chaim
Member
OK, so I'm finally moving out of my parent's house again. I'll be moving into a new apartment the end of September.
One concern is the mainenance crew. They'll obviously have keys to the place. I've lived at this same apartment complex before and I never had any trouble with anything disappearing, but I wasn't a gun owner at the time. So, I need to protect my guns better than I have at my parents house. They are in a house, in a "safe" area, so I have a small safe that holds some of my handguns, but my long guns and most handguns that aren't loaded for defense are just kept with a trigger lock when kids come around. Yeah, I know better, but living in my parents house I'm pretty low on space (most of my stuff from my last place is in their garage or in a storage unit and still my bedroom has boxes all over the place as it is) so I didn't really have room for a good safe.
Well, since I'm moving (there are quite a few related expenses), and I'm a teacher and not paid over the summer, money is tight and will be for a few months. I don't want to wait a few months with my guns unprotected. So, I can't really afford a really good safe right now. The best I can do, and it is pushing it, is one of the Stack-on type safes (the ones with the dead bolt locks on a lightweight safe, not the sheet metal cabinets) that go for $300-400. However, that is pushing it a bit. I don't know if I'd feel comfortable with one of the sheet metal cabinets but I'm considering it as a stop gap until tax time and then getting something nicer. I'm also considering (again as a stop gap until I get my tax return next winter) putting a new lockable door nob on the walk-in closet that maintenance won't have a key for, and then if they for some reason need to get in my closet it will just have to be arranged in advance while I'm there (and I'll arrange for any guns to be hidden elsewhere). I am slightly leaning towards the last idea since they won't know what is in the closet- if they know of the guns (assuming they know what the green Stack-on safe or cabinet would be hiding) they could come when they have more time to break in, not knowing what is in the closet they may not bother.
I do pretty much know what changes I'm making in my HD guns and load, but I want to share them. I already worry about overpenetration, but in an apartment I'll worry about it even more. So, no more .40S&W loaded for home defense...Only .45ACP and .38spl (I'll probably stick with +P on the .38s). I may start looking for a .45LC or .44spl revolver. Power, without too much penetration. For my shotgun, I'm probably going to switch away from 00 buck to #4 buck (I want to stick with buckshot since birdshot is a pretty unreliable manstopper, and I want to be able to stop the threat). I'm not too happy about the idea of #4 buck though so I may move to my .45LC Winchester 94, but out of a long-gun it may have too much overpenetration just like the magnum revolver rounds. Another option is .223/5.56 since it tends to be a good stopper at short HD ranges without too much overpenetration. If I do that I wouldn't use my AR (not PC looking enough for me to feel comfortable- in Baltimore City you WILL be charged in a home defense shooting no matter how good a shoot, and Balt City residents don't usually know guns, they'll just know it is an "evil assault rifle", especially after the prosecutor makes sure they know that). I may get a wood stocked Mini-14 for the duty, or even a .223 Browning BLR if they make it in .223.
So, your thoughts (especially for keeping the guns safe, and a good PC looking .223 HD rifle/carbine)?
One concern is the mainenance crew. They'll obviously have keys to the place. I've lived at this same apartment complex before and I never had any trouble with anything disappearing, but I wasn't a gun owner at the time. So, I need to protect my guns better than I have at my parents house. They are in a house, in a "safe" area, so I have a small safe that holds some of my handguns, but my long guns and most handguns that aren't loaded for defense are just kept with a trigger lock when kids come around. Yeah, I know better, but living in my parents house I'm pretty low on space (most of my stuff from my last place is in their garage or in a storage unit and still my bedroom has boxes all over the place as it is) so I didn't really have room for a good safe.
Well, since I'm moving (there are quite a few related expenses), and I'm a teacher and not paid over the summer, money is tight and will be for a few months. I don't want to wait a few months with my guns unprotected. So, I can't really afford a really good safe right now. The best I can do, and it is pushing it, is one of the Stack-on type safes (the ones with the dead bolt locks on a lightweight safe, not the sheet metal cabinets) that go for $300-400. However, that is pushing it a bit. I don't know if I'd feel comfortable with one of the sheet metal cabinets but I'm considering it as a stop gap until tax time and then getting something nicer. I'm also considering (again as a stop gap until I get my tax return next winter) putting a new lockable door nob on the walk-in closet that maintenance won't have a key for, and then if they for some reason need to get in my closet it will just have to be arranged in advance while I'm there (and I'll arrange for any guns to be hidden elsewhere). I am slightly leaning towards the last idea since they won't know what is in the closet- if they know of the guns (assuming they know what the green Stack-on safe or cabinet would be hiding) they could come when they have more time to break in, not knowing what is in the closet they may not bother.
I do pretty much know what changes I'm making in my HD guns and load, but I want to share them. I already worry about overpenetration, but in an apartment I'll worry about it even more. So, no more .40S&W loaded for home defense...Only .45ACP and .38spl (I'll probably stick with +P on the .38s). I may start looking for a .45LC or .44spl revolver. Power, without too much penetration. For my shotgun, I'm probably going to switch away from 00 buck to #4 buck (I want to stick with buckshot since birdshot is a pretty unreliable manstopper, and I want to be able to stop the threat). I'm not too happy about the idea of #4 buck though so I may move to my .45LC Winchester 94, but out of a long-gun it may have too much overpenetration just like the magnum revolver rounds. Another option is .223/5.56 since it tends to be a good stopper at short HD ranges without too much overpenetration. If I do that I wouldn't use my AR (not PC looking enough for me to feel comfortable- in Baltimore City you WILL be charged in a home defense shooting no matter how good a shoot, and Balt City residents don't usually know guns, they'll just know it is an "evil assault rifle", especially after the prosecutor makes sure they know that). I may get a wood stocked Mini-14 for the duty, or even a .223 Browning BLR if they make it in .223.
So, your thoughts (especially for keeping the guns safe, and a good PC looking .223 HD rifle/carbine)?