Water tight gun cases caution!!

[TSFineGuns]

Don't store your guns in a case, case is for short travels to protect gun, not store them. this includes just about any case.

This 100% percent.

My firearms are only in a case from Point A to Point B. Never in the case while at either Point A or Point B.

For this exact reason

 

[Gabe22BR]

Little sticker tag says not to store firearm in case

 

[shoot4fun]

Waterproof
Water won't get in if it's closed.
Water won't get out once it's in there.

 

[DirtySteve]

Every time I use a rifle case, I come home and leave the case open to air it out. Wether it was a damp day or a sunny day just to dry things out.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Winter range days, with colder temperatures, low dewpoints, no fog or mist is probably better than a warm house to seal it up. I've got a few of those Chinese RH/Temp sensors. I might see what goes on in storage.

 

[PhilC]

This 100% percent.

My firearms are only in a case from Point A to Point B. Never in the case while at either Point A or Point B.

For this exact reason

Yep.

 

[BlueWater]

A word of warning. I got a new Pelican water tight hard gun case ... went to the range ... a misty damp day ... so i put the gun in the case and went on home ... forgetting to clean the gun for some length of time ...

That'll do it.

One of the reasons I like completely cleaning the firearms at home, after I've gotten back from an outing. On a couple of occasions, I didn't immediately clean, oil and put away everything. Fortunately, didn't get any rusting, but then I hadn't waited very long before getting to it.

Good reminder for what can happen, if the least little bit of moisture gets closed-in with a gun.

Good reminder to have a few good packs of dessicant on-hand, when bringing the guns out for a spin. Always have found it worthwhile tossing a couple of those into the cases, prior to closing, after wiping-down a gun. Doesn't get around the need to quickly clean/oil everything, but I'd like to think every little bit helps.

 

[BlueWater]

Winter range days, with colder temperatures, low dewpoints, ...

Yup. Whatever moisture is involved just gets worse, when the inside/outside differential adds condensation to things.

O!, the trials and tribulations we all go through.

 

[JimPag]

Best thing to do if you keep it in a case to transport it or store it is to use one of those treated gun socks over the rifle. I've used them for years and have left rifles stored in Pelican cases for months because I ran out of room in the 3 safes that I have.

 

[FNSafari]

Rule #1 IMO...never leave a gun in a case once you reach home.

 

[Timberyote]

The humid days I go to shoot, upon return, everything is removed from the case and wiped down/cleaned, but the case remains open for a couple of days. Doing it this way I've never had a problem. YMMV.

 

[divingin]

Side note: I've had a couple/few times where I've pulled my rifle from the safe and put it in a Pelican case for the trip to the range, to find condensation on the barrel/action on opening the case. The safe is not dehumidified, but runs a little strip heater. The room where the safe resides is heated, but loading may take place when the heating program is not actively warming the room. Not sure what the mechanics of the condensation are, but it's something to bear in mind.

FWIW, it's only happened on one rifle (and it's stainless, so I'm not all that worried about it); never seen it happen to blued rifles or my pistols (also blued; difference there is they are not sandwiched in foam.)

 

[Rocketvapor]

Dewpoint.
Warm room, sort of low humidity, go to range on a cool/cold day and temperature drop will approach dewpoint of the previous warm air.

75F /50% RH room when case is sealed will be at dewpoint (100%RH) @ 55F or below.

Dew Point Calculator

This free dew point calculator calculates dew point, relative humidity, or air temperature if given any of the other two values.

www.calculator.net

This summer watch out for warm humid days.
90F/50%RH outside,
Trip home in an A/C truck, or house @ less than 70F and things will get wet.
Keep the lid open at home until things equalize.

 

[divingin]

75F /50% RH room when case is sealed will be at dewpoint (100%RH) @ 55F or below.

Thanks, RV. Though I live in California, where we have PGE. I can't afford to get my house temp up to 75F.

 

[durand mortenson]

A friend of mine took a Luger to Alaska where he worked in timber for a year. The Luger was kept in plastic to protect it from moisture and we all know the rest of that story. On his return he sold it to me for $60. I cleaned it up as best I could and later traded it for something I don't remember.

Mort

 

[6.5 forever]

I use Husky stackable boxes on wheels to haul my gear in my truck bed. I know they have a water tight seal. I shoot thru the winter months and leave the kids open when I shoot. I'm wondering about opening the lids when I return now.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Get a couple RH/Temp meters, maybe not the absolute cheapest of the Chinese models.
Use desiccant packs ( I like the 40 gram tins).

Open at home since the dewpoint is likely lower, or at least safe.

 

[Larry Koch]

Better put a warning label on it. Don't clean your guns with water.

 

[Shooter13]

The problem as you already know isn't that the case was water tight, it was you left it in a case (with moisture) and you got the end results. I clean guns at the range then when I get home I take them out of the case and wipe down again. My gun room is my basement garage that is temperature controlled.

 

[Rocketvapor]

Stuck a RH meter in the gun case with the 40 gram desiccant pack overnight and inside was 47%, room was 54%.
RH meter was checked with saturated salt solutions.
33% showed 37%, 75% showed 77%. Not bad for a cheap Chinese device.