Gun case storage

[John Bastiani]

Does anybody store their Parkers in the Brady style cases and put them in their safe? I put a light coat of rig on my guns before I put them away and never have had one rust. I was thinking of storing a couple in the Brady cases to avoid getting them nicked up. I also have a golden rod in the safe that I plan to store these guns. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[tom tutwiler]

I have 3 stored in Parker Repro cases. All wiped down with Ballistol and put in the case and in the safe. Never had an issue. Also use a Golden Rod. PS. My shooter guns are all stored in gun socks because they get used more often and the sock keeps them from being beat up, but I can store more of them in the socks then in the leather takedown cases. Also use Ballistol on those as well. Once again, never an issue with rust.

[John Bastiani]

Originally Posted by tom tutwiler

I have 3 stored in Parker Repro cases. All wiped down with Ballistol and put in the case and in the safe. Never had an issue. Also use a Golden Rod. PS. My shooter guns are all stored in gun socks because they get used more often and the sock keeps them from being beat up, but I can store more of them in the socks then in the leather takedown cases. Also use Ballistol on those as well. Once again, never an issue with rust.

Thanks for your comment. I have stored other guns in cases and original boxes and never had a issue either but most were not quite as valuable as my Parkers and I have heard of some issues that other people have had and was alittle leary of storing higher grade guns in cases.

[BRDHNTR]

My guns are stored in my gun safe. They are wiped down after cleaning and stored in the safe. Never had an issue with moisture/ rust.

[Lloyd McKissick]

IMHO, there are a number of factors to consider here. In a damp climate, this needs to be approached a bit differently than in a dry climate. The condition of the case being considered is a factor as well.

Normally, out here in the "high & dry" (as I refer to Colorado) case storage is largely fine. As long as the gun goes in clean and dry (wiped down & lightly oiled) you're usually "golden". Months and even years can go by with zero issues. If, however, you're domiciled in a more, shall we say "humid" part of the world, then the space where the cased weapon will reside might need some further consideration.

I see dehumidifiers mentioned here earlier (Golden Rods) and one might even consider silica desiccant bags/pouches as another solution in your gun safe (both would be even better). Every few months (depending on your humidity challenges) you might want to dry out your silica-based desiccants in an oven for a while.

I've only ever had one real issue with this. I have two English guns stored in very old oak & leather cases here, an early Lang hammer and a somewhat later (very-lightweight) early boxlock. The hammergun is stored in a case that while...sourced in England, been weathering here in Colorado for probably 10-years before I acquired it, so it's well dried-out by now. The dainty little boxlock is another matter. I got the fairly "tatty" (& likely original) case for this gun quite by accident (& the good will of a fellow gun-nut) out-of the East Coast and it was noticeably more "smelly" for lack of a better word for it. It's "mustiness" was likely due to the much more-humid environment it had been subjected to for most of it's long life (circa 1882) and the several additional years it had been back in the eastern US of A. Even just a few short weeks in that case started some very-fine surface rust where the action was touching the musty old felt lining inside it. I caught it in time, thankfully, and no real harm was done but before replacing it back into it's maker's case, I doubled-up on the oil wipe-down and then shielded it from the felt lining with a layer of additional cloth. The case has since fully dried-out here and is no-longer much of a concern.

I would think even gunslips could be a problem in a damper environment, so proceed accordingly.