Where to store firearms and ammo?

[po18guy]

SnapSafe is an option.

Modular Safes - SnapSafe

Modular design makes moving and assembly easy, eliminating the need for hired movers or installers.

www.snapsafe.com

 

[Catherine1]

STACK-ON – Stack-On Products – Safes, Gun Safes, Gun Security…

The rifle cabinet prices are LESS in the stores. We bought one on sale at SW here in town. Later on, we bought a second one on sale at SW.

We bought a smaller SO cabinet for some other items too.

Buy one Stack-On name brand gun cabinet or two cabinets.

Get the one that uses a key lock. One unit comes with 2 keys.

Mine came all in one piece shy of a shelf.

Some have to be put together.

They come in different sizes for rifles.

You can get smaller sizes for handguns too.

You can use them to store ammunition too. Do you have to LOCK UP your ammunition or can you put it in a room that uses a key and LOCK UP your ammo in that room?

You can use a SEARS brand tool chest with wheels and with key locks for handgun storage and ammo storage too.

You can use a file cabinet with a KEY lock to store some handguns and ammo too.

You can use the JOB BOXES - tool chests in various brands, types, sizes and in different price ranges for storage too.

I would seriously consider scaling down on your firearms and ammunition if I was in your situation. I would want to be able to keep them IN MY HOME if I was in your situation and not PAY extra money to store them no matter WHERE you would store them in your area.

I mean NO offense to you when I say this.

I would NOT ask any family member or friend who is NOT a friend of guns to STORE THEM too.

And even if you did have a gun friendly person to store them for you - I would NOT do that without a VERY DETAILED LIST signed by both parties on WHAT is being stored. But I really would NOT choose to do that!

I would ONLY choose to store them INSIDE of MY LOCKED home no matter what type of home I lived in for any length of time.

I have used the Stack-On brand cabinets - keys, rifle cabinets - keys, smaller cabinet - keys, Sears Tool Chest on wheels - keys, a lockable file cabinet briefly - keys, and my MT husband, not my late husband, used a JOB BOX - keys and a Sears tool chest - keys too.

Best wishes to you.

Old Lady Cate
PS: I used some of these STORAGE items in a tiny log cabin butt up to wilderness after I finished camping.

ALL of this camping/log cabin living was on a private ranch - remote and VERY DESOLATE in the Sapphire Mountains. I owned far MORE handguns than rifles (I only moved here with 3 rifles from the gitgo.) at the time too. When I moved to town, I moved into a brand new built apartment building in a nice area and I was on the THIRD FLOOR with great views, by my choice, with NO elevator. The brand new building was EMPTY for some time. Only one other person, a lady, was living there while she was in the middle of moving. It eventually filled up with people. When I got married from being a widow and my husband moved in, we got the first SO rifle cabinet. I used the cabinets and other storage items in the apartment when I was building this house and I am still using them now. Only HE and I have FAR, far less guns and factory (Mostly RF.) ammunition now. He reloads. I recently gifted him my last 2 sweet CZ rifles but I can still use them and they sit all ALONE in one cabinet. LOL

I keep my house and garage locked up. I did this in a rural area back east, boonies - farm/lake area, way up in the mountains here in MT only I had NO garage there on that private ranch butt up to wilderness, and I LOCK my house and garage here in town.

There has been a HUGE increase in crime of ALL types, break ins and even home invasions not only in college towns, VERY small towns/villages and in VERY remote areas - inside and outside of homes! (Rich, middle class and poor housing.) THIS is NO joke to you. Even in places where people SAY or THINK (LOL) that bad things do not happen or they are too stupid to SEE IT or have any neighbors looking out for each other or even SOME of their own neighbors could be dirt bags in RURAL areas. It is not always, ahem, city folks contrary to what some people believe.

A young lady had a home invasion over by Billings the other side of the state last week. One man came to her door and she was too half asleep, TOO STUPID and went to the door. The one man charged her and a second man came charging in with a GUN to her body/head. She fought them off and screamed. IT was all over our news. She had security cameras showing this too. What brand - I do not know. She has had several incidents of break ins and by her neighbor's place too. She is tired of the crime and it never USED TO BE like that according to her. She is a recent college graduate too. She and her family are moving out of MT.

I got off the telephone on Saturday night with a VERY close friend who lives NEAR the Idaho border way UP in NW MT. OMG! Supposedly peaceful and safe. NOT! More drug running and all kinds of crime are in that VERY rural area and in a tiny village where they are continuing to not only shoot/destroy home security cameras but they are STEALING THEM from various locations all over smaller and larger property sizes.

