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Old January 8, 2009, 07:52 PM   #1
cchardwick
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Do you keep your ammo locked up and separate from your guns?

Just wondering, since I'm reloading I always have ammo and components laying on the bench, some assembled some not. And I usually keep my ammo and guns in the same gun safe, and most of my guns are loaded and ready to go (I'm the only one who has access and who knows the status of my guns). I really don't see why you would separate guns from ammo in two different safes? Seems like if you needed your gun in a hurry it would take extra time to get into two safes.
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Old January 8, 2009, 08:08 PM   #2
godsey5
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I keep my guns and ammo locked up but in the same place. My guns I have stowed are not loaded. The ones I keep on my person or in my bedroom are loaded, round in the chamber, with safeties on if they have them. My wife and daughter know where they are. If you need a gun in a hurry the safe may not be the best place for quick access.

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Old January 8, 2009, 08:47 PM   #3
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Very little ammo is stored in the safe. Room in there is at a premium....
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Old January 8, 2009, 08:50 PM   #4
cchardwick
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I actually just gutted my whole gun safe and put back only the guns and ammo and a little cash. I had all kinds of junk in there that I didn't really have room for. Now I have tons of room, plenty for my 2,000 rounds plus room to spare. I could probably fit another 2,000 rounds. No more room for long guns, but maybe a few pistols. I'm thinking if I get a few more long guns I'll have to buy a bigger safe and use one for ammo, the other for guns. I welded up a shelf system to lift my long guns which allowed me to store a bunch of ammo under the guns. Also, I'm thinking of getting rid of some of my smaller ammo boxes and putting them in miliary ammo boxes in bulk to save room. Those small factory ammo boxes and my plastic reloading boxes take up tons of room, not good. Ammo cans like this would be perfect for bulk storage:

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Old January 8, 2009, 08:54 PM   #5
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(Post was duplicated) Anyone know how to delete a post?

Last edited by PCJim; January 8, 2009 at 08:56 PM. Reason: duplicate post
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Old January 8, 2009, 09:59 PM   #6
IllinoisCoyoteHunter
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I don't keep my ammo locked up....like stated above "space is at a premium" in the gun safe. I keep all my guns locked up except for the old kimber in my night stand. I don't keep my reloaded ammunition "stocked up." I reload on an "as-needed" basis, so I only reload a day or 2 before I go shooting. I also don't use handloads for personal defense....
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Old January 8, 2009, 10:09 PM   #7
DaveInPA
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My guns are locked in a safe. My ammo is in ammo cans and locked in a closet behind a heavy door. I have quite a bit of ammo . . .
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Old January 8, 2009, 10:10 PM   #8
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Guns are in the safe. Ammo is in the closet. No locks.
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Old January 8, 2009, 10:19 PM   #9
DaveBeal
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I do keep my guns and ammo locked up separately. Call me neurotic, but I have teenagers and there's a history of depression in my family. My firearm-related nightmare isn't a home invasion. It's that one of my kids uses my gun on him/herself.
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Old January 8, 2009, 11:46 PM   #10
rg1
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For the guns that might be needed (from the safe) i keep a few loaded magazines, ready to insert in the appropriate gun, in the safe. Rest of ammo is in ammo cans. I also keep several empty magazines for rifle and pistol locked in the safe.
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Old January 9, 2009, 12:42 AM   #11
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I used to strictly keep ammo out of the safe. The idea was in terms of safety -- keeping ammo separate from the firearms. Of course, the home defense weapon has ammo near it, but that is also in the safe when I'm not at home.

Anyhow, that all changed when I got my carry permit. I am in & out of the safe multiple times a day, sometimes changing handguns, and it's just so much easier to keep the carry ammo with the carry guns.

The rest of the ammo, the big load of it is in another locked space. It's not a big time lock, just to keep out the curious fingers.
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Old January 9, 2009, 12:46 AM   #12
Smallgame2100
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My ammo and gun are seperated. Neither are locked up.
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Old January 9, 2009, 01:43 AM   #13
Gneiss
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Ammo and guns are locked up in the safe together. My guns stay unloaded unless I'm about to use them.
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Old January 9, 2009, 06:56 AM   #14
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My wife and I don't have any children and no family with children so we have loaded guns all over the house.

