hello again,

As I indicated in my letter to you, things are going well with my montefeltro. However, as a result of buying a couple of guns this year, I am in need of some advice as to storage and thought you might be able to shed some light on the subject.

I now have four shotguns and one pistol and my “under the bed” storage space has run out. On one hand, I like the idea of an attractive oak and glass gun case (locking) to sort of display my guns and on the other, have some concern of theft and think a gun vault could be better. I don’t live in a high crime neighborhood but you never know. None of my guns are collectibles, in fact, they are only worth about $2000 or less in total. I am leaning toward the oak show case but thought you may be able to help. Also, if I go that route, where can you find that kind of stuff. I have searched locally (orlando, florida) and can’t find anyone who sells anything but the vault.

Anyway, anything you can offer in terms of pros and cons of each would be appreciated. I probably would have purchased the oak case if I hadn’t come to realize that so many people actually use the vaults. Of course, many have lots of expensive guns. I will likely get 3-4 more guns over the years but don’t expect to collect anything too special.

david.

Dear David,

First of all, please use proper capitalization and punctuation. I makes the email much easier to read. I get a lot of emails each day and can give the best answers to stuff that I can actually read.

Someone or other makes a theft proof glass display case, but it costs a ton. Personally, I would love to display my guns in a glass case, but I feel MUCH safer storing them all in a humongous Browning gun safe. My wife and I are often away from home for weekends and I feel better knowing that my guns and other valuables are safely locked away.

If you do decide to get a gun safe, I recommend that you get the largest one you can afford. You will be amazed at just how fast it fills up. I don’t think that the brand of gun safe is as important as the size. Anything of decent quality is fine. In spite of all the advertising hype, the larger ones are all pretty much the same.

A friend of mine was a state trooper and used to give lectures on “burglar proofing” your house. He said that the average robber takes about five minutes inside the house. They know that the longer they stay in there, the better the chances of getting caught. If a burglar sees a safe, he will usually just ignore it and go on to the easy, quick stuff- like your wife’s jewelry in the sock drawer.

Get a safe. It is one of those things that you hesitate to buy, but then wonder how you lived without once you have it. In your area of Florida, also make sure to get a “golden rod” heat source to prevent rust. The guy who sells you the safe will know all about this little $25 rust preventer.

Best regards,

Bruce Buck
Shotgun Report’s Technoid