I am shipping off to BCT/AIT in May 2012 and will most likely be deployed to Afghanistan for active duty.
My family will not be constantly checking up and using the weapons so I need some method to keep it lubed and locked up. I do not own a storage locker.
How do you guys store your rifles during deployment/work away from home for a while?
I am worried about rust/corrosion after a year or so of inactivity.
I went through the same problem a long time ago when I first joined the Army.
I put all my stuff in a pelican case well lubed and stored them with my father.
I didn’t go and get them until I was married, almost a year later.
If you are unmarried(I am assuming yes) you are not going to be able to keep weapons in your barracks and will have to check them into your unit arms room. That process in the majority of the units I served in was a pain in the ass. Which is why I didn’t get my guns back until I got married and moved into Off post housing.
I don’t get it.
I’ve had ARs that have sat for years unfired in my safe with no magical storage treatment. 
No corrosion worries. FWIW when I deployed I split up my serious use guns into 2 groups. 1 stayed at my house in my safe with my family, the other at a friends house in his safe. I was more concerned about fire of theft than anything else.
A few things;
What are you storing?
This is the AR General Discussion Area.
Not everyone lives in the desert! :sarcastic:
I agree and I don’t live in the dessert. I do have a golden rod in my safe. I have a ww2 m1 Garand with an original sling. The sling used to get these little white specs on it which I suspect was some kid of fungus or mold but I never really looked in to it. Once I put the golden rod in there the white specs disapeared. As someone mentioned, I would worry more about fire and theft than humidity and rust unless u live somewhere like Florida near the coast.
Before I deployed last fall (Aug 2010) I went and shot all of my guns 4 pistols at the time, with my brother and dad. Then we went to my parent’s garage and showed them how to take the weapons apart and what to clean for regular maintenance. I left a little extra clp on everything and stored them in their respective plastic cases and put them all in a plastic tote and stored it in the basement of my parent’s house.
I told my brother and dad to feel free to shoot them as often as they liked on 2 conditions. 1. They cleaned them when they were through 2. that they treat them as if they were there own property.
As far as I can tell (I returned Aug 2011) they hadn’t been shot, but my brother and father both told me they had taken them out and shot them whenever they felt the itch and cleaned per my instructions.
Find someone you trust (not your main squeeze right now, a relative or thick and thin friend) and do the same.
I use a thick coat of Eezox in these situations. In all reality you don’t even need to do this in most environments, but it’s good for peace of mind. Drenching the metal parts in Eezox is going to stomp the possibility of corrosion and give you peace of mind as well as closure in leaving your babies alone for so long. 
PS. Do NOT leave your guns in a foam padded case. Many people do this and wonder why they have rust problems. Leave them in open air if possible.
Exactly what I was going to say.
You’re in AZ, try that in Georgia or NC.
Or leather…
I just hit them with some kind of corrosion inhibitor and keep them in a safe. It’s worked for like 8 months at a time and I have no indication that it wouldn’t work for another 8 months.
Having been in the same situation I have two pieces of advice. One: get a scheduled insurance policy on them or a renters policy that covers the value of your guns. Many renters policies will deal with guns the same way they deal with jewelry: they’ll only cover up to a certain amount, usually $1000-$2000, and you’ll have to present an appraisal to the insurance company to get the money. A scheduled policy insures each gun for it’s replacement value and you get them appraised beforehand. Additionally safe receipts for your big ticket possessions and record their serial numbers. Also take pictures of them with your ID in the frame and upload the pictures to your email by emailing them to yourself as attachments. That will let you file a claim with your renters insurance if your shit gets stolen while you’re gone. Yo’d be shocked how many guys come back from deployments and training with their houses broken into and all their shit gone. You’re better off preparing for it then trying to pick up the pieces afterwards. If you have something irreplaceable in your apartment consider putting it in a safe deposit box. Don’t leave statements/deeds/bank account information in your apartment while your gone. I know guys who’ve been victims of identity theft because the thieves got their info and had months to use it while the guy is deployed. Same goes for storage units. Prep for the worst hope for the best.
Two: put them in a safe or some other kind of storage that can’t be easily accessed by people you don’t want touching your guns. Even a cheapo gun locker is better than nothing. I actually know a guy whose pistol and two ARs were confiscated by the sheriff when his idiot room mates decided to take them and shoot them off the side of a highway. When I travel I put them in a locked safe that only my wife can access. Before that when I was poor I had them padlocked in a Tuffbox in my parents garage.
Just went through this. Had three AR’s, several Sako bolt guns, and mess of pistols stored in my brother’s damp basement for two years, some in pelican hardcases, some in aluminum hardcases, and some in softcases wrapped in heavy garbage bags. I lubed everything with brake caliper grease before storage. No problems with the AR’s: No carbon steel parts other than the bolt and trigger assembly so rust was never an issue. I made a mistake and left an Arisaka type 99 bolt action touching the foam, however, and the bolt handle rusted. Big mistake, but it is an old gun anyway so a bit more rust just adds more character, right? :rolleyes:Anyway, whatever kind of case or box or bag you use, I strongly advise wrapping the guns in plastic so carbon steel parts don’t touch foam or fabric or any material that retains moisture.
Check with a reputable gun dealer you use. We offer free storage for firearms for active duty soldiers here locally. Show us orders to report to duty abroad, provide us next of kin contact, and bring your ass home in one piece. No charge. They might have a similar thing.
That is outstanding. This would have made my life a hell of a lot easier a couple years ago. Definitely worth looking into.
Exactly. Im in Oregon and I have had lightly oiled stainless steel rust after being left in a closet for a couple months.
I had to store several guns in a secured storage space for several months. I covered everything with vaseline. It’s a bit of a pain to get off but works great for long term storage, it’s available everywhere and much cheaper than cosmoline.
Another option, if you do have to keep them in a pelican case is take out the foam, or at least the fitted foam, and go buy some dessicant packs. They will help absorb the moisture in your case if any. While they won’t completely prevent moisture corrosion, they will definitely help keep it to a minimum.
Something else that I’ve heard, while I’m not saying it’s your best option, but it may be an option is buying those vacuum seal clothing storage bags. Similar to those in the “as seen on T.V.” infomercials for storing clothes or blankets. The air inside of them is evacuated by using a common vacuum cleaner.
Neither of these ideas are the most ideal, but they are options that are available if there is nothing else. Ideally, it would be best to be able to have someone take care of your weapons for you while you are gone.
I’ve been in the same boat. I’m currently deployed. Luckily enough for me, I was able to go home at my 6 month mark on my deployment for R&R, so I was able to tend to my guns and make sure they were all taken care of until I get home again.
I’ve left mine in a storage locker in Coastal NC, through 2 hurricanes, in nylon and Pelican cases with a coating of nothing more advanced than CLP for 10 months with no corrosion.
ARs, Glocks, a 1911, and numerous blades.
My presentation-grade Commando Dagger was another story. . .
Use some kind of protectant.
Im deployed right now. I left my firearms with someone special in a dry place with a coat of CLP. Zeus doesnt automatically rust your guns when he finds out you’re deploying.