Storeing guns and ammo separate?

[zahc]

I've been shooting for a long time, and consider myself a safe shooter, that thinks about safety quite a bit. But a while back I was in a conversation with an anti (whom I actually like) and he said something like "what! you store ammo in your safe! Everyone knows that you are supposed to store ammo away from guns"

I was puzzled, tried to think of a reason, thinking about maybe chemical leaching out of ammo and causing problems

I said "why?"

He said something like "so if you decide to kill someone you'll have time to cool down" which I laughed at. (it is very funny how people can be very inteligent and logical in virtually everything else in life but still have stupidity-inducing Hoplophibia)

I have seen the "rule" several times since and thought maybe it was legitimate.

 

[zahc]

Storing ammo in the safe seems logical. Easy access, humidity control, etc. What else is the top shelf for? I check all guns when they come out of the safe and don't bring them in the house loaded. I keep ammo away from my cleaning area.

 

[The Reaper]

The NRA recommends this and puts it in their training courses. It is so that a child or "unauthorized person" cannot easily obtain a firearm and ammunition. Geared towards those folks who do not have safes, and there are quite a few of them. Otherwise not much point.

I prefer to store my ammo in the firearm.
Otherwise it's in the safe with the guns.

 

[M1911]

I used to believe as you do and stored my ammo in my safe. I no longer do that.


















Because I need the space for more guns and all my ammo won't fit in there anyways

 

[FPrice]

From what I have seen and read, storing ammo away from guns is supposed to make it harder for someone who may break in to use your firearms. They might get one or the other but hopefully not both.

I generally store my guns and ammo separately but usually because of lack of space in my storage areas. However I think you should do what works for you, as long as you take some responsibility for safe storage.

 

[Autolite]

In Kanada

it's the law. Perhaps you could contact the Canadian Firearms Centre and ask them why.

 

[J Miller]

From what I have seen and read, storing ammo away from guns is supposed to make it harder for someone who may break in to use your firearms. They might get one or the other but hopefully not both.

I don't buy that theory. It sounds good to the antis, but not to anyone who has a brain.
I have been burglarized twice. Both times back in Phx in the late 70's. Both times guns were taken. Neither time was any ammo taken. The scum just wanted guns and valuables to sell. Ammo is heavy. Why steal that, and then not be able to cary all the other goodies?

I store my ammo where it is convienient.......for me. If someone doesn't like it. Well

 

[Standing Wolf]

Unloaded firearms and ammunition are required to be transported in separate containers in some states, but storing them separately at home impresses me as silly: if someone's gone to the trouble and risk of breaking into your abode, he'll go to the slight extra trouble of searching it thoroughly.

 

[Greg L]

80-90% of my ammo is stored away from the various guns in the safe. There just isn't room for everything in there without some serious rearranging.

The ammo is in locked boxes though.

Greg

 

[TheLastBoyScout]

What else is the top shelf for?

HANDGUNS!
Seriously. Ammo is separated in my house because there's no room for it in the safe.

 

[Gordon Fink]

He said something like “so if you decide to kill someone you'll have time to cool down†…

If you can’t “cool down†in the 30 minutes it takes you to drive to and from a gun store, in the five minutes it takes to get a gun from your safe, or in the one second it takes you to draw from a holster, then you are committing premeditated murder, in my view. Regardless, even mandatory “cooling-off†periods haven’t led to any measurable decrease in gun-related homicides.

~G. Fink

 

[riverdog]

There's not enough room the my safe for guns AND ammo. I store ammo in ammo cans in a cool dry area. I may have a loaded magazine or speed-loader in the safe (depending upon the firearm), but 99% of the ammo is elsewhere.

 

[J Miller]

Regardless, even mandatory “cooling-off†periods haven’t led to any measurable decrease in gun-related homicides.

Actually I believe that in certain cases it has increased homicides.
Waiting periods actually prevent those who need guns from getting them when they need them.

A good reason to buy when you don't need them.

Sorry about straying from the topic.

 

[shermacman]

I have a really neat Beretta 92 that has a very convenient way to store ten rounds of ammo in the grip! Anyone have anything similar?

