Best way to cache a handgun.

[Bill B]

I thought the frost line was 18 inches...

Actually "frost line" is incorrect, you want it below the freeze depth of soil. How deep is that?
It varies widely depending on latitude, local topography, soil type, etc. ad nauseum. Some of the low-lying ground on our farm would only freeze about 12" deep, while some of the hills would freeze 2-3' deep.
Best would be to create a vault several feet under, put your protected stuff in that (see "three is a good number" above) and then cover it.

 

[seanamus]

Actually "frost line" is incorrect, you want it below the freeze depth of soil. How deep is that?
It varies widely depending on latitude, local topography, soil type, etc. ad nauseum. Some of the low-lying ground on our farm would only freeze about 12" deep, while some of the hills would freeze 2-3' deep.
Best would be to create a vault several feet under, put your protected stuff in that (see "three is a good number" above) and then cover it.

so i would probably be good at 18-24 then on account the ground is flatter then a pancake around me. no mountains for me! wish there were, so perty

 

[snorko]

Read this: Bury a gun and ammo for 15 years by Charles Wood Issue #115

and don't forget a cleaning kit.

 

[kludge]

ZAA-250 - Mono Vault Burial Tube with Gamma Seal Lid Protective Cap Waterproof Will Hold Up To 4 AR-15 Rifles Black


NRAStore.com - Product Detail

Ive seen this before. Just the fact that the NRA has these on their store makes me .

 

[Bill B]

so i would probably be good at 18-24 then on account the ground is flatter then a pancake around me. no mountains for me! wish there were, so perty

Ask your local extension office or ag office, they should be able to tell you.

 

[Bill B]

Read this: Bury a gun and ammo for 15 years by Charles Wood Issue #115

and don't forget a cleaning kit.

Excellent article, I had seen it once before but didn't bookmark it.
+1

 

[MrSmitty]

If you cached a CZ-75, or a CZ 52, would you be cacheing a Czech?....sorry couldn't help my self!

 

[CVMA544]

I have several sets of iron sights that have a fair amount of value. Having scoped those rifles, I've stored the sights.

I wiped the sights down with a very light coat of Rem Oil, moistened a few cleaning patches with Rem Oil, put both the sights, and the moistened patches into a plastic bag, squeezed the air out, and sealed the bag. That was over 5 years ago. No issues with the sights at all thus far. Just my two cents

WD-40 is mainly fish oil, and it works as a poor mans cosmoline, if multiple coats applied and let dry it wil be fairly tacky and does okay for above ground. I used it to coat my precision machinst tools for storage for years while I was in the military.

Also nitrogen or something that displaces oxygen maybe even argon from a tig welder setup (easy to get a hold of)

I also like the hidden in plain sight idea, if you have a work shop then you have a bunch of places.

 

[cosermann]

As far as preparing the handgun is concerned, I'd clean and lube as usual (like when before putting in the safe - maybe a bit of light grease in certain spots just so the lube stays put) and seal it in a PET/mylar bag along with an O2 absorber (and a dessicant pack if you want).

That will preserve it and it will be virtually ready to go once retreived. You may not have the luxury of removing gear oil or cosmo first. If you need your cache, you may need your firearm in short order.

As far as what to include in the bucket, the sky's the limit within the limitation of 5 gal (if that's your container). Survival kit items, E&E items (ex. hair dye, razor, sunglasses, etc.), food, water, change of clothes, etc. are possibilities. There are lots of options depending on the individual and circumstances. Think about what you might need, and if the situation ever arises, hope you guessed right.