What temperature should i store hunting rifles?

Question

i want to move into this other room of my house, but first i have to move out my dad's guns. is it ok to put them in our attic or unfinished basement?

Answer 1

I store quite a few of my firearms in the basement. It stays cool and dry down there and that is what is important. You do not want the rifles being exposed to moisture if you are storing them. The storage temperature is not important as long as the storage area is well insulated and does not vary greatly between day and night. Either the attic or basement should be fine as long as they are insulated and dry.

Answer 2

moisture is the second worst enemy to guns

the worst enemy to guns is the oils on your fingers

If you do move your dad's guns, you will need to clean the surfaces of them to remove your finger oils, and then apply gun oil to replace the gun oil you removed when you cleaned your fingermarks off

I suspect the attic would be a better choice than the basement because I'd be worried about moisture.

however, ask your dad

Answer 3

Temperature is not near as important as humidity. Humidity in the air will destroy unprotected rifles that are stored. You need to take measures to store them, preferably in a locked safe, in a humidity controlled climate. Most larger sporting goods stores will sell dehumidifying devices or products.

Very high heat will also damage some things on a firearm. How hot does the attic get? I'm in the sunny southwest and my attic sometimes reaches 120 degrees or higher, not good for guns. Luckily it's very dry here, so my cool but dry basement is my storage place. If your basement is humid, forget it, keep them in the climate controlled house.  

Answer 4

Maintaining a regular temperature along with low humidity is recommended.  When you have swings like you would in an unheated and uncooled attic, condensate can form.  An unfinished basement inside of a lined gun cabinet is fine if you place dehumidifiers inside of the cabinet and make sure that they are functioning properly.   Having dehumidifiers in your basement to keep the general air humidity down will help lessen the strain on the dehumidifiers inside of your gun cabinet.  If you are using the dessicant style, they need to be monitored and serviced regularly.  If you wait until rust starts to form, it is too late.  A humidity meter in the cabinet is a good idea.