Firearms carry/concealment in travel trailer or RV?

[Preacherman]

Hi, folks. I've got a problem to solve, and I hope some of you can help me.

I've got to conceal defensive firearms in an 18-foot travel trailer, which will be used over several states for some months as a mobile residence/office for relief efforts related to our recent hurricanes. Since it will often be parked overnight in out-of-the-way and/or unsavory places, protection for the occupant(s) is a must. The storage should also offer as much protection against casual theft as possible. However, there's no way (or open space) to put in a metal gun locker of any normal dimensions (e.g. the Sentry 5-gun "safe", or something of similar size).

I'm leaning towards using folding-stock long guns, in order to make them small enough when folded to fit into a normal suitcase-size compartment. This can be done with short-barreled shotguns, carbines, etc. I'm thinking that if I install a sheet-metal box (either an off-the-shelf unit, or one "built to spec") underneath one of the dinette seats (which seat 2 abreast), this will be long enough to accommodate a folding-stock long gun or two, and of course a handgun or two, plus ammo, cleaning gear, etc. The box could be locked within the seat storage, or the seat itself could be locked in the closed position with a padlock. The base of the steel box would have to be bolted (through the floor) to the metal chassis of the trailer, so as to prevent its easy removal.

Of course, this won't stop a determined thief, but it would satisfy some transport requirements of various states, and would deter a casual thief who didn't have the tools or the time to break into it. It could be opened upon arrival at the night's destination, and the firearms taken out and kept handy until the morning's departure.

Another option is to fit some sort of longer steel box beneath the queen-size bed in the trailer. This can be accessed by lifting the mattress and removing a wood panel over the storage area beneath the bed. However, this is not so easy to get at, as the mattress can't easily be removed altogether, so one would have to hold up the mattress with one hand while fishing around in the storage compartment, trying to open the box, with the other. It's also less secure, in that there's a side panel allowing access to this under-bed storage area from outside the trailer, and someone might get ideas if they looked in and saw a steel box inside. For these reasons, I'm inclined to reject this approach - but some of you may have better ideas?

Any alternative ideas and suggestions?

 

[Warren]

There was a Dean Koontz book 'Intensity' that got made into a movie that I saw the first half-hour of, the villian had an RV set up as a roving murder HQ.

What he did was make the countertop able to lift up like the lid of a footlocker, the sink would stay in place though. It had a not easy to find release device but I don't recall what it was exactly.

All of his guns were affixed to the underside of this counter. It looked cool, though I do not know how practical it would actually be and then there is the issue of your stuff being so close to a water source.


PS The movie was unwatchable because the heroine was so frickin' useless I nearly threw up.

 

[armoredman]

Go with the first idea. Be careful.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Take a look at http://www.homakmfg.com/3014.asp . That might fit in somewhere you could hide it from easy view. Not bulletproof but better than nothing.

Or maybe you have room to rip out that dinette seat and replace it with
http://www.homakmfg.com/52216.asp , or perhaps fit this underneath the bed. If you attach this cabinet to the chassis and put paneling/upholstery on it to match the rest of the interior, that might do it.

You might just have to find a welder and have something built to fit available dimensions. If you have an honest welder available that is. I can heartily recommend my safe man, but he's here in NC- PM me if you want his POC though.

lpl/nc

 

[Warren]

I did some more 'membering about Intensity and it seems I was a bit off with my description. The countertop did lift up but the guns (and other things) were secured to the botom half. So it would have to be quite a thick counter for this to work. The evil guy did have a fully apointed RV so a thick corian type counter was not out of place there.


Do you have any pictures of the layout of this trailer?

 

[sm]

-Salvage yard dented long tool boxes for pick-up truck convert to "window seats" for travel trailers. Astro-turf to match decor.

-HVAC salvaged Coleman and other LP "units", actually have heavy steel storage behind them. "Oh, that is just HVAC set up".

-Home Depot , Lowes, similar have tall circuit breaker boxes, see above.

-Akin to Lee's links, who says one cannot have wall mounted "ironing board".

-Under beds, and known storage areas such as kitchen / dining areas in travel trailers...BGs already know about.

For a traveling Sales Rep, his long guns and such were in the ceiling, granted this guy and his wife were not tall, and since my idea I got to buy them a stepladder.

Theirs also has a chest of drawers ( really tall one ) - that was NOT. Bolted down and one drawer did pull out a bit. The rest was false fronts. Safe inside. I think we paid $20 for it as it was damaged at a small town Hardware Store. One of those one puts together themselves from a kit.

