Joey S. is a teacher in Laguna Beach, California.
One afternoon, he and a friend went hiking on a trail in the Arch Beach Heights neighborhood, near the elementary school where Joey teaches ceramics.
The trail is a dirt fire road between two neighborhoods.
It’s not a hidden trail but isn’t exactly a popular place to go hiking.
As Joey was walking, he noticed a metal object sticking out of the ground.
“They looked like a pair of gardening shears to me,” he said.
When he went to pick them up, he noticed that the item was heavier than he expected.
As he pulled it out of the dirt, he saw a barrel, trigger, and hammer on the item, and realized it was a gun.
Joey could tell the gun was old, and it was covered in rust.
He told his friend that he wanted to take the gun home.
After contacting the police, an officer told Joey that he should be careful as the gun could still be loaded and that the bullet was likely rusted like the rest of the rifle.
From there, Joey took the rifle home and began researching to figure out where the rifle came from.
Joey had previously worked in a museum and knew a bit about finding an item’s origins.
He contacted several historic firearms groups as well as museums to identify the rusted gun.
He also gave the rifle a good cleaning.
After the cleaning, Joey was able to find a few numbers of the gun’s serial number. Then, he contacted the Cody Firearms Museum in Wyoming.
From there he discovered that the gun was a 94 Winchester rifle (as in 1894, the year that the 94 rifle was introduced).
And based on the few digits in the serial number that he could make out, the rifle Joey found was manufactured between 1896 and 1908.
But Joey has no idea how the rifle ended up buried in the dirt in Laguna Beach.
One of the museums Joey talked to said that if he dug around the trail, he might find the gun’s owner.
As for Joey, he thinks the rifle may have been left behind by a rancher in the area.
Since there was no owner, Joey framed the rifle and hung it up on his wall.
Now, thankfully, rust hadn’t totally destroyed the rifle, and Joey got it cleaned up enough to identify it by the numbers.
But rust can easily ruin a gun – especially when exposed to the elements like the one Joey found.
This is why it’s so important to protect your firearms from moisture.
A lot of gun owners use safes to keep their firearms secure and safe from fire.
But a safe won’t protect your firearms from moisture or mildew.
No matter where you live, dampness inside a safe can destroy your guns and other valuables over time.
Every time you open a safe door it allows moisture inside and traps it when the door is shut.
Which is why you might want to consider a safe dehumidifier.
How humidity affects guns:
A lot of safes are fireproof and have incredibly strong seals around the doors.
This means that when you close the safe door you trap any moisture inside, because the seal prevents the moisture from escaping.
Over time, the moisture can slowly cause the metal of the firearms to rust or corrode.
If the rust isn’t removed it can lead to permanent damage to the firearm.
Another concern is any wood parts of the firearm.
Wood increases the chance of mold or mildew which can speed up the corrosion.
Location matters:
One of the best ways to reduce the amount of moisture inside a safe is to choose the location of the safe carefully.
If the gun safe is inside a home, there is less moisture if there is central air conditioning.
My point is that you shouldn’t put a safe inside a garage or basement where there might not be air conditioning.
Another way to reduce moisture inside a safe is to add a dehumidifier.
Desiccant dehumidifier:
We have all seen products that come with desiccants (the tiny little packets inside a product that absorb moisture).
The good thing about using desiccants inside a safe is that they are easy to use and don’t require electricity.
Desiccants come in the form of gel that absorbs moisture similar to how a sponge works.
These are best for people who are looking for an inexpensive method of removing moisture.
If you want to use a quality desiccant, consider the Zarpax dehumidifier bags.
The nice thing about these bags is that they have an indicator on the front of the bag.
This way you will know when the bag has absorbed as much moisture as it possibly can.
Also, you don’t have to buy new bags, you can simply put them in the microwave to remove the moisture and then use them again.
The Zarpax dehumidifier bags sell for about $35.
Electric dehumidifier:
Electric dehumidifiers are going to be the most effective way to remove moisture from a gun safe.
These types of dehumidifiers are heating elements that remove excess moisture. Plug it in and you are good to go.
One electric dehumidifier I would check out is the Lockdown GoldenRod Dehumidifier.
It works by increasing the air temperature inside the safe. This causes warm air to move through the safe which removes humidity and condensation.
The Lockdown comes in different sizes depending on the specific size of your safe.
It sells for around $50 and is the easiest way to remove moisture if you have access to electricity.
The one drawback is that you need to plug it in.
But some gun safes have a tiny hole to run power cords into the gun safe, and if you have one of these, you should use an electric dehumidifier.
A lot of folks think they can put their guns in a safe and not worry about them.
And sometimes people leave their guns in a safe for months or years without looking at them.
But the reality is, even the slightest amount of humidity can destroy guns over time, and you need to pay attention and routinely inspect your guns to keep them safe.
Along with keeping your guns free of moisture, you want to ensure they’re properly cleaned and oiled.
