Henry Rifle Forums

To maximize the shelf in my safe that my handguns are kept I have them in soft cases standing up on the spine of the case. I made my own tags with a zip tie and masking tape to hang from the zipper for identification.

My concern is long term. Will this harm the bluing? My concern is the fabric wicking away the protective oil coating on the surface of the gun.

The easy answer is get a bigger safe. Not an option at this time.

The concern arose yesterday when I pulled a hard plastic rifle case with foam insert down from a shelf. In it I have a Arisaka type 99(beat up "last ditch") and a sporterized Mauser (hack job parts gun). They sat on the shelf for about ten years. They developed a rusty patina on the surface. I live in SW Idaho, so not a humid climate.

Now I don't plan on leaving the pistols in the soft cases without inspection for ten years. But is having them in a soft case a good storage solution?

We use soft cases in our safe, too, but it can be a problem. In the summer, for instance, our basement stays 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the house, because we don't have central air, only one window unit which we only use a couple times during the summer. The problem with that temp difference is when we bring a gun at a lower temp, downstairs, upstairs. We can get some moisture condensation if we remove the gun from the case, right away. I usually wait awhile for the case and gun to come to ambient temperature before taking the gun from the case. One solution that has worked is to store the rifles in silicone sleeves while sitting in the safe. Another, of course, is to invest in a safe dehumidifier. Also, I do remove the handguns from the case and wipe them down with a silicone gun cloth on a regular basis.

Lastly, it does make a difference on the type of steel and the typeof blueing used. Some of the high carbon steel barrels I've had were rust magnets, so those needed to a wire done with an oil soaked cloth.

I use a tray that keeps the pistols upright allowing more to be stored in a small space. Others are stored in the plastic cases they came in and can be stacked.

I took out all the shelving that came in the safe and built a cabinet with flat drawers to store handguns, their mags, knives, electronics, etc. Amazing how much more efficiently that uses the space.

See "Cabinet for Gun Safe" under Hobbies Forum/Woodworking
I tried a link, but it doesn't work.


This way the handguns are laying open in the wooden drawers... Free airflow. No problem.

Corrosion requires 2 things, moisture and oxyen. Renaissance wax will block both. I've used it on the external surfaces of my firearms, edged weapons, and iron top shop tools for years here in MS and it does work. My wife uses it on her silver to prevent tarnishing.

Here's a little about it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax

It's available thru Amazon and other retail outlets.

Here's a video also:

https://ads.midwayusa.com/product/22275 ... ance%20wax

I personally would be very scared of long term storage in a soft case. I keep all my firearms in silicone cloth sleeves or socks and wipe them down with a silicone rag every single time I have one out, right before putting it back. So far in eastern WA, which is normally quite arid, the regular cheap Hoppes silicon wipe cloths have been plenty good. I rejuvenate mine with a spray of silicone lubricant when they get dried out. In a more humid environment I would switch to this product:

https://www.amazon.com/Sentry-Marine-P ... B001G0Y6J4

Never ever handle a gun and then just stick it away in the safe without wiping it first. Do that and you shouldn’t have any issues. OTH I normally choose guns with easy care features like plastic, rubber and stainless steel..... the one nice rifle I have that is blued steel and wood gets extra attention, for sure.

John Davies
Spokane WA

I use these vinyl coated wire rack for vertical storage of handguns. They are available in two, four and six gun capacity so you can customize your handgun storage depending on quantity and shelf width. Locally (Spokane area) they are available at most stores that sell guns including a regional variety type chain-store called Bi-Mart.

John E Davies wrote: ↑

Sat May 23, 2020 8:25 pm

I personally would be very scared of long term storage in a soft case. I keep all my firearms in silicone cloth sleeves or socks and wipe them down with a silicone rag every single time I have one out, right before putting it back. So far in eastern WA, which is normally quite arid, the regular cheap Hoppes silicon wipe cloths have been plenty good. I rejuvenate mine with a spray of silicone lubricant when they get dried out. In a more humid environment I would switch to this product:

https://www.amazon.com/Sentry-Marine-P ... B001G0Y6J4

Never ever handle a gun and then just stick it away in the safe without wiping it first. Do that and you shouldn’t have any issues. OTH I normally choose guns with easy care features like plastic, rubber and stainless steel..... the one nice rifle I have that is blued steel and wood gets extra attention, for sure.

John Davies
Spokane WA

I do the same. Even though the room my guns are kept is air conditioned\heated. They are still in a safe.

Thanks all!

I bought two extra holsters and bolted them to the inside of the door of one of my safes. Now my pistols don't take much space in the safe.


One of the holsters on the safe door