alternative to gun safes

What a hassle, huh? You will need only three items to use my suggestion:

1. A big, VERY sturdy cardboard box

2. An old, ordinary household blanket or quilt

3. One very large Rottweiler/English Mastiff mix

Tear down your guns, as in cleaning, and place in the box in any room you see fit. Close the lid. Place the quilt/blanket in a sloppy fashion on top of the box. Train the dog to use the blanket for his bed every day. Go about your business. ;)

PS- Dog breed may be optional.

-7-
 
For what it's worth...

There are a number of ways to secure your guns. Several are mentioned in prior posts. IMHO, however, there is no substitute for a sturdy gun safe, for both security of your guns and peace of mind when you're not at home. (As an aside, many states, even the semi-Socialist state of Connecticut, holds you harmless if your gun was acquired by a criminal act, ie., burglary, whether or not it was locked at the time. Check your local laws but if you don't want them stolen, you've got to lock them up).

You can use any number of clever home-made means to secure your guns, but I still suggest a safe. For the heirlooms, a fireproof safe. There are lots of options. I have a small fireproof lockbox, big enough for half dozen pistols, that cost only about $ 40. Probably you would compromise the fireproof integrity, but it could be drilled and bolted to the floor from the inside. On the other hand, i only use it for birth certificates, passports and other papers.

For my guns, i went with a Sentry safe. Combination dial, three 1.5" solid hardened steel bolts, entire cabinet made of rigid, welded plate steel (avoid the cheap filing cabinets some companies sell). It's heavy (about 250 lbs - my son and i both nearly killed ourselves toting it upstairs to my office) but not fireproof. It is predrilled, and bolted very solidly to both the floor and to BOTH sides of the corner in which it sits. (hint - because of cove moldings, i utilized an appropriately drilled wooden shim on each lag bolt, between the safe and the walls to keep from pulling it askew when i tightened the bolts). It safely and securely holds 6 rifles, two shotguns, three handguns, and approximately 2000 rounds of various calibers and gauges. I've also seen an aftermarket hangar that attaches to the inside of the door and comes with a number of velcro-attached holsters, adding enough space for up to 8 more handguns. Try CheaperthanDirt.com or Sportsmansguide.com.

The best part? I got the safe in the winter, after hunting season, at Walmart for the clearance price of less than $ 180. Look around for a deal. If you have to, use a credit card and pay it off over time. But if you insure your car, and your house, and your life, why not a little extra insurance for your prized possessions?
 
Find an old refrigerator, clear it out, bolt it down, and padlock it up. It would cost you next to nothing and serve you better than a cardboard box until you decide to get a safe. Just a thought :)
 
Handguns put them i shoe boxes .rifles take the bolts out.hide them .in the kitchen in the dead spots over the cabinets. Use your imagination .it worked for me .:D i hid over 60 firearms in a one bed apt .
 
Hanging suit bag for rifles hanging among your other clothing(worked in my college dormatory)

Convert closet to one-piece shelving/cabinet - make it look like permenant built-in shelving - had this set up in a former house I owned. Shelving unit was trimmed with shoe molding, looked nice, was useful and slid out when I needed it to.

Remove section of drywall in closet and put rifles between wall studds. Replace drywall and put stuff in front of it.

Look for dead space in various cabinetry, behind drawers where you can put some hooks to hold guns/rifles.

Except for people who know where you hide your guns, if you are reasonably clever about it, they are quite easy to hide where no burglar will ever think or have time to search for them.
 
Im currently in school now and had a simular problem a few years ago. I leave all my sentamental or higher priced guns with my dad in his safe, and have a small gun cabnet with an extra pad lock added for the ones i keep with me.
 
My horror story

I have had guns stolen not once but twice. First time it was in a cheap shoddy rent house. The thief simply broke a window and came in. Luckily all he took were 2 cheap .22 lr single shot rifles. I had my shot gun hidden in the attic. Second time was in a high end apartment. A maintance employee stole the keys from the office. I had just purchased 8 guns from an estate. I was going to buy a safe on pay day and have it moved into the apartment. It happened the day before pay day. I learned a 5 thousand dollar lesson. I should have took them to my dad's house and put them in one of my safes that I have there. I had them well hidden and found the place trashend when I got home. I now live in a rental property and the only gun I have here is my carry weapon. It goes with me every where. When I am at home it is either on my body of within reach at all times. If my roomie has his kids over I either have it on me, or between my bed and the wall when I sleep.
Get something that makes it harder for them to just walk out of the door.
 
Needless to say all of my other guns that I have aquired over the years, and the large collection I inherited from grampa are in safes at my dad's. Each of the 3 safes weigh about a ton each. Grampa knew that guns are thief magnets. Crack heads call them crack coupons. They take them to a crack house and get crack no questions asked.
 
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