battle with sweating gun summer humidity

[farmbif]

anyone else battle with guns sweating when taken outside in humid summer heat?

[Baltimoreed]

Don’t put them in a case wet, you’ll be sorry.

[Hossfly]

Usually a comfortable temp. At home is 70-76er’ and 50% humidity. When you take something outside of that environment into 90-100’ and 90% humidity and high dew point, things tend to sweat or condensation will form. Like on scopes and your spectacles. After a few mins. It’ll go away.

[pietro]

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If the firearm is placed in direct sunlight inside your home for awhile before going outside in high humidity, condensation will not usually form on the heated metal.

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[JSnover]

My safes are in the basement at 66-68 degrees F, 49-52% humidity, haven't had a problem yet, but I don't have the luxury of walking right outside with them. A gun case (hard case or soft, doesn't seem to matter) seems to protect them from moisture outdoors; by the time I get to the range they've warmed up.

[BigEyeBob]

Wipe over with Lanotec lanoline .I live in the tropics and have been using this for a while .Comes in spray cans ,I spray it on a cloth and wipe over the metal parts of the firearm .The cloth I use is pretty much soaked and I wipe my hands with it before handling any of my firearms .

[Nueces]

BigEyeBob has a good idea. As I posted elsewhere, the lanolin component of Ed's Red bore cleaner makes it also a fine moisture fighting gun wipe.

[Carrier]

I use Ballistol on all my guns and keep a rag damp with it to wipe down any I take out and do not have sweating issues. Guns are stored in a 68 to 70 degree with 45% humidity room year round.

[Bird]

After cleaning your guns, give them a good coat of silicone spray and let it dry. Future condensation will sit on top of the surfaces and will not corrode your gun. Let the gun warm up in the sun.

[Martin Luber]

Wondering about that myself, no sign of sweating in the house but put them in a case and a hot car and go to the range to find them soaked.

Leaving them in the case in the hot sun makes a mess. I can understand that they are cooler than outdoors but why is it that cased in the heat, they sweat? I suspect the case holds moisture but wouldn't heat allow air to hold more moisture, not less?

[Martin Luber]

And where they will rust is inside the stocks

[mickbr]

I am trying to figure out what this is about. I am in the equatorial tropics, its really hot and humid, what are sweating guns??

[Ozark mike]

Place a cool piece of metal out in a warm humid environment and ya will find out

[Slugster]

Gun sweat is the same principle as the condensate on a cold drink container.

[mickbr]

Ah I should have read all the posts.

[oley55]

My glass half full today! Finally, a no BS benefit for my gun safe being forced to reside in a hot and humid Florida garage next to a saltwater marsh!!! I use a 24" golden rod and small USB powered desk fan and manage to keep the humidity at 51%, but the inside temp is a constant 91 degrees. Most definitely no sweating when I pull them out.

Veering slightly off topic. Still air tends to lead to rust growth, should rifles be stored with the breach open to encourage better circulation through the barrel?

[Ozark mike]

If the bbl is well lubed i wouldn't worry about it

[2A-Jay]

I keep my guns in the safe with 2 Damp-Rid dehumidifiers on the floor of the safe. I live on the beach in Long Beach WA. Have never had a Humidity problem with any of my guns. I wipe them with Otis CLP wipes after cleaning before putting them back in the safe. No problems with humidity with my guns in the Gun case when headed to the range.

[john.k]

Ive never had any problem summer or winter.....big risk here is insects ...a tiny dropping will strip a spot of blue to white metal.My gunsafe is on the sunny side of the house ,and guns always seem warm inside.........all Ive ever used is thick oil,wiped on with a rag ....bores too ...thick oil.

[Outpost75]

If you have trouble finding lanolin, Bag Balm makes an acceptable substitute.

[Wayne Smith]

If you have trouble finding lanolin, Bag Balm makes an acceptable substitute.

And if you can't find it locally the Vermont Country Store carries it.

[elmacgyver0]

What you are dealing with is Dew Point.

The dew point is the temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated with water vapor. When cooled further, the airborne water vapor will condense to form liquid water (dew). When air cools to its dew point through contact with a surface that is colder than the air, water will condense on the surface.

