Skippy, I do not think it is a good idea to store any firearm unused for long periods.
Those are the ones that sneak out and injure people that people like Pelosi are always talking about.
Keep them happy, use them at least monthly and it doesn’t hurt to talk to them too.
My routine is simple, and mirrors @45IPAC . I have seen too many fine guns ruined by being stored without being cleaned first, or going unchecked for more than 6 months.
I was curious about this myself. The whole point of prepping to store them is so that they stay fresh, no? People by decades old/stored guns all of the time. This feels like daily oil changes…just to be sure, to me.
I like the post.
About 15 years ago I pulled out an old firearm my wife had inherited. It had surface rust in the bore and a little bit elsewhere. This cause me to take out every gun to clean and oil them.
I bought some EvaDry things and put one in each safe. About every 90 days I check the indicators. They usually need to be dried out; just plug them into 110v overnight to dry them out and put back into the safe.
No more rust.
That’s what Alec Baldwin said.
Actually a lot of great advice here! My 2 Cents. If you have a safe make sure you have some sort of desiccant in it. A device like a golden rod can keep the humidity low, or using the eva dry devices. It is recommended that the safe is kept in your home rather than a garage as well. There are fewer extremes of temperature inside your home. Also, The bottom of a safe can be prone to rust. Set your safe atop 4 hockey pucks and put your bolts through them. This prevents moisture from accumulating underneath your safe. Moisture like many have said is the enemy of firearms, it causes rust. Oil can actually attract moisture, so keeping your firearms in a dry space will keep them rust free.
I use a product called Sheath (Birchwood Casey?) for anything longer than a couple of months. No rust. And easier to use than Cosmoline…
I had a bolt handle rust on me on a trip to Wyoming while it was in the case. Now they travel wtih Sheath sprayed on the outside and then they get wiped down when I get there. I’m starting to really like dry lubes. IDK about the long term casing. Something I have never had to do.
I just bought a couple of those EvaDry things. Do they work pretty well?
Yes, keep in mind that they won’t keep the humidity down in a room, but one keeps the humidity out of my safe quite well. I typically need to plug it in about once every two weeks to a month.
Yes they work very well. Have had mine for years and they last indefinitely. I suppose the heaters could eventually burn out, but mine are at least 15 years old.
How long does it normally take to get back to ready to use after plugging them in?
About 24 hrs typically for me.
Climate has a lot to do with what would be appropriate.
High humidity requires considerably more in the way of preservation than very low humidity.
During high humidity months I use two. That way one is recharging while the other is in the safe.
You know, just some bacon grease. Oh, and one of those silicone desiccant dehumidifiers added to the safe.
Everything is better with bacon!
Interesting trivia, bullets were lubed with animal fat in many cases that turned rancid. Ever wonder why so many grave markers in the old west were emblazoned with “Died from lead poisoning?” It wasn’t a joke. Doctors knew lead was toxic, but were unaware of the microbes that caused sepsis.
Wait, I’m not sure I follow. Does that imply that they used the animal fat for cooking after they had used it to coat a lead tipped projectile that leeched into the lipids?
No, a person get’s shot with the animal fat lubed bullet, the rancid fat causes a massive infection, killing the victim if they survived the gunshot wound.