The safe is full. Now what?

[sobo]

Safe is full...

 

[slimmer13]

Sounds like a depressing problem. A new gun always cheers me up.

 

[Member 52301]

Sell and/or gift what you do not use any longer OR buy a STACK-ON gun cabinet that uses keys if you have no room or do not 'want' to buy another heavy safe.

Use it or lose it is my motto!

My late husband, my MT husband and I never owned 'safe queens'. I am NOT knocking people who CHOOSE to do this when I state this.

If you have one 'special' firearm or a safe queen that may or may not mean something to you - decide how you really feel about that specific firearm.

ASK yourself why are you NOT using it (Or them.) and enjoying the firearm UNLESS you are holding it aside like a bank account (LOL) or for someone special. But you already stated that there is only ONE person, meaning YOU, who owns/shoots/likes guns in your family too.

Do not store ammunition in your gun safe or gun cabinet that holds your firearms. Is it a another dang gun law where you live? Have the ammunition close to where you can grab one or more boxes and STORE your ammo away and NOT in your main gun safe. (Kids at home? That may present some other issues for you.)

Keep your extra holsters, extra magazines if you have any (A lot or a little.) and any other gun stuff not already IN your working firearms to another area close to your cabinet or safe or in your den/gun room if you have one.

KEEP the magazines and holsters that you actually USE and want.

Get rid (Sell, gift, or gift/sell as a package deal.) of what you do not want or no longer OWN in firearms that USE those magazines and holsters.

If you line up your rifles and/or shotguns in an orderly fashion once you remove everything OUT of the safe and start organizing... you should be able to make them fit. I don't know the 'ratio' of long guns versus handguns in your situation but ours has changed drastically over time.

Example for us here: Long guns are in 2 Stack-On locked cabinets with keys. One cabinet is almost EMPTY too. We could cram everything into one cabinet but we choose not to do this. We use gun socks. We can MOVE all of these things VERY easily if we build the other cabin (Another area.) which will be smaller than this house or close to this size.

HIS reloading supplies, a bit of CF factory ammunition and more RF ammunition would be more work but NOT difficult too.

One pistol (CC for my husband.) and one rifle (Mine.) are ready to go for self defense. They are NOT in the 2 gun cabinets. Old - retired people here. No children around and not much 'company' other than gun folks.

Three handguns are left here at our home. One is out OR by his jeans for CC or OC. When he has his jeans ON - he has a gun ON his body. Holstered. He rarely wears shorts but if he did he would do the same thing.

The other 2 pistols are locked up in a Sears tool chest with KEYS. (They could FIT in the one gun cabinet but we choose not to do this.) Other misc. items for some guns, a few extra magazines, a few remaining holsters, extra rifle slings and my husband's knives are in that black tool chest.

(My knives are in my Stickley oak chest.)

Various knives are throughout our home.

Best wishes to you.

Cate
PS: If you want to sell (Or gift!) some firearms... now is the time to do it. Pass one or more on to people who will love to use them on a regular basis or to someone who may not shoot as often but may still want to have a gun for self defense and keep up their skills using their 'house gun'.

 

[Member 52301]

PS:

Several gun clubs or pro gun groups may need or want some firearms too.

Scouts? Church related children/teen groups? Outdoor sporting shooting clubs? Junior Olympics? Veteran groups?

People with lower incomes or a needy family that may only own one or two firearms may like to buy a firearm at a discounted price too.

The gun clubs could use them to teach Newbies, children, teens, adults, handicapped people and senior citizens HOW to shoot guns safely. Some of those Newbies in the shooting world may become very proficient shooters, grin, love the sport, promote the sport and bring MORE people into the pro RKBA world too.

Old Lady Cate

 

[TTSX]

Sell and/or gift what you do not use any longer OR buy a STACK-ON gun cabinet that uses keys if you have no room or do not 'want' to buy another heavy safe.

Use it or lose it is my motto!

My late husband, my MT husband and I never owned 'safe queens'. I am NOT knocking people who CHOOSE to do this when I state this.

If you have one 'special' firearm or a safe queen that may or may not mean something to you - decide how you really feel about that specific firearm.

ASK yourself why are you NOT using it (Or them.) and enjoying the firearm UNLESS you are holding it aside like a bank account (LOL) or for someone special. But you already stated that there is only ONE person, meaning YOU, who owns/shoots/likes guns in your family too.

