Humidity and Airgun Storage - Tips and Tricks for Prevention

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Ezana4CE

Ezana4CE

Member
Jan 15, 2021
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Texas, United States
After searching the AGN forums, asking a few members for input, and reviewing search engine results I’ve put together bits and pieces of information on storing guns and protecting them from humidity, rust, and corrosion and would like more information. I’ve dealt with this and seen at least one post from another member with an airgun that formed rust on it. I haven’t found much information specific to airguns. https://www.umarexusa.com/5-ways-to-safely-store-your-airgun-at-home-blog

https://www.airgunmagazine.co.uk/features/10-top-tips-for-caring-and-maintaining-your-gun/


I’m not sure of all the things airgunners need to pay specific attention to, but I thought that it was worth discussing. Here are a couple of links to basic information I’ve found concerning controlling humidity within a safe concerning guns: https://nwsafe.com/blogs/tips/minimize-moisture-in-your-safe

https://amanandhisgear.com/how-to-keep-moisture-out-of-gun-safe

I’ve seen the electric dehumidifier rods in stores and online, but don’t feel comfortable with the idea of drilling a hole in a safe that I paid good money for to run a cord. It seems that the cord would have to be detached, threaded through the hole, and reattached to the electric dehumidification device. These rods appear to be heating units and I’m also wondering how heat would affect o-rings in long-term storage.

Additionally, I’ve noticed a decent amount of people are moving into Texas from other regions. Some come from places with totally different climates and I wonder how many people are thinking about protecting guns, airguns, and valuables from the humidity, corrosion, and mold. If anyone has any tips or pointers that they feel comfortable discussing publicly please share them in this thread, links as well. Thanks.
 
'any' gun needs to be stored in a temp/humidity controlled environment .. doesnt matter on safes if the safe is in that environment, ive had some guns in the safe since the 90's ... the metal needs to be protected and it used to be a few times a year ritual to oil guns, but since i found metalophlic oil several years ago the intervals have extended exponentially .. good stuff ... for airguns specifically i think its important to be sure the air cylinders are 'absolutely' dry and the interior coated generously with silicone oil .. every other metal surface should be gone over with the metalophilic oil and the inside of the barrel swabbed with it if its going to sit for extended periods ...

i live in humid north florida with wild temp swings in the winter and thats the worst time of year for condensation damage to everything, it will ruin tools, rust vehicles even in a garage, and even cause rot damage to your buildings ... so the scenario that happens is its too cold to run the AC at night and too hot to run the heat in thr day, temps swing wildly and humidity can build up to 'muggy' 80-90% indoors .. baaaad for your guns ... solution i found is a dehumidifier, theyre a couple hundred bucks and i only need to run it a couple of hours a day .. usually sucks a couple of GALLONS of water out of the house .. although the unit has a meter on it, another thing you need is a good humdity gauge for 'inside' your house ... too dry is uncomfortable, but i look to keep it below 50 at all times .. 35 is about right .. 
 
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'any' gun needs to be stored in a temp/humidity controlled environment .. doesnt matter on safes if the safe is in that environment, ive had some guns in the safe since the 90's ... the metal needs to be protected and it used to be a few times a year ritual to oil guns, but since i found metalophlic oil several years ago the intervals have extended exponentially .. good stuff ... for airguns specifically i think its important to be sure the air cylinders are 'absolutely' dry and the interior coated generously with silicone oil .. every other metal surface should be gone over with the metalophilic oil and the inside of the barrel swabbed with it if its going to sit for extended periods ...
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@dizzums I agree on the need for environmental controls in humid regions. I’m unsure of what people in places like Arizona or parts of Nevada do concerning environmental control. After reading more recently I’m wondering if an external dehumidifier is enough to prevent condensation from forming inside of a safe. I hadn’t considered coating the inside of the air cylinder with silicone oil. Can you elaborate on that process? I have wondered about moisture forming inside of the reservoirs when using a portable/hand pump in foggy, misty, rainy weather or when an airgun sits for a while. I try to shoot mine periodically so they aren’t just sitting. I’m not sure I know what metalophilic oil is. I ran it through a couple search engines and didn’t see much. Can you give a couple brand names? *Edit* Tried another search engine and came up with a few. Between my spelling and Google’s correction I was looking at a bunch of chemistry sites. This looks like the oil https://www.amazon.com/Beeman-MP-5-Metalophilic-Oil/dp/B001BQZMKU#:~:text=%20Air%20Venturi%20Metalophilic%20MP-5oil%20penetrates%20the%20smallest,lubricating%20film%20which%20lasts%20through%20almost%20indefinite%20storage.
 
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Ezana4CE, thanks for bringing this up,

I read somewhere that if I keep the gun stored in a Pelican O-ring sealed case that comes equipped with an "Integrated Automatic Pressure Equalization Valve" WITH an added silica gel cannister to the case, which absorbs the moisture in the case and helps preventing rust, mold & water damage, I should be good. Can anyone add their insight as to whether that should be sufficient in combatting humidity? thanks!
 
