storing/transporting a shotgun

damanloox

Hi,

I'm trying to decide on shotgun storage and I was thinking about storing it at the shooting range (courtlough in my case). My question is if it needs to be stored there at all times (eg. when I travel to take part in a competition and don't want to go to courtlough in the morning just to pick it up). Can I pick it up in the evening, store at home overnight and hit the road in the morning?
Installing a safe in the house is not practical (as I live in a rented house) unfortunately...

Thanks,

juice1304

Yes you can do that, You don't need a safe for a single unrestricted shotgun. But it dose need to be broken and bits stored in different hard to find areas around the house. A trigger lock is advisable too. If i were doing this i would take the forend with me and leave it in the boot of the car so if someone breaks in the gun would be useless.

wexfordman

TBH, I would think even in a rented house, installing a safe would be easy enough with the permission of LL. Couple of bolts is all is needed, and you can take it with you when you move!

I know a friend of mine has done this in a number of places he has rented over the years!

lee70

juice1304 wrote: »

Yes you can do that, You don't need a safe for a single unrestricted shotgun. But it dose need to be broken and bits stored in different hard to find areas around the house. A trigger lock is advisable too. If i were doing this i would take the forend with me and leave it in the boot of the car so if someone breaks in the gun would be useless.

This

Tommy87

Why not just get a safe?? It's only 2 holes in the wall?? When you are leaving the house all u need is a bit of filler! Come on man!!

damanloox

Tommy87 wrote: »

Why not just get a safe?? It's only 2 holes in the wall?? When you are leaving the house all u need is a bit of filler! Come on man!!

Well - maybe you're right... I'll talk to LL and see what happens.

Cass

juice1304 wrote: »

You don't need a safe for a single unrestricted shotgun. But it dose need to be broken and bits stored in different hard to find areas around the house. A trigger lock is advisable too..

Remember that this is the MINIMUM level of security. It is not a given that breaking the shotgun down will suffice.

If a Super imposes a safe, alarm, monitored alarm, sharks with lasers on their heads, well then that's what you have to do.

@ OP. Have you got the shotgun? When you applied for it did you check the security box on the FCA1? Did they demand a safe before granting the license?

Tommy87

damanloox wrote: »

Well - maybe you're right... I'll talk to LL and see what happens.

Ya do. You will have it all the time then, when it suits yourself. Im living in my 3rd rented house. I just bolt it in the new house every time and fill the old holes and paint over them with the little paint testers you can get in places like woodies.

damanloox

OK. Safe it is...
Perhaps another advice then - I have a built-in wardrobe which would be perfect to put the safe in. The problem is that there's some space between a wall (solid) and back of the wardrobe/wood. Do you think the Gards would approve it if I drilled through the wood, put some spacers and bolt the safe to the wall? Another option would be to cut out the wood but that wouldn't be easily repairable when moving out...

Witcher

You're better off bolting it straight to the wall...any space around the safe can be used to pull it off. I took off pieces of skirting board to get it tight to the corner...anything that will make it harder for some fcuker to steal your fiream is worth it.

Tommy87

Blay wrote: »

You're better off bolting it straight to the wall...any space around the safe can be used to pull it off. I took off pieces of skirting board to get it tight to the corner...anything that will make it harder for some fcuker to steal your fiream is worth it.

I completely agree, although I put mine on top of the skirting so I didn't have to cut the owners skirting boards. In the first house I was renting I did try put it into a wardrobe- my god I made some balls of it and wrecked the back of her wardrobe!

So definatly bolt straight onto the wall. Makes it harder to steal, but if u have enough time on ur hands, any safe can be pulled off the wall. A friend of mine has a safe hidden in the attic bolted to the wall, and a "dummy safe" bolted in a bedroom downstairs with metal tubes inside it. A good idea I thought if u had ur own house.

damanloox

I spoke to the LL. He agreed to the idea with just one "small" catch - "do not remove/cut skirtings"... The problem is that there's not a single wall without skirtings (and they are in fact pretty nice and they're abotu 6'').
So the question to you guys - what would you use to put the safe on (to install it higher than skirtings)? I'd like to put the safe tight in the corner but can't touch the skirtings so I need to bolt it above the floor/skirtings (I guess a pile of boos won't do...)

wexfordman

damanloox wrote: »

I spoke to the LL. He agreed to the idea with just one "small" catch - "do not remove/cut skirtings"... The problem is that there's not a single wall without skirtings (and they are in fact pretty nice and they're abotu 6'').
So the question to you guys - what would you use to put the safe on (to install it higher than skirtings)? I'd like to put the safe tight in the corner but can't touch the skirtings so I need to bolt it above the floor/skirtings (I guess a pile of boos won't do...)

I did the same and for mine I just used something to hold it up when I bolted it to the wall! After that I just removed it!

Come to think about it, I think I used the wife! They have their uses!!

Mike87

I did a similar trick and bolted above the skirting, the CPO wouldnt give the nod because he reckoned someone could hit the top of the safe with a sledge (or something heavy) and it would bend and then break the bolts. :rolleyes: I wouldnt even mind but you'd make absolute $hite out of the safe with 4 or 5 good belts with a sledge. But there was no talking to him :rolleyes: :eek:

Maybe you could stick it in the attic. Thats what I ended up having to do. (was in the same situation as you by the way, wasnt allowed to touch the skirting)

damanloox

Attic won't do I'm afraid (there's no way to access it without a ladder)... I'm really loosing hope I'll be able to install the safe in the house.

Tommy87

What I did was put the safe over the skirting board. Sit it on top of the skirting board and mark the two holes.

ssl

Is there a concrete floor in your house?
Mate of mine has one flat on the ground under the stairs in his house.
You'd also get a light folding attic stairs for €50. You can bring it with ya to your next house.

rsole1

Can you not put the gun cabinet in an old cupboard like I did, doesn't look pretty but hard to get to for the thieves.036.jpg

damanloox

There is a concrete floor (ground floor) but there's no place the safe could be installed (everything is accessible to guests and I don't really want everybody to see it).
I'll have a look at the attic this evening - I don't think I cat install standard folding attic stairs (the "hole" is really small). Foldable ladder could be a possibility (not sure how FO would see me getting there with the gun every time though)

damanloox

rsole1 wrote: »

Can you not put the gun cabinet in an old cupboard like I did, doesn't look pretty but hard to get to for the thieves.

Not really. It's not my house and there's no old cupboards...
It's pretty fresh house and every little bit of space is taken for built in wardrobes (and these aren't directly attached to the wall as there's quite a bit of space between back side and the wall. I'd have to cut/remove the back side whch will cost me some serious money when moving out and fixing the mess...). And every single wall has 6'' skirting which I can't touch.

EP90

damanloox wrote: »

There is a concrete floor (ground floor) but there's no place the safe could be installed (everything is accessible to guests and I don't really want everybody to see it).

Weld or bolt from the inside a couple of tubular steel legs to support the front of the cabinet, bolt to the wall above skirting. Legs would prevent cabinet being 'bashed' downward. Cover on it and a pot flower on the top.....nice.

ssl

Sit a storage bench over it and lock it this is an ikea one but there's fancier ones if want