Leaving a gun in the car

[bullseye308]

I plan on leaving a Glock in my van just in case. I bought a sentry safe with a keypad and a key lock and a cable to tie it to the seat frame. My van stays locked at all times and has an alarm. It will reside between the front seats with a blanket over it until such time as I should need it or we go to the range. Not looking to hear about leaving it there to be stolen or any other common discussions why not to do it. What I would be interested in hearing is the effect of temperature on the ammo year round if it just sat there. I alternate between carrying my Glock 17L and 17 so one will be locked up until I can get a 19. The ammo will stay in the van along with a few spare mags as I load practice ammo to shoot and use Win Silvertips for defense if I ever have the need. I'll be leaving the Silvertips in the van for an indeterminate amount of time and that is my concern.
Thanks for reading this and looking forward to hearing from you all.

 

[trentcwwilson]

I've got a kimber warrior soc stashed away in my truck with some hot handloads. I've never had issues with the ammo. Then again, if you go to the thread about lint in a carry gun, you'll see that I discharge said rounds every month when I fully disassemble and clean the weapon. If it's a really hot environment, potentially an issue, but it still doesn't worry me.

 

[Captains1911]

I would change it out every 6 months.

 

[MaterDei]

Your ammo will be fine.

I'm curious, if it is a 'just in case' gun why would you lock it in a box? Why not just put it in your glove compartment or under a blanket between the seats? Kids, perhaps? My IWB CC firearm is hard to draw in my small car when I am buckled in so for short trips it is pressed between the seat and the center console, on longer trips it goes into the glove compartment with the holster.

Even better you could mount a holster under the dash, or under/beside your seat.

 

[trentcwwilson]

Mine is in a kydex holster riveted in place at just the right angle in the center console. It works extremely well, but I made the console out of stainless and it's pretty much flat sided so placement wasn't hard.

 

[Blueduck]

Well first, thank you for at least securing it in some way to make it harder to steal.

On the temp changes etc.. I don't know of any specific test or revommendations that would help, but I do know at least two Departments I'm aware of have one year rotations out of service that is stored in the trunk of otherwise. Might be at least somewhat of a guide.

 

[bullseye308]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't think it would be a problem, but thought I'd get some input just to be sure. It's a mini van with no console to speak of and a walk through between the seats, so I figured that would be a good place where I can get to it if I need it. I can't reach the glove compartment due to back problems, so that is out, and I have two younger kids with me most of the time. I had thought about mounting a holster to my seat but the wife said no due to the leather interior and I had to agree.
Guess I'll locate another box or two of silvertips and rotate them or dust off the black talons and mix it up a little.

 

[ny32182]

I just fired some factory Gold Dots that had been in my car for at least 5 years and they all ran fine. I wouldn't worry about it in the least.

Sell the black talons, they are worth money as an antique today and performance is inferior to modern bullets.

 

[BSA1]

I would change it out every 6 months.

Ditto.

I keep a Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special in the trunk of my car over one winter. Out winters get cold with temperatures frequently below zero.

When spring came I shot the rounds that were in it. Well I tried too. 3 of 5 rounds did not fired. Click, nada, nothing.

I just fired some factory Gold Dots that had been in my car for at least 5 years and they all ran fine. I wouldn't worry about it in the least.

WOW! There are things to save money on but self-defense ammo isn't one of them. I figured my life and the lives of my loved ones are worth a box of ammo every six months.

 

[ny32182]

I mean... you can buy more every 6 months if it makes you feel better, but it isn't going to shoot any different from the last batch.

 

[ny32182]

I have Pakistani .308 surplus from the 1970's with corrosion on the outside of the cases that still chronos 2500fps out of an 18" barrel.

Your high dollar, American-made-from-the-best-components-on-earth carry ammo will be fine.

 

[mavracer]

WOW! There are things to save money on but self-defense ammo isn't one of them. I figured my life and the lives of my loved ones are worth a box of ammo every six months.

Yes but that kinda defeats your argument as all the SD ammo I have has sealed in primers and bullets, so there's really no need to rotate them out every 6 months.

