OK Just got the safe...Now another question

[Guest]

Is the golden rod that plugs in a good idea for the safe. How about the canisters of silica gel or whatever that stuff is. Or both.

Decided to bite the bullet today and get a quality safe.

Now I want to treat those qulity firearms to the home they deserve /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

LAb

 

[gonehuntingagain]

How much humidity do you have to deal with? How much of a rust problem have you been dealing with?
If humidity is moderate to low, then the can of silica gel should do ok, if more humidity then use the golden rod since it would not need to be recharged. Having both might be overkill unless you have super moist air in your house.

 

[4ked Horn]

Lab, it does depend on the normal humidity in your area. In Boise I wouldn't reccomend either. I bought a large silica gel canister for my safe and it seemed dang near every time I checked it it needed to be reset in the oven. So I quit using it and just make sure my guns are dry before I put them away. I also give them a light light oil rubdown once in a great while (maybe once a year on the guns I don't use alot) and everything stays just fine. If your neck of the woods is a bit more humid than my area I would use only the goldenrod.

Why only the goldenrod you may ask?

Well let me tell you something about fire rated gunsafes. I'm assuming that is what you have.

The sheetrock type material lining your safe is NOT there for the insulation. It IS there to chemicaly hold water in suspension. When that material gets hot it starts to sweat more than Rosanne Barr looking in a donught shop window on the fourth of July. From this water steam is formed. Another thing that happens is the little grey foam "weather stripping" (called an entumesent seal (as in "entomb")) around your door (some safes have a rope like seal on the door instead) will expand to 8 times it's normal size and will become very resistant to any other heat.

Why?

Well it is a law of physics that a chamber (like your safe) that has 100% humidity WILL NOT RISE ABOVE 212 DEGREES as long as the pressure is not great. The moisture in the sheetrock stuff is there to make your safe a sauna so it wont reach the point at which paper chars (451 deg I believe).

If you use a silica gel pack to try to remove all the moisture you will never win. You cant. If you need to keep the humidity in your area in check buy one and try it but that wont last long. A golden rod will keep the air moving (It dosent dry the air out as many think) so there is no (less) chance for moisture build up and to help a gun put away cold and / or wet to dry more quickly.

Now what happens if your safe is in a fire?

Everything inside will be soaking wet unless the fire lasts soooo long that the moisture depletes to the point of drying out again. All your photos and legal papers and non water proof scopes and your computers detatchable hard drive backup will need to be stored in zip lock bags or be insured or something. But they will almost always be recoverable to some extent and will be in better shape than if they were not in the safe during the fire.

Now I hope that is good info for you.

If you want to know how Underwriters Labratory UL tests a safe to approve a fire rating let me know and I will tell you. It is tougher than you might think.

 

[Ian M]

I store all of my rifle barrel down in my safe, put a small piece of cloth under the muzzles to catch the oil and solvent that seeps downward. Takes up more room but keeps solvent out of my stocks and bedding.
Congratulations on buying a safe, now you have a place to keep important documents, cash and any number of valuables. Mine have more camera gear and optics than guns I believe.

 

[Guest]

4ked horn

Thaks for the awesome reply. Never knew that stuff. Very intersting indeed. So..Golden rod it is. I want to thank everyone for all the replies, and help

Lab

 

[4ked Horn]

You don't get off that easy. If you bought a new gun you would have told us what it was so....

What did you get? How big? What color? Dial combo or electronic? We need a toy report. Photos. The whole bit.

 

[Guest]

Liberty, 35 gun...Green speckle finish. Non electronic. My very first real gun safe. Looks awesome in the den. Sucker about broke my back getting into the house..(with help) Think I'll lay on my keester today and do nothing.

Lab

 

[ricka0]

I have two of the $350 each (Home Depot) (no sales tax on gun safes)SENTRY G5241 It's 59" interior (when I remove the floor) will store my two 60" 50 BMG's and my other guns with ease. Had to get two of them to store my guns, and they are both packed. It was still alot cheaper than a big safe that would hold them all.

I expoxied foundation bolts to the concrete floor and installed it in the middle of my basement living room (no place to use a pry bar).

If you have the money, get a better safe. This one seems very secure, two guys can easly move/install it.

I just didn't want to put alot of money on a safe, I'd rather save for another gun

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I store all of my rifle barrel down in my safe, put a small piece of cloth under the muzzles to catch the oil and solvent that seeps downward.

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Great idea, this should be in a FAQ. I'm flippen all my guns I thought it was such good advice it deserved double quotes /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif