I have always kept all of my old doubles stored away in a secured closet in my house but since recently moving to a smaller home that's not so much an option I have bee looking to buy a fire proof gun vault that unfortunately the only place I have to put it is in an unheated garage Any advise or opinions good or bad?

Goldenrods will help. I stay away from storing guns in unheated spaces. Too much moisture and too much rust potential.

It's not ideal but I admit I've stored my collection in conditions like that for years with no problem and only mild preventative measures.

The reputed moisture conditions are not from the cold. They're from either 1) relatively rapid variation in temperature causing condensation 2) humidity. I'd check for those first. Frankly humidity is a problem that gets worse with warmth anyway and rust will be more active the warmer the temperature under otherwise identical conditions. Just think about rust browning procedures

The steps I take are to oil and wax appropriately and place all guns stock up barrel down avoiding contact with fabric which acts as a moisture trap and rust enhancer (DO NOT STORE IN GUN CASES). I use normal cleaning/lubricating procedures with nothing more with a light coat of Renaissance Wax on the barrels and lockwork. Renaissance wax avoids oil/wood contamination problems and stays in place.

I'd love to have a large gun room for display but that's never going to happen (at least as long as I stay married : ) )so I make do with what I can.

Jeremy

My safe has always been in an unheated garage where temps have ranged from below freezing to upper nineties. Never had any problems at all. None. I do use a Golden Rod and check it periodically to make sure it is still working properly. This has been my experience for 25 years and in different climates, some dry, some pretty humid. As long as the firearm has been cleaned/wiped down properly before hand I would expect no issues.

While living in Bergen County in NJ, my safe was in the garage. I ran a goldenrod for about 4 hours per day year round and wiped my guns down with an oil after cleaning and never had a problem.
Are you north or south Jersey?

Don A
Be sure to bolt the safe down, to avoid it being removed with a hand truck.
Mike

Here's a nice looking safe, weighs 1,100 lbs, and should be fine for outside storage. Wish I had the room for one.

https://www.revolutionsafes.com/products/stronghold-xl/

just buy a nice looking safe....bolt it to the floor in the rec room or bedroom....tell the wife that's just how it is going to be...you know grow a couple....also tell her she can store her 'NEW' jewelry in the safe ...

thanks for the ideas all

Builder -no longer in NJ lived in way south NJ .. haven't posted in awhile needed to update my info

If you keep guns in unheated/un air conditioned garage in Va there will be oxidation problems. I limit my arsenal to two handguns, two shotguns and one rifle. This reduces problems for my family if something happens to me and I have no need for 1,100lb monstrosity.

I tried to reduce shotgun inventory to one gun, but I can't do recreational shooting with 4.5lb shotgun which I use for hunting. I might be able to eliminate one handgun keeping subcompact one and letting to the 1911 brick.

I have the good fortune to have taken over my son's room after he moved out and turned it into my gun room, complete with bird mounts, safe, desk, gun library, small sofa, and the like. My wife has my daughters old room for whatever she likes. I love it when the kids vacate.
Karl

No problem keeping a safe in an unheated, basically outside space. Just remember these two things and all will be well ....... Goldenrod and Eezox.

I speak from many years experience with the exact conditions you will be experiencing, plus the astronomical humidity of the South.

SRH

Stan,

I use black powder shells in all my sxs guns. I clean them with soap and water, use wonder lube and a product similar to Renaissance wax. I have found after about a year the wonderlube in the barrel goes off and they need a good cleaning. I was wondering if after cleaning I ran a patch of Eezox down the barrel if that might cause me extreme barrel fouling problems in my first few shots since black powder and petroleum products don't get along so well.

Tamid, I'm sorry I can't answer that question. I shot my m/l rifles, and a 16 ga. Manton, for years and after thoroughly cleaning the bores, and thoroughly drying them, I protected them with RIG. I never have had any problem with long term storage of them. They are the guns that will try the abilities of the Eezox the most. I am "easing my way" into using the Eezox to protect them. All others I am comfortable recommending Eezox for protecting and lubing.

And a nice added bonus, it's the best smelling stuff you can imagine.

SRH

When I have a gun going into "retirement/long term disuse," I scrub inside bores and apply Ren wax. Anyone else use wax on the bores?

DDA

Golden rods and check it once a week

I have used Ren wax on the exterior but never have on the inside the bore. Lately I have not ren waxed much except on wood. I just wipe exterior metal non barrel surfaces with light coating of eezox then eezox oil the hell out the barrels inside and out and store muzzle down.

I found that be reducing my total number of guns in favour of quality I simplified the tasks significantly. As of late I find I use two guns of nineteen 99% of the time and the rest sit. I guess I need to reduce stock on hand again as I have crept back up in numbers yet again.

Been like 15 years now I've been using the eezox myself great stuff

This stuff is the "Cutting Edge" for bore and metal protection. Especially if you use the barrel inserts. Whenever I take in a set of barrels that I'm not going to work on immediately, the entire tubes get a coating. I also coat all bores with it after polishing before I return a set of tubes. A friend of mine uses it on his trap gun that spends a lot of time cased in his truck for effective rust prevention.

theinhibitor.com

Regards
Ken