Hi there.

I'm looking for a discreet place in my home to store some rifles.  They don't need to be accessible for home defense, although it would be good to be able to get to them in a reasonable amount of time in case they are needed.

One of them is in a plastic flight case/foam style with locks on the outside.  The other will be in a soft case (I didn't pick it up yet).

The one I have is currently in a bedroom closet that gets a bit warm (it's next to an attic) but not too humid as the bedroom has air conditioning.  There is an attic with a half-door to access it which would be good place except it is an attic and has temperature fluctuation, humidity, gets cold etc.  

I've read lots of conflicting things online about attic storage, and even closet storage in an area that may get 5 degrees warmer or colder than the rest of the house (eg. our closets).  I understand that I should get some sort of desiccant for the gun cases and make sure I maintain them, take them out every now and then and inspect / oil if needed.  At the end of the day, will attic storage be ok if I do some basic preventative care?

I also have a basement which has a storage area that is dry and cool, however its next to my kids play/hangout room and my preference would be not to store anything there unless I wanted to invest in a safe or other custom closet type of thing, which I would prefer not to at this point. Not worried about my kids but they have friends over and the last thing I would want are curious kids finding something and telling their parents, etc. It is also the furthest point in my house from my bedroom.

Any advice or thoughts appreciated!

 

Thanks

 

 

I would think that since you are not thinking about getting a gun safe or cabinet that the closet would be your best option.  Wipe the metal surfaces down with oil (light coat) and put in a silicone treated gun storage sock.  Some protect really well.

Snap Safe in closet.   Best 1000 bucks I ever spent.  You need a safe with kids.  They will find them.

10 minutes ago, Tunaman said:

 You need a safe with kids.  They will find them.

+1,000,000

3 hours ago, JC_68Westy said:

I would think that since you are not thinking about getting a gun safe or cabinet that the closet would be your best option.  Wipe the metal surfaces down with oil (light coat) and put in a silicone treated gun storage sock.  Some protect really well.

Agree.

Safe/cabinet in the closet is the best way to go IMO.  You can't leave any firearms unlocked/available if there are kids in the house.

Look at stack-on for a good locking gun cabinet.  They won't stop a burglar but the kids will never get in!  a couple hundred bucks well spent!

 

2 hours ago, 124gr9mm said:

Agree.

Safe/cabinet in the closet is the best way to go IMO.  You can't leave any firearms unlocked/available if there are kids in the house.

Thank you I agree. To be clear the guns are locked (in multiple ways - case has latch locks plus padlocks) just not in a safe.  I’m going to look closer at the safes suggested here though, thank you for your help!

1 hour ago, JohnnyB said:

Look at stack-on for a good locking gun cabinet.  They won't stop a burglar but the kids will never get in!  a couple hundred bucks well spent!

 

Ok that looks like a great option.  Will check it out!

15 hours ago, JohnnyB said:

Look at stack-on for a good locking gun cabinet.  They won't stop a burglar but the kids will never get in!  a couple hundred bucks well spent!

 

I have one similar to that but has 2 locks on it, its 24 years old and over the winter one of the locks failed. I called them and they sent out 2 new locks and keys for free.

You shouldn’t keep your guns in the cases long term — the open cell foam doesn’t play well with gun oils and moisture

silicone gun socks are better

16 hours ago, 124gr9mm said:

Safe/cabinet in the closet is the best way to go IMO.  You can't leave any firearms unlocked/available if there are kids in the house.

The law is that you cannot allow a kid (under 18) easy access to a loaded firearm. If securing the firearms is tricky, securing the ammo instead is an option.

2 hours ago, Mr.Stu said:

The law is that you cannot allow a kid (under 18) easy access to a loaded firearm. If securing the firearms is tricky, securing the ammo instead is an option.

Define easy access. Secured in a locked closet can be considered very secure. I believe the OP was asking about properly storing so the rifles are not affected by humidity, etc.  I don't believe he was asking about securing the guns.

1 minute ago, JC_68Westy said:

Define easy access. Secured in a locked closet can be considered very secure. I believe the OP was asking about properly storing so the rifles are not affected by humidity, etc.  I don't believe he was asking about securing the guns.

Define easy access? Lol. These are NJ statutes. There is no definition provided. Anything I make up is worthless.

I was responding to 124gr9mm's comment.

6 minutes ago, Mr.Stu said:

Define easy access? Lol. These are NJ statutes. There is no definition provided. Anything I make up is worthless.

I was responding to 124gr9mm's comment.

I fully understand.  I was attempting to point out that the NJ law is written very poorly and leaves way too much room for interpretation.

58 minutes ago, JC_68Westy said:

Define easy access. Secured in a locked closet can be considered very secure. I believe the OP was asking about properly storing so the rifles are not affected by humidity, etc.  I don't believe he was asking about securing the guns.

Correct, right now the guns are secure, and the ammo is secure (separately), with multiple measures. 

I'm concerned about humidity/wear on the firearms over time and balancing that with ensuring they are kept out of sight, even if locked away in a case or cabinet or safe.

 

The advice here has been great by the way, thank you everyone! What a great community.

 

That NJ Law is stupid. You can leave an unloaded gun on your coffee table and a loaded magazine next to it, leave your 10 year old home alone, and not be in violation. Stupid, but legal.