Re: Ammo storage tips, got any?

26
rolandson wrote:Cat litter. Some brands, both national and generic, are 100% silica gel.
Hiding in plain sight. Nice, thank you. Do they make an "unscented" version of those? I've never used the gel type litters, only the clay ones.

Our local Pet Smart has little porous bags intended for holding filter media in canister-type filters in their aquarium department. IIRC they are about $1 apiece and have strings to cinch 'em down.

Might be a good combinaton.

I use surplus .30 cal and .50 cal ammo cans with dessicant. Up to now the Midway-USA supplied ones in 40-gram size have been the usual method: HERE
"il corporativismo è la pietra angolare dello Stato fascista" Translated, this means: "boom-shacka-lacka-lacka,-boom-boom-boom.

Re: Ammo storage tips, got any?

33
christianne wrote:So - with both the spouse and me doing this, you are talking $636 for the two of us. We've already paid for the course and taken it. So now it's just coming up with the $436 to do the rest of it. We came very close to having to sell the Mustang and file bankruptcy earlier this year. It's taken a lot of hard work and corner cutting -- overtime and a whole bunch of doing things on a shoestring budget, but we managed to keep it together - so we are being smart about it - and putting the few extra dollars away every pay period and not taking money that we should be using to pay the mortgage and get the permits.
I'm trying not to troll, but I'm honestly questioning your priorities right now. You'd probably be better off using the savings as a safety net or to pay down debt.
Sigs are bad for you.

Re: Ammo storage tips, got any?

35
Makes two of us. Sanity through my hobbies- or Jack would be a very dull (and bored) boy.

Also, this to me highlights the ridiculousness of such a high price for one to get a permit. It effectively means that the poor are paying a much higher rate of their income just to have the ability to exercise their RKBA. This should not be the case anywhere. Want to charge a fee? Fine, but since it's a right, make that fee affordable or subsidized for those below a certain income threshold.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: Ammo storage tips, got any?

37
shinzen wrote:Makes two of us. Sanity through my hobbies- or Jack would be a very dull (and bored) boy.

Also, this to me highlights the ridiculousness of such a high price for one to get a permit. It effectively means that the poor are paying a much higher rate of their income just to have the ability to exercise their RKBA. This should not be the case anywhere. Want to charge a fee? Fine, but since it's a right, make that fee affordable or subsidized for those below a certain income threshold.
I like the fee idea +millionaires $100k each the rest of the 99% $1! :bananadance:
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Ammo storage tips, got any?

38
nhaP wrote:
christianne wrote:So - with both the spouse and me doing this, you are talking $636 for the two of us. We've already paid for the course and taken it. So now it's just coming up with the $436 to do the rest of it. We came very close to having to sell the Mustang and file bankruptcy earlier this year. It's taken a lot of hard work and corner cutting -- overtime and a whole bunch of doing things on a shoestring budget, but we managed to keep it together - so we are being smart about it - and putting the few extra dollars away every pay period and not taking money that we should be using to pay the mortgage and get the permits.
I'm trying not to troll, but I'm honestly questioning your priorities right now. You'd probably be better off using the savings as a safety net or to pay down debt.
I appreciate your statement. Please note I said "hard work and corner cutting -- overtime and a whole bunch of doing things on a shoestring budget, but we managed to keep it together....and putting a few extra dollars away every pay period and not taking money that we should be using to pay the mortgage to get the permits"

Essentially, I have been putting a few dollars away - earmarked exclusively for the permits. My job as a court reporter means that when transcript of court hearings are reqeusted, I get paid a statutorily set per page rate. That is in addition to my base salary paid by the Branch. There are times when other reporters get behind on their work and ask others to do the transcripts in their back-log. I always volunteer to take on extra work.

Luckily for me, I am a very fast typist - one of the fastest in my district. And in the past four weeks I have - in addition to being in court every day for 8 hours, I have managed to type over 1000 pages of transcripts from a trial I was on in March. I had taken on a lot of extra work when things had gotten bad. I was typing at work - at home - weekends. I typed 300 pages in one weekend in February. I kept going and going and going -- taking on work from co-workers -- that put us back in the black and has allowed me to put away some into - I guess you could call it a "hobby fund". I have a special bank account for my service dog's expenses. I have a bank account that is for the expense of going to visit my son in North Carolina. And I guess that account will also be for my gun permit/gun/ammo.

I am actually hoping that when I finally send in the permit fees, that I will be able to -- or be very close to -- having the money to buy my first gun. That's when I will get serious about going to the range and renting different guns. Then - I will be ready exactly at the right time.

But - thanks for your concern. I understand you are looking out for me. And I appreciate a friend like that.
First of all, let's call it what it really is...It's not a gun buy-back, because the government never owned them. It's a gun turn in.

Re: Ammo storage tips, got any?

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sikacz wrote:Would the kitty litter be the blue crystal stuff?
sorry for not paying attention...
the stuff I have is called "amazing cat liter"...comes in an 8 pound bag and is relatively white - clear with a few blue crystals mixed in and is unscented. I bought it at our local 'kroger' franchise. I don't imagine that it is actually very good for a cat's health but it's a reasonable desiccant for my purposes....
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Literate Ignorance of the left...
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Re: Ammo storage tips, got any?

