Question on care of handguns

S

scott1q1

New member
I worry about my guns rusting or corroding while in my safe for long times. Have a couple of those little cans to soak up moisture in there but no dehumidifier.

I tend to go through and wipe them down with a good coat of clp breakfree on all the metal surfaces and in the barrel every few months, wiping with a toothbrush then a clean oily rag.

Will leaving this on the guns for long periods hurt them? Would be pretty ironic to damage them this way trying to keep them from rusting.:barf:
 
Have you noticed any traces of rust on your guns thus far? If not, your concern is essentially a non-issue.
I've stored guns for a couple of years with careful cleaning and a little VCI paper and no rust problems. If I were going to put them away for longer anticipated storage, I'd probably use a good grease over all the steel surfaces, then store them in any of several air-tight plastic bags made for that purpose.
I'd suggest you continue to inspect your guns periodically, just field strip them and look for traces of rust. If you find none, a light wipe with the oil of choice (CLP is fine), reassemble, and you're done. I'd only advise a detail strip if you have reason to believe it's necessary (such as after a flood!)
 
No, CLP Break Free won't damage your guns long term...

You're smart to pay attention to them / especially in a warm humid environment. Your enemy is the moisture in the air - it holds more moisture when the air is warm / as the air cools at night, moisture will condense on the coldest thing around ( like a steel gun / or cast iron if you have a table saw or something in the same area ) ......

so a preservative, anti corrosive oils, some light oil ...whatever ...is a good thing ( a dehumidifier is good too / but if you don't have one - do the best you can / and stay after it ). Remember to dry that dessicant out / don't let it get saturated ....because once its saturated ...then it will release moisture back into the air. Sometime running an extension cord / putting a 15watt bulb inside a safe that stays on / or these "golden rod" heaters will help as well ......but no matter what / you still need to check the guns as often as you can ( or put the safe in a heated /cooled / dehumidified area inside - if you can )...
 
Whether your guns are in a drawer or cabinet or safe just take them out one by one and look them over, clean them, basically appreciate them and all is fine.
 
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