You’ve invested a lot of time, money, and energy in your arsenal, so it makes sense that, even when your guns are in storage, they must stay protected. If you live in an environment with a lot of moisture, extended periods of storage can lead to your guns rusting and corroding, even when they’re in a gun safe.
To keep your guns looking and working great, you need a gun case dehumidifier. By taking the moisture out of the air in your gun case, you’re ensuring that, when you need them the most, your guns are in pristine working condition.
There are two types of gun dehumidifiers – desiccant and electric. Electric humidifiers work wonderfully, but you need to have an electrical outlet nearby and a hole in your safe to push the cord through.
A desiccant humidifier simply sits in your safe and soaks up moisture like a sponge with silica gel beads or moisture-absorbing crystals. You don’t need holes or an outlet to use a desiccant humidifier, but you do need to recharge them when they’ve reached their moisture capacity.
Humidity can wreak havoc on the delicate inner workings of your firearms, and it’s simple enough to keep them dry. Some of these dehumidifiers have mountable brackets, recharging stations, or all-natural ingredients.
Best Gun Safe Dehumidifiers
1. Goldenrod Dehumidifier Rod
The Goldenrod is well-known by gun aficionados and reduces moisture by 50%.
These dehumidifiers can cover up to 100 cubic feet and are museum-grade devices. The Goldenrod doesn’t get too hot to touch, so it’s easy to move around. The cord detaches from the plug to make it simple to find the perfect placement for your dehumidifying rod.
If you already have holes in your safe, this should only take about 10 minutes to set up completely. With detachable legs and a small, sleek profile, you can fit this almost anywhere in your safe, although you may need two if you have a larger gun safe.
The Goldenrod warms the air in your safe to 70˚ to reduce any moisture inside. The vermiculite mineral distributed in the rod helps maintain a constant temperature, keeping humidity to a minimum.
One of the most trusted products for keeping guns safe and dry, the Goldenrod comes with a lifetime warranty for your peace of mind.
2. PEET Safekeeping Dryer
The wonderful thing about the PEET Safekeeping Dryer is that it can stand upright in the corner of your safe. A vertical position is much more space-efficient, so you’ll be able to keep more of your arsenal in a humidity-free zone.
With a natural convection process, the PEET uses ambient air, warming it to keep your guns safe from rust and corrosion. The warmed air rises through the AirChamber and circulates in the confined enclosed area of the safe.
There are no filters or parts to replace, and the PEET plugs into any household socket. Made from fire-retardant materials, this dehumidifier does its job silently, working to keep your guns in the best working condition.
3. Hornady Rechargeable Gun Safe Dehumidifier
This dehumidifier is rechargeable, which makes it energy-efficient, and it dries out 333 cubic feet of space, compatible even for large gun safes. It is small, so it doesn’t take up too much room at 6” by 4” x 2” and only weighs 15 oz. You can pop it into your smaller gun safes.
You only need to plug in Hornady’s dehumidifier while you charge it, and the color-changing crystals tell you when the crystals have absorbed as much moisture as they can.
You can mount this with the included quick-connect bracket to put it on your safe ceiling or wall. Since it doesn’t have to be plugged in or use batteries, this rechargeable dehumidifier is one of the most convenient options to keep your guns free from rust.
4. Liberty Safe EVA-Dry Mini-Dehumidifier
Using totally natural Water Glass Technology crystals, these dehumidifiers have excellent user interfaces, so you can easily see when you need to recharge it.
Once the crystals have soaked up all the moisture, they turn green. Then you know it’s time to open the back and plug it into any household outlet. When they’re ready to use again, the crystals in the easy-to-use dial are yellow.
These humidifiers are small, portable, and non-toxic, so in the accidental case where one of them is broken open, they are not a threat to kids or pets.
5. Hornady 95902 Dehumidifier Canister
One of the Hornady Dehumidifier Canister’s strongest assets is that it is endlessly rechargeable. You don’t have to worry about parts wearing out because the moisture-absorbing crystals can be potentially used for a whole lifetime.
This desiccant method has an unusual way of ridding its crystals of moisture. Instead of plugging it in, you put the Hornady Canister in a 350˚ oven for four hours. Unlike some other models that you have to recharge every two to four weeks, this one you can recharge every six weeks to keep those dreaded rust specks off your gear.
