Make your gun worthless if stolen

[xprinter]

Not sure if this is the right place for this or not but..........................

I've been lucky and have never had a gun stolen YET!!!

Where I store my guns I DO NOT store them with ANY clips and NO bolts, or the cylinder in the revolvers!

I know this can be a pain in the a$$ but why make the firearm useful to the thief!

Jim

[Bolt2bounce]

I have a friend who does the same thing, I think it is a good idea but you have to have a secure place to store the bolts and mags also... and you run the risk of someone stealing only your bolts and such...with out your guns... and that would also be the ****s... B2B

[Dave in NGA]

As a young man living in an apartment I was too poor to afford a safe and too mean to just let a thief take my guns. I had my rifles lined up in a closet and only one box of ammo on the self next to them. This box of 30-06 was loaded with oversize bullets (.311) and a case full of bullseye powder. My hope was if the thief took the guns, they'd take the ammo and maybe have a chance to test fire. I wouldn't get the guns back, but I sure would enjoy the newspaper story about an exploding gun.

[Bill D]

I wonder what ever happened to that box of ammo. It could be at a gun show somewhere. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! ! !

[Dave in NGA]

That box of ammo is long gone. Sanity finally arrived along with a good wife and kids. It was the advent of kids that prompted the purchase of a good gun safe. Now I rely on the safes, alarms, dogs, motion lights, and the armed home owner to protect me from thieves.

[DRB]

Those who store guns without bolts in them is why I can sell bolts on Gunbroker for so much money. Many times when someone dies the family has no idea whre the bolts are or sometimes the wife throws them out not knowing what they are. So if you store a gun without bolts make sure someone in the family knowns where the bolts are and treat them as very valuable.

[da gimp]

Those who store guns without bolts in them is why I can sell bolts on Gunbroker for so much money. Many times when someone dies the family has no idea whre the bolts are or sometimes the wife throws them out not knowing what they are. So if you store a gun without bolts make sure someone in the family knowns where the bolts are and treat them as very valuable.

well said. Also, you might make up a list of your guns, including model & serial # & their approximate value to leave for your wife & family in case something happens to you. We have two lists, one stored with the guns & 1 in another place. This might keep your wife or heirs from getting ripped off when they are sold after you pass.

[Tigre_fish]

well said. Also, you might make up a list of your guns, including model & serial # & their approximate value to leave for your wife & family in case something happens to you. We have two lists, one stored with the guns & 1 in another place. This might keep your wife or heirs from getting ripped off when they are sold after you pass.

Very good advice, I have a computer list of guns, price paid (or an estimate where I don't have documents) and "current" what I would sell for if I was selling & wanted to get rid of the thing. KEEP PRINT OUT SOMEWHERE SAFE!!!!! Regarding bolts - use a sharpie to put the "matching" SN on the thing if you have more than one of the same kind.

TF

[Rick]

Not a bad idea to photograph each of your guns with close ups of the serial numbers. Then mail the prints and negatives to yourself registered mail. Don't open the envelope when you have to sign for the package but keep in a safe place. That way if a guns are stolen you can prove that you possessed the firearms on the date of the letter to the insurance company. Myself i would have an attorney deal with the insurance company on a large loss.

Insurance Companies make money collecting money from you and are very nice when things are going their way. Then on a big theft claim you will find out what kind of company you are dealing with.

[chuckindenver]

anyone that owns more then 3 weapons, should invest in a safe..record your serial numbers., take good pictures, and store the pictures and log someplace other then your safe, maybe have a family member store them or have a safe deposit box.
a thief good enough to take a safe, is good enough to take all the stuff in it.
FYI, Harbor Frieght doesnt sell safes, or Hobart, lunch boxes mabye, Cannon, Liberty, Browning ect...even a good used fire rated safe shouldnt set you back more then 800.00
best insurance a person can have.

[Griff Murphey]

Actually, the .311 ammo may not have done any damage to most rifles. I have an SC sporter that preferred .311 until I rebarreled it. For a true ELDEST SON scenario you'd need some hot powder. Further, affiant sayeth not.

Agree this is a bad idea in general. Another reason not to shoot others' hand loads.

[Sean P Gilday]

I came up with the bright idea of taking out all bolts and boxing them when I went to Active Duty, thinking it would keep them from being worth stealing. When I came back years later I could not find the box. It took 3 years to find them under the eaves of the house where they had been moved by someone else.

Now I have each photographed,and a roster by serial number of each. Also each has my name and phone, address in each buttstock. The Pictures and Roster are on several thumbdrives along with other valuables, and on both computers. they all are in a Safe now as well

[slumlord44]

Very good advice, I have a computer list of guns, price paid (or an estimate where I don't have documents) and "current" what I would sell for if I was selling & wanted to get rid of the thing. KEEP PRINT OUT SOMEWHERE SAFE!!!!! Regarding bolts - use a sharpie to put the "matching" SN on the thing if you have more than one of the same kind.

TF

I often by guns on Gunbroker or other on line sites. I always print out the aucton info and copy all the photos with make and model to my computer's photo file. Quick and easy. Also keep card file index with all info. Son in law and best friend know where the records are.

[free1954]

well said. Also, you might make up a list of your guns, including model & serial # & their approximate value to leave for your wife & family in case something happens to you. We have two lists, one stored with the guns & 1 in another place. This might keep your wife or heirs from getting ripped off when they are sold after you pass.

good idea sir. i always tell my son. "don't let your mom sell these guns for what i told her i paid for them."

[carolinashooter]

Griff.......those .311 bullets may not have been the biggest issue. He loaded the cases FULL OF BULLSEYE. There are not enough zeros on my calculator to calculate the pressure that would have resulted. I cannot imagine a weapon that would not be destroyed by this particular load.