Gun safe

wicklow newbie

Hi, just getting into the shooting and looking for a gun safe. Any dos donts or best place to buy without being ripped off?

sfakiaman

Some years ago I bought a Buffalo River gun cabinet for my shotgun. I have now progressed to one shotgun, two rifles with scopes and a pistol. The cabinet barely takes the scoped rifles for depth and if I wanted to (could afford to) shoot F class open I would have to buy another cabinet because of the length of the rifle.

My local CPO also required a seperate safe for the ammo and was not very impressed with the cabinet having only one lock. I also had to move my cabinet as it could be seen from a window.

I now have a walk in cupboard with a five lever mortice lock housing my gun cabinet and wall safe and all with 24 hour monitored alarm.

The lesson for me is that I should have looked ahead, considered what I would need down the line and bought a bigger cabinet. It would also have helped if I had consulted the CPO earlier.

You also have to consider what kind of wall you are bolting the cabinet to, and the fixings to use. I threw away the bolts that came with the cabinet and safe and used much larger ones, the CPO will look!

This may seem a lot to someone starting out, but with forethought I could have bought a better cabinet for an extra €100 and and saved the hassle of moving everything by asking the CPO's advice earlier. Hope this is of some use to you.

Sparks

Well, the NCPU's guidelines to Supers (ie, what the CPO checks for) are:

The firearm has to be stored in a structurally sound building.
Gun cabinets must be used.
Firearms should never be left unattended.
Three categories for secure storage:
Category A (rifles to .22, shotguns)
- Gun Cabinet (not insisting on BS standard, just that it be fit for purpose), secured to a solid wall or floor and concealed if possible.
- The dwelling should be reasonably secure (good doors and windows).
Category B (fullbore rifles)
- Gun Cabinet as in category A
- Seperate storage area in the cabinet for ammunition
- Audible (not necessarily monitored) alarm on the dwelling
Category C (pistols and revolvers)
- Gun Cabinet as in category B
- External doors must be in good condition with 5 lever mortice locks or for patio doors, anti-lift devices.
- Alarm to EM5031 standard, monitored by a recognised monitoring centre
Also, if you have four or more firearms in a category, you must meet the standards of the next higher category (so 4 cat A firearms = you must meet the cat B conditions).

That's from the head of the NCPU at the FCP conference earlier this year.

dimebag249

So Sparks, does that mean that the 'restricted' definition will not count for anything in deciding storage requirements? Also, isn't it a little strange that under these guidelines the secure storage requirements for an air pistol or a .22lr revolver are stricter than for an AR-15 or an AK?

Sparks

The restricted list wasn't in force at that stage dimebag, so I suspect there may be an update to the criteria when it does come into force (probably you'd see all the restricted stuff shoved in to category C).

And yeah, I think it's a bit strange as well. But those are guidelines, not rules, and most superintendents don't seem to be requiring the full category C stuff for air pistols. Common sense seems to actually be winning out there.

alan123

Keep an eye on Woodies. I got a five gun safe there for €220 and its a serious bit of kit. Personally I dont bolt it to the wall so that if a "visitor" drops in in the middle of the night or when Im out he can take the safe and guns away but wont be able to access them to use them on me. Worst case scenario is if the "visitor" comes after you or the family for the safe key, just let him take the bloody lot!!!!

jwshooter

wicklow newbie wrote: »

Hi, just getting into the shooting and looking for a gun safe. Any dos donts or best place to buy without being ripped off?

john lambert in camolin has a few in stock

clivej

Get yourself at least a 4 gun deep safe.
Keep an eye open for small digital safe's from Adli @€;20 for the rifle bolts and ammo storeage.

Sean Harding.
Stakelums in Urlngford Kilkenny. 056 8831018.

And Ger Smith, the Newpark Gun Club in Kilkenny
087 9508634
they have good prices on gun safe's

sfakiaman

alan123 wrote: »

Keep an eye on Woodies. I got a five gun safe there for €220 and its a serious bit of kit. Personally I dont bolt it to the wall so that if a "visitor" drops in in the middle of the night or when Im out he can take the safe and guns away but wont be able to access them to use them on me. Worst case scenario is if the "visitor" comes after you or the family for the safe key, just let him take the bloody lot!!!!

While I understand alan123's sentiments, the local CPO would not be impressed. If you are in the house and someone breaks in, chances are they will come after you anyway. Best bet is to keep the whole lot as concealed as possible and with ammo, bolts, fore ends etc hidden seperately. Or you could buy a big dog, mine would wake the dead.

jwshooter

sfakiaman wrote: »

While I understand alan123's sentiments, the local CPO would not be impressed. If you are in the house and someone breaks in, chances are they will come after you anyway. Best bet is to keep the whole lot as concealed as possible and with ammo, bolts, fore ends etc hidden seperately. Or you could buy a big dog, mine would wake the dead.

after cleaning my H K 9 i leave it on my bedside locker

alan123

jwshooter wrote: »

after cleaning my H K 9 i leave it on my bedside locker

So youre the guy I warn my kids about!!