemical infused into it dissipates over time, so it must eventually be replaced. Naturally, it lasts longer when it isn't exposed to heat and sunlight. When we recently installed a new Fanuc 6 axis robot at work, it came crated and nicely wrapped in Cortec VPCI plastic, so I snagged a few hundred sq. ft. that would have been discarded, as my co-workers were blissfully unaware of what it is good for.

https://www.theruststore.com/VCI-C12.aspx

I would have salvaged some of that too, Keith, but probably not several hundred square feet! Good on you.

One of my Grandad's sayings was "Don't throw anything away. If you don't have a use for it keep it 7 years. If, after 7 years, you haven't had a need for it, keep it 7 more".

I abide by that and my wife hates it. 😁😁😁

i abide by what is called the carpenter's rule....it makes no difference how long you've had it, and not needed it....if you throw it away - you will need it in three days...

best regards,

tom

LOL, just what I did. A big old Mosler safe. I did it about 14 years ago. I can't stand the electronic locks. Had one fail on me with a Cabelas safe I bought about 23 years ago.

Mine sits in a hall closet and the house is climate control. I keep a half pint of uncooked rice in the bottom of the safe in an open jar which allegedly acts as a moisture absorber. Whether it does or not, no issues. It's also possible that there is not enough room in the safe for a drop of water to fit inside. Gil

This is something I have utilized in certain locations for at least 10 years. They are very effective. Don't ask me how I know.

https://www.burglarbomb.com

I use one of these as part of a security system. The warning tone is exactly the same as my tinnitus and I once set it off accidentally. I now take my wife with me when I arm it. She tells me the tone is quite loud. The gas is brutal and the residual is not as EZ to get rid of as we are lead to believe. Lesson learned and It won't happen twice. They work as advertised and are a great addition to the system.

One thing I find many people overlook, is the concept of, you can't steal what you cant find.

To the original question, Golden Rods have worked well for me for 30 years. Never an issue.

I just make it a point to take mine out every few days and wipe them down with a oily rag. I am always handling them - taking them out, shouldering them and just caring for them. I enjoy doing that anyway.

Or, you trip over it for 10 years and when you go to look for it you never can find it, so you go out and buy a new one THEN it turns up three days later. That's why I've just decided to start throwing things away and buying new. I'm tired of seeing them lay around for decades not getting used while I constantly trip and fall over them. Or have them fall out on the floor when I'm looking for something else.

Which is why you organize, and label. Just because you don't throw stuff away doesn't make you a hoarder. And, just because you save stuff doesn't make you smart. There has to be a system for it to be beneficial.