Vacuum Sealing a Pistol For Long Term Storage??

My concern would be some kind of reaction between the gun oil and the plastic could eventually cause the plastic to melt and stick to the metal. If you vacuum seal it, don't try to get all the air out.

I like mete's idea better; you have to be able to take it out and fondle it once in a while.:D
Clean thoroughly, apply a good preservative oil or grease ,wrap in VPI paper [vapor phase inhibiter] ,put in a zip-loc plastic bag .No vacuum necessary.
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Don't get carried away with the oil; or if you do, put a bag inside the bag to store the grips.
 
Hi George,

Seemed like a good question that most of the members on this forum would have something to contribute or gain from as the answers started to roll in. I thought about a couple of older handguns (no collector's value, please don't add :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:) that need more attention than I have given them. Probably not enough value to live for a week, but I don't want the low value to go lower due to lack of maintenance. Seemed like most of the members that responded thought your question was "worthy". Thanks for the gentle reminder about my own maintenance needs.
 
No plastic is 'gas tight.'

NONE.
All allow some gasses to cross.

Truly hermetic plastic containers include a layer of evaporated metal to further slow gas flow, but the seals then become a leakage point since the metal layer is not continuous there.
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This
 
blah, blah, blah, Intercept technology is proved, used by museums and the military

so why are we still debating whether oil sticks to plastic?
Lets all go back to black powder and witch doctors.....makes about as much sense.:confused:
 
I lived in south Florida for decades and would spray my handguns liberally with paralketone (LPS 3, for example), then put them in ziploc bags, squeeze the air out and they stayed undamaged (including wood, bakelite or plastic grips) for years.
 
I know nothing of the materials used even though I helped in the process but when the unit I was with in the army relocated to the states in 1968, all the small arms were put in plastic bags of some sort and sealed shut (with an ordinary steam iron (but without steam). The technology has been around for a while but I don't know that I've noticed anyone advertising it.

The reason for doing that was that the weapons were left behind, where I don't know. I wonder what became of them?
 
Chemically speaking: The plastic you will vacuum seal your revolver in must be designed specifically as an Oxygen barrier, make sure an EVOH (Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol) layer is the in the core of the polymer you’ll be using to store your revolver in, not just any heat-seal plastic will do. The OTR (oxygen transmission rate) of you bag should be < 0.0100 cc/100 in2/day. Phone the manufacturer of your vacuum bags, they should be able to tell you the OTR of their product; if not, choose another plastic film company. Also, coat your revolver with REM Oil, place a fresh desiccant and moisture indicator in with your revolver just prior to sealing. Store the grips in a separate bag, wipe them down with quality Wood Wind Instrument oil (obtainable at any musical instrument store for peanuts) and seal without descant. Your revolvers worst enemy is FeC + O2 + H2O = Fe2O3 (Rust). Your grips worst enemy is temperature fluctuations, too little H2O and too much H2O.

However, if it was me I would remove the grips and store as mentioned above, the revolver I would pack it tight with cosmoline, wrap it in a oil cloth and be done with it.:cool:
 
I'd be concerned as to the longer-term issue of the plastic used...>

...especially if you are considering the sort of consumer vacuum bags that shrink down around the object. Plastic of largely unknown qualities sealed against metal, especially a blued finish, could possibly damage the finish over time.

Without more info I wouldn't do it.
 
Not necessary but can't hurt. But, IMHO, a waste of energy, the pastic will probably get torn somewhere along the line and there goes vacuum.
 
I would not choose to use a plastic bag, for long term storage, there are some designs that are referred to as being long term, How long? No one knows, every time one is found some one opens it.

If I decided to store something for long term I would use a long term storage container, THE AMMO CAN! If I did not want to share the inside of the can with atmosphere I would find a small piece of hot ice and place it in the can, then let it evaporate until the atmosphere was displaced, wrap to protect the item I was placing in long term storage in the container, close the lid and secure, the term of 'long term' will end when the container is opened.
OR: I would place the container on the stove to heat, the heat expands the air, the hot expanded air has less moisture?, wrap for protection and place the item in the container, and close the lid, when the container cools, the can seals with a vacuum as in the outside pressure is greater than the pressure inside the container.