[oley55]

What you are dealing with is Dew Point.

The dew point is the temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated with water vapor. When cooled further, the airborne water vapor will condense to form liquid water (dew). When air cools to its dew point through contact with a surface that is colder than the air, water will condense on the surface.

just need to use a bit more Dew Point repellant, I guess.

[megasupermagnum]

Last year was absolutely horrible for mine. I couldn't go a month without rust starting. It was incredibly humid all year. This year I oiled them as usual, but then put every single one in a silicone infused gun sock. This sure seems to have done the trick, they are all spotless still, and summer is coming to a close. My guess is that those who don't understand this problem have year round air conditioning. In the winter my house is heated, and it can be a problem when taking them back in the house. In the summer, the fluctuating temperatures, and high humidity let condensation form. Or maybe it is the dew point as said above.

[gwpercle]

Wipe them down often , coming out into the heat and coming back into the cool house .
Never put them directly into a gun case that can't breath . Wipe them down allow to stand overnight and acclimate , wipe down again and then put into a case or safe .

Like Outpost75 suggest ...Bag Balm is mostly lanolin , rub it onto a rag to wipe down guns and it's good for both your hands and feets ...dry skin . I like it better than thick oil .
Gary

[elmacgyver0]

I will share a little secret.
It is called a dehumidifier.
Get one!

You will be amazed when you dump 2 gallons of water out of it a day.

The bags full of silica gel and little Mickey Mouse gadgets just don't cut it.
I have a 45 pint one I have to dump twice a day and sometimes it full before I get to it.

[oley55]

I will share a little secret.
It is called a dehumidifier.
Get one!

You will be amazed when you dump 2 gallons of water out of it a day.

The bags full of silica gel and little Mickey Mouse gadgets just don't cut it.
I have a 45 pint one I have to dump twice a day and sometimes it full before I get to it.

That must be one bodaciously large dehumidifier if it's able to pull the moisture from the air outside to prevent the accumulation of condensation on a cool gun. LOL

[dragon813gt]

What you are dealing with is Dew Point.

The dew point is the temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated with water vapor. When cooled further, the airborne water vapor will condense to form liquid water (dew). When air cools to its dew point through contact with a surface that is colder than the air, water will condense on the surface.

This is the correct answer. The psychometric chart doesn’t lie. It’s one of the most boring charts in the world but I make my living off of it. I’m assuming the OP is taking a gun out of an air conditioned house. Dew points in the low to mid seventies are common around here in the summer months. And this is right in the range that people air condition their house to.

The solution is to warm the gun up above dew point before taking it out of the house. Dew point in an air conditioned home is right around 50°. How you warm the gun up is up to you. Coating it w/ oil or something else is great. But stopping the moisture from forming is what you want to do.

The flip side of this is warm guns and cold temperatures. It’s a sure way to fog a scope up. It’s why I keep all hunting rifles outside during the season.

[Martin Luber]

I understand that the cool metal acts as a condensor but it doesn't do it when in the case and in the house. It does it when the case is heated up outside. I would think that in higher temps, air would hold more moisture, not less. Thanks

[Ozark mike]

If ya run ac i believe that dehumidifies the air in you're house or am i wrong

[dragon813gt]

I understand that the cool metal acts as a condensor but it doesn't do it when in the case and in the house. It does it when the case is heated up outside.

This is exactly how dew point works. It’s not going to condense in the house because the dew point is lower than the surface temperature of the gun. As I said dew point is around 50° when conditions are 70° dry bulb w/ 50% RH. Home air conditioners are sized to maintain these conditions.

It’s happening when you take it outside because the dew point is higher than the surface temperature of the gun. Say the temp of the gun is 70°, outside dew point is 75°(which is common) and you have a recipe for the gun sweating.

How much moisture the air can hold is not the issue and isn’t coming into play. You care about this when it comes to dehumidification and humidification. You want to add or remove so many grains per pound per hour. Like I said, not the issue.

[Martin Luber]

I see said the blind man, as he picked up his hammer and saw...

Got it, thanks