# Gun Case Foam



## Atilla (Feb 3, 2016)

Found this today:
Kaizen Foam - FastCap - Woodworking Tools

And a good place to buy it:
Kaizen Foam 30mm Black

I hate the open cell foam that comes in most gun cases. I'm hoping this will be an improvement. Took out my 2 month old well lubed shotgun Tuesday and found a spot of rust on the receiver. This is not the first time I've had this problem. The cases are cheap, but I swear that egg-crate foam attracts moisture, even in the winter in a heated house.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Traditional gun cases and foam plastic gun boxes are the worst place to store firearms. Foam is rust waiting to happen.


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## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

Never store your gun in a case for extended periods.


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## stevekozak (Oct 4, 2015)

As had been said. Why are you storing your firearms in their cases?


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

I've been looking into the Kaizen foam as a means to holding firearms in a concealment wall. It seems to be very customizable, and a vast improvement over "pick foam".
I would still not recommend long periods of storage without inspection.


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## Atilla (Feb 3, 2016)

The gun rusted in less than two weeks, I don't consider that long term. I put it there because the cardboard box it came in is not secure and I don't want it out in the open. Can't quite afford a gun safe at my 4th home just yet, but thanks for assuming the worst.

A simple, "Thanks for sharing, looks like it might work a lot better." would suffice.

I'm not the cheap corporate accountant that thought lining gun cases with a sponge was acceptable. As far as I can tell even the expensive cases are like this. I'm out here sharing what I think might be a solution to an entire industry of mediocrity, so pipe down.

Kauboy, I bought extra to play with because the shipping was so reasonable. I was going to see if it would hold a handgun vertically, I'll let you know. All the pick foam I've seen is the same crappy open cell sponge material.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Atilla said:


> The gun rusted in less than two weeks, I don't consider that long term. I put it there because the cardboard box it came in is not secure and I don't want it out in the open. Can't quite afford a gun safe at my 4th home just yet, but thanks for assuming the worst.
> 
> A simple, "Thanks for sharing, looks like it might work a lot better." would suffice.
> 
> ...


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## stevekozak (Oct 4, 2015)

Atilla said:


> The gun rusted in less than two weeks, I don't consider that long term. I put it there because the cardboard box it came in is not secure and I don't want it out in the open. Can't quite afford a gun safe at my 4th home just yet, but thanks for assuming the worst.
> 
> A simple, "Thanks for sharing, looks like it might work a lot better." would suffice.
> 
> ...


Not sure why you are reacting as if someone called you a bad name. Posters here are just advising you that keeping guns in foam cases is a bad idea, which you seem to have discovered for yourself, and asking your reasons for doing so (apparently you cant afford to store them in a safe at one of your many houses) . Nothing to get mad about. Best of luck to you.


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## Atilla (Feb 3, 2016)

stevekozak said:


> Not sure why you are reacting as if someone called you a bad name. Posters here are just advising you that keeping guns in foam cases is a bad idea, which you seem to have discovered for yourself, and asking your reasons for doing so (apparently you cant afford to store them in a safe at one of your many houses) . Nothing to get mad about. Best of luck to you.


LOL, ok I overreacted I guess. Sorry. The fourth house thing was a lie too, but there is one place for most of the guns and then there is here, under the bed, in cases. We can put a man on the moon, seems like I can find an APPROPRIATE material to line a gun case with, regardless if it's a good idea long term or not.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

I don't think anyone was jumping on you, or trying to demean you in any way.
We've all made these kinds of mistakes.

Rust in two weeks is not uncommon. Open cell foam allows a balance of airflow and moisture holding, which gives rust a better than fighting chance.
If you're only option is to store firearms in cases, you need to take extra precautions.
You need to get a thick plastic bag long enough to hold the entire firearm(Mylar could work well). You need gun lubricant. You need desiccant packs.
Coat the gun in lube, all metal surfaces.
Coat it again, you didn't use enough.
Slip the plastic over it.
Drop in a desiccant pack sufficient for the bag volume. Fold the open end of the bag multiple times, collapse it down, and tie it off. You're trying for air tight, but probably won't quite get it. (If Mylar, heat seal it instead of tying)
Now the firearm is safe to store in a foam case. Any moisture in the bag will be absorbed and any moisture in the case will meet a non-permeable barrier.
In this condition, the gun could likely go a year or more without any inspection needed.

If this is too much effort, or you'll be accessing the firearm too often for it to be a workable option, then you need to consider hanging the firearm in open air, or some other storage method. Sealing it in a case with *any* foam in contact with the metal *will* result in the same problem.

Yes, the Kaizen will hold a firearm vertically if properly fitted.


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## Atilla (Feb 3, 2016)

Kauboy said:


> I don't think anyone was jumping on you, or trying to demean you in any way.
> We've all made these kinds of mistakes.
> 
> Rust in two weeks is not uncommon. Open cell foam allows a balance of airflow and moisture holding, which gives rust a better than fighting chance.
> ...


I'm familiar with the mylar gun bags and using desiccants, hell I could vacuum seal it too, but as you guessed, I am accessing it too often for that. I looked at gun socks but I thought that would make things worse, unless maybe if it was soaked in gun oil. I do not think I should have to go to that trouble for even 2 months storage. I have a .22 stuffed in a very full BOB that sees a lot less air and never have a problem. I think the foam is the culprit. Even though I agree that any foam is probably suspect, I think a more appropriate foam should allow me to go a couple of months, no problem.

I think you're comment that I didn't use enough is also applicable. I do leave them a little dry compared to other people I've seen. Before I thought to replace the foam I was seriously thinking about soaking it in oil like you would a small engine air filter but that would be a mess to do and a mess everytime I opened the case. I also thought about throwing a recharged desiccant (I never throw one away) in there every time I put the gun back but I'm not sure that would really do any good. I also thought about oiled paper, which is what the last gun I bought came wrapped in as a barrier from direct contact with the foam but that has its drawbacks.

I'm going to find a solution. I'm going to start with Kaizen. I'll let you know.


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## Targetshooter (Dec 4, 2015)

All good advice ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, the best one is ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, take your gun out and clean it once a month ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, even if you didn't shoot it ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, have it ready if you need it ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I clean my guns every 3 weeks ,,,,, it may not be a full brake down cleaning ,,,,,, but it is a oil wipe down and a function check ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Atilla said:


> The gun rusted in less than two weeks, I don't consider that long term. I put it there because the cardboard box it came in is not secure and I don't want it out in the open. Can't quite afford a gun safe at my 4th home just yet, but thanks for assuming the worst.
> 
> A simple, "Thanks for sharing, looks like it might work a lot better." would suffice.
> 
> ...


That's for sharing what? You made a statement and a answer was given. 
Don't store your guns in traditional leather, cloth or plastic foam gun cases. What a part of that you didn't understand? Those are for transport only not storage.

Or your crap will rust!


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

hawgrider said:


> That's for sharing what? You made a statement and a answer was given.
> Don't store your guns in traditional leather, cloth or plastic foam gun cases. What a part of that you didn't understand? Those are for transport only not storage.
> 
> Or your crap will rust!


Everybody should pay attention to that mention of leather.
Tanned leather uses a huge assortment of chemicals to produce fine crafts.
How many of these do you think your holster has still embedded in it?
Storing a firearm in leather for too long can lead to chemicals leaching out, and harming the metal.

Don't keep your handguns stored away in your leather carry holsters.


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

I took a gunsmithing correspondence course once in my younger years. They taught that do not store anything metal in a open cell type of foam as it will absorb moisture. Use a closed cell foam.


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