Preacherman
Member
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?
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?