AR Sponsor
Posted: 9/25/2008 6:46:17 AM EDT
| I am interested in buying a Pelican 1700 hard case for my AR15. I was wondering if it is safe to store it in the Pelican case in an AC room. |
I wouldn't. Foam will hold the moisture and Pelican cases seal tight. I have seen an AR stored in a hard case rust in Nevada. Alabama will be much worse. |
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I have a Pelican case I converted for my SHTF pistol case and my solution to the foam issue was to remove the foam and fill the case with styrofoam. You can buy it in various thicknesses and then make your cut outs and use 3M Adhesive to glue it together. Add a material cover and you have a case filled with a shock adsorbing material that will NOT wick moisture that will cause your guns to rust. Add some desicant to be safe and you have a kit that is water tight and ready to go. I want to redo my Pelican 1700 for my AR-15 to a closed foam like styrofoam but I have not done so yet. I would NOT store my guns in a normal foam filled case as they will retain moisture and they will cause the gun to rust at some point! |
Yea, the oil will get adsorbed by the foam and eventually the moisture will get in there and the gun will rust. Now, if the case is completely dry and you always store it in a dry location you might not ever see the proplem, but it is just not worth the risk to me. I have seen too many pics of rusty guns as a result of sitting in a foam lined case! |
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Throw in plenty of desicant and check on it from time to time. This is the way I store my guns. I am a college student, and guns on campus are a huge no. So I keep my AR and 1911 locked up in my car in a storm case. EDIT - I actually just got off the phone with Hardigg Storm, and they told me that the likely hood of them rusting is very small, but they do sell some desicant packs for them just in case. I will tell you how my firearms will hold up over this year, but I have a feeling they will be just fine. I would really like to talk to someome who has actually had a gun rust in a case like one of these, and see if its true or just a urban legend. I'm sure they would rust eventually if you store them in there for months at a time without and desicant, but I'm willing to bet my guns they won't... |
| I just got off the phone with Pelican and they said that Peli Desiccant (SILICA GEL) that you can buy extra acts like a dehumidifier drains all the moisture in the case. Heres a link to the site with the Peli Desiccant (SILICA GEL) model number 1500D http://pelican.com/miscellaneous.php. I wipe down my guns just about every month so do you think that I will be safe with buying the case and putting this Peli Desiccant (SILICA GEL) in it? |
Your guns, go ahead and let us know if you have any problems.... I do use that desicant in my cases to try to control humitity in them BUT I STILL DO NOT STORE MY GUNS IN THE CASES! Worst comes to worse, in a year you may post a photo of a gun with rust starting. It is your gun and you take the risks but as indicated there have been too many pics of guns with rust starting so I do not do it myself. Just buy closed foam and replace the open cell foam as I indicated above I will be doing except I am going to use cheap styrofoam. |
From today.
From your thread Tuesday.
It's not an urban legend. Maybe your guns won't rust if you store them in a hard case, maybe they will. There's really only one way to find out. ETA - The guns were owned by my roommate, not some guy I met at the range once. The cases were in his closet and he cleaned them after trips to the range. |
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I think if you keep them lubed and check from time to time you are probably okay. I always hear the conventional wisdom of "do not store in the cases", but back in my younger days when I was too poor to own a safe I stored all my deer rifles and pistols in the cases, and never ever had any rust. Cheap foam cases too, not Pelicans. Dad never owned a safe in over 40 years of owning guns, and stored all his in the cases, some even in non-climate controlled storage sheds. He did have some rust on an enfield once, but it had been in the case for years and years and Dad was never one too keen on keeping his rifles oiled up and cleaned. Is it the preferred solution? No. Will it work? Probably, maybe, I'd say yes, if you don't neglect them. I currently have an old 870 pump in a Boyt soft case with foam in my truck tool box. It has been there for over a year now, through the rain, cold, heat, etc, and have had zero rust form. This is not a new gun with fresh parkerizing either, but has a lot of worn and bare metal exposed from years of use. I do pull it out and wipe it down every 6 wks or so. If it rusts, I won't cry about it, but, so far it has not and I don't think it will as long as I don't neglect it. Would I treat a $1,300 LMT or Colt that way? Probably not, but in a Pelican.....sure. I'd be more worried about theft than rust though. YMMV. |
| I just got out of college and dont have the money for a safe. Right now it is in a soft case in my bed room. I was wondering if the pelican would be a better place to store right now while I dont have a safe? I have a Beretta Tiki T3 tactical in a cheap hard case and it hasnt rusted. What about this one? The last one down http://www.casesbypelican.com/pelican_1700.htm |
Well, I'll get back to you guys about this in a year, I have absolutely no other option but to store them in a gun case. It's either gun case locked up at a fellow frat members house, or no gun case, and at a fellow frat members house not locked up. I do trust them, but I feel the gun case is a better choice. I personally think with proper gun care and use of desiccant packs liberally they will be fine. Not to mention I will probably be shooting these atleast once a week. Also keep in mind, Pelican and Storm both make cases to store very sensitive electrical equipment that I bet are more sensitive to humidity than guns are. Don't get me wrong, I believe there are several better ways to store firearms other than in a Pelican or Storm case, but like I said, this is my only option... The AR I'm not worried at all about rust. It would have to penetrate several layers of paint, and then the park. Which I doubt will happen. I'm more concerned about my 1911. I think however with proper care it will be fine. |
