Rifle Storage
gun storage question?
-i buy a brand new sentry gun safe.
-i buy 5 brand new rifles, 5 brand new handguns, and 5 brand new shotguns.
-i thoroughly clean and oil each gun and put them in their designated spots in the safe.
-i buy 5,000 .308 rounds, 5,000 10mm rounds, and 5,000 12 gauge 3″ shotgun shells.
-the 5 rifles are magazine fed. i fill each magazine to the maximum capacity. same thing with handguns.
will the guns and ammunition be in the exact same operation condition 20 years from the moment i put them in the safe, should the safe never be moved, opened, or even touched?
Is your sentry gun safe one of those tin boxes for sale at Wal Mart? If so, your guns will be rusted junk and the ammo not in much better shape.
Your enemy here is moisture. Your safe will have to provide a dry climate for your arsenal to survive. I have a damn expensive and well built Liberty safe and I am fortunate to live in a dry area (Wyoming). But I still have to check, clean, and oil the guns I do not shoot at least every six months.
If you store your ammo in GI style ammo cans, they will easily last your 20 year term
If you load the mags and leave them for that long, you may run into spring fatigue and they will be weak.
Assuming you store the rifles and shotguns standing on their butt stocks, the recoil pads (if any are installed) will probably collapse.
The metal of the guns will develop “storage marks”. wear marks on the metal were it rests against the long gun rack or on the side of the guns in contact with the carpeted shelves the guns are on.
And, finally, the lock on the safe itself may just rust shut.
SHTF : Gun & Prep Storage Closet