Whatcha gonna do???

Don't tell me about how impregnable your gun safe is or how thick the walls are on your safe room.I have super powers and cant be stopped nor can I be bribed with bacon or a brick of .22lr. to return them.They are gone!

Okay,now that I shown that your guns are not really secure what have you done to categorize or photograph your firearms to show to the police or insurance company?

A lot of you are great photographers.Do you photograph both sides of each firearm.Do you show the serial number? How much detail do you go into logging info on your firearms in case you have to file a report?

I would like to say it will never happen to me but I know better.Don't want to go overboard.Just want to know what others have done.

I took pictures of the guns and there serial #s and saved to one of the hard drives and uploaded to Photobucket, so kinda like cloud storage.

My pictures are poor, but they do show the serial #'s clearly.

I took pictures of the local police. I'm screwed. I might as well give my guns to the PTA. They can add them in at their next bake sale.

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Why, I aughta.....

I keep all mine on a numbered computer list showing make, model, caliber, ser.#, finish, barrel length, accessories, and value, accompanied by a photo showing the Ser.#.

Update as needed. Copy kept on computer, with print out kept in my safe, my camper, and my boat. Figure at least one copy will be safe during a fire / theft.

Larry

I've been fretting about that too lately. Just got the Gun Safe app for my iPhone. It allows you to record all pertinent data including photographs in a password protected app. You can also email yourself a copy of the database for storage elsewhere. I'm not sure if it allows more than one photo per gun but I plan to do a separate photo gallery of each anyway, kept on multiple CDs. The app has an option to store info on the mfr.'s cloud server, but I'll pass on that feature.

Just do what your ins company wants. You can have wax casts of every gun you own, but the chances of getting your stolen guns returned are about the same as winning the lottery. Do you really want your once nice, pristine guns returned after they have been beat to death, and thrown around in a police evidence room for several years?

Just cash the insurance check and move on, guns are replaceable.

Talk with your insurance agent and read your policy to confirm what your policy limit is with regard to firearms. Many homeowners policies have a low limit. If the value of your firearms exceeds the limit, then consider raising the limit even though that will increase your premium.

I am going to save this post so that when I am asked where my firearms are I can say you took them.

I believe there is an NRA endorsed insurance option that does not require serial numbers.

Dang man you could have at least taken the cleaning kit too and kept them nice.

I took pictures of all my guns and the safe. Those pictures fell out of the boat when it capsized.

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Memory of Randy Freas-Rimfired

Good records, photographs, insurance policy, safe, all good ways to guard against traditional thieves.

The ones who really want to take all our guns are not the traditional thieves, they are the elected ones. Reminds me of why we need to have guns in the first place.

My standard homeowner's coverage for firearms was $2,500, which I have heard is a fairly typical limit. Anything above that was $17 per $1,000 per year, and I had to provide a spreadsheet with the specific firearms I was insuring.

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

If you have taxable income, theft insurance is very expensive. The IRS allows causality loss deductions of market value of the loss less $100 per event, and this for not just theft, but loss from any cause. You are likely better off taking the deduction.

Talk to your tax guy before you talk to an insurance SALESman.

I've always wondered how legitimate the $2500 firearm insurance included with a NRA membership would be. When I signed up I don't remember having to list any specific guns, but I never gave it much thought because I am more then happy to help support the cause, regardless of anything extra.

Photographs, usually at least five per gun. Written descriptions. Photographs/copies of all paperwork relating to guns I own, including e-mails, PMs, and text messages. All stored on disc and hard copies in a couple of external locations. Updated as needed. This info also applies to any firearms that I've sold.

It may sound strange, but I do not store any of this information in any computer or external hard drive.

Big Brother thanks all those good citizens who keep meticulous records of the firearms in their possession.

Prior to 1968, guns did not even have to have unique serial numbers. Many store brand guns did not bother with it. I believe there is still no requirement for black powder arms to have one, and it is not required, at the Federal level, to serial number any firearms that you construct at home for your own personal use.

So it depends what you opt to worry about, monetary loss or back door registration.

Thanks,guys!

I figured at least two pictures showing left and right sides and more if there are distinct markings.I still have all my receipts.Should probably scan them into computer to get a hard copy before the originals fade.

I hadn't even given any thought yet as to the monetary loss.I was more concerned with info that would help identify the lost firearms if found.

I think about that way more often than I once did.

I have insurance through the NRA endorsed program. Lockton Affinity, LLC. is the insurer. Cost was ~$12 per $1000 of value per year. Serial numbers and itemized list not required for firearms valued at <$2500.

My home insurance coverage for firearms has an insignificant, low limit and a separate firearms policy through my agent would have been much more expensive.

I keep a current list with S/Ns and pictures.

