You won’t love seeing your air rifle rust and your bucks go down in the drain due to poor storage, will you? Not just any place is safe to keep an air rifle which is why in this post, we will discuss where to store an air rifle.
Generally, an air rifle may be stored in a wooden box that does not allow entry of moisture. The box must be locked properly to ensure no kid or unwanted person accesses the gun. Remember to put some desiccant packs in the box just in case of any condensation. Keep the box away from the open.
There are several other places where you can store your air rifle. However, you may need to ask yourself questions like; is it safe and secure? Or will it be accessed easily by kids and other people you don’t want there?
Let’s explore these questions and much further in the subsequent sections.
3 Places to Store an Air Rifle.
When you are not using an air rifle, it is likely to develop some mechanical problems even in the store. The main cause? Poor storage.
It isn’t that straightforward where to store an air rifle. You cannot stash it anywhere or lean it on the wall in a casual manner. However, here are some of the places you can store an air rifle.
1. Gun Safe
If you are looking for ultimate security, a gun safe is going to be a proper solution for storage. You get your gun kept safely and securely.
Boasting some top craftsmanship, gun safes are made strong, heavy, and sturdy. What this means is that they are hard to break into and steal.
A robber will not even access your collection in a safe. And if you don’t want children and other people not to have a sniff on your guns, a safe is just it.
2. Gun Cabinet
This is a common method of storing air rifles that many people have turned to love. It is safe and offers enough space to keep many air rifles.
The gun cabinet also allows for locking so that your children will not get an opportunity to access the guns. You can buy a ready-made gun cabinet or make yours on your own using DIY procedures.
Place the cabinet in a safe location where it won’t be exposed to much condensation. Also, make sure you have some corrosion inhibitor agent in the cabinet to ensure that your guns are dry throughout.
3. Air Rifle Bag
If you are on the go, another great option would be an air rifle bag. Air rifle bags are simple to use but they are just great when it’s you alone in the house.
The bags are easy to carry along because they have carry handles. So, you can have them along with you at the range.
When handling your gun bag, just make sure you are placing it down carefully rather than throwing it off. You drop it, you may end damaging the air rifle within due to the impact felt.
You may also need to put in the bag some desiccant packs to help with absorbing any accidental moisture.
A bag can also form a great layer of extra protection. After you get the gun inside the bag, you store the bag away in a cabinet or safe.
How to Maintain an Air Rifle?
Before you start thinking about where to store an air rifle, you’d be mistaken to not think about the best ways to care for and maintain an air rifle. Here are some useful tips to do that.
1. Take Care of Bluing
Metalwork on the air rifle is one area you must always ensure it’s well maintained. The bluing needs to be protected against elements of rust such as moisture and dampness.
When you wipe off moisture from the bluing, it gets dry. You can always use a rag with some suitable oil on it to also offer that extra protection.
2. Store the Gun Well
Make sure to choose the best storage method in order to have your air rifle in a safe and secured place. We have seen gun cabinets, gun safes, and air rifle bags.
The safest here and the most convenient is the cabinet. It allows you to keep away your guns securely and also ensures no unwanted person accesses them.
3. Clean the Barrel
As much as the barrel doesn’t need regular cleaning, at some point, you will need to. You can clean the barrel using cleaning pellets or felt pellets especially when PCP air rifles are involved.
In spring-piston-powered air rifles though, cleaning pellets may not be ideal. You have to use the pull-through method so you get more control. Cleaning springer barrels by pull-through is a bit complex and may need that bit of effort and technique.
4. Take Good Care of Pellets
The pellets you are going to use in your air rifle matter. They should be stored in a good tin and not soft leather which could expose them to the oxidation process.
If you will not love a tin, then get a proper pouch with foam in it for a softer pellet landing.
5. Unload Gun Before Storing
The problem of accidental shooting doesn’t get a better footing than leaving guns loaded.
Before you store the air rifle, you want to be sure it’s not loaded or cocked. A loaded air rifle can be a potential menace to your safety if you happen to forget it was in that state.
Do I Need a Gun Cabinet for an Air Rifle?
When you buy an air rifle, perhaps one of the biggest questions to arise would be whether you need a gun cabinet for the air rifle. Whether in the United Kingdom or the United States, a gun cabinet is not a requirement before you buy one.
However, you’d still wonder, do I need a gun cabinet for an air rifle? Generally, a gun cabinet is not a must-have. But, you have to take full responsibility for your air rifle in case it falls in the hands of a person under the age of 18 and they potentially misuse it.
So, as much as the law doesn’t demand you provide a gun cabinet, you need to safely keep away your gun. You don’t want an instance of a teen or kid accessing the air rifle and gets messed up with it. It will be a criminal offense on your side and you will be prosecuted in a court of law.
Lock the cabinet and keep away the keys separately in a place where no wrong hands will be able to locate them.
Nevertheless, make sure you provide proper storage. If you cannot afford a cabinet, find a cheaper alternative like an air rifle bag or make a simple wooden box and keep the gun in there. Just make sure you put in there some desiccants to eliminate any condensation.
You can as well store the air rifle in a lockable cupboard and of course, make sure the keys are not easily accessed by any unauthorized individuals like kids.
Do Air Rifles Have to Be Locked Away?
For the sake of ensuring the air rifle does not fall in the wrong hands, precautions must be taken. But do air rifles have to be locked away?
As a good practice, air rifles should be locked away in a safe, cabinet, box, or in any other place where they may not be accessed by wrong people including children or underage individuals.
However, legally, locking away an air rifle is not a requirement in many jurisdictions. What you must ensure is that the guns are stored properly to avoid accidents and wrong usage.
If locking away your air rifles is going to be the difference for safe and secure storage, why not do just that and prevent potential hazards. After all, it’s your personal responsibility to have your air rifles not wandering around and being misused.
Locking the air rifles away may not just be enough. After locking, where you keep the keys must not be found out by the same people. As you know, they access the keys and they would still make their way to the storage; it wouldn’t have made any difference.
Final Thoughts: Where to Store an Air Rifle?
If you have been wondering where to store an air rifle, you now probably know that there are many different places you keep them. It could be a gun safe, an air rifle bag, a gun cabinet, etc.
What’s important is after you store the gun, make sure there is no chance of moisture penetrating. If you are not sure, ensure the storage has some moisture-absorbing agents like a desiccant pack. Also, you want to care for and maintain your air rifle well before storing it away. This could be through methods like exterior oiling, regular but necessary barrel cleaning,
