Gun socks are protective covers that go over the barrel of long guns, revolvers, and pistols to help protect the firearm from dings, scratches, and getting dirty when stored for short and extended periods of time. Although gun socks can be effective, if you don’t practice proper gun maintenance they can trap in dirt and liquids leading to issues like corrosion for your firearms.
When you know your firearms have that extra layer of protection, it could lead to a little less attention to how you arrange your firearms for storage. This may counteract the protection from the gun sock as you may be less careful when stacking and arranging your gun safe leading to scratches.
Certain gun socks may be treated with silicon that helps repel dirt and liquids, it can also wick (remove) the moisture from the firearm if you were hunting in or near water. But these same materials could trap the debris and harmful materials inside if you do not clean, lubricate, and care for your firearms regularly.
They may also reduce the airflow if they fit snug vs. loose which can trap moisture against a firearm leading to corrosion, so if you sometimes put off maintenance until later, gun socks may not be the best option for your firearms.
Gun socks can be a great way to provide an extra level of protection for your firearms while they’re stored, especially if you share a large gun safe at a shooting range, hunting lodge, or with people in your home. But as safe technology like our CradleGrid™ systems have evolved, the need for gun socks has become less and less important.
Here are some of the situations where you may want to use gun socks, ones where you likely do not need them, and when it makes sense to have them handy just in case the situation changes.
Pro-tip: The most wear and tear on firearms, especially rifles, happens when guns are taken out of a gun safe. Nobody will use the same caution and care as you do with storing and retrieving, so we use this knowledge to provide the guidance below on when gun socks are and are not needed.
Shared Safes You do Not Own with Long Guns and Handguns
For shared safes that you do not own and do not control the way firearms are stored, you should have gun socks as multiple people will be storing and retrieving firearms. This could be at a hunting lodge, a firing range, or a rental unit when you’re on a weekend trip with friends.
Even with technology that holds firearms in place, someone could be in a rush or distracted as they’re talking to someone else in the room and bump your firearm when storing theirs.
Gun socks can prevent a handgun from getting a scratch if a stock accidentally knocks into it and from other rifles from sitting against each other. If everyone who is using the safe is always paying attention, like they should, and your shared gun safe has technology for proper separating and configuration like our CradleGrid™ technology, then you may not need a gun sock. But it won’t hurt if you want the extra peace-of-mind.
Rifle Storage with Scopes
Gun socks with a snug fit are not a good idea for rifle storage with scopes as the sock may not be able to fit over a large scope and you will need to spend extra time adjusting and aligning it vs. getting out there and enjoying sports or the outdoors.
If the gun safe has customizable configurations and is not loaded with more firearms than it can store, then there is no need for a gun sock when you’re storing a rifle with a scope. Each rifle will have its designated space where setting and retrieving it is simple, and the technology will keep them separated while being stored to prevent bumping. This helps ensure the scope, barrel, and stock are not banged around.
Home Storage Mixed Use
You do not need gun socks for storing firearms at home as you control the safe, the configurations at home, and only you or the people you trust will be able to access the firearms. Responsible people know that firearms must be handled with care, and only the people you trust with this responsibility will have access to your safe.
If you want the extra peace-of-mind, or simply like the look of gun socks, go for it. Just make sure you properly maintain and ensure there is no moisture or dirt on the firearm before putting the gun sock on it.
Quick Identification is a Must
If the firearms do not have matching gun socks, identification is easy. If you use similar colors, patterns, or prints because you bought a set, quick identification will be harder making gun socks not ideal for first responders, security professionals, the military, and law enforcement.
When speed matters, gun safes that allow for quick identification, easy retrieval, and storage matters. The extra time to figure out whose gun is whose and to remove a snagged gun sock can cost seconds that you do not have. This matters even more when the gun is for personal defense and a threat situation has entered your home.
That is also why gun cabinets and large gun safes with proper configurations are better than gun socks at police precincts, security firms, and other places where speed and identification matter.
Modern gun safes with storage technology like our CradleGrid™ system eliminate the need for gun socks in non-shared storage situations. You can get proper moisture control and be able to identify which gun you are looking for quickly and easily giving you valuable seconds when every second counts.