Moisture is relative, air is elastic, it can flow, it is a gas, it can expand and or be compressed. Water is a fluid, it flows, it is solid and can not be compressed.
We are not talking about hot high temperature that would melt the seal.
Then there is the opposite, high pressure for storage, air when compressed is dry as evident when the storage tank is drained from the bottom, any air that was in the tank and or compressed when it enters the tank the air is 'squeezed' forcing the moisture out of suspension, air when compressed loosed it's capacity/ability to hold moisture, when air that has been compressed is released it expands without moisture, it is believed we lost at least one Atomic Sub because the moisture in the tanks was not removed before being released, air that has been compressed also looses heat, when released it expands with a large drop in temperature, not a problem with dry air, when pressure is released the moisture in the tank exits with the escaping air, when the air expands, the moisture in the air can freeze.
Then there are 30 cal, 20MM, 50 cal containers and the containers used by the AIR Force to store and ship jet engines and or parts with the little access window

F. Guffey
 
My father passed away when I was 9, that was in 1989. When he did my mother had a local gunsmith/ family friend come over clean my dads entire colection with rust guard it. They left out a couple of rifles and shot guns for me to use. When I turned 18 almost ten years later. I was given acess to all the safes.The guns were still exactly as the day they were put up in 1989. Till this day a lot of those pistols have never been shot and still have the rustguardit on them from 1989. For long term storage this stuff is awesome! Aplly a light coat , let it dry a minute, then repeat. When you get ready to use take a little clp or rem oil and it comes right off.
 
If you look at collector gun values v. inflation they usually are not that far ahead of the game.
Collecting guns has the benefit of providing entertainment though. If you accuum seal a gun and put it in the back of your safe I don't see how you are getting much entertainment out of it.
 
I've never vacuum sealed a firearm, but when I lived in south Florida and owned boats I vacuum sealed batteries, tools, repair manuals, etc. all the time. I would squirt a basic tool set down with WD-40, and it would be happy and rust-free when I needed it, sometimes years later.

It's a good method to protect items from the elements and corrosive atmospheres.
 
I've had a little .22 Jennings vacuum sealed in my Bug-Out-Bag for about a decade or so now---a little WD-40 squirt over the whole thing, ammo sealed in its own pocket, and it hasn't shown any signs of effect yet. I've taken it out to fire it a couple times just to make sure it still operates before resealing and putting it back, and all is just fine. Jennings are junk anyway (which is why it's sealed in my BoB as an emergency rabbit-getter). They seem to malfunction just by talking about it. If it isn't harmed yet, a "real" firearm should do really well.
 
There seems to be a lot of misconceptions in this thread that I'd let like help clear up. First off, take a look at the information that I wrote up here:
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=408183

A normal plastic bag even if vacuum packed will not prevent rust because it does not keep out water vapor. A percentage of water vapor will be removed initially with the vacuum however it just creates a negative pressure which pulls water vapor through the polymer material quicker (unless a foil barrier polymer is used as someone mentioned above)

A ammo can will not really help you out either. A ammo can when packed from the factory. They are nearly airtight, however when you pack anything into one you trap in all the moisture and air of the environment in which you latch it shut.

Some oils do work, and some grease does too, however not all of these products are made specifically to prevent rust. Some can actually cause rust and some can cause other side effects and issues with your weapon.

The various "gun bags" which have VCI technology are the absolute best option when storing for multiple years. Zcorr products offers a VCI bag with the foil barrier layer which lasts so long we have not been able to complete sufficient testing to make a legal claim as to how long it will work for. The best we can say is that it will work for more than 10 years.

Keep in mind, the VCI technology has been used by the military since WW1 and it cuts costs significantly since you do not need to use 'consumable' products like oil or grease.
 
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