Do not store ammunition in your gun safe or gun cabinet that holds your firearms. Is it a another dang gun law where you live? Have the ammunition close to where you can grab one or more boxes and STORE your ammo away and NOT in your main gun safe. (Kids at home? That may present some other issues for you.)

Keep your extra holsters, extra magazines if you have any (A lot or a little.) and any other gun stuff not already IN your working firearms to another area close to your cabinet or safe or in your den/gun room if you have one.

KEEP the magazines and holsters that you actually USE and want.

Get rid (Sell, gift, or gift/sell as a package deal.) of what you do not want or no longer OWN in firearms that USE those magazines and holsters.

If you line up your rifles and/or shotguns in an orderly fashion once you remove everything OUT of the safe and start organizing... you should be able to make them fit. I don't know the 'ratio' of long guns versus handguns in your situation but ours has changed drastically over time.

Example for us here: Long guns are in 2 Stack-On locked cabinets with keys. One cabinet is almost EMPTY too. We could cram everything into one cabinet but we choose not to do this. We use gun socks. We can MOVE all of these things VERY easily if we build the other cabin (Another area.) which will be smaller than this house or close to this size.

HIS reloading supplies, a bit of CF factory ammunition and more RF ammunition would be more work but NOT difficult too.

One pistol (CC for my husband.) and one rifle (Mine.) are ready to go for self defense. They are NOT in the 2 gun cabinets. Old - retired people here. No children around and not much 'company' other than gun folks.

Three handguns are left here at our home. One is out OR by his jeans for CC or OC. When he has his jeans ON - he has a gun ON his body. Holstered. He rarely wears shorts but if he did he would do the same thing.

The other 2 pistols are locked up in a Sears tool chest with KEYS. (They could FIT in the one gun cabinet but we choose not to do this.) Other misc. items for some guns, a few extra magazines, a few remaining holsters, extra rifle slings and my husband's knives are in that black tool chest.

(My knives are in my Stickley oak chest.)

Various knives are throughout our home.

Best wishes to you.

Cate
PS: If you want to sell (Or gift!) some firearms... now is the time to do it. Pass one or more on to people who will love to use them on a regular basis or to someone who may not shoot as often but may still want to have a gun for self defense and keep up their skills using their 'house gun'.

Thankyou for actually reading my post and giving me fairly sound advice/opinions I may consider.

 

[Member 52301]

Thankyou for actually reading my post and giving me fairly sound advice/opinions I may consider.

You're welcome.

Another idea when it comes to storage space and my explanation to you.

When I used to own, shoot and open carry handguns (Three semi automatic pistols and the rest in s/a and d/a revolvers in RF and in CF calibers.) far more than my ONLY 3 rifles (RF), back east, I used a SEARS tool chest with keys for my handguns.

I miss my handguns but since I have hand arthritis and other hand/arm issues (Former broken bones and nerve damage.) - I quit shooting them several years ago.

I opened and concealed carry handguns out here but the law was different where I used to live. NO ccw back there.

I only owned 2 lever action rifles and 1 Marlin Papoose so I never bought a gun safe or gun cabinet back east. I had gun locks for them and for all of my NIB firearms. My late husband and I never had children.

I had various handguns on 2 floors of my large brick house (For personal protection.) but not in my full size basement - third level. I lived in the boonies! Farm/lake country. SLOW response time for our county SD too. The basement was 99% empty too. We rarely used the basement except to fill up the water softener or to check the stuff for the well pump.

I owned about 15 or so guns back east. So 12 or so handguns FIT in the Sears tool chest back there. I used soft pistol cases and/or soft cloths and NOT the hard Glock, Ruger or Smith and Wesson NIB cases inside of the chest. Those hard cases were stored empty elsewhere.

I ended up buying another Sears tool chest out here. I brought almost ALL but a few handguns out west with me. The 3 rifles came with me.

Several years down the road...

My MT husband's former large collection of handguns, rifles and shotguns would not have worked storage wise as my VERY simple collection did. He downsized all of his firearms and consolidated his calibers down the road before his retirement. He downsized some more due to a few of his physical issues. He NO longer competes with handguns too. He even changed his conceal carry guns too! Especially as he aged!

