if you still have the plastic bag they were in when new use it, but before you do buy some gun slick and slick it down,inside and out you can usually get gunslick at any gun shop.

 

if you want to store it inside something i would use a bolt down gun safe,its fireproof and hard to steal.

 

Clean all fingerprints and hand marks off. Light coating of all insider and out. Put in bag. Forget about it. Not trying to be a smartaleck...but I live in a very humid environment and have never had a rust problem. Cleanliness and oil or grease is really about all you need.

 

Buy a good gun safe and they should throw in a dehumidifying wand, at the price they charge for a safe it's only fair. Just make sure you don't store your power tools next to it to help someone mess up the finish. For grease RIG makes a universal grease that is much like cosmoline. Cosmoline is what the military has used for years and it is tough to get off but there is no rust when it comes off.

 

Well, some of these posts make me cringe, literally.

Store the gun horizontally, lightly oiled, in a silicone impregnated sock. Thats it.

 

How long are we talking? Most of this is pretty good stuff for short term and much is also good for long term. But I get the feeling by some of your original post that you mean long term in the context of "where can I hide my guns so I can get to them and be armed when the SHTF?"

Most preparation is just like what some others have proposed. I would start with some PVC piping, the thicker "grey" stuff. Just wide enough for a couple guns and some ammo. You can get it at any hardware store in the US. Cap off one end with a PVC cap and seal it real good with the PVC glue stuff. Throw in a couple good sized dessicant packs. Grease up your gun extememly well with cosmoline or what ever suits your fancy. As long as it's a grease and won't run. Put your gun(s) in the pipe, stand it up vertical, and hang some dry ice over the top. Dry ice is carbon dioxide, and is not a major proponent of rust. Also, it is heavier than air, so as the ice melts, the gas will fall into the pipe. When full (this may take some guessing), seal off the top with the other cap and again put a whole heap of sealant on it.
Now, what to do with the pipe? Frankly, burial is always popular. It is especially effective if the item is buried under the side of a barn or vertically under a fence post. That way, metal detectors cannot find it easily. You can really use you imagination with this one.

 

Cosmoline supporter here too. Bitch to remove though.

 

ok, if a gun is buried in a state like Minnesota, where we get FROST in the ground... then what? wont the frosting, and then slow warming of the ground cause condensation ?

 

Condensation is usually the result of a temperature differential such as when a cool object is placed in a warmer, humid environment. Could be totally wrong about this but would seem that a gun buried in the ground in a sealed container would stay the same temp as the ground in which it is buried and thus no opportunity for condensation.

LOL ... I get a real kick out of this discussion. Kind of reminds me of the Y2K days. Next we'll be talking about long-term storage of food stuffs.

 

Nah, no need to discuss "long term food storate" when there's such an easy answer to it... TWINKIES!!! In fact, the solution to long term gun storage is to encase the gun in twinkies.

 

i have a 10/22 ruger with a wood stock, and stainless steel barrel..when storing it, i clean the gun very well, then grease it with a thin coat..about once a month i get it out, a regrease the barrel, and move the slide a couple times to ensure nothing gets froze up...thats just the way i do it...not sure if its the right way, but it works for me

 

oops, i forgot to tell what i store it in..lol..i keep it in a hard case stored vertically..right at the end of my bed..lol

 

DO NOT PUT OIL (or grease) IN THE BARREL!!!!

Oil is an obstruction.

 

Do not oil/grease the barrel? Where did you get that one? Without something in the barrel to prevent corrosion, you're really doing some harm to the firearm. More properly, don't fire a gun with oil/grease/any other obstructions in the barrel. The barrel should be cleared & cleaned before firing the weapon. I always oil my guns down after a shooting/cleaning session -- light coating of oil on all the parts. Sometimes they sit like that for a week, sometimes for several months. Before firing, a clean dry patch runs down the barrel, and I'm good to go.

Grease, on the other hand, is a different creature. You can't just run a dry patch down the barrel to remove it -- you have to clean it with Hoppes or some other solvent to thoroughly remove. Greasing a gun is a solution only when you plan on not firing it for a long time.

Here's my guide to gun storage. Take it for what it's worth -- one man's opinion:

Short Term (< 1 month):
Clean the gun thoroughly if I have time. Otherwise, just rub some RemOil or CLP (the same cleaner/lube used by the military) on all the parts (without breaking the gun down). Run a few patches down the barrel, with RemOil on the last run.
*Before firing the gun, run a dry patch through the barrel & wipe the gun down with a dry clean cotton rag.

Seasonal/Yearly (<1 year):
Break the gun down & clean the action, barrel, etc. Thorough cleaning is a must. I like to use a compressor to help blast whatever dirt & solvent may be left in crevices that my rag can't get. Not only is the gun cleaned more efficiently, but quicker, too. Once all parts are thoroughly cleaned, coat them lightly with RemOil to prevent oxidation. Store them in a dry place, or in a sealed container with humidity absorbing packets. Check on them once in a while, and maybe give them an oil rub.
*Before firing the gun, run a dry patch through the barrel & wipe the gun down with a dry clean cotton rag.

Long Term (>1 year):
Cleaning & oil as above. Make sure it has been FULLY cleaned, and a generous amount of oil applied -- don't wipe the excess oil off, either. Leave gun broken down. Vaccum pack the gun (i.e. using one of those "Foodsaver" products for vaccum packing food). Make sure you drop a silica packet in the bag with the gun before sealing it, and that the packet does not directly touch the gun. As long as you don't break the seal on the bag, that gun is good for the long haul. Before firing, wipe the gun down to remove excess oil, including in the barrel. Some will say to grease the gun thoroughly before long term storage. This will protect the gun from rusting, but it's a reall PITA cleaning grease off a gun when you want to put it back into service.