FWIW a 870 20 ga will fit under the hood of some RV, or trucks that pull trailers along with some handguns. Just have to improvise , adapt ,
overcome a bit is all.

Poodle Shooters fit over sun visors for night travel.

On the road again...

 

[Malamute]

I saw one of those sheet metal 5 or 8 gun safes (as in your link) installed in the closet of a motor home. It was bolted through the wall and floor. Took up about half the closet space, but looked like a worthwhile item for what you described. Is the closet space in the campers you are working with not large enough to fit one of those safes like you showed the link for?

 

[carebear]

Not sure where it might go, but the locking pull-out drawer units for pickup truck beds might shoehorn in somewhere.

 

[TallPine]

Most RVs have a bunch of hidey-holes that are more or less hard to get to.

I dunno about a steel locker - seems like it would just scream "something valuable in here" and most RVs wouldn't have anything really strong enough to attach it to.

I would go with camoflage instead of locking. Get an old 38 revolver or a cheap shotgun and hide it in a bag of dirty laundry or something .....

Anyway, what's going to keep somebody from stealing the whole rig (and contents) while it is unattended ???

 

[NMshooter]

TruckVault makes stuff for many different vehicles.

DEA and FBI among others seem to be real fond of those products.

Using quality hardware and welding or Loctite to make it permanent would probably be enough.

 

[sm]

Anyway, what's going to keep somebody from stealing the whole rig (and contents) while it is unattended ???

Hence the reason the valuables were under the hood and other areas of the aforementioned vehicle pulling the travel trailer. If one parks trailer, uses vehicle as one does to run errands, trailer is vulnerable.

For instance for SUVs and similar the replacment back cargo lockable storage areas ...with matching carpet and still one can use as cargo area ( just not quite as tall/ floor to ceiling) work very well.

Main thing is to NEVER advertise anything. Guns cases, NRA Stickers and such, SCREAM guns!

Now everyone uses a duffle, has a canvas bag about 50" long to hold extra tarps, folding camp chairs...just part of the junk one has ...why rumor even has it a spare awning for a Coleman trailer comes with a Poodle shooter....that was what was in the one canvas awning bag I saw anyway...

 

[Preacherman]

Thank you all for the advice so far. Here's a bit of initial feedback to what you've said.

1. Keeping the firearms in the towing vehicle, rather than the trailer: Yes, this is a far safer storage method than having them in the trailer. However, if one has to drive into areas still under police or military (i.e. National Guard) control, there can be problems in getting in with weapons, so there will be times when they simply have to be left in the trailer. I agree, it's easy to steal a trailer, but I'm working on a locking bar to fix one or more wheels to the chassis, so that they won't turn. This should make unauthorized towing an interesting proposition...

2. Hiding guns in other objects, e.g. laundry baskets or canvas bags: Sure, this is good from the point of view of concealment, but it's lousy security. Any passing thief-of-opportunity is likely to grab whatever he can and run, if he doesn't have time to search thoroughly. A folding chair in a bag, or a suitcase, or something like that, is a likely target. After all, we're not dealing with intelligent crooks here - they'll try to score anything that might help them get their next "hit" of whatever their drug of choice may be.

3. The Homak products look interesting, but I'll have to check dimensions to see if they'll fit. I suspect all will be too large in at least one dimension to fit under the seats or the bed. I may have to get hold of some aluminum sheeting, the sort used to make pickup truck toolboxes, and have it cut to size, or bent to shape, or something like that. This is still early days as far as planning is concerned, so I've got time to kick a few ideas around.

Certainly, if long guns are to be an option, they'll have to have folding stocks, in order to be concealed more easily. I checked out the closet area, and to put a full-length gun in there would not be easy, given obstructions such as shelf mounting hardware, the curve of the bodywork, etc. I could always put two long guns in brackets on the sides of the closet, but this would reduce the storage area to below-optimum levels. I think flat storage underneath something else is the way I'll have to go. For handguns, there are a couple of other options, involving some of the (many) overhead cupboards, etc.

Again, thanks for all the suggestions. Please keep them coming!

 

[sm]

Yeah I ran into a wee problem in regard to a Air Force Base once. Been years since I had taken a city bus, but I did that day. Then I ran into the same problem with a Prison. Taxis work.

Preacherman you know of some of my past. I strongly agree with a visit to Sheet Metal shop. Preferably one where the owner, persons are shooters and know how to keep mouths shut. Some ideas are best shared off-forum, you have my email.

