Learned a lesson on transporting firearms

[TiminMishawaka]

Took a couple guns with me down to the hurricane zone and I wiped them clean before putting them into their cases. I used a Remington cloth that advertised that it had some sort of rust inhibitor in the cloth. Anyway, after about 16 hours of driving I opened the boxes I had surface rust on every gun except the ruger .454 with the target gray coating and the stainless smith and wesson, after only one day. I've got the guns taken care of rust wise now but I figured out that driving down in the heat with my AC on and then stopping and leaving the car, then coming back in and turning back on the AC was creating condensation that caused the surface rust, even inside the case. The stainless did alright and so did the Ruger because the Ruger either because fo the target gray coating or because only the Ruger was stored inside a waterproof case. Anyway, the quick lesson learned was oil them up heavy for summer travel by car or invest in water proof cases. That was a Pelican brand case by the way. Phenomenal gun case.

 

[Plinkuh]

Ouch, definitely a ****e situation. Glad some of 'em weren't affected or only had a minimal problem. That's a definite heads up for some folks, me included. Thanks for sharing, and, my condolences

 

[Hoosierdood]

This may sound odd, but I talked with a guy (think it was the Glock armorer at the 1500) about how to keep my guns from rusting. My sweat was so bad, that I was actually rusting my Glock. He said he had several friends in Florida who did a lot of hunting and they dealt with the salty sea air all the time. They treated all their guns with...... Turtle wax!

If you think about it, it makes sense. If it can protect your car from salt and road grime, it should be able to protect your guns. Now, every time I clean my guns, I rub a coat of Turtle Wax on them and let them sit for about an hour. I then go back and buff all the wax off of them. Never had a problem with rust since I started doing that.

 

[mr_camera_man]

It's been a while since I've used hard cases for anything, but would a dessicant pack help? Or would its effectiveness be reduced by being sandwiched in foam?

 

[Drail]

Transporting guns in a case in the summer is a problem if : the case has a lining that is porous and will absorb moisture from the humid air around you. This includes any type of fabric and most types of foam used in gun cases. What happens is the lining wipes the oil off of the weapon and allows the moisture to start reacting with the steel. You can place some plastic sheeting around the gun after making sure it is good and oily and then place it in the case. Get it out of the case as soon as you can. Air that is above 45% humidity will have the water sucked out of it like a sponge by any kind of fabric or open cell foam. Paste wax won't save your gun from rusting because above about 80 degrees F it will evaporate away quickly and leave no protection. Wax is used by a lot of museums but the air in them is temp and humidity controlled. Steel won't rust in that environment because it's just not wet enough. As a former smith I have seen lots of guns rusted horribly because the owner left them is a soft plush case/rug without knowing any better. Get some Eezox or BreakFree Collector and apply a good coat with a small paintbrush. Keep the gun oily and store in open air and you will have no rust.

 

[quicksdraw]

I always stick mine in a silicon treated gun sock, then the hard case. It has worked, so far.

 

[gunman41mag]

I keep my CZ-75 in my truck & it get plenty of heat & A/C never had a problem with rust

 

[TiminMishawaka]

No worries. The damage wasn't done to heirlooms. The most annoying was to my Springfield 1911.... Even got a little surface rust on the stainless chamber. Just figured I'd post it so someone could learn before it happens to a firearm of serious value.

Btw - I did have a dessicant pack in one case. Didn't help.

 

[Plinkuh]

No worries. The damage wasn't done to heirlooms. The most annoying was to my Springfield 1911.... Even got a little surface rust on the stainless chamber. Just figured I'd post it so someone could learn before it happens to a firearm of serious value.

Btw - I did have a dessicant pack in one case. Didn't help.

Did you remove ALL the rust from every gun? I would have liked to see some pictures.

 

[HuntMeister]

I've had similar problems when driving out west for a hunt and using the hard cases with the foam in them. Since then I have used a soft case several times with no problems.