what do you put your handguns in ???

M

Magnum Wheel Man

New member
... I have a walk in Vault that will be finished one of these years :rolleyes:

... but until then, I had been collecting too many hand guns to put them in a "normal" rifle type gun locker... I had been looking at those smaller handgun boxes that fit on top of a regular 8 gun gun locker ( I have alot of these... that I can't wait to get rid of, once the vault is finally done )... but after looking at the thin metal, cost & practicality... I just bought one of those lockable boxes that sit on the side of a pick up truck box instead... mine is 48" long, 12" deep, & 16" high, is white, & has dual polished stainless locking paddle handles, & is built from steel, twice as thick a steel as the smaller pistol lockers...

I really like the white color, & the flip down door, which acts as a shelf when down... mine is mounted on the wall now, & the 4' shop light just over & slightly in front of it, fully lights up the interiour of the box... price wise, the box was similarly or slightly less priced than equal volume pistol lockers... I've been buying the 4 gun plastic coated wire gun racks that Midway sells, & the combination seems to work well... I'm having a steel shelf bent up at my local fabricator to mount about 3/4 off the bottom, to put holsters & some of my Contenders on sideways... it'll have the bent edges facing up to hold a piece of some "egg cartron cut" foam... I'll have to paint the shelf white, but it should work very well...

I'm thinking of buying 2nd one for putting powders in & mounting it just below...

what do you guys use...

this is the box I just got...

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200343652_200343652

this is the racks I'm using

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=953075
 
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That is an awesome idea. Why didn't I think of that? If only I could talk the little women into it.
I'd prefer the diamond plate variety. My wife would LOVE the look of that on the bedroom wall!:eek::rolleyes:
 
wish I'd thought of that too, my gun safe takes up way to much room in the utility room. 3 or 4 of those mounted on top of each other would be nice with the doors acting as shelves when they are open.
 
In addition to the German Shepherd keeping watch, :D I lock my handguns in a gun cabinet - intended for 8 rifles - but, went to the home store and bought some vinyl covered closet shelving - along with some 3" bolts, washers and nuts.

Down each side of the cabinet I measured for shelves - drilled two holes on each side for each shelf - ran in the bolts and put them in place with a lock washer and nut. Cut the vinyl shelf to fit and just laid it in there on the four bolts - had space for five shelves - good air flow - safe for guns being vinyl coated -

no pics - sorry - use our imagination - cheap mans shelving.
 
I use the same type of rack, but of the Browning variety. They're stored in my Winchester safe. One of my fondest wishes is to be able to build a vault when I move to my final house. Good luck with yours.:cool:
 
Good idea-but rethink the egg-crate foam. It reacts with certain lubricants, and can hold moisture. Use a piece of short nap industrial carpet instead.
 
problems with the foam ??? maybe I've been lucky so far ???

I've never had any issues so far... prior to this, I've stored a couple of small groups of my collection in plastic, hinged, rifle & pistol cases that are lined with egg crate foam... ( my Automags are currently in a rifle case of this type, as are my longer barreled hunting revolvers )... I usually spray a light coat of penitrating oil over short term storage guns, or wipe down with a heavy weight oil for longer term storage, & so far, haven't had any reaction issues with the foam that comes standard in hard side gun cases... I also have a case my father in law put together out of a large ( cassette case ??? ) that has 2-3 assorted strips / colors of egg crate foam, used for storing Contender barrels, & of those 2-3 types of foam so far no reactions with either of my prefered storage lubes...

the foam is open cell, so it could "hold water", but I make sure the guns are water / moisture free before they contact the foam, & ( I've done this several times with no problems ), I lightly spray the surface of the foam with my arrosol penitrating oil, so the foam has an oily surface... I have / had been storing handguns like this for over 10 years now with no problems yet... I'm sure there are foams that will react or break down, & perhaps over a longer period of time the grey type of foam that comes standard in hard side rifle cases may break down, but so far, I have not witnessed it...
 
I use the same type of pistol rack, only I've got the 6 gun variety (I think the manufacturer is the same). They have both 4 and 6 versions over at Cabelas'. They save a lot of space in the safe where I keep most of my guns.
 
I keep mine on a shelf in the safe, in this handgun rack with drawer storage for accessories.
DSC04339.jpg

Sometimes I switch it out with this one.
DSC05030.jpg
 
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Those little egg crate foam cases can be bad news for storage, especially if they're in a damp environment.

OP, I wouldn't recommend storing powder in an enclosed steel box. Fire will turn it into a bomb.

Geez, this post is quite negative....

I keep my pistols in a safe with my long guns. I've already outgrown it, though, and have bunch of guns I can't fit comfortably. Now, the high cap 12gauge has to sit next to the bed to leave some room. :D
 
I have 2 wall-mounted gun safes in my basement, both running low on space. They are designed for rifles, but I have filled the small shelves in it with my handguns. I just keep the handguns in sleaves or bags on the shelf, right next to the de-humidifier.

I also have a quick-access safe in my bedroom, which houses my daily-carry and 1 other handgun. I am going to need another safe before too long!
 
I've been using a STACK-ON safe with homemade shelves, (1x8 pine board). It will hold about twenty pistols in cases and a few thousand rounds. Cost about $85.
035.jpg
 
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