[M14sRock]

I used to vacuum seal the guns that I was not using. Even after many years, they come out of the plastic in perfect shape. So tonight I decided to vacuum seal my Browning High Power, a Galco Yaqui slide holster, 8 13rd mags, one 20 rd mag, a spare set of Navidrex Micarta stocks, and 250rds of 124gr+P Gold Dots.

Pistol, holster and stocks.



Pistol with fitted bag.



First seal complete.



Two mags, coated with Fluid Film getting ready to be wrapped.

[doctherock]

That would be one hell of a sales pitch for the vacuum sealer industry.

[Gordo323]

You could have just sent it to me!
I would have held it ,and cleaned and oiled it every night, much better long term storage in my opinion!

[M14sRock]

I wiped down the pistol with Fluid film inside, then sealed it up. Then I stuck it in the holster, dropped it into an old gun sock (for padding) and sealed it in another bag. A label was added and it got sealed inside a third bag, for redundancy.

Here are the mags getting prepped. I wrapped the 13 rd mags two at a time, and the old FN 20rd all by itself.



Here are the finished mags, and the pistol.



The ammo was sealed 50rds to a bag. Then those were doubled up and sealed again into 100rd packs. One bag of 50 was left alone.





At the very least this stash will fare well in the event we have another FTF boating trip. But it will also be suitable for long term storage, protected from water, dirt, etc.

I may seal up some more goodies and stow it all inside some 6" ABS pipe. A 2 foot long section of ABS can hold a decent amount of gear.

[M14sRock]

Originally Posted by doctherock

That would be one hell of a sales pitch for the vacuum sealer industry.

Foodsaver used to always have a big booth set up at SHOT. They know how useful their product is, especially for more than just game meat prep.

[canebrake]

Can you provide some info/photos of the vacuum seal unit?

Tell us your opinion/review on it and anything you would look for when shopping for a unit.

[M14sRock]

Originally Posted by canebrake

Can you provide some info/photos of the vacuum seal unit?

Tell us your opinion/review on it and anything you would look for when shopping for a unit.

I have a Foodsaver Vac 1050 that I picked up at Costco at least 10 years ago. I use it all the time. Burned out one of them after about 2 years, and Costco exchanged it with no questions asked.

My Aunt has a Foodsaver that is at least 25 years old. She uses it every night and it lives on the kitchen counter. It has been essentially bullet proof.

The bags come on a roll, so you cut them to the length needed. 8" and 12" widths fit just about anything.

I have long guns that have remained sealed since I got the Foodsaver.

When sealing objects with sharp edges (sights, etc) I always pad the edges with several layers of paper towel or old rags before sealing. And for good measure, double bag and double seal.

If I was buying another Foodsaver, they have a couple of heavy duty models. I'd get one of those. They can handle jobs faster. The one I use says it needs to cool down a few minutes between uses, and it does. When I rush it, the unit will over suck, and then it needs to cool down.

We did a 8 day backpacking trip in the Sierras a few years ago, and the Mountain House food took up too much pack space. So I broke it all down and vacuum sealed it. It was about 1/4 the size after vacuuming, and 8 days of food fit inside my Bear Can.

It works great for extra clothes and such, too.

Not sure what they currently cost, but $169 is the amount that sticks in my head as the orig cost. Maybe we could get Foodsaver to be an FTF Vendor?

EDIT - I just checked the Foodsaver website and they have some units that are under $100. For that price every FTFer should have one.

[doctherock]

When I got out of the service I used to sell these at COSTCO. Wish I'd known this 10 years ago.

[M14sRock]

Originally Posted by doctherock

When I got out of the service I used to sell these at COSTCO. Wish I'd known this 10 years ago.

The Costco website has the model that Foodsaver sells for $159. Costco gets $129 for it, online.

[doctherock]

Originally Posted by M14sRock

The Costco website has the model that Foodsaver sells for $159. Costco gets $129 for it, online.

I'm just glad I dont have to do that anymore. That was a time in life I consider my own personal hell. No more service and no good jobs.