If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
Be sure to enter the NES/MFS February Giveaway ***Canik TP9SF Elite***
We should have an NES shoot where we all shoot at old safes. For science!
All that we'd prove is that nobody makes a safe big enough for us to hit it from 80 yards, with scoped rifles, shooting from the prone position and no time restrictions.
If we gather enough safes, someone is bound to hit at least one, right?
put the bullseye on the ground. rounds will hit the safes.
I don't have my NH non-resident yet, I unload my EDC and put it in my truck safe once I cross into the free state. As soon as I cross the line back into assachusetts, it's chamber one in the pipe, re-fill the mag, mag in, safety on, and on my way. I can do it in seconds stopped at a light, usually.
I'd suggest you do it in reverse.
This is only meant to deter a smash and grab, not someone who came equipped for a safe.
Also it is fire rated at 1400 degrees for 60 minutes for my hard drives and DVR.
In that case all you need is a 150lb dog like mine. NO one is ever going to walk in to my house without an invite. If they do the leftovers will leave in a "doggie bag"...
It would be illegal.
My HD guns stay handy and loaded and not in a safe... unless I'm not home. I'm thinking in terms of the random what-if, of coming home and needing to immediately access it.
Also only fools go clearing their house looking for trouble. I don't have kids to go protect. I fully intend to stay in place and have surprise on my side when the threat comes to me. No macho, "This is my house" nonsense. Plus I rent. It's not my house...
It's illegal for a non-resident to transport an unloaded handgun in a locked container in a vehicle in MA?
If so, I did not know that, and I apologize for the bad advice. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
camperrrrrrrr. you honestly wouldn't try to engage someone invading your home?
sorry, but i want to push this thread to epic status.
If you don't have kids, there is no reason to lock your gun in your safe while you are home.
A well hidden gun (in a quick entry box if you are in ma) is less likely to get stolen than a gun in a cheap, flimsy safe. (If its 12 ga in the door, whats the body? 14 ga? Barely thicker than aluminum foil)
Remember, when your house gets broken into, if a safe is found, it immediately becomes the focus of the bad guys attention.
A thief has 5 minutes to find your gun. A child has a lifetime. So hiding it is not a bad idea.
I'm not sure what you mean by "border of MA, NH". Does that mean MA near NH or NH near MA? If you are in NH, you defensive gun should not be locked at all as long as you don't have kids in the house. Hide it well. I used to keep a defensive gun, spare mag, and a flashlight behind a false heating register next to my bed. I had others stashed similarly around my house in other places.
Now that I have kids, I just carry all the time, even inside. My guns are either on me or in decent quality safe. (the smaller one is 1/4 steel plate in the body and 5/8 in the door)
In any discussion of safes, I keep coming back to this guy: SAFE SALE - ALL SAFES
Good guy. Great stuff, cheap.
Don
there's only one way to find out.
It sounds like you've thought things through.
But what I'm saying may run counter to conventional wisdom. All I'm asking is that you think outside the box. No pun intended. I'd suggest that even your shotgun is better hidden than in a 12ga safe.
I know someone with one of these: OVERHEAD VAULT II Test on Vimeo
Overhead vault does not appear to still be in business, but its an easy concept to copy. His is installed right next to his furnace and is covered in duct insulation to match all the other ducts running overhead. His best guns are in this unit.
About 10 ft away is his safe with all his daily use guns.
The items hidden are not protected against fire. But remember, most homeowners policys strict limits on firearms coverage (typically $2000) usually applies only to THEFT. Most HO policies protect firearms to the full contents limits of the policies with respect to things like fire, flood, etc.
Don
To address the original question, the only correct answer is "it depends."...