I know more than one man, lol - actually NO joke, who had a LOCKED gun and/or reloading room and it was a good thing that one man or a couple of them moved some of those things OUT of there and I will just leave it there.
Use your imagination. Insert sad signs here.

If someone (Or more than one person.) wants to break down or remove a very secure LOCKED gun room door - they will do it. If someone wants to steal from you in any manner - they will do it too. Sad signs.

That goes for a locked (Key or pad or whatever.) gun cabinet or gun safe too. If someone is a THIEF and they really want to steal from you especially when you are not home and/or working away from home - they will do that too.

Old Lady Cate

 

[Olderguy]

PRETTY SIMPLE-JUST BUY ANOTHER SAFE!

 

[sobo]

I wholeheartedly agree, but no need to yell at him, now...

 

[TTSX]

I wholeheartedly agree, but no need to yell at him, now...

He's old, he just wants to hear himself one last time

 

[deadeye]

Well go buy some more steel plate and I'll come over with my welder, grinder, sawzall, compressor and paint gun and we'll make it bigger. You'll need some more fire board and carpet but that'll depend on the finished size.........

HEY they have AR and AK build parties why not a safe modification party........

 

[twa2471]

Yup, just got done welding my safe to the inside wall of the conex/shipping container I have it in @ my new Homestead. Let me see anyone just try to get there hands on my stuff now mister !!!!!

It's right under my bedroom window where I lean my Mossy 12 ga , that's loaded for bear too!

Might not be a good idea for anyone to try to fuss around with my stuff I'd guess, and if I'm not home,,,the Chows and wolf hybrids will get um,,,BUT GOOD !!!

 

[CountryGent]

Candidly, I'd just sell a few pieces off. It will free up space (and make future additions easier), turns some capital liquid again, and I've found getting rid of things from time-to-time is good for the soul.

2020 has been a weird time in every respect. I think it is only like the second year, ever, in my life time I've sold off more firearms than acquired. It was done for various practical reasons (space, lost interest, funds for various things that have come up in this batscat crazy year, et al.), but also, perhaps mainly, "just because". I'm not sure why, but I'm glad I did.

But what works for one, may not another. Only OP can decide what is right for his collection. Cheers.

 

[Trojans80]

Do you have a shower gun ? Space
Do you have a toilet gun ? Space
Do you have kitchen gun ? Space
Do you have a garage gun ? Space
Do you have a living room gun ? Space
You can make space anywhere.

 

[sobo]

Don't forget nightstand gun, end table gun, dining room hutch gun, entertainment center room gun, walk-in closet gun...

 

[ARFrog]

When you figure out a permenant solution to this problem, please let me know.

 

[oldcorpgunny]

Have you ever considered moving to a larger home?

 

[oldcorpgunny]

Don't forget nightstand gun, end table gun, dining room hutch gun, entertainment center room gun, walk-in closet gun...

I used to keep a gun in the tank of our toilet in the master bathroom, but you could see it. It was an AR.

 

[ARFrog]

I used to keep a gun in the tank of our toilet in the master bathroom, but you could see it. It was an AR.

I used to have one of those too. It was a Red Ryder PP gun.

 

[bikemutt]

In my case, I have a small safe for shotguns which tend to have longer barrels and their own set of storage requirements, that leaves more space in the big safe for rifles and handguns. Then again, I just bought more rifles and handguns which are in the big safe

My wife won't let me have a milsurp tank, even though we have plenty of room in the driveway

 

[gun4me]

It happened, guys. The biggest safe I could fit through my doors has been filled. But the problem is, I still have guns that need space. The most recent couple purchases have left a few dirty homeless in my gun room and I'm wondering where to go from here. Another safe isn't in the cards right now as I don't have a space available. Considered selling some that exist because I like having them around but they never get shot. As in, I put a few mags/boxes through, satisfied my curiosity and that was that. But I don't really sell things in general. Thought about going to my local FFL and just having the guy sell them for me? There will be purchases in the future, of course. Always will be. Thoughts?

I always do a 1 year fraud alert notification alert, creditor is suppose to contact you before allowing a new credit/charge/credit card/ all things you get credit for. Not perfect, but works well. A freeze on all ur credit reports are the best way, but NEVER EVER lose ur confirmation NUMBER>>>>> EVER. It is a really pain in the arse to square it away if you do.......... from experience.