We live in the country in southeast IN and there are problems with meth. lab dummies, kicking in peoples doors in the middle of the day and robbing them. One in our area went bad, my wife read about it, now she has a g30 45acp in her desk ready to go.

We have a small electrical contracting business, and she is home keeping the books often when I am gone at meetings etc. With a security alarm, two big great pyrenees dogs and plenty of fire power, I feel better about her being there alone. So does she.

I don,t even have a safe yet. I do need to get one now that I am getting more and better guns. Just bought a g26 and an AR and a Dillon 650. The safe will be the next big purchase. Even then, I probably will not keep all ammo in the safe. My only concern is that some kids ever break in and get a hold of the guns. I think that scares me enough to want a safe, but the loaded 45 is staying in her desk. You just can't cover all the odds!
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Old January 9, 2009, 09:22 AM   #15
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As I am a single male and my children are all grown and live far away, Child safety is not an issue. Some of my guns are not in the safe and are in condition 1. Ammo is not locked locked up. Components are not locked up. Some of my guns are. Many families in my area don't lock their guns up. Children here are raised with firearms and know firearm safety. Rural living is so much different than urban living.
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Old January 9, 2009, 09:48 AM   #16
OscarTurner
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Interesting timing of this thread

I just put all my guns and ammo in a Stack-On cabinet that I bought last night. I have a toddler in the house and I agonized over whether to store the ammo with the guns or to store the guns loaded or not. I opted to store most of the guns loaded (the ones that fire) and the ammo inside the cabinet, for now. I'm sure I'll revisit that decision many times over the coming weeks.

Most of my guns are for SD. For me, they are not worth having if they aren't loaded accessible to me or my wife. The cabinet makes them more accessible than the were before. Down the road, soon I hope, I'll get a smaller handgun safe and I might decide to just keep that one loaded and unload the ones in the cabinet and store their ammo separately.

Right now, I'm at least satisfied that the guns are locked away from my son yet still accessible to me and my wife. Before last night, I had the loaded weapons stored out of reach of my son, but that also put them out of reach of my wife.
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Old January 9, 2009, 11:38 AM   #17
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Except for SD ammo around the house, I have all my ammo locked up in a large Vidmar style tool box.
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Old January 9, 2009, 11:53 AM   #18
hoytinak
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I keep my range/disposable ammo locked up in the same safe as my firearms (which most stay loaded even in there)....all the stocked up ammo is in a closet, no locks.
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Old January 9, 2009, 11:58 AM   #19
444
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No

I don't keep any ammo locked up.
What the hell for ?
I do have all my guns in a safe.


If I locked up my ammo, I would need a vault FAR larger than the one at my bank.
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Old January 9, 2009, 01:20 PM   #20
Demaiter
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Out of curiosity when you guys pull guns out of your safe, how often do the barrels point right at your face?

I use a stack on safe with a small stack on safe bolted on top of the larger rifle safe below. Ammo up top, guns below - each safe uses a different key.
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Old January 9, 2009, 01:24 PM   #21
hoytinak
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Demaiter
Out of curiosity when you guys pull guns out of your safe, how often do the barrels point right at your face?
Never, I always practice muzzle awareness.
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Old January 9, 2009, 01:28 PM   #22
oneounceload
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HD/SD ammo is in the safe - practice ammo is in the garage(got too much for inside)
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Old January 9, 2009, 02:48 PM   #23
acossey
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Both in the safe!

I keep all of my guns and ammo in the safe. i also keep my Penn international fishing reels in there too.
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Old January 9, 2009, 04:36 PM   #24
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somewhat, I keep what loaded ammo I have in a .50 cal ammo box set back into a dry cool (cellar) area of my home. I have about 200 rounds for each centerfire and maybe 1000 rounds (2 bricks) of MiniMag for my .22LR rifle and pistols. I figure I'm ready for SHTF.
I don't have time to shoot the centerfires I have all that much and also I shoot BP guns and that takes up a good deal of space around my gun area. (BP revolvers are fun to shoot and can be very deadly accurate too but they do take some time)
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Old January 9, 2009, 05:08 PM   #25
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DaveBeal

Smart move on your part, I applaud your awareness of your situation.
You will not be one of the stories we read in the newspaper.
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