Drawer Full of Smiths and Ammo

DocB

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I really do need a gun safe. Just can't settle on a place to put one. Many of drawers in various desks and end tables have been set up to store and display some of the favorites. I just convert a drawer to a display case. Gun safes sort of hide guns away. With this approach, just open the drawer and there they are. Have a thing about old ammo too.
 

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Doc: You must live "below the gnat line". .... No, just kidding. IMHO, you need to loose that need for convenience and get that collection into a top quality firearms safe that is properly installed. i.e., bolted to the wall and floor both if possible. I'm sure that there is a spot someplace within your house that a 25" space could be made for a 24" wide safe. Buy one with some fire rating and keep other valuables within. If the wrong person locally figures out that you are harboring valuables in a pull out drawer you will be hit at your most vulnerable time. ......
 

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Doc,

I admire the way you store your collection. Nifty but as has been pointed out also very risky. At the least let's hope you have impenetrable doors & windows combined with a state of the art security system. I presume your insurance agent does not get much sleep and pops Xanax like they're M&M's. Let us know how much that armed guard service charges to walk your property 24/7. Got to be a fortune. On second thought please don't respond to any of this, no one needs to know. regards, hardcase60
 
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I hope you don't have a fire like the one I had. My firearms were all safe in my safe. I also wish I could enjoy life without a safe, but it won't happen.
 
Beautiful display.

My equation would be : (assuming no kids in the house!) - Good security system for the house , serious dog , safe for the bulk of your guns , enjoy and occasionally rotate the drawer displays.

The odds against a fire are heavily in your favor ; just make it so that the minority of your collection is at risk. I wish that my stuff wasn't "hidden away" in a safe , but it is...
 
I actually have three dogs in the house at all times. Only 12 guns are kept in the house at any time; and, I do rotate several of them. Of the guns in the house, there are only about six that I would miss, and have insurance for those. There is an armed person in the house virtually all the time. . .that's what the AR15 is for. Not one of the guns that I would miss. I have guns that I haven't seen in over 20 years. . .don't even know if I could find them if I wanted to. That's why I keep a few around just to enjoy and shoot from time to time. I am going to check out a small gun safe as in maybe 24 inches. . .think I have a place to put it without annoying the wife too much.
 
Doc ,

If were a bad guy perusing the block for an easy house to break into I am pretty sure that I would move on after casing your joint.
 
I actually have three dogs in the house at all times. Only 12 guns are kept in the house at any time; and, I do rotate several of them. Of the guns in the house, there are only about six that I would miss, and have insurance for those. There is an armed person in the house virtually all the time. . .that's what the AR15 is for. Not one of the guns that I would miss. I have guns that I haven't seen in over 20 years. . .don't even know if I could find them if I wanted to. That's why I keep a few around just to enjoy and shoot from time to time. I am going to check out a small gun safe as in maybe 24 inches. . .think I have a place to put it without annoying the wife too much.

I'm not sure where you keep your guns when they're not in the house (that's your business and nobody else's) but it sounds inconvenient. Here was my solution to being able to access guns easily:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...you-keep-store-your-s-ws-2.html#post136251708

2rm6vy1.jpg


bdo7km.jpg
 
Doc, I appreciate what your doing. If I can't enjoy my stuff, there is no point in having it. I do know of at least one fairly decent gun collection that was securely stored in a high quality professional type gun safe that was stolen wholesale all at once by someone clever enough to figure out how to remove its bolted to the floor base and haul the whole kit an kaboodle up the stairs and down the street. I find it interesting when someone posts a picture of a beautiful firearm and claims..."found it in the back of my safe, forgot I had it." To me that is sad...Like a friend of mine that owns a classic Corvette but won't drive it because he's afraid it might get it damaged. Kind of like spending money on a trip and not enjoying yourself and making it miserable for everyone else.
 
We live in the woods and the area does have a sporadic burglary problem, especially of seasonal homes. We're out frequently, so I do keep most of my non-working guns locked in the safe. That doesn't mean I don't have some of them out on a daily basis. Unfortunately, I don't have enough guns to lose any for any length of time without noticing. Want your safe Tom K.
 
I reccomend a Liberty Brand safe if you buy one. Very staisfied with mine that I bought 3 years ago. Made in USA. Just wish I had bought a bigger one! They fill up fast. Store important household documents as well as other collectables / valuables in it.
 
I'll just take a moment to point out that most "gun safes" are only rated RSC (residential security container)... that is to say, junk. The walls and boltwork of a real fire safe or security safe are much more durable. Many insurance companies will take the opportunity to decline payment if you say you had a safe and it was just an RSC.
The good news is that some fine old safes can be had for not that much money. You can find one that matches the age of your favorite revolver and they really look classy full of nice Smiths.
While even a class "B" safe provides a lot better than RSC protection, look for at least a TL-15 rating if you can find one.
"The door successfully resist entry* for a net working time of 15 minutes when attacked with common hand tools, picking tools, mechanical or portable electric tools, grinding points, carbide drills and pressure applying devices or mechanisms."
That 15 minutes doesn't sound like much but means an expert can look at the drawings for the safe, the safe, think about it and then only when he puts a tool to the safe does the clock start, it stops as soon as he pauses to consider his next move, goes to lunch, whatever, and only restarts when he comes back and picks up a tool again.
 
Teletech beat me to it. I thought about getting a gun safe until seeing them opened with little more than a can opener. They're really no more than a gun cabinet. I don't know how they get to use the description of "safe".
 
Tractor Supply has deals on some pretty awesome safes.

Truthfully, most "gun safes" you see are "residential security containers" and as you have seen aren't a real challenge to a pro with time and tools.

But a decent safe bolted to the floor will make most thieves move on to an easier target and provide some degree of fire protection. Additional security like alarms & cameras provide additional peace of mind.
 
i won't leave the house without my "good" guns in my safe. and i live in a nice area. anything valuable or rare or heirloom gets locked up tight.
 
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