Granted some of this stuff I learned from Crooks. That "think like a thief" bit.

 

[Oldtimer]

I have a 17' travel trailer, and I've given some thought to hiding a folding stock shotgun. My first idea was to add onto the overhead storage cabinets (underneath), and make them blend in with the overall appearance of the interior. Either a hidden or unobtrusive locking device could be added, with the "false" portion of the cabinet on hinges. With my trailer, it would be fairly easy, for the walls are covered with carpet material.

Another idea was to utilize a cheapie home stereo, with detachable speakers secured to a hinged "trap door". Most of the lower portions of the stereo and speakers would have to be cut away, so that a hidden box could slide behind/underneath. The stereo and speakers would be solidly mounted together, and the entire "trap door" could be tilted forward to give access to the shotgun. To alleviate the possibility of it being tipped forward by a stranger, it would have to be secured to the frame or walls of the trailer in some way.

Lastly, instead of hiding your firearms, it might be better to look into the possibility of taking them to a safe, secure location before driving into the "no gun" zones. There may be a 24-hour storage facility close to where you're going....OR, how about simply talking with the local police about your predicament? They MIGHT allow you to keep them secured in your vehicle....if they're not loaded!

 

[frenchwrench]

When we lived in an older Winabego I disassembled the panel under the rear pull out bed and hinged it at the top and added two magnetic catches at the bottom.Behind this panel was the main water tank,with space for a 12 gauge and the 30.30 Added some rubberized clamps and it worked great for 7 years.No one ever gave it a second look. With the bed pulled out we just opened the panel first and the guns are at hand under your bed.Your layout might be different but if you stand back and look around,you'll find your spot.

 

[bogie]

I'd take one of those small auto boxes, and bolt it to something for a handgun. Put some magazines on top of it, whatever. As long as you can get your fingers on it, you're fine. Unload for transport.

For a long gun, I'd just add a locked box under something, or consider building a styrofoam "drywall" wall, and just leaving it in there all the time.

Also, I'd check on the requirements for the states, and get reciprocal licenses, etc...

 

[Fred Fuller]

Here's a cabinet that's a bit smaller-
http://www.agenglish.com/vline/shotgun.html .

What sort of long guns are you planning to take along? Most useful defensive guns 'take down' to some degree, like removing the barrel from a pumpgun or pushing out the pins on an AR and separating the upper/lower, and can thus be made shorter for storage in limited space. And it doesn't sound as if you are planning on instant deployability for any of them from their storage compartment. The closest 870 here is 37.5" overall (18" ImpCyl barrel, 12.5" LOP stock), the FN Police Shotgun I have been giving a workout lately (see http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=170316 ) stretches an inch longer at 38.5" (18" barrel with Mod choke tube, 13.5" LOP). Taking off the barrels for storage reduces overall length on either pumpgun by another 5" or so.

hth,

lpl/nc

 

[chaim]

With limited storage abilities, and a temporary (if long term temporary) situation, I have three possible suggestions depending upon your comfort level.

1) Depending upon the storage laws in the states you'll find yourself, bring the long gun but don't secure it. Hide it, have a trigger lock, or whatever else you can jerry-rig while storing it, but you may have to forget about really securing it. Of course, you'll want to stick with something less expensive for this idea (SKS, 12ga pump, cheaper AK, but no ARs or higher end AKs). Far from ideal, and depending upon your ethical viewpoint it may not be acceptable (it would be easier for it to be stolen and be another "gun on the street"), but as a temporary measure it may work and would be far cheaper than some custom modifications of your RV/trailer.

2) Stick with handguns. Sure, a revolver caliber carbine, .223 rifle/carbine or shotgun is far more effective, but if you can't secure it and you want to secure your firearms it may be your best option (without some expensive modifications to your RV or trailer). Since it won't be a concealment handgun maybe go with a full sized .45LC, .41mag or .44mag to maximize your effectiveness.

3) Would the Kel-tec carbine fit in your existing space? If a pistol safe is a little small, maybe you could go with one of the Sentry home office safes in the space in your RV. It may not be a big enough safe for a long gun, but one of the folding Kel-tec carbines might work. Heck, the non-folding Hi Point Carbine is pretty small and might work. While 9mm or .40S&W doesn't have the kind of increased performance out of a carbine barrel that you see in revolver calibers, it will give some advantages over a handgun (mainly the longer sight radius) and it could be possible for you to more easily secure it. A longer shot may be the Kel-tec SU16 (is that the correct designation for the .223, I don't really pay much attention to that gun).