Hiding your cache: How to properly store your guns in different environments

If the government wants to take your guns, it’ll have to pry them from your cold, dead hands. Or you can do as Survivor Sullivan recommends, which is to bury your guns in an underground stash to await the call to arms. (h/t to SurvivalSullivan.com)

There is a science and a proper procedure to this seemingly simple solution. Otherwise you might end up with useless hunks of rusting metal come whatever apocalypse (alien, ape, robot, zombie, etc.) lies in the future.

Your greatest enemy is moisture. It can get pretty wet underground. And guns, like most metal objects, do not take well to any form of water.

So, first things first. Remove all ammunition in your guns for safety’s sake. Then disassemble each unloaded weapon into its individual pieces.

Apply a thick layer of rust-preventative oil on every exposed surface of each part. When the oil dries, it will form a waxy coat that will repel moisture. Handle each finished piece minimally.

Once the coat of protective oil has dried, put the piece inside a self-sealing plastic bag. Survivor Sullivan recommends vacuum bags.

Don’t seal the plastic bag yet. You’ll have to add a small bag of silica gel first. The silica will help remove any moisture in the bag and keep your lonely piece company.

Another approach is to physically expel all air from the plastic before pressing a hot iron into the open end of the bag. The molten edges will form a secure heat seal.

Each part merits its own bag. That way, even if one or two pieces rust, the rest of the parts should be fine.

Survivor Sullivan recommends storing:

• A bag with as many bullets as you can spare
• A degreaser to help remove the rust-preventative oil
• A cleaning rod, patches, and gun oil
• The owner’s manual

Once you’re done packing everything, put all of the bags inside one big bag. After adding the requisite silica gel, apply a heat seal to the big bag.

Rinse and repeat for every gun you plan to squirrel away. (Related: Gun control vs MEDICATION control: FDA-approved prescription drugs kill more Americans each day than the entire casualty count from the Las Vegas Mandalay massacre.)

We’re in the pipe, five by five

Obtain a gutter-size piece of pipe for every large bag of parts. After putting the bag inside, seal off one end of the pipe and pack the inside with moisture-absorbent material like silica get.

Once it’s packed to the brim, seal the open end, preferably with PVC solvent cement. The pipe is now good for years of underground storage.

Pick a good hiding spot. According to Survivor Sullivan, the best place to bury weapons is at the base of a specific tree or underneath one. A tree sticks out and lasts long.

Dig a hole about six feet deep. That should be enough to shield it from a storm, animal or random person. After you fill up the hole and hide its existence, run a metal detector across the spot, just to be sure.

Discreetly return to your gun cache on a regular basis to refresh your memories. You don’t want your gun to end up like the caches of the striking miners during the 1914 Coalfield War in Colorado. Hikers are still stumbling across rusting weapons in the area between Trinidad and Walsenburg to this day.

Other hidey-holes for your guns

• Gun safe — Hide it inside your wall, beneath the floorboards, or in the space between your roof and ceiling. Don’t forget to apply the rust-preventative oil.
• Off-site — A different property or a regularly-visited lodge can serve as a secret arsenal. Wrap your gun in wax paper or put it in a specialized storage bag. Remove the firing pin or another key part and hide it elsewhere to keep your own weapon from being used against you.

Learn more about gun prepping at Gear.news.

Sources include:

SurvivalSullivan.com

Sangres.com