Gun storage options?

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Is there any place that rents secure gun storage? My dad can't afford a safe and needs to lock them down to prevent access.

[FishinFools]

Access to whom? What kinds of firearms?

[reddog]

If he cant afford a safe, then I would sell a couple of the less desireables, and buy a safe.. They really arent that much money in the whole scheme of things, and piece of mind is a good thing..

[highlife4me]

Would installing trigger locks be an alternative? Would be cheaper than a safe. Our local sherrif's dept. and school use to give them out for free.

[CAMAN]

How many does he have? Stack-on has an 8-gun safe for $120(Gander). Even if he needs a couple, the upfront cost of them would most likely be cheaper than a few months of secured storage including insurance(if there is anything even available).

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I had no idea you could get a safe for so little money. I will tell him about them.

[Tom7227]

To be a bit more accurate they are more of a gun cabinet with a lock than a gun safe, at least as what I think of a safe as. They are tin/steel but are not fireproof. I think they would keep most kids out but I also thing they could be opened with not a terrible amount of effort. They also don't weigh much. I think most I have seen would hold up to 8 guns and so it probably would be too heavy to easily move.

Sort of depends on how secure you want things to be.

[Whoaru99]

The safe/cabinet should be bolted to something solid anyway.

[CAMAN]

I've got a Stack-On 8 gun, it weighs probably 75 pounds. No they aren't considered fireproof, but if it's just to deter kids and unwanted hands they do a pretty good job. And yes bolt it to the wall. They make a whole assortment ranging from 8 to 31 guns.

I will make a suggestion though, if your guns are fairly valuable where scratches and dings will diminish their value line the cabinet with that marine carpeting found at FF or Menards. The powder coating is slightly rough and abrasive. Use spray adhesive to attach it

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

How do you think the Stack-On cabinet would fair against a crowbar assault?

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I'm going to recommend the unit FF has in the paper today to my dad. I saw it at Gander and it is pretty durable. His issue is there is an at risk 17 year old teen in the house. Better to be safe then sorry. The last thing we need is another news report.

Remember the days when gun cabinets were made of finished wood and glass? Those days are gone. If you own a gun, lock it, or lose it IMO.

[CAMAN]

How do you think the Stack-On cabinet would fair against a crowbar assault?

Obviously it wouldn't be as strong as a full safe, but with dual locking bars and the space between the door and jam being pretty tight, it would require a good amount of effort to get in. And if you really are concerned about someone possibly breaking in, throw some trigger or barrel locks on everything and also be sure there is no ammunition in the house.

[TroutYammer]

How much time and how many guys are going to be running the crowbar attack?

My friend has a big 600LB Safe and it was delivered by two guys and a carry strap. Now I couldn't ever carry that safe away but these two guys could.

So just remeber that "protection" is all relevant.

[hockeybc69]

Lets start with, any cabinet/safe is going to deter any kids, and most thiefs(at least bozos trying to run through a house).

I just bought a stack on 24 gun. Its 430 lbs.

Kinda funny, this week there was a post on the QDMA forums about gun safes and the chatter got talking about "quality" gun safes...

My reply,, "I just got a stack on 24 gun...

Its gonna keep 99.9% of the unwanted people out of it in my opinion....

If I am unlucky enough to have a professional burglar come in with a fire axe in hand, well, I am just dam unlucky...."

[harvey lee]

I'm going to recommend the unit FF has in the paper today to my dad. I saw it at Gander and it is pretty durable. His issue is there is an at risk 17 year old teen in the house. Better to be safe then sorry. The last thing we need is another news report.

Remember the days when gun cabinets were made of finished wood and glass? Those days are gone. If you own a gun, lock it, or lose it IMO.

I have 2 of the wood and glass door gun cabinets. The botom holds my ammo can and they are all locked. The tops are also locked and then every gun has a trigger lock. I keep them this way so my grandkids do not get any ideas. They both have been taught to respect guns but oine can never be too careful.

No kids are going to access these guns or ammo very easily. Yes, if I were to have a fire, I would lose the guns but they are all well insured.

I would agree that a lockable metal gun safe would be the best if one has a person around the house that they may be concerned about.

[LightningBG]

Unless this "at risk" person is pretty harmless, I wouldn't trust one of the gun cabinets.

It all depends on what he's trying to stop. If its someone grabbing a gun on a whim, then a cabinet may do. If this person would or could actually want to steal them, all they would have to do is tear the cabinet off the wall and bring it somewhere else, or cut through it with a sawzall / angle grinder.

[LightningBG]

If I am unlucky enough to have a professional burglar come in with a fire axe in hand, well, I am just dam unlucky...."

This is funny.

I'm kinda thinking most "professionals" might be a little past the axe stage.

[paceman]

I have a stack-on cabinet. Had it about 10 years. I have it bolted to a wall in my locked hunting room downstairs. I feel it is pretty secure. Yes a crow bar could probably open it after they break through the room door but the chances of that happening are pretty slim.

[CAMAN]

I'm kinda thinking most "professionals" might be a little past the axe stage.

Most professionals want to be in and out as quick as possible. Most aren't gonna spend much time trying to pry open a locked steel case. Even an ax would take quite a bit of time.

If one of these cabinets is bolted to the wall INTO STUDS, top and bottom it isn't going anywhere.

Now I have no clue of this 17 year old and their intentions. If you suspect there may be the possibility that they may get out a torch or grinder IN THE HOUSE they have bigger problems than needing to just hide the guns.

[LightningBG]

Most professionals want to be in and out as quick as possible. Most aren't gonna spend much time trying to pry open a locked steel case. Even an ax would take quite a bit of time.

If one of these cabinets is bolted to the wall INTO STUDS, top and bottom it isn't going anywhere.

Dont mean to get in some pi$$ing match, but I do know a little about this type of stuff, through my job and other life lessons.

1. Some criminals will spend half a day cleaning out a house or business. bust in a back window, open the garage, pull their truck/van right in. They can spend quite a while there, especially if there aren't any neighbors real close by.

2. Getting a gun "cabinet" open, really isn't very difficult. Most use cylinder locks which can be defeated with the simplest of tools. Other than that, a crow bar or many common power tools will make short work of it.

3. Yanking one off the wall to take with, also quite easy. And if you really think screws or lag bolts would hold it, why not just cut the studs with a sawzall on the top and bottom? And that really shouldn't even be necessary. I'd give it 2 minutes or under with a crowbar between the wall and the cabinet.

Further info

Gun Cabinet Lock No Match For Pen

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Now, we are talking about an "at risk" teen in this case, so a cabinet may be totally fine and the OP would never have to worry about it. But... for those who are worried about actual thieves, you really need more than a cabinet.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

2004, I'm sure they have fixed the issue by now.

[Whoaru99]

Ohhhhhh...time to ban Bic pens and YouTube too.

I'm sorta thinking maybe the Internet should be shut down so all these bright ideas don't spread so fast.

[delcecchi]

Many locks are not nearly as good as one might think. Look up "bump keys" as one example.

Mostly locks keep the honest people honest.