Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

I've recently procured my first handgun and am loving the experience so far. However, I wanted to get a little feedback on how you all store your firearms in the short term. Specifically handguns.

I bought myself a nice safe(with room for additional weapons of course), secured it in a locked room, and have been storing the pistol in its factory case. This worked great, but after a few cleanings I've noticed the foam in the case has become excessively oily and is making things a bit messier than I think they should be when taking the gun out to handle. I've cleaned the case of the excess oil, and am planning on storing the pistol inside the safe but outside its factory case unless I'm transporting it.

Does anyone have any suggestions on their preferred method to store their pistol in the short term outside its case? Wrap it in a rag, on a rack, etc? Probably a silly question, but there are always better ways to do something.

And a little gun porn for your trouble...

Without seeing the gun it is pretty hard to tell for sure but it sounds like you are over oiling your gun. I know some guns like more oil than others but if the oil is to the point of making the foam really oily, you are probably using too much. You should be able to carry the gun in a holster without the oil running out. I own Glocks and S&Ws and they like very light oil almost to the point of oiling and wiping it off as much as possible. Check your owners manual or talk to a gun shop. There is also a lot of information online for maintaining most guns. Check out Youtube.

As far as storage, you should not store the guns in the foam cases they are sold in. The foam attracts and holds moisture. I keep my guns in the safe just as they are. There are gun socks you can buy or you can also get by with a silicone cloth wrapped around the gun. Both are available at most online gun retailers.

Hope this helps.

I agree. It sounds like you are over oiling. I tend to wipe on a good bit of oil on my blued guns when I case them or simply put them back in the safe. I do that to prevent rust from my fingerprints. That guns looks like it has a finish that is very rust resistant, though. I know my duty Glock's slide does. I'd guess that guns finish is just as good....As far as putting them in a safe, I just lay them on the carpeted shelf.

If you've got a safe then I recommend you put a de-humidifier in. They are pretty cheap. Then you can wipe all the excess oil from the weapon once its cleaned and store it openly on a rack. Also cheap. With a de-humidifier there is no need to keep a coat of oil or put in any box, rag, sock, etc. I keep my guns dry in the safe and the de-humidifier keeps the moisture out...no oil, no mess, no rust.

I have stored many type's of both long guns and handguns for many year's to include over 100 diffrent types of SWAT team weapons. For as long as it has been out I have used G-96 spray lubricant on the weapon's and through the bore. I then wipe them down completly and run a patch down the bore. None of these weapons have ever been overly oily or even wet in any way. They have never formed any type of rust in both short term and long term storage.
Bill

Thanks for all the great tips. I agree that the first cleanings have been with excessive amounts of oil. I'll reduce my use to find a better balance between 'too much' and 'not enough.' The safe is fitted for a dehumidifier setup. I'm very interested in that as well.

if you are still having trouble after the advice given here, I'll store it for you ....