long-term attic storage of rifles, shotguns?

[row111]

hi, everyone - to save space, and keep things less obvious, I am considering getting an in-wall rifle/shotgun storage cabinet, and mounting it in the attic. an unfinished attic that is fairly convenient to access (easy enough to access to show a visitor, but obviously not the place to store a HD firearm).
I am on the gulf coast, which means just day-to-day life in the summer is an extreme sport (but winters are very mild).
What are the possible problems of long-term / indefinite storage of rifles or shotguns in a home attic where temps may reach 150 F, and humidity will usually be high?
would decent oiling of all parts be sufficient?
would factory-provided lubrication be OK for parts other than barrel?

 

[GrantA]

I'm interested to see the responses too, where along the gulf are you? I'm near Tallahassee FL. I suspect the general consensus will be to wipe down with a thin later of grease for longterm storage though

 

[Rhyno]

Get a dehumidifier to put in it and there shouldn't be a problem if the firearm has been properly oiled for storage.

 

[row111]

I am in Houston. A dehumidifier is out of the question -right now, at 6:30AM, it is 75 F, and 92% humidity. Mostly, our 'attics' are not just the top floor of our homes, and is not part of the inside of the home, and so does not have a/c. Attic is basically open to the great out-doors. The good news is that the humidity helps keep a youthful complexion on the ladies.

 

[Graham]

long-term attic storage of rifles, shotguns?

Heat and humidity are always a problem for storage. What you are trying to do won't work. Store them inside, in the A/C, or grease them up solid and seal them in an airtight container.

 

[former naval person]

Grease. Clean well and grease them up. Keep bolts in separate area. Really long term, Cosmolene from Brownell's.

 

[Cserv]

I am thinking grease an airtight container and some dessicant to remove moisture from the stored air.

Eric

 

[oughtsix]

Layer of grease, pack it in something air tight and with a desiccant of some kind (I use oven-dried sidewalk chalk as a cheap alternative) and an oxygen absorbent pack.

 

[Strykervet]

Okay. I installed an alarm years ago in AL (I have lots of good alarm stories) and when I went into the attic to pull the wires, imagine my surprise to find stacks of machine guns. No shit WW2 collector weapons, all in tip top shape and a lot with accessories. A suppressed Mac10 and a bunch of other stuff I didn't see (I didn't go digging through people's stuff nor talk about job sites). I knew they were his because I saw pictures on his desk. See, not everyone knows what's in their attics or under their houses, and sometimes it's treasure.

Anyway, I got the impression they'd been there for a bit and that they hadn't just moved in.

Also, when I joined the army, my aunt sold the family land from under the rest of us and moved all my shit in storage. I suppose it sat there for two years before I could get back down there. Those douche bags wrapped three rifles, an AK an AR and a .300PSS, in a wool blanket and laid them on the floor in the back of an uncontrolled storage unit. When I found 'em, I was pissed, but to my amazement there wasn't even any surface rust despite they hadn't been oiled.

On another note, if you heavily oil metal in humid conditions and the metal is dry, the oil can trap moisture under it when it condenses later and that'll cause it to rust. I've seen that happen to military weapons. The POG cheerleaders fucked up an entire arms room worth of weapons like that. Then another thought it would be wise to pressure wash 'em dry with no oil. They don't rust externally if they stay dry and pass their stupid white glove inspection easier. But they rust from the inside out I'm told (I didn't see that one carrier they said snapped in half and was fine on the outside, rusted on the inside). Thank god we didn't do that.

Also, when we got M2's for the very first Stryker's, those came in crates right out of long term storage and that was one musty ass place. The date was 1944. That damn thing looked like it was made yesterday, but it took a whole day to chisel all that foam and then under that, it was covered in cosmoline.

I suppose if the attic is a dry place to begin with it wouldn't be too bad, but temps in there where you are fluctuate from 50 at night to 140+ in the day! Perfect for condensation, and the temp change is the real problem. If you have central ducts ran in the attic (and chances are you are on a slab down there) then you'll have condensation escape from there everytime it runs.

I'd cosmoline the shit out of it if it were me, and make damn sure it won't drip off up there. You won't be using them for a while after retrieval either, cleaning is a bitch.

 

[long range newbie]

I would oil em good, every nook and cranny, but dehumidify the room. I also would have a lot of clean rags for when you get back because cleaning takes a lot of rags... especially when you oil your guns (a lot of oil)

 

[meathunter1]

If you are talking handguns maybe try a food saver with a desipack. If you buy the rolls you could essentially make a bag big enough to put a shotgun in. Just a thought.

 

[rookie101]

climate controlled, well oiled, dessicant etc. otherwise: temperature changes will result in condensation, moisture issues. Attics and crawlspace are notorious for collecting moisture. There are many codes in the building industry to help alleviate those conditions, (mostly involving square inches of ventilation per square foot of space being vented (which in my opinion should be cubic foot, but what do I know, just a dumb builder)) which create a whole different set of issues including ambient humidity and rapidly changing temperatures, moisture is insidious, long story short don't put your rifles in those conditions. I live in a dry climate. Recently looking through a friends overflow safe, in the garage, we found rust on a number of weapons, including a repro sharps, no big deal, but two vintage lugers, big deal.

 

[mtrmn]

I live in Louisiana. Temps in my attic reach probably 130F or so in the summer. Any WOOD stocked rifles etc may experience some drying/shrinking of the wood over a period of years in that kind of heat. Not really sure what to do about that right offhand.
As for metal, I use Fluid Film in my auto shop and and bare-metal engine parts are rust-free after years of laying around with a coat of FF on them. 50-60% humidity is about the driest it will ever be around here, with 80%+ being normal. Bought mine off ebay. FF stays "wet" and is much easier to clean up than cosmoline. If you DID decide to use cosmoline stores like ACE hardware carry spray products that are equivalent and may be available locally without having to order.
I also bought dessicant packs off ebay that can be dried in the oven for re-use. I throw one in every ammo can I have for my reloads, and keep a couple in my safe. Once dried, I store the extra packs in double ziplock bags and use an ammo can to store that as well until I get ready to use it.

 

[Squid284]

I'm envisioning large PVC pipe with end caps and some desiccant bags, like the Mossberg JIC shotguns come with? Maybe vacuum/vapor bags? Just some thoughts.... Basement or crawlspace might be better than the attic, until it floods.

 

[mtrmn]

Squid unknowingly reminded me about this website------- Poly Gun Bags - Main Page

 

[William_LXIX]

Yeah the temperature changes & high humidity are what is going to possibly get you.

Cosmolene will melt & run at 125 F. So after a few weeks of 150 F plus days that cosmolene is going to flow with gravity from where it started at.

I would go with VCI Poly Bags and a good oil.

I would also try to store them on their sides rather than muzzle up or muzzle down to keep the oil from running to the extreme.

Then try to insulate the cabinet as much as possible, in winter I would install a GOLDEROD to keep it from getting too cold in there.

Best of luck.

~Will