44
So back to the topic at hand --

I have six cats (no one start calling me the crazy cat lady!! ;) ) So I buy cat litter in bulk. Cat food in bulk. I also have four dogs -- so dog food is also in bulk.

Using the previous comments here regarding kitty litter of a specifc kind being appropriate to use -- and going back to the original question I had posted, which was the storage of my future firearm in a situation in which I cannot take my weapon with me -- such as a vacation, etc. And my original question went back to the instructor in the class telling me that thieves don't normally go into kitchens so to hide my weapon there. And that a gun safe - unless one bolts it to the floor - is not really safe.

So - now my question is - if I were to purchase a bag of this specific kitty litter - and I plopped it next to the rest of my kitty litter -- but used it for the specific purpose of hiding my weapon -- let's say I put it in one of those vacuum sealed bags I asked about- and then plopped it in the middle of the bag of kitty litter.

Would that be considered one of those safe - hiding in plain sight kind of things? I mean, is someone breaking into my house going to think "oh, with six cats, they are going to hide a gun inside the bag of kitty litter."

This is not for those times that I am home -- this is for storage of a weapon for a longer period of time. I am asking because again, being a newb, I just don't know this stuff.

And I promise -- I'm not an ATF plant or asking for nefarious reasons as I was accused of by some on another forum. :)
First of all, let's call it what it really is...It's not a gun buy-back, because the government never owned them. It's a gun turn in.

Re: Ammo storage tips, got any?

46
christianne wrote:So back to the topic at hand --

I have six cats (no one start calling me the crazy cat lady!! ;) ) So I buy cat litter in bulk. Cat food in bulk. I also have four dogs -- so dog food is also in bulk.

Using the previous comments here regarding kitty litter of a specifc kind being appropriate to use -- and going back to the original question I had posted, which was the storage of my future firearm in a situation in which I cannot take my weapon with me -- such as a vacation, etc. And my original question went back to the instructor in the class telling me that thieves don't normally go into kitchens so to hide my weapon there. And that a gun safe - unless one bolts it to the floor - is not really safe.

So - now my question is - if I were to purchase a bag of this specific kitty litter - and I plopped it next to the rest of my kitty litter -- but used it for the specific purpose of hiding my weapon -- let's say I put it in one of those vacuum sealed bags I asked about- and then plopped it in the middle of the bag of kitty litter.

Would that be considered one of those safe - hiding in plain sight kind of things? I mean, is someone breaking into my house going to think "oh, with six cats, they are going to hide a gun inside the bag of kitty litter."

This is not for those times that I am home -- this is for storage of a weapon for a longer period of time. I am asking because again, being a newb, I just don't know this stuff.

And I promise -- I'm not an ATF plant or asking for nefarious reasons as I was accused of by some on another forum. :)
I highly doubt it would meet any legal standard of "safe storage" if there is such a standard required in your area.

That said - I can hardly imagine any thief (unless they're someone who knows you and sees you posting this online) taking a bag of kitty litter.

In my view, the gun safe is still the best option, even if expensive - but the instructor was not wrong about bolting it to the floor, that's pretty much a requirement unless it's very, very heavy.

With safes you want a model that: bolts down, uses a skeleton key or an abloy key, and- if biometric- can't simply have the pad pushed through the wall of the safe giving access to internals.

House key or tubular key styles are very easily defeated.

Retrofitting a GunVault with an Abloy lock cylinder is a robust and fairly inexpensive solution for storing one or two handguns, bolted to a large unwieldy piece of furniture, or in your car.

For long gun safes, I think one of the cheapest options that isn't crap is a Sentry Safe 14. Lighter weight than you might like, but can be bolted down and has a good electronic keypad, and the back-up lock is a relatively strong skeleton key style.


It's worth bearing in mind: even an imperfect safe that's bolted down can keep it safe from casual smash-and-grab thieves, and from unauthorized access by kids or dumb house guests, but at the same time, a more robust solution doesn't HAVE to cost more.

Re: Ammo storage tips, got any?

47
Fiddler wrote:
christianne wrote:So back to the topic at hand --

I have six cats (no one start calling me the crazy cat lady!! ;) ) So I buy cat litter in bulk. Cat food in bulk. I also have four dogs -- so dog food is also in bulk.

Using the previous comments here regarding kitty litter of a specifc kind being appropriate to use -- and going back to the original question I had posted, which was the storage of my future firearm in a situation in which I cannot take my weapon with me -- such as a vacation, etc. And my original question went back to the instructor in the class telling me that thieves don't normally go into kitchens so to hide my weapon there. And that a gun safe - unless one bolts it to the floor - is not really safe.

So - now my question is - if I were to purchase a bag of this specific kitty litter - and I plopped it next to the rest of my kitty litter -- but used it for the specific purpose of hiding my weapon -- let's say I put it in one of those vacuum sealed bags I asked about- and then plopped it in the middle of the bag of kitty litter.

