Long term storage with NOX RUST Vapor Wrapper

[BoogieMan]

Wifes step mom has several guns that were left to her by wifes dad. She lives in S. MO and doesnt have a good way to store the guns. My son cleaned and oiled all of them and she then packed them in hard sided plano cases and stuffed them in a closet. The house gets damp and isnt always A/c so I am worried about the environment causing rust. SHe doesnt want to invest in a safe or cabinet that we can put a dehumidifier in. My solution is to wrap the guns in Nox-Rust VCI paper and then put them back in the foam lined hard side plano cases. I dont know how the VCI paper will react with the wood and foam in the cases. Has anyone ever tried this or do they have any better ideas. As of now she doesnt want to part with the guns. I expect them to be divided among my wife and children in the future. I dont want them to get destroyed in the mean time. We are talking about Winchester and Browning rifles and shotguns from the 30's through early 80's. I havent researched them but some I believe are of decent value.

[Evan Thomas]

You might look into long-term storage bags such as those made by ZCORR. They incorporate vapor barriers and anti-corrosion ingredients, and they run $10-20, which is a small investment if you have some which are valuable. Sold by Midway, Cheaper than Dirt, even Amazon. Google "rifle storage bags" and you'll find a variety.

[Aguila Blanca]

I use vapor wraps, but I put the wrapped firearm into a plastic ziplock bag to keep the vapor where it belongs. The vapor paper that Brownells sells has an expiration date -- IIRC it's good for no more than five years, so plan on replacing it periodically.

[natman]

I once had to prepare several hundred guns for long term storage. Here's what I did:

Give the guns a good coat inside and out of RIG grease, LPS3 or Breakfree COLLECTOR. Collector is easiest to apply and remove later.

Put the guns in a VCI bag like these from Polygunbags.

You can cut a rifle bag and tape the ends to make several pistol bags.

I just took some guns so treated out of 6 years of storage without a speck of rust anywhere.

[BoogieMan]

Thanks for the link to polygunbags. I have them shipping bags to my Mother In Laws house so that she can get these guns properly wrapped. I hope she will transfer them to my wife and children at some point. But, either way I dont want them to be destroyed by moisture in the air or anything else while they sit.

[Dfariswheel]

Don't store guns in ordinary plastic bags.
Standard plastic bags not only pass air and moisture, the plastic actually has a certain level of moisture content.
These will allow the VCI vapor to escape.

The right plastic bags are the Zcorr type "hard" plastic bags. These are similar to the plastic bags used to ship electronic components. They contain no moisture and won't pass air air moisture or allow the VCI vapor to escape.

[g.willikers]

This might not apply with the poly bags,
But guns seem to fare better if they're standing up, rather than laying down putting the weight on the bags.

[Evan Thomas]

Another reason I wouldn't use any old plastic bag for this is that some plastics adhere to wood finishes and will mar them. Bubble wrap, for example, will leave a very decorative pattern on a table top.