I am wondering what is the best way for me to store my Bushmaster Carbine? Since it is the only gun I own right now I really cant justify a safe especially since I am still in college and I go home for summer and breaks too frequently for a safe to be an effective means of storage. I shoot on a fairly regular basis, at least once every two weeks and I clean every time I am out. My main concern is rust, since I live in Texas.  

Am I better off leaving my gun in its factory case with the foam or is there some other better storage method that I should look into?

THanks James

Buy one of these.

James I would not store a firearm in contact with foam. It attracts moisture and will rust for rifle.
Will you be leaving it in your apt./dorm? Can you just take it with you, assuming you drive home?
How have you stored it so far?
Jim

Quoted: James I would not store a firearm in contact with foam. It attracts moisture and will rust for rifle. Will you be leaving it in your apt./dorm? Can you just take it with you, assuming you drive home? How have you stored it so far? Jim

I dont know if I can take it home, Mother is pretty antigun Dad is a little more open minded. I have just kept it in the factory case so far, which does include foam.  I was concerned that the foam would be a problem. Any simple solutions?
James

I have the same problem. One rifle, one pistol. A safe is too much for two guns. Just get a guncase. I got a small one, it requires separation of the upper and lower, and I take out the bolt and put it elsewhere for safety reasons, and then it's g2g. Just throw it in the closet, under the bed, or wherever.

At least it's what I do. Although my sidearm is mainly by my bed at night, or on my hip in the day. So, no real need for storage on that.

Before I got enough to justify the safe, I just left it in the case with the case open.  Not much chance for moisture to get trapped when the case is open.  Then just shove them under the bed.  

Also, take them with you if you are in the dorms.  Dorms don't have good security.

Buy one of those silicone coated "gun socks" and it will be safe to store your rifle in the factory case.

Quoted: Buy one of those silicone coated "gun socks" and it will be safe to store your rifle in the factory case.

+1 and they cost all of 5$ each

I just leave mine in the Eagle soft rifle cases.  No problems here.

If you are going to leave it in the case and are worried about the foam being a problem, just lay a couple towels on the foam, put your gun down, and then put another towel down on top of it and close your case.

 If you are looking for another case, try this one:VERY NICE GUN CASE. It comes with everything show in the pic and for the price, it's a real steal. If you'd like some more / better pics, I can take some of mine with my rifle and mags inside.


gene

ps These guys are great to deal with. Roy hooked me up big time because my order was "back ordered" for a couple weeks.

.....spray it inside and out with invisilube.....then tie it up in a plastic bag............

Quoted: Buy one of those silicone coated "gun socks" and it will be safe to store your rifle in the factory case.

Where, pray tell, can I purchase one of these?

James

I saw some cool magazine locks that lock the bolt open so the gun cannot fire. Or definately use some type of trigger/bolt lock. Then oil as recommended in the thread. I use Beretta plastic gun storage bags. The safe is the best way. But at the very least find some way to lock the gun from firing.

sling the rifle over your shoulder. Only way to make sure it is safe when you do not have a safe is to have the rifle in your direct control at all times.

Quoted: Quoted: Buy one of those silicone coated "gun socks" and it will be safe to store your rifle in the factory case. Where, pray tell, can I purchase one of these? James

gunshows or gunshops. the brand i have is called borestores. here's a link to their website  http://www.borestores.com/

Remington Gun Socks are a regular Wal-mart item........go to the hunting section. They are folded up in a small package that hangs on the merchandising hooks. Good luck!

Quoted: Quoted: Buy one of those silicone coated "gun socks" and it will be safe to store your rifle in the factory case. Where, pray tell, can I purchase one of these? James

http://www.machinegun.com/index.php?page=out&id=9745

https://www.armygear.net/ag/store/0578.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3715

Make a steel box, mild steel preferably, easier to weld. And make provisions for gaskets, then vaccum and break the vaccum with dry nitrogen.


Wait... thats overkill.


But seriously, I think about 80-90% of an AR's materials is aluminum, which, if anything gets a white-ish pitting corrosion deal, but since the AR is also anodized I wouldn't worry too much. But if your really serious, try getting one of those huge vaccum bags that are resealable and suck majority of the air out and toss in a few dessicant packs.

I think it depends on where you are living right now.  In a dorm on campus?  In a house with several roommates?  I don't think ANY college will let a dorm resident keep a firearm in their room, and (believe it or not) I agree with them on this-too many college students are still 11 years old mentally, and they like to consume mass quantities of cheap beer and do stupid stuff.  Add a firearm (or even anything sharp) and this is a recipe for disaster.

If you live in a house off campus with several roomates, GET THE STACKON LOCKING CABINET.  See my above mention of stupid college students doing stupid stuff.  Your roomies may be great guys, but do not take that risk!

Finally, casually bring up the possibility of buying a rifle with your father.  Check out his reaction, especially when you mention that the one you're interested is particularly suited for precision marksmanship, a pursuit that combines physical and mental discipline to help the shooter become more focused in many things, including academics.  Yeah, lay it on thick!   The point is, see what he thinks.

Quoted: I think it depends on where you are living right now.  In a dorm on campus?  In a house with several roommates?  I don't think ANY college will let a dorm resident keep a firearm in their room, and (believe it or not) I agree with them on this-too many college students are still 11 years old mentally, and they like to consume mass quantities of cheap beer and do stupid stuff.  Add a firearm (or even anything sharp) and this is a recipe for disaster. If you live in a house off campus with several roomates, GET THE STACKON LOCKING CABINET.  See my above mention of stupid college students doing stupid stuff.  Your roomies may be great guys, but do not take that risk! Finally, casually bring up the possibility of buying a rifle with your father.  Check out his reaction, especially when you mention that the one you're interested is particularly suited for precision marksmanship, a pursuit that combines physical and mental discipline to help the shooter become more focused in many things, including academics.  Yeah, lay it on thick! he

Well the gun stays in an apartment off campus with only one other person, who pretty much ignores it even though he goes shooting with me.

I will try to talk my father the next time I see him face to face.

James

+1 on the Stack-On cabinet.

I live in a third floor apartment with no easy way to huck a safe up there (and back down when I move out).  Also, I'm not entirely certain the floor would hold up a real safe without it crashing down to my neighbors below.  (Which would expose me even more to their yappy dog that makes me want to buy a suppressor for one of my Glocks.)

Anyway, the locking mechanism is pretty stout on those things, and once your AR is in there with anything else like ammo or other weapons, it gets to be pretty darn heavy.  (My RRA lives there with my Glocks.  Eventually they might breed and have little derringers.)  Put it in a fairly discreet place like a closet and you're good to go.  While it won't stop someone with some serious tools, or a few guys from just picking it up and carrying it out, it makes it into actual work, and since most thieves are lazy bums (otherwise they'd be out working like the rest of us), they'll likely opt for the XBox instead if they can't see what's inside the nondescript metal cabinet.  (Take the sticker with the gun pictures off, btw.  Maybe relabel the door with something along the lines of "Tax Forms".  

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Buy one of those silicone coated "gun socks" and it will be safe to store your rifle in the factory case. Where, pray tell, can I purchase one of these? James gunshows or gunshops. the brand i have is called borestores. here's a link to their website  http://www.borestores.com/

I use them for my pistols and throw some in my range bag for transproting.  The cheapest place I found is -

http://www.pistoleer.com/borestores/handgun/

Haven't checked the other sites mentioned but this guys shipping is fast.