 

[alexcue]

One other thing...the safe, watch the batteries for the keypad if it uses them. They don't like heat too much (or prolonged freezing temps) and they will drain faster than if they were in a controlled environment like a house.

 

[Plan2Live]

I plan on leaving a Glock in my van just in case. I bought a sentry safe with a keypad and a key lock and a cable to tie it to the seat frame. My van stays locked at all times and has an alarm. It will reside between the front seats with a blanket over it until such time as I should need it or we go to the range. Not looking to hear about leaving it there to be stolen or any other common discussions why not to do it. What I would be interested in hearing is the effect of temperature on the ammo year round if it just sat there. I alternate between carrying my Glock 17L and 17 so one will be locked up until I can get a 19. The ammo will stay in the van along with a few spare mags as I load practice ammo to shoot and use Win Silvertips for defense if I ever have the need. I'll be leaving the Silvertips in the van for an indeterminate amount of time and that is my concern.

Just curious, what does ammo stored in a Glock react differently than ammo stored in other brands of pistols?

 

[trentcwwilson]

I think you're digging for a question. I think he just happened to want a glock. Not if ammo would react to glock mags.

 

[Warp]

The ammo will be perfectly fine.

 

[redneck]

I replace ammo in guns that I actually carry on my person, just because it is more likely to get unloaded and rechambered occasionally, and is exposed to sweat in the summer.
Beyond those reasons, I really don't think ammo goes bad as long as you keep it dry. Between hunting trips, range trips etc. I started accumulating ammo in my truck. Partial box of .22 ammo, then a handful of 12 gauge shells cause I didn't use them and the box fell apart, extra box of 9mm in case I run short at the range etc. . Ended up putting it in a dry box behind the seat all together. Can't say for sure how long any of it has been back there, but I am sure some of it has been there for years, and I haven't had a problem with any of it when I tried to use it. Rotating/replacing it is an easy form of insurance, but I don't think its as big a deal for a gun you aren't carrying daily.

 

[RugerBob]

I live in Maine and we have some very cold weather. I leave mine in my car and have checked the gun on a regular basis for functionality. Just swing by the range and empty the 2 mags ,refill, replace in area where I store it in car. Last 3 years and no issues. Cold or hot.

On a side note , I leave it in car because I can't carry it into work.

 

[AZAndy]

I have 7.62x25 ammunition from the 50s that works just fine.

 

[REJones]

Cold isn't a major problem for ammunition. Heat and moisture are and Nashville will give you both of those. You might consider rotating right before the really hot weather starts and again in the fall.

 

[GBExpat]

Ditto.

I keep a Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special in the trunk of my car over one winter. Out winters get cold with temperatures frequently below zero.

When spring came I shot the rounds that were in it. Well I tried too. 3 of 5 rounds did not fired. Click, nada, nothing.



WOW! There are things to save money on but self-defense ammo isn't one of them. I figured my life and the lives of my loved ones are worth a box of ammo every six months.

Sounds to me like you need to make that investment more often than every 6 months ... or change your brand of SD ammo.

 

[Wanderling]

I kind of don't quite get the idea of a gun locked inside the vehicle. "Wait, Mr Hijacker, I need to unlock this box..."

Unless that's just for storage.

 

[trentcwwilson]

I kind of don't quite get the idea of a gun locked inside the vehicle. "Wait, Mr Hijacker, I need to unlock this box..."

Unless that's just for storage.

Carry on school property has been allowed in the state of tennessee as long as you have your ccw permit on you and the vehicle stays locked with the weapon inside. Having a vehicle gun is more popular than people think. And doing so goes hand in hand with trying to make sure you care for said gun. I'm glad to see the OP asking. Shows responsibility.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

In general leaving a gun in a car is a bad idea. Thieves often break into cars to steal whatever they can find.

Yes, a safe and other precautions would help, but why not be secure and carry on-body?

 

[trentcwwilson]

In general leaving a gun in a car is a bad idea. Thieves often break into cars to steal whatever they can find.

Yes, a safe and other precautions would help, but why not be secure and carry on-body?

That's not always an available option. See my last post. I know a lot of places here locally that don't want carry in their stores. Sadly, there's not a lot of places to shop here. What do you do? Take gun off hip and leave it hidden until you return.