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August
04-22-2008, 09:34 AM
I know that gun cabinets are not secure storage for gunz. However, if you can offer any help for my situation, I'd appreciate it.

My deceased father build a beautiful, hardwood gun cabinet many years ago when such things were more common. I want to have it in my house and I wish to store long guns (only) in it. Particularly, I would like to put my long range single shot rifles in the cabinet. The cabinet has a locking, glass panel door that would be easily defeated.

My question is, how would you secure the guns in the cabinet to make them safe (there are no children in my house) and to possibly prevent theft in a smash-and-grab break-in -- which is the kind of crime we tend to have where I live.

Chains? Weld something?

Anybody secure their guns this way and feel comfortable about it????

Thanks. I'd really like to use the cabinet my dad built.

scrapcan
04-22-2008, 09:56 AM
You might think about some type of cable lock with anchors outside of the cabinet itself. i.e. cable lagged to the wall behind that runs throught the wood case and through trigger guards.

Boerrancher
04-22-2008, 10:15 AM
August,

If you are somewhat handy with some simple tools It will not be difficult to make the cabinet considerably more secure to prevent a grab and go theft. Here are the items you need to get:

You will need enough 1/4" cable with the plastic coating to reach through all of the trigger guards and all the way around the cabinet.

A drill with a bit just large enough to make a hole that the cable will fit through.

Cable clamps, preferably the crimp on kind to make a couple of loops for the lock to go through.

drill a couple of holes in the back of the cabinet,one on each side of the guns, about 2 inches higher than the highest trigger guard. Make a loop at one end of the cable and run it through one of the holes that you just drilled, bring it around the back of the cabinet, and run it through the other hole. Make a loop in this end small enough to go through your trigger guards. Run the loop through your trigger guards and then pad lock the two loops together and bingo! Your guns are fairly secure. If you are concerned that the back of the cabinet is not sturdy enough, go to the hardware store and buy a piece of flat stock or square tubing long enough to reach nearly the full length of the cabinet and secure it to the back. That way if someone tries to rip the cable through the back of the cabinet they have to completely destroy the cabinet.

Just my thoughts on how do do it anyway,

Best Wishes,

CPT T.

schutzen
04-22-2008, 10:38 AM
Another thgought would be to swap glass out for Lexan. Lexan is a polycarbonate sheet similar to plexiglass, but much tougher. You can break it, but it is not a smash & grab deal. You would still need to add some type of securing device to the firearms.

DeanoBeanCounter
04-22-2008, 04:19 PM
I like the cable idea, but consider anchoring the cable to one or two wall studs too.
Dean

Wicky
04-22-2008, 05:21 PM
August, The cable idea is the go. Our gunshops, when we had them, had to use chain or cable through all trigger guards for security. The plastic coated cable is the best stuuf in my experience.
I have a glass fronted cabinet as well and we are no longer alowed to store firearms in them. Mine is now filled with my daughters doll collection - how sad is that??

kodiak1
04-22-2008, 06:17 PM
August you have probably heard of the gun laws we have up here that govern everything including storage.
The Idea with the cable is okay but it either has to be continuous (only two ends that are locked together) or anchored to the wall in such away that it is un removable by your robbers.
Of the two the easiest is the continuos cable run it through the back wall on one side and back in on the other through the gun trigger guards.
Use the crimp clamps then put shrink tube over that and heat it so it shrinks and you have no exposed metal.
Ken.

testhop
04-22-2008, 07:42 PM
anotheridea is to remove the bolts from the bolt actions and store the bolts away in anouther secure place and put a BIG SIGN UP I N GUN CASE SAYING THAT THE GUNS ARE USELESS WITHOUT BOLTS AND YOU WILL CALL THE FIRE ARMS CO WHEN THE FIRE ARM COMES IN AND THE LAW INFORCEMENT WILL KNOWRIGHT WHERE TO GO

Boerrancher
04-22-2008, 10:01 PM
I had an older friend of ming who was somewhat of a gunsmith for himself and his close friends. He took an old M1 Garand and re-chambered it to a 6mm-06 wildcat. He then loaded a clip of 308 win and placed them on the shelf below the rifle. The case dia and taper of the 308 allowed it to make a snug fit in the chamber of the old M1, but parts would fly when that 308 bullet tried to shrink to the 6mm/.243 dia.

It so happened, some one broke into his house several years later and since all of his guns but that one was in the safe that is the one they happened to take. He called the police and told them to watch the hospitals as the thief took the wrong ammo for the rifle. Two days later they apprehended the perp at the local emergency room. He had tried to shoot the rifle and it blew up on him.

Now I wouldn't suggest setting up someone like that, but a box of rifle ammo loaded with bullseye right next to the rifle that they will chamber in might make a pretty decent preventative against it happening again.

HeavyMetal
04-22-2008, 10:29 PM
Gentleman:

Most of these sugestions, while good, will only 1 create a problem (booby trap) or 2 the robber will smash the case to pieces before he realizes the cables are secured to another part of the home.

Crooks are lazy, stupid, they don't read and are very vindictive! This is a bad combination when they can't get what they want.

I can certainly understand wanting to show a thing of beauty to friends and family.

If I was in this position I think a secured "walk" in type room would be better suited to this type of display. You want people to see the craftsmanship but don't want everyone up and down the street to know it's there.

were talking you basic safe room here. you want it impregnable not the gun case!


Case in point: See's Candy in Culver City, CA. If you walk into the store to buy chocolate you'll find everything and everyone behind bullet proof glass!

It's tough to take it if you can't get to it!

I hope this helps I don't have any other ideas that are even a bit feasible considering what you'd like to do.

good luck.

Saint
04-26-2008, 07:06 PM
I like the idea in the previous post. I have a walk in closet in my apartment that I converted just for this purpose. I replaced the door with a heavy duty exterior door with welded hing pins so they can not be removed. Inside I am able to hang my guns on the wall for display. As an added measure I also remove the bolts/nipples and keep them in a safe.