Gun sleeves?

I'm looking for some advice on how to properly store my rifles so they don't get rusty in Michigan's humid weather. I've been thinking about using those silicone-treated gun sleeves, but I'm not sure if they're enough, especially since I won't be keeping my guns in an airtight safe. They'll just be locked up in a closet that isn't really sealed off from the outside air. Any tips on how to keep my guns in good shape?

ElmeryAR said:

I'm looking for some advice on how to properly store my rifles so they don't get rusty in Michigan's humid weather. I've been thinking about using those silicone-treated gun sleeves, but I'm not sure if they're enough, especially since I won't be keeping my guns in an airtight safe. They'll just be locked up in a closet that isn't really sealed off from the outside air. Any tips on how to keep my guns in good shape?

Click to expand...

Silicone gun sleeves work great. Even if you don't have an air tight gun safe, you can use a humidifier rod.

I don't have an air-tight safe and have experienced great results with a small moisture-absorbing gizmo that's mounted inside the door of my cabinet. About the size of two 9V batteries, my current model is branded Browning.

Silicone impregnated sleeves work fine. But whatever you decide to do, spray your firearms with G96. This stuff works great as a rust preventative. Been using it for decades. I keep an old t-shirt in a 1-gal zip-lock baggie that I spray with G96 for wiping down firearms. And it smells great! The majority of my firearms are kept in a safe with no kind of dehumidifier and all of them stay in perfect condition. Zero rust on any of them.

those living in s.e. Mi. have to deal with high humidity, year-round. Surprisingly, I've experienced no issues with rifles stored in a gun cabinet ( bolts removed & locked away ) with nothing more than wiping metal surfaces with an old t-shirt before putting them in the cabinet, so no oils/acids from skin contact is present on gun's metal surfaces. I might spray a little rem-oil or WD-40 on the rag, but often just wipe them off. Only rust issue I've had is letting a friend handle a Gold Cup, then putting it away, maybe I forgot to wipe it down,or missed a spot, but next time I took it out of the cabinet, there was a rusty thumb print on the slide. I removed the rust, but the metal was already lightly pitted. Bit the bullet & ordered a new slide.. Lesson learned. That was > 20 yrs. ago, & I've been extra careful wiping guns down ever since. I have semi autos & shotguns in locked cabinets, no dehumidifiers used,
but all were /are wiped down after handling...in the same manner. Had my wife sew some large "socks" for rifles, pistols & shotguns.. made from an old soft blanket. These were used to put over weapons when cased for transport..to keep the inside of the cases clean, from powder residue.These socks get thrown in the washer when they start getting dirty.

Just an FYI, WD40 IS NOT a rust preventative (or a lubricant for that matter).

Although it might be a great product for many other applications, it does nothing to keep rust/corrosion from forming on metal surfaces. Removing rust/corrosion.... maybe. Preventing... not so much.

Same thing goes for motor oil. NOT a rust preventative. Maybe a good lubricant in some firearm applications but motor oil contains ZERO rust preventative qualities.

There's plenty of good products on the market scientifically crafted specifically for lubricating/protecting firearms. I would tend to lean towards using any of those.

I know WD isn't a rust preventive, but it does work well as a cleaner, de-greaser.. I actually use it to remove skin oil & acids from metal, after being handled

joepistol said:

I know WD isn't a rust preventive, but it does work well as a cleaner, de-greaser.. I actually use it to remove skin oil & acids from metal, after being handled

Click to expand...

Even better....