Store guns cheaply

J

Jonebur Jim

Moderator
Because of the way of the world I lost my house and am now living in an apartment. That means I need a place to store ten handguns that I do not use without them getting rusty. I also need the storage container to have a handle so I can grab it quick in case of fire.
So my question is, if I bought a couple of huge plastic tool boxes and put the guns in it would they rust. I have all the original plastic gun cases so it would just be a matter of sitting them in the tool chests.
Also, what can I do to the guns, (maintenance wise) to make them stay in perfect condition.

Thanks for any ideas, and hopefully I will be back on top in a few years then I can buy another gun case.
 
interesting problem....

first arrange all the plastic boxes to get an idea of "how big" a container you need.

Instead of plastic, consider lockable metal container, little more resistance to forced opening by others and you could use cable & lock to secure inside closet???

suggest that remove all grips, then spray with LPS #3, it leaves a film on surface and has been used for outside equipment storage. Check LPS website.

then wrap items in wax paper place in their boxes and place inside the new storage container. May consider double garbage bag taped up, with silica pak to minimize trapped humidity.

I'm sure there will be other ideas. Good luck.
 
Somewhere local should have it. Have you looked at surplus metal containers? There are some originally designed for rockets and such that may fit your needs.
 
I will roll by the army surplus and a few of the pawn shops today. No telling what I might find cheap since the economy has gone in the crapper. THX
 
I always save the little dessicants that come in the box when you order stuff online. They also come with pills and all kinds of other products, especially electronics. Once you start making an effort to find them, they start to pop up all over the place. I usually put one with each gun, and I keep a stash of them loose where I have all my guns. If you just can't find any dessicants or you only have a few, I've heard uncooked rice works very well but I haven't tried it myself. I was thinking about filling a sock with rice and putting it in the gun box (I also live in an apartment and use a black & decker tool box), but I work with computers and electronics and dessicants are always lying around so I never had to.
 
Lowe's sells the desiccant packs.

I have been told that if I were to store my firearms for any length of time I should coat a cotton type towel with lithium grease, wrap gun in it and then I could store it no problem.

I have a pistol I do not use anymore and was thinking of trying this. If the ground ever thaws and I think of it, I will do the above, place it in an ammo can and bury it for a year. (Then after the year is up, I will have forgotten either that I did the test or where I buried the damn thing.)
 
so long as you have te weapons failry well sealed just use kitty litter in the bottom of the container. All of those moisture wicking products are basicly vermiculite (may have goofed the spellin) and work pretty well. If being able to grap them and go quickly is a concern maby one of the plastic storage tubs would be good. Would be easy to get with both hands and run with but, this may sound heretical on this site, make sure your renters insurance is up to date and get yourself and your family out rather then worrying about somethign replacable. If they are true collectable grade or investment grade, or just something special that means alot to you for a personal reason think about a safety deposit box. I keep a couple of smith and colt WWII revolvers in one with some papers and such. Doesn't cost much, pretty safe from fire and theft concerns, and should be insurable
 
When I lived in an apartment, I was constantly concerned that someone would break in and steal my guns. I ended up buying a gun safe and hiding it in the back of a closet. It was a small one bedroom apartment, but I still found a place to secure them. Just too many teenage kids milling around during the day when I was gone. A couple of them knew I had at least a couple of guns from their parents.

My suggestion would be to buy a gun safe....even a used one. Then put a goldenrod in it - problem solved.
 
While you can buy dessicant packs from gun stores you can do better pricewise on the internet. Do a search.
 
You can get dessicant packs for free if you know who to ask. Go see your local phamacist. The bulk drugs come with dessicant packs that they just throw away.
 
If you are storing pistols only why not get a Coleman style cooler? They have pivoting handles to be used when moving, they can be secured with a cable lock, and they are sturdy. Clean and oil your pistols then drop a dessicant bag in the cooler and you should be good to go.
 
I clean my pistols, oil them liberally and put them in a zip lock bag. Then I squeeze out all the air and put them back in the original plastic case. Some have been stored this way for three years on the Gulf coast with no problem.
 
Cat litter crystals can be used. I kid you not. It is silica gel; same stuff in desiccant packs. Just make sure you get the generic cheap clear stuff without the blue crystals used for odor control. It'll cost you $6 bucks...or as much as a small pack of desiccant sold in the stores. Throw it in a Tupperware and poke holes on the lid.


Jonebur Jim
Great ideas, any chance I can get the Dessicant at a local gun store??
Click to expand...
 
If you are storing pistols only why not get a Coleman style cooler?
Click to expand...

Bingo - exactly what I was going to suggest.

If you coat them good with Break Free CLP or Barricade or any other protectant made for anti-rust you'll be fine, especially if you put a fresh desiccant pack in there just before you close it.

I long term stored my guns in a shed in North Carolina for three years with nothing but Break Free CLP on them and never got a spot of rust.

Oly
 
LPS 3 (like JRothWA said) is the best candidate for long term protection. I lived in south Florida for many years, and the airlines I worked for used a similar product that was used to prevent corrosion in the bellies of aircraft. (Paralketone.) Of course, I used it on all of my guns as well.

Spray each gun liberally with it, let dry for a few hours, then place each gun inside a zip lock bag, squeeze as much air out as possible, then close the seal. Your guns will stay corrosion free for years (as all of mine did).

Somebody will chime in for sure about trapping moisture in the plastic bags, but I can tell you from first hand experience that the paralketone completely protects the metal, and the amount of trapped moisture, if any, is almost completely nil once the air is squeezed out.

The next step is to get some .50 cal. ammo cans. They have rubber gaskets and seal, they're stackable, and have handles on top.

If you want to be 110% absolutely sure, get some bags of desiccant as suggested.

LPS 3 brand is fairly expensive, so you might want to try googling "par-al-ketone" and see if you can get another brand cheaper. I found one site that had gallons for $56.00, which will do a whole lot of guns. (Probably 50-100 or more.) A quart was only $16.75.

Good luck.

Edit--I forgot to mention that the last price I paid for LPS 3 about 7 years ago was $96.00 + tax for a case of 12 cans, or about $8.50 a can. Single cans are more.
 
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