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Ezana4CE, thanks for bringing this up,

I read somewhere that if I keep the gun stored in a Pelican O-ring sealed case that comes equipped with an "Integrated Automatic Pressure Equalization Valve" WITH an added silica gel cannister to the case, which absorbs the moisture in the case and helps preventing rust, mold & water damage, I should be good. Can anyone add their insight as to whether that should be sufficient in combatting humidity? thanks!
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@ariperklov I was told this by the good folks at AOA - “You can clean up the rust with a drop of oil on a q-tip and clean it up as best you can. To prevent this, the tech suggested that it may have been that a little bit of moisture got into the case it was in and it was enough to cause that rust. Since it is a nice, airtight Pelican case, the moisture was not allowed to escape at all. To fix this, the tech said you can just open up the case to dry it out and get any moisture out of there. He said it has happened to him before and this fixed the problem.”

To put the message in context. I bought a rifle and I’d left in the box for a while before I decided to clean the barrel and set it up to shoot. I ended up cleaning it but not shooting. Then I put it in a Pelican case intent on making a trip with it. The trip didn’t happen. When I went back to shoot it I noticed a some rust spots. I don’t know if the exposure came from within the boxes or the case. It was stored in a climate controlled area the entire time I had it. Hope this helps answer your question. I’m also curious as to what others have to say on it. 


 
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Just cut the plug end, feed cord thru small hole and reattach plug, easy, quick, and should not cause any issues. What difference does it make whether you or the safe mfgr drills a small hole in the back corner of the safe? Many safes come with a hole already there. A couple of small lights will do the same thing, you only need to keep it slightly warm to keep condensation away, 50 degrees is more than enough. I have a couple of small led lights inside my safe, it is stored in the basement, has been there for 25 yrs with no moisture/ rust/or corrosion issues. My guns ALWAYS get wiped down with an oily rag when put away as the oil in yor skin has salt in it!! I aways use lubed pellets so the barrel is always coated to prevent corrosion. Firearms are the same, always pull a patch thru when done shooting and always wipe down the outside. Unless you live in a very high humidity area you should not have any issues!!
 
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Just cut the plug end, feed cord thru small hole and reattach plug, easy, quick, and should not cause any issues. What difference does it make whether you or the safe mfgr drills a small hole in the back corner of the safe? Many safes come with a hole already there. —> Unless you live in a very high humidity area you should not have any issues!!
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You just answered your own question. 
 
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Ezana4CE, thanks for bringing this up,

I read somewhere that if I keep the gun stored in a Pelican O-ring sealed case that comes equipped with an "Integrated Automatic Pressure Equalization Valve" WITH an added silica gel cannister to the case, which absorbs the moisture in the case and helps preventing rust, mold & water damage, I should be good. Can anyone add their insight as to whether that should be sufficient in combatting humidity? thanks!
Click to expand...

@ariperklov I was told this by the good folks at AOA - “You can clean up the rust with a drop of oil on a q-tip and clean it up as best you can. To prevent this, the tech suggested that it may have been that a little bit of moisture got into the case it was in and it was enough to cause that rust. Since it is a nice, airtight Pelican case, the moisture was not allowed to escape at all. To fix this, the tech said you can just open up the case to dry it out and get any moisture out of there. He said it has happened to him before and this fixed the problem.”

Thanks for that input! think I'll follow that procedure for now and see how it holds up (btw, been doing exactly that for a year now and so far so good) before going down the road of purchasing additional humid-combating accessories. 

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I recommend, and use, the electric dehumidifier rods in both of my gun cabinets. They come with the plug unattached so you can slip the cable through a 3/8" hole. The plug is a quality quick connect type requiring no tools. Also comes with very nice standoffs (with screws) that you mount on the lower back surface of your safe, and the heat tube just snaps into them. Easy Peasy.

Keeps the cabinet slightly warm and always low humidity. This brand comes in two lengths. 12"&18". I have both. Low wattage, Plug in and forget.

Just Google "Lockdown gun saver"

HTH.
 
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Even an electric light bulb can generate enough heat to keep moisture away. My safe has been in my basement for 21 years with no sign of rust or corrosion. I have found some tools laying out that have shown minor signs of rust so there is a small amount of moisture in the air. I had bought a rod for humidity but it burned out after a few months. I needed some lighting any way so I wired 3 small bulb sockets in necessary olaces to give me a good view of what is inside. Those little bulbs generate enough heat to eliminate any moisture inside my safe. Not wanting any corrosion issues I had no problem drilling a small hole thru the back corner of my safe for a small cord. It is not even noticible unless you look for it. Now I also wipe each gun with an oily rag before storage, and they get used often enough that a gun never sits for numerous months without being handled. Some years back I had some large silica bags get shipped into a work place and I kept them for my safe. It is the stuff that turns pink when it become saturated with moisture. You place them in the oven at low heat until they turn white again. After 12 years they are still white so my bulbs must be keeping the moisture away......
 
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I live in South Texas and oil the crap out of mine before storing them in cases in the closet and under the bed (my wife and I don't have kids). I've left rifles alone for years without any rusting. Thicker stuff like Corrosion X HD will coat them with what I believe to be maple syrup that will last until you physically rub it off. When we used to live/duck hunt on the coast, that's what we used in our internals and it worked well.
 
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