Long Gun Safe

[Jah-hoeva]

The best place, space wise, for me to put a safe is in my garage. (one car, attached) My problem is that my garage is not heated or cooled, and semi insulated. Its not much warmer than it is outside in there right now. Is it a bad idea to locate a long gun safe in such an environment? (gets cold out there in the winter and pretty warm mid summer) I have another safe in the house for ammo and pistols.

Thoughts?

 

[knfmn]

The heat and cold change isn't going to hurt the firearms, but I would have a lot of concern about condensation forming on them and causing rust. I'd have a golden rod running in the safe for sure. Maybe some foam board lining in the safe to help keep it a little warmer.

 

[Matt2109]

The heat and cold change will cause condensation. The Golden Rod might be enough, but I would keep a very close eye on it. Golden Rod heaters are design to keep the temp 'just above' the exterior temp. In an unconditioned garage this may be worse!

I am no expert, just my .02......

 

[TonyDedo]

You can insulate the safe (just get few sheets of thin insulation from Home Depot), then install a dehumidifier (GoldenRod or similar). Shouldn't be a problem. Just check your guns periodically, and wipe them down with a thin layer of oil if they're going to sit there for a while.

 

[USMA-82]

Just put two or three of these in the safe and be sure to "recharge" them every couple of weeks. They work great -

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...city-Dehumidifier-Model-500-(500-Cubic-Feet)-

Good Luck!

 

[Terminator03]

Personally, I would think you'd be better off putting it in a basement (if you have one) for two main reasons. 1) because a garage is generally much less secure and 2) you will generally have more stability with temp fluctuation, which is where condensation/corrosion come into play. Even with limited space inside the house, I'd rather have a couple of smaller safes/cabinets that could hide in closets than one larger safe that I had to leave in my garage. I fight with the corrosion year round because I have machining equipment in one bay of my garage, and it is definitely a chore to keep the machines free of rust no matter what I coat them with.