 

[ball3006]

I store some of my ammo in the...

guns that are in my safe. I store ammo in my bedside shotgun and pistol. Some ammo is stored in ammo boxes in the safe, the rest is stored in the garage (don't want to blow up the house if it catches on fire). I don't have kids. How fast can you load your gun when a creepie is kicking down your front door?...chris3

 

[MrAcheson]

It is perfectly reasonable to keep your HD gun(s) loaded and ready when you are in a position to supervise them. The point of these guns is for you to be able to quickly defend yourself and your home then by all means keep them loaded. Thats what they're for.

However, if you don't have a safe and you aren't around to keep an eye on your guns, then keeping things separate isn't a bad idea. It effectively doubles the amount of time until a burglar can use your gun. At the very least it means he wont be able to shoot you with it without breaking open the locker with the ammo boxes or loaded magazines in it. For what you give up (a few seconds to get a loaded gun) you get a lot (minutes or more until your opponent can get one from you).

Even without counting suicides, etc., the guns most likely to shoot you and yours are your own. Storing your weapons carefully is a wise step to reduce this risk.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

I keep my guns locked in a locked box I picked up at Walmart. It's not a safe really -- can't afford one...but the box is locked and hidden away. The ammo sits in the closet nearby -- can't afford a safe but then it's just my parents and me, no kids. If the house hold were different, I would buy separate safes for the guns and ammo but as there is no real need or money -- I don't at this time.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

I can't even get all of my guns in my safes. A few don't have a place to sleep yet, so I guess it's time for another safe. The only ammo in my safes is the ammo actually loaded into guns (about 75% of my guns are stored loaded). I have a closet dedicated to ammo and reloading supplies.

 

[benEzra]

Even without counting suicides, etc., the guns most likely to shoot you and yours are your own.

I'm not sure if this is actually true or not. IIRC, the Kellerman study (in addition to its other glaring flaws) counted any murder of a gunowner as being shot with his own gun, even if the murder weapon was actually the one brought in by the home invader. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

As far as ammo storage, storing guns and ammo separately makes sense to me only if you don't have a good safe, or the safe is too full of guns. Since I fall into the latter category, much of my ammo is outside the safe, but most of my preban magazines are inside since I wouldn't want to lose them to a casual thief.

Many of the arguments I've seen regarding storing guns and ammo separately hinge on stereotypes of gun owners as homicidal neandertals who can't be trusted not to shoot someone in a fit of rage on the spur of the moment. They also typically assume storage using trigger locks rather than safes.

 

[JohnBT]

I thought a large quantity of ammo in a sealed metal container was called a bomb.

That's why gunpowder is stored in vented containers, right? Or containers with a weak side or two to minimize pressure build-up.

I wonder what a fireman would think of a safe full of ammo. Not a few boxes, but cases like many of us have.

John

 

[Shoeless]

I store my ammo in sets of either eight, ten, or five, depending on which gun is with me at the time.

Shoeless

 

[Blackhawk]

I have a really neat Beretta 92 that has a very convenient way to store ten rounds of ammo in the grip! Anyone have anything similar?

Several!

 

[vi9er]

I thought a large quantity of ammo in a sealed metal container was called a bomb.

Modern ammo doesn't use an explosive, it uses a propellant, whuch just burns. The bullet won't go more than a foot or so unles it is in the chamber of a weapon.

Ed

 

[JohnBT]

Ammo won't explode if thrown in a fire. That's true. But I'm talking about ammo sealed in a safe or a thick-sided metal container that won't vent quickly or at all.

Consider a large quantity(say several cases of .22lr and a few of 12ga. and a few of .30-06 or even a entire safe full) sealed in a safe and subjected to an intense fire. Would it positively just go fizzzzzzzzzzzzzz...or being sealed up would it just let go all at once. Ask a fireman or two and see what they say. It's not the bullets flying I'm thinking of, it's the sides of the safe turning into shrapnel.

Of course, if the shells in the safe don't cause an explosion and the bullets 'only' go 6 inches or a foot then your guns are still going to get shot up and will likely be ruined. I don't want to think about the scopes. Oh well, it's academic because they'd all burn up anyway.

You know, quite a few people do have cases and cases and cases of ammo to store. The best way appears to be small light containers in scattered locations around the house and not all in one big pile.

John

 

[CMichael]

I store my shells in the magazine of my 12 gauge.