Humidity & Guns - Rust is the Enemy

The First Step in Controlling Humidity is Monitoring it...

Depending on where you live, this may or may not be an issue. If you live in Phoenix or Las Vegas, humidity is not your problem. Where I live, humidity is an issue. This may surprise some readers, but in Alaska, humidity is as much of a problem as where I live in the Deep South.

ThermoPro TP50 in my Gun Cabinet

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Digital Hygrometer Indoor Thermometer Room Thermometer and Humidity Gauge with Temperature Humidity Monitor

With highly accurate temperature and humidity readings and a wide measurement range, the humidity meter TP50 is the perfect household device to keep you and your family's living conditions optimal. The temperature and humidity monitor is equipped to give you daily updates on the record of high and low humidity/temperature, allowing you to compare the current readings to those of the past. This unit's extremely sensitive humidity sensor will quickly inform you of the comfort level in the room.

I use this device in my office, garage and gun cabinet.

• Temperature Range: -58°F ~ 158°F(-50°C ~ 70°C)
• Temperature Accuracy: ±1°F
• Humidity Range: 10% ~ 99%
• Humidity Accuracy: 30%~80%: ±2%, out of range: ±3%
• All Time High and Low Records
• Refresh Rate: 10 seconds
• Face Icon Comfort Display: DRY, COMFORT, WET
• °F/°C Selector

The ideal humidity level is between 30% to 50%... Too Low Is As Bad As Too High

With average humidity of 70% here in Alabama, left unchecked, mold and rust can thrive. Luckily with a few precautionary steps and monitoring, these two enemies can be kept at bay.

The first and last step in protecting your guns from the environment is identifying and monitoring temperature and humidity. The outdoor average daily humidity where I live in Alabama is 70%, ranging from 84% in the morning to 53% in the afternoon. With highly accurate temperature and humidity readings and a wide measurement range, the humidity meter TP50 is the perfect household device to keep you and your family's living conditions optimal. The temperature and humidity monitor is equipped to give you daily updates on the record of high and low humidity/temperature, allowing you to compare the current readings to those of the past. This unit's extremely sensitive humidity sensor will quickly inform you of the comfort level in the room.

Rust & Mold are Our Enemies

Rust and mold can be avoided by controlling the moisture in the atmosphere. An example of this is the use of silica gel packets to control humidity in equipment shipped by sea. Ah! But in a cabinet full of handguns, we must strike a delicate balance and make sure we don't make the environment too dry. Why? That wouldn't be good for all the wood, pearl and ivory in there.

One of the great features of the ThermoPro TP50 is the fact that it records historic data and displays the range of temperature and humidity. If you look close at the picture above, you can see the humidity range from 39% to 50%. The temperature range shows from 68 to 86 degrees (note, actually these readings were not from my cabinet). I removed the battery for 10 seconds to reset the history.

After resetting the history and waiting 24 hours I rechecked the device. The humidity had been as low as 44% and as high as 49%. The temperature in the cabinet had ranged from 73 to 75 degrees.

So what is the ideal temperature and humidity for long-term storage of guns?

As always, I will refrain from giving advice. However, I can share my experience with a couple of guns I've maintained more than 30 years rust-free without shrinkage, cracking or damage to the grips.

I have strived to achieve the following ranges: Humidity 40% to 50% and Temperature 68 to 78 degrees.

Generally, from May or June through September, I need to run a dehumidifier to achieve those levels. From October through April or May, the humidity level is low enough without using a dehumidifier.