As a gun owner, you need to ensure that you do not expose your gun to very high or very low humidity levels. Obtaining the best humidity for gun storage can be a challenge. Very high humidity levels can lead to corroded bullets or corroded gun parts. High humidity levels can also lead to mold growth. Very low levels of humidity, on the other hand, can make the wooden parts of your gun crack.
Beyond your guns, corroded bullets are dangerous as they can randomly fire. Read more about choosing the best humidity for ammo storage for that issue. Below are more details on the best humidity for gun storage and how to measure humidity levels.
How to Measure Humidity Levels in a Gun Storage Area
You can measure the relative humidity in a gun storage area using a hygrometer. This measuring instrument usually has two thermometers. One of the thermometers has a wet bulb, and the other has a dry bulb. The dry bulb is usually dry, while a cotton wick dipped in the hygrometer’s water surrounds the wet bulb.
A hygrometer uses the evaporative cooling phenomenon when measuring humidity levels in a closed room. According to the evaporative cooling phenomenon, a surface becomes cool after the water evaporates from it. In a hygrometer, moisture evaporates from the wet bulb, making it show low temperatures than the dry bulb. The difference between the dry-bulb temperature and wet bulb temperature helps determine the relative humidity.
What Humidity Level Is Ideal for Gun Storage
According to the National Rifle Association, NRA, 50 percent relative humidity is ideal for gun storage. However, your gun will remain in good condition if you keep the humidity levels between 40 percent and 60 percent. If the humidity level goes below 40 percent, the wooden parts of your gun will get damaged. If the level goes beyond 60 percent, your gun will corrode.
How to Ensure That the Humidity in Gun Safe Remains Below 60 Percent
If you live in areas with high humidity, you should consider putting your gun in a vacuum seal bag before putting the gun in the safe. However, before putting your gun in this bag, you should clean it using a silicone impregnated gun cloth. You should also oil it. Oiling and cleaning will help remove any excess moisture on the gun’s surface.
The vacuum seal bag will keep moisture away from the gun. However, you should not store your gun in such a bag for long.
You can use other methods to ensure that your gun does not rust due to too much moisture. They include:
- A desiccant humidifier
- An electric dehumidifier
- A silicone impregnated gun sock
Using a Desiccant Dehumidifier
Desiccant dehumidifiers lower the humidity in a closed space through adsorption. They contain silica gel beads. These beads absorb moisture from the environment the same way a sponge absorbs water. They are usually blue, and they turn pink after they absorb moisture.
Desiccant dehumidifiers are usually affordable. Therefore, you should buy this kind of dehumidifier if you are working on a tight budget. However, you will need to replace the silica gel beads after some time.
Using an Electric Dehumidifier
An electric dehumidifier uses electric heating elements to lower the humidity levels in a gun safe. The heating elements help evaporate the moisture in a safe without destroying the guns stored in the safe. Some of the other things that this dehumidifier is likely to do when you put it in your gun safe include:
- The electric dehumidifier will likely help prevent temperature fluctuations in the gun safe.
- The dehumidifier will likely help maintain air circulation inside the gun safe.
For your electric dehumidifier to do all this, you need to leave it functioning all the time. After all, it does not consume a lot of power. You should also fit it at the bottom of the gun safe.
If your gun safe is big, or you have stored several guns in the safe, you should use more than one dehumidifier. You can combine both desiccant and electric dehumidifiers when it comes to this situation. However, you need to ensure that all the dehumidifiers you are using are of good quality. You will buy the best dehumidifiers if you:
- Ask for referrals from friends when choosing a dehumidifier
- Read customers reviews on different dehumidifiers
- Buy a dehumidifier from a good seller
Using a Silicone Impregnated Gun Sock
A silicone impregnated gun sock usually contains silicone. When you put your gun in such a sock, the silicone in it will absorb any moisture in your gun storage area. As a result, the humidity levels in your gun safe are likely to go down.
To ensure that your gun does not rust when it is in a silicone impregnated sock, you should pull tight the sock’s drawstring. You should also oil and clean the gun before putting it in the sock. Other things that you should do to ensure that your gun does not rust due to high humidity levels include:
- Avoid storing your gun in sheep-skin lined gun cases.
- You should not store your gun in foam gun cases.
- Add desiccant packs to your gun safe.
- You should keep your gun away from water.
How to Ensure That Humidity Levels in a Gun Safe Are Not Too Low
If you live in a very hot area, you should ensure that the humidity levels in your gun safe are not too low. Checking the hygrometer’s reading after a short time will help you know when the humidity is below 40 percent. You should also do the following if you love in such an area.
- Place your gun safe near an air conditioning system. This system will help lower the surrounding temperature.
- Avoid using wood safes as these safes will crack. Instead, use a steel or iron gun safe.
- Keep your gun in a dry pack.
- If you have installed a dehumidifier in your gun safe, switch it off after some time and then switch it on again.
Conclusion
As a gun owner, you should ensure that the humidity levels in your gun storage area are not more than 60 percent. They should also not be less than 40 percent. You will be able to do this with the help of a hygrometer. This instrument measures the humidity levels in an area. If, after using this instrument, you notice that the humidity levels are high, put a dehumidifier in your gun safe. If the humidity levels are low, switch on your air conditioning system.
