Storing firearms in case(?)

[Indrid Cold]

So I'm going to be going back to college in a few months, and unfortunately I can't take my rifles with me... (It's California, what do you expect :mad:) I'm wondering what to do about storing my rifles for around five months at a time, as I'll be back in December for winter break and I can use/clean them then. I have them in a Pelican (watertight) case right now, but I've heard that it's not a great idea to keep guns in their cases for longer periods of time. That being said, that's usually with cases that have open cell foam (the common stuff you have in most cheaper gun cases) and the Pelican has closed-cell, which makes it much less water/moisture-retentive in the case of water getting inside the case. Should I be ok if I just heavily lube the rifles, both inside and out, and keep them in the case with a couple silica gel packets, or do I have other things to worry about?

[chris in va]

I'd use a gun sock infused with silicone in the case. I left a Pardner 410 shotgun in a gun case for 2 months and it had a lot of surface rust, even with a few silica packets.

[blume357]

you do the final cleaning and oiling do it in a room with the air conditioning on /set low.

[44 AMP]

Whatever humidity is in the air when you case the guns is trapped inside the case with them. Clean, oiled, and with some kind of moisture absorbent is about the best you can do.

I have known folks who use a soft case, and leave the end open (unzipped), with the idea that moisture is not trapped against the gun. Works sometimes, othertimes not. A lot depends on the actual storage conditions. I live in a very dry area (most of the time), and some of my guns spend months in their cases. No real problems so far.

On the other hand, I once spend a week camping in the rain (I think one day it didn't rain), and a rifle that never even had the case opened until the last day, has some rust spots on it.

Good luck.

[TPAW]

Wear latex gloves, clean it, cover it in oil, and store it the same way you got it, in a cardboard box, if it works for the manufacturer it should also work for you. Keep it in an area that has the most consistant temparature. A clothes closet works well if its safe and away from prying eyes. Remove the action if necessary and put it in a different place. I oil mine and put it in a foot sock, it works well and stays dry. Keep the muzzle down so the residue of oil does not run into the action, there will always be some sediment in the barrell. Much depends on where you live and the climate. If your really concerned, cover it in cosmoline like the military does. Think about how WW1 and WW2 rifles look after cleaning off cosmoline, they come out looking new. High and dry. JMO