[Bart]

I have been told that if a gun is stored in an AIR TIGHT SAFE over a period of time, that the barrel will sweat, causing corrosion. Can anyone confirm this?

 

[gasmitty]

It all depends.

Relative humidity and temperature inside the sealed storage area versus ambient temperature outside the storage area are the variables.

Fundamentally, if the temperature in the sealed area is kept substantially (maybe 10 deg F or more) above the dew point, no condensation will occur and the risk of corrosion on unprotected metals is slim.

Conversely, if the air in the sealed storage area is humid AND warm, you have a perfect opportunity for corrosion.

When we want to protect small parts which would likely corrode over time if left out in the open, we store them in hermetically sealed containers which are purged with dry (instrument grade) nitrogen.