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Also, sd, I'm not trying to start a pissing contest or anything. I highly respect your opinion and I'm in the same boat with you when you say its defiantly not the best place to store a firearm. IMHO however, I think a Pelican or Storm case is better than no case and them just lying around. Just be proactive and take measures to prevent rust. |
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I think all of us that are saying it is not a great idea are not saying your gun "will rust". Obviously there are too many variables to say that for sure BUT as I suggested in my 1st post in this thread, if I were storing my guns in a case I would remove the "open cell" foam and replace it with some type of closed cell foam (like styrofoam) as then the moisture would not get wicked into the foam of the case. It wouldn't be that expensive, it wouldn't be that difficult, and it WOULD be less likely to cause problems. I'll have to post pics when I do my case as like I said I did this with my Glock 17 case as I store my Glock 17, Mags, AAC Evo 9, and some subsonic ammo in that box as part of my Bug Out Bag/SHTF preparidness. If I need to evacutate for any reason, I know that case has everything I need as far as a handgun and it is the only gun at this time I always keep stored in a case. |
Is there any local stores that would sell something like you are mentioning? Also would the Styrofoam hold up like the foam that came in the case? EDIT - Where can you find desiccant as well? |
Any craft store, most building supply stores, perhaps even Wal-Mart... See: www.google.com/products?q=styrofoam+sheets&btnG=Search+Products&hl=en Hard foam will be less forgiving if you bugger up the edges but it is also so cheap you can replace it easily too! Remember they ship TVs, VCRs, Computers, and everything else with styrofoam to protect that stuff and I assume you would agree your rifle is tougher then that! As for desicant, go to the grocery store and look for the desicating crystal kitty litter. It is cheap and you can buy it by the gallon! You can also buy other options cheap: www.google.com/products?hl=en&show=dd&q=desiccant I use a pelican desicant packs like these myself: www.google.com/products?q=pelican+desiccant&hl=en&show=dd |
I didn't mean to come off as a prick in my last post, sorry about that. I just wanted to stress that guns rusting in a hard case is not an urban legend. Have you thought about getting a steel cabinet? I had one of these when I was still living in an apartment and didn't have money or room for a real safe. It won't trap moisture, has room for more guns, and it's cheap. I paid around $100 for mine. ETA - It's not going to stop a determined thief but you can lag bolt it to a wall. |
Oh I'm not worried about the rifle, I just don't want there to be all those tiny pieces of the styrofoam getting chipped off and going everywhere, that'd be a PITA  .How would you store the kitty litter in the case? Thanks for helping me out BTW. |
That is exactly what I would do in an apartment of my own, but I live in a dorm. I bet you can imagine how anti gun colleges are now a day  . Like I said it will be staying in a fellow frat members apartment. They do own some firearms, but they aren't as serious or dedicated as I am, so I highly doubt they would be okay with me moving a mini safe into their place.I also bought the Storm case because I'm sure some of the time they will remain locked up in my car( yea I know its not the safest place...) So the Storm case just seemed very reasonable and offer the most protection for my situation. |
This is the same foam that comes in the case that can retain moisture. Like the other have said, if you can buy a gun safe. I'm just in a bad situation and have no other alternative. |
I glue a piece of cloth over the top and it keeps all the flakes under control  As for the kitty litter or other crystaline desicant, I use a small canning jar like they sell for jelly. Put your desicant in and add a piece of cloth and screw the canning jar ring over the cloth. I have jars I keep in my gun safe too that do the same thing! |
www.casesbypelican.com/1700pe.htm Same ideas as styrofoam, just more expensive... That would solve the same issue and it would work better then open foam for the reasons we are beating to death in this thread. |
All right, that's what I will do. I will just replace the litter every month or so. I will look around for the closed foam, but I'm not going to get my panties in a twist about it in the next month or so, but I will definitely be going to get some sometime soon. I think we should end this thread with gun safes are the best way to store your firearm period. However, in a pinch I believe these cases are the next best option opposed to a gun safe, you just need to be proactive about keeping your guns clean as well as the case. Everyone agree? |
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Coming in way late, but I've had a blued .22 sitting in it's factory cardboard box w/ styrofoam for the last 20 years or so. I oiled it up liberally and wrapped it up in a cotton tea towel before I shoved it in the cellar. No rust yet. I believe the oil soaked into the towel and is keeping the moisture off. My father also has an old .38 that's been stuffed in an oily old sock since about 1974. Also no rust. I think I'd oil your guns down liberally and wrap them up in cloth prior to storing them in the case. Just my experience though. |
Sure, the open cell foam is the issue that causes the problems. If you put a gun in a case that can not adsorb moisture and it is oiled that alone would be good. I have never used one of those fancy gun socks so how well they work is beyond my knowledge. |
| Here is a none pelican case. Not as heavy duty but works well. If You need it to get hould be you to the range it will work. If you keep it in your house it should be be in a safe.http://www.new.facebook.com/photo.php?id=733502319&pid=828479&cp=733502319&cps=36fe0af719 |
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