This is by no means a new habit with me but here is my system of documentation and record keeping. I'm trying to remember just when I started doing all this and having a little trouble with that. Miss Pam says one time/occasion and my (feeble/unreliable) memory tells me something different. suffice to say it has been years and years. I know it was back before digital photography because at one point all my pics were taken with my old 35mm and when I got my first digital camera I had to re-photograph all of those.

99.999999% of all the guns I own I have bought new. I have a paper file for each one containing all the paper work, receipts, etc. I have 3 pics of each: one from each side and one with a close up of the serial #. I have a file in my computer with the pics, description and particulars of each as well as copies of the paper work. (This is all backed up on a disc which I update as I acquire new guns.

The exceptions to the above are the guns that I have inherited from my father and grandfather and friends: Grandfather's 1885 S&W top break, .38 5-shot revolver, fathers 1943 Colt 1903, Circa early 20th century British Webley top break .455from a dear friend, and 1973 Ruger Blackhawk single-six .357mag. from another dear friend. No paper work on any of these so just the a fore mentioned computer entries.

Until very recently I haven't sold very many guns over the years. But when I do I keep their records and info for 20 years. Now that I have everything on computer I will probably just keep it all indefinitely.

About 12 years ago or so I started keeping shooting logs for each gun. After a shooting session and before cleaning the guns I record the date, ammo, place, weather conditions, how many rounds fired, and a comments section to note any problem or unusual events.

All that sound anal I know but I don't mind doing it. Once you get used to it and get in the habit it is no trouble. And it has come in handy a few time. As my memory continues to fail me I have enjoyed being able to go back and look up this or that about any particular gun.

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Real men love cats!

Much of my collection is Winchester boys rifles, very few are serial #d.

What I do is a little old fashioned, but it won't crash or delete. I use a recipe card and list where, when, how much, caliber, manufacture date and any identifying marks on each. I also list any features that make it desirable, or defects it may have.

I also take pictures of every gun that comes in and have a Fototime account where they are stored. Before I reformat my cameras picture sticks I run a CD so I have back up pictures.

I keep the recorded recipe cards in my safety deposit box.

I haven't done it yet, but I plan to hang a tag on all the non serial #d rifles to identify them as so many look alike. That should help whoever has to sort out this mess when I'm gone.

I keep an up to date spread sheet with photos and complete information about each gun including accessories, purchase information and estimated current value. I also keep a current copy on a flash drive stored off site in case of fire or loss of my home computer.

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"Shall not be infringed"

Just the numbers and bbl length.

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Halfway and one more step

Only the Shadow and my Brother-in-Law/Sister--knows where my guns are--well--most of em. So,I aint worried at all.

It may help, maybe not. I gave serial numbers and all when mine were stolen years ago. They're still stolen.

One of my Walthers is still missing too, some fiveteen years on.

Sounds good if you reload but I use factory ammo and the way I shoot one 3x5 card would suffice for all my shooting the rest of my life.

No sense in wasting a lot of paper until you need to.

There's no way you could steal all my guns!

I have a separate insurance rider, the safe bolted to the floor, a hard copy w/pics in the safety deposit box along with one at my sisters (so a disaster of epic proportions won't destroy all copies), and a psycho German Shepard puppy. I don't know what more could be done.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

I don't have any guns.

You hit my neighbors house.

You're in a lot of trouble. My neighbor is a FFL dealer.

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That's just somebody talkin.

Guns I have paperwork for are in my fire safe. The paperwork, I mean. I also have a paper list, one digital list, and I do have photos of my guns.

By the way, Superman MIGHT be able to get into my safe, but that's just because my shipment of kryptonite hasn't arrived yet. And that's both green and gold kryptonite.

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- The Federalist #46 -

I keep a couple of loose-leaf notebooks with transparent plastic dividers containing all the paperwork on every gun I've ever transferred, in or out - the bills of sale, the voluminous Maryland paperwork, everything. Now that I've got a decent digital camera and am starting to learn how to use it, I'm also downloading pics to my computer. The I'll need to back those up, I guess.

You'll need a diving bell to get at mine after the boating accident on Lake Mead. Either that or wait until the lake is empty and Las Vegas is a ghost town.

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Release the Kraken

Lake Mead

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Halfway and one more step

Yep, it's going to be the Mead Pond soon the way the water level is dropping. It's at 1080 ft ASL right now, and if it drops below 1075 ft ASL then the federal Department of Interior and starts laying down the law on rationing Colorado water to the respective states. The day after they lay down the law California will no doubt file an injunction at the nearest federal court.

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Release the Kraken

You may get in but good luck getting out!

I like it but it isn't foolproof...

They did a test with fifty hotel maids.Forty-nine of the maids were still able to get into the room unannounced.