Would that be considered one of those safe - hiding in plain sight kind of things? I mean, is someone breaking into my house going to think "oh, with six cats, they are going to hide a gun inside the bag of kitty litter."

This is not for those times that I am home -- this is for storage of a weapon for a longer period of time. I am asking because again, being a newb, I just don't know this stuff.

And I promise -- I'm not an ATF plant or asking for nefarious reasons as I was accused of by some on another forum. :)
I highly doubt it would meet any legal standard of "safe storage" if there is such a standard required in your area.

That said - I can hardly imagine any thief (unless they're someone who knows you and sees you posting this online) taking a bag of kitty litter.

In my view, the gun safe is still the best option, even if expensive - but the instructor was not wrong about bolting it to the floor, that's pretty much a requirement unless it's very, very heavy.

With safes you want a model that: bolts down, uses a skeleton key or an abloy key, and- if biometric- can't simply have the pad pushed through the wall of the safe giving access to internals.

House key or tubular key styles are very easily defeated.

Retrofitting a GunVault with an Abloy lock cylinder is a robust and fairly inexpensive solution for storing one or two handguns, bolted to a large unwieldy piece of furniture, or in your car.

For long gun safes, I think one of the cheapest options that isn't crap is a Sentry Safe 14. Lighter weight than you might like, but can be bolted down and has a good electronic keypad, and the back-up lock is a relatively strong skeleton key style.


It's worth bearing in mind: even an imperfect safe that's bolted down can keep it safe from casual smash-and-grab thieves, and from unauthorized access by kids or dumb house guests, but at the same time, a more robust solution doesn't HAVE to cost more.
Here in Ct their idea of safe storage is to not have it. I guess the instructor made me kind of paranoid. The law in CT is if there is a child under the age of 17 in the house, the gun has to be on you. No ifs - ands - buts about it. My exact question was does that mean while I am sitting on the sofa in the evening, watching Criminal Minds, and my 15 yr old son is in the house. His statement: then your gun is unloaded - and sitting on the table next to you. Ummm...okay...what about sleeping? Under your pillow.

Gun safes of any kind should be bolted to the floor -- bolted to the wall -- and if you should have occasion to leave the gun behind, it should be hidden in the kitchen because burglars never go in the kitchen. Don't leave it in the gun safe. I specifically asked - what about a range that offers lockers? Nope - because that's where guns get stolen. Range employees are the biggest gun thieves.

See what I mean about being confused? Until I heard those statements, I always thought that a gun safe was the safest thing - but apparently without major renovation to my house. I am not keen on bolting something into the floors of my home. It doesn't make for a good resell point unless I agree to leave the safe bolted to the floor.

I have no interest in purchasing rifles or long guns, so a full-size gun safe seems a bit like overkill.
First of all, let's call it what it really is...It's not a gun buy-back, because the government never owned them. It's a gun turn in.

Re: Ammo storage tips, got any?

48
If I were you, I would get a small, 1-1.5 cu ft safe and bolt it to the floor in a closet or in the basement. You can always fill the holes and take the safe if you sell the house. Put the guns and ammo in it and do not allow your son to get the combination. I think you are over thinking this. If a burglar has time to get into the safe, he will have time to strip the house of everything valuable. Perhaps a security system is in order.

I would be more concerned about a youngster, not necessarily your son, learning that you stash a piece in a bag of kitty litter. An off hand comment that is overheard could lead to tragedy.
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Re: Ammo storage tips, got any?

49
christianne wrote:
Here in Ct their idea of safe storage is to not have it. I guess the instructor made me kind of paranoid. The law in CT is if there is a child under the age of 17 in the house, the gun has to be on you. No ifs - ands - buts about it. My exact question was does that mean while I am sitting on the sofa in the evening, watching Criminal Minds, and my 15 yr old son is in the house. His statement: then your gun is unloaded - and sitting on the table next to you. Ummm...okay...what about sleeping? Under your pillow.

Gun safes of any kind should be bolted to the floor -- bolted to the wall -- and if you should have occasion to leave the gun behind, it should be hidden in the kitchen because burglars never go in the kitchen. Don't leave it in the gun safe. I specifically asked - what about a range that offers lockers? Nope - because that's where guns get stolen. Range employees are the biggest gun thieves.

See what I mean about being confused? Until I heard those statements, I always thought that a gun safe was the safest thing - but apparently without major renovation to my house. I am not keen on bolting something into the floors of my home. It doesn't make for a good resell point unless I agree to leave the safe bolted to the floor.

I have no interest in purchasing rifles or long guns, so a full-size gun safe seems a bit like overkill.
I think that you have a crazy person as an instructor. I had one of those once... in his teachings, you had to carry a primary weapon in 9mm minimum with a high capacity mag (16 round minimum), 2 backup magazines on your belt, and a backup gun in a pocket holster. Safety off on both of them, one in the chamber. He is an idiot.
Also, anybody that sleeps with a gun under his pillow is a moron.
Just because he is an instructor it doesn't mean he is a good instructor.

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