rust free long term storage

Hi all,

I'm looking for the best way to keep my rifles rust free for extended long term storage. I will only access them every 12 months or so. Obviously, oil or any type of coating is the most important thing to create a dry barrier. But other than that, I'm more concern as to where to keep them. In the last 6 months, I have them stored in a pelican 1750 foam case. Not knowing that foam in fact causes moisture to trap in an air tight environment, I thought it was the best way to store my guns. Most people will tell me to store them in a gun safe with plenty of dessicant packs or a dehumidifier. Problem is, my home simple won't have the space for a refrigerator gun safe, not to mention, most of them are really expensive. Given the circumstance, I am planning to remove all foam padding from my pelican 1750, and drop in a nice nylon rifle bag which is big enough so the rifle won't be moving too much in the pelican. And of course, a few packs of dessicant packs in the case as well if I cannot fit in a dehumidifier. Does anyone think that will actually work?

You haven't mentioned where you live, or what the humidity is like.

The easiest is just to oil it well with an oil meant for storage, not for lubrication or cleaning. If that isn't enough, the next step for me would be to use a vacuum bagger and O2 and H20 absorbers, that would cover you nearly indefinitely.

vacum sealer bags on a roll with some decent bags thrown in.

You can purchase closed-cell-foam for your case which will not trap moisture. That's what I use with a large bag of desiccant. I reapply oil and replace with fresh desiccant yearly.

The best option is the option used by industry and the military for long term storage. This requires no slathering the gun with oils or grease, and is good for at least 10 years.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1197/psize=96/Product/GUNWRAP-trade-PAPER

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1154/psize=96/Product/TRIPLE-TOUGH-trade-PREMIUM-STORAGE-BAGS
DO NOT use standard plastic bags. They pass moisture and will allow the vapor to escape.

I just use a light coat of Boeshield and call it a day. It's not a very good lubricant to use all the time though.

Corrosion X, or Boeshield T-9.

Try RIG Universal Grease or Break Free Collector.

A guy I know sprays a coat RemOil on the inside of all his soft cases. Best bet, though, is a safe with some form of dehumidifier. But, those aren't cheap.

Like I said. I always oil my rifles thoroughly when I'm around. I have used Eezox, great stuff, would recommend anyone who need to oil their firearms. What I need to know is where should I keep them safe while I'm gone. The brownell bag looks awesome, never heard of it before but will definitely give it a try. Since I don't own a gun safe nor am I planning to, I still need a hard shell to keep them nice and neat, even with those brownell bags on. I am thinking of a nylon rifle bag to keep to brownell bag with the rifle in it, and then drop the whole nylon bag into a pelican. People said foam hard case will cause rifle to rust in long term storage, do they only refer to the foam? Is there anything to do with the air-tight hard case? Also, most nylon rifle bag I've seen usually have a layer of close cell foam padding. Does close cell foam trap moist at all? Is it safe to keep your rifle in an air-tight case with some close cell foam?

Sounds like a plan to me.

If you wrap the gun with the vapor paper and seal in the special plastic bag, it doesn't matter what else you put it in, moisture can't get to the gun and it won't rust.

Closed cell foam isn't supposed to be able to absorb moisture, but I've seen too many nice guns rusted in various gun cases to trust them without first sealing in the paper wrap and Brownell's bag.

The bag and paper will prevent rust. A hard case will protect from dents and dings.

I've had pretty good luck using these: Bore Store Brownell's give a huge FFL discount on these as well.

Oh, and hello, ARFCOM!

1 year aint that long

i have read that out board motor lower case oil is heavier then water, and may be good to use?

Brownell’s states the vapor paper is not for use with aluminum or some other listed metals.
Since Pelican cases are air tight I would think that no foam padding and using a bore store with a desiccant pak in the Pelican
or one of the premium storage bags with a small desiccant pak in the bag and maybe another in the Pelican.
I would probably go with the bore stores since they would also provide some padding.

Break Free Collector http://www.break-free.com or RIG Universal Grease http://www.birchwoodcasey.com .

How about using a silicon impregnated gun sock inside the pelican?

Okay. I've decided to use corrosion resistance bags to keep my firearms in a pelican. Just a few more questions though:
1. Which is a better bag? I've heard great stuff from ZCORP and brownell's triple tough storage bag. Which one should be better? Is there other options out there which is even better than the two?
2. How long do they last for? Do I need to replace a new one after some years?
3. Are they reusable? If I open it and took my firearms out of the bag, can I put it back?
4. Before I put my firearms into those bag, do I need still need to clean and oil it throughly?
5. Once the bag is sealed, is there anything I should do to make it 100% fail safe and to be sure my firearms will have no risk for rusting? Is it necessary to have additional dehumidifier, desiccant or silica gel?

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