Once it’s ready to absorb more moisture, the crystals will change color. It can absorb humidity in an area up to 50 cubic feet, making it perfect for compact safes.
6. Browning EverDry Dehumidifier
The Browning is another rod dehumidifier that can be used on gun safes 30” or wider. Keeping humidity at 50%, the 18” EverDry is well-built and easy to maneuver.
To use this dehumidifier, you need a gun safe with a pre-drilled hole at the back or the ability to drill one yourself to access the electric cord. The cord is detachable to make it much easier to pass through the hole at the back of the safe.
With its long rod shape, it can fit easily in the crease between the wall and the floor in your gun safe. You can set it up in a few minutes and leave it to do its work. No regular maintenance is necessary with the Browning EveryDry, and they work especially well in Browning safes.
This excellent tool keeps rust at bay, especially for matte-finished shotguns. One of the biggest attractions to the EverDry is that it is flexible so that you can adapt it to different storage configurations.
7. Lockdown Automatic Dehumidifier
Although the price point is higher on this device than on the others, it also includes an automatic humidity control. This feature allows you to set your custom control humidity level to maintain exact control of the humidity in your gun safe.
Using a high-tech thermo-electric system, the Lockdown Automatic Dehumidifier takes humidity right out of the air. With a built-in hose system, the condensed, accumulated water goes right down your drain or into a holding tank.
The most efficient feature is the Lockdown’s automatic ability to turn on when humidity is high and turn itself off when the humidity levels are acceptable again. It includes both U.S. and C.E. outlet capacity and weighs just under 4 lbs.
8. Lockdown Rechargeable Silica Desiccant Dehumidifier
This is a quick and easy way to get moisture out of your gun canister or safe. With water glass crystals absorbing any moisture in the air, your firearms’ internal components are safe from rust.
The unit recharges with the included cord in just twelve hours, so you can just plug it in overnight, and it will be ready to go in the morning. This rechargeable dehumidifier from LockDown can cover up to 333 cubic feet.
It’s easy to tell when the crystals need a recharge through the indicator window, which is clear and well-marked. You don’t have to worry about toxic fumes or dangerous chemicals because this compact unit is non-toxic and all-natural.
How Rust Affects Your Firearms
You may think that when you wipe down your gun after a shooting session, you’ve done your best to keep it in proper working order. However, the moisture you can’t see is doing the most damage to your firearm.
When water meets metal, especially iron, a chemical process occurs called oxidation, otherwise known as rust. The three main causes of your guns getting rusty is the environment, saltwater, and poor maintenance.
Rust runs the gamut when it appears on your guns. It can look like a powdery substance on the metal’s surface, or it can look pock-marked and corroded. Your guns can also suffer from rust-browning when the whole gun takes on a bronzed, oxidized appearance. But, this isn’t the worst issue rust can cause in your forearms.
One of the direst problems a gun can face in terms of rust is when it affects the barrel. In the most severe situations, corrosion from oxidation can cause pressure to build up in the barrel, leading to an explosion when you fire your gun. There’s incredible stress on the working parts of your firearm, and the points of contact take a lot of wear-and-tear. Throw rust into the mix, and the pressure on these points of contact may become too much.
If your magazine experiences oxidation, your bullets won’t feed properly, and your gun may misfire. Additionally, a rusty slide can cause ejection, cycling, and extraction failures.
How to Prevent Rust on Your Firearms
There are some key steps you should take to make sure that your guns are always working optimally. You should clean your gun after using it, especially if you use it in foul weather or near the ocean (saltwater is the worst for guns).
If you get caught out in a storm while you’re shooting, try and stow your gun in a covered area to protect it. Additionally, use an anti-rust spray, and keep a dehumidifier in your gun safe.
Whether you choose an electric rod dehumidifier for convenience or prefer a canister version to tuck into the small spaces, you’ll find one that suits your needs. Here are the best gun safe dehumidifiers to keep your firearms in excellent condition.
The Takeaway
Too much humidity can wreak havoc on the internal functions of your guns. If moisture seeps into your firearms’ internal components, it can cause them to jam or experience other major failures. Even if you own an antique display gun, you still want to keep rust off your barrel to keep it from browning.
If you have any moisture in the air at all, your guns are at risk for rusting. With a gun safe dehumidifier, you can decrease the humidity levels inside your gun safe so moisture won’t jeopardize your guns.