The sheriff is so FED UP that he is not even running for re-election. I think that he has been a sheriff of that county for 12 years or so too. The stealing of security cameras is NOTHING new UP there or in other places all over this nation = all over private property meaning fields/woods and NOT only by a house, barn, driveway, etc. IT is all over public property too.

 

[bpyycpyy]

While the Zanotti modular safes are really nice, I think the wait times for one are pretty long (at least they used to be) so when I had the need for a gun safe upstairs, I went with SnapSafe (which is a Hornady company). Perfectly nice, better fire protection ratings and thicker walls than most safes and will arrive on a pallet for assembly. Just carry the parts to the room you want to put it in and follow the directions. If I remember correctly, the heaviest part of their smaller Titan (12+ guns) safe is the door at 90 pounds. I'd definitely recommend them and it fits nicely in a closet.

SnapSafe® Titan - SnapSafe

Titan home fire safes fit in any closet - out of sight - giving your documents, valuables, firearms and jewelry protection from fire and theft.

www.snapsafe.com

 

[Prefontaine]

Thanks all. I think going with my dual safe option and phasing out non-essential firearms will be the course of action I take. I appreciate everyone's insight and ideas.

 

[40Garand]

Get two Liberty 30 gun safes from Tractor supply. Two people can easily maneuver those.

 

[Tye]

Alright folks,

I've got a situation in which I need to consult the hive mind.

I'm moving from a house with a garage to an apartment that's not on the ground floor and there is no elevator to the apartment. In my garage, I have a large gun safe and cabinet for ammunition (a lot of it). I know that the safe will not be able to go up to the unit (narrow stairs with turns) and while I could sneak the safe into my storage unit, I don't want to as it's been broken into before (and it's not allowed).

What is one to do for storing firearms securely in the Portland area if they can't be stored on-site? Is there a place that will store guns & ammo for a monthly fee? One that is not your garage?

Interested in hearing from you all.

I would find a secured storage facility with multi layer security, External Fence with Card Key, Internal Entry with card key, Storage unit groups segregated with card key and CCTV for all the above.

 

[TTSX]

FWIW, I use a job box for my ammo/parts and they have a TON more room than you'd think. I would like to think I could literally fit a couple dozen ARs with room to spare in mine if needed. The unit is light enough to move solo if you have a little muscle, but big enough you'd want help for the awkwardness. Beats an overpriced cabinet any day.

 

[Ziggy44]

when I lived in Portland (back in the Stone Age), I kept my gunsafe in a friends garage, in a good neighborhood (Lake Oswego)

pretty sure that would be considered a transfer these days....since you can't even borrow out a gun to non family anymore.

 

[1775usmc]

Job box.

If whatever one you may purchase could also make it up to the unit.

AND the unit could support the weight of it loaded.

Not a safe. Better than a cabinet though.

Security system.

This. Get yourself a knack box. Lay the rifles horizontal to the ground and throw multiple locks on it. Not ideal but it’s better than stashing them in a closet.

 

[coop44]

I was storing mine in my boat that sank

 

[crstrode]

First: Get a better job.
Second: Get a better address.

 

[MichaelH]

Pelican/ Hardigg case(s) as large as you can find. Preferably on the used market to keep it cheap. Most are lockable with padlocks. Cable locked together if multiple cases are used.
Messy , but cheap and secure.
I own a Pelican 1780 and I use it for all types of stuff.

BiMart usually has these new for about $150.

Smallish real safe for favorites, two gun cabinets for cheaper and put the bolt for each rifle kept in cabinet in the real safe?

if you've got a bigger safe now you can probably sell it to cover most of those costs.

Is there any onsite storage?

 

[MichaelH]

You should secure your firearms but also accurately assess risk. I've lived in inner PDX for about two decades and never had a burglary, nor do I know any friends or neighbors who have. Porch pirates and cars emptied, sure, but no one trying to get in.

What would likely help to avoid a gun motivated rip-off would be keeping a lower profile. Only friends should know about your collection, and it'd be smart to remove the stickers from your ride that ID you as an enthusiast.

 

[Highway]

For about 7-8 years, I kept very high priced guns locked in a milsurp 14-gauge steel, water-tight missle container with several locks. These containers along with accessories were kept inside a padlocked 5x8 cargo trailer parked inside a Public Storage 10x10 unit. This PS facility had a custodian who lived on the premises. This facility was located in a quiet suburb just outside of Portland. The owners claimed they never had a break-in into any of their units.

The increasing cost of rent was what eventually pushed me out.

 

[Snip]

The local indoor range rents lockers. Also there's some decent under bed lockers/safes.