Any tips for squeezing more guns into a cabinet?

[timps]

The trouble is these issues come to light when shooters are at their most vulnerable. Waiting for their first certificate or just before your old one runs out you don't want a hold up.

 

I wouldn't hesitate in fighting my corner but choose my fights wisely. I don't have more than 7 guns so not really worth kicking off at the limit only to keep 7 or less guns in it.

 

As I said earlier if I get over 7 guns I have no intention of buying another cabinet so will robustly debate the issue when I am not waiting for a temporary certificate to cover the already delayed renewal even more.

 

I expect most other shooters are in the same boat.

[Chris Bb]

When my (young) Godson first applied for his SGC he showed his 3 gun cabinet to the FEO who merely commented that he should be able to get 5 guns in.

 

The FEO obviously knew about men and the gun collecting habit.

 

My FEO made no comment whatsoever regarding quantities. He was, however, very interested in my Air Portable ("Lightweight") Land Rover and spent a great deal of time discussing it and its history!

[Old farrier]

Hi

Just to put the other side here

Your guns are valuable

 

Is there any sense to cramming 10 guns worth a grand each into a 5 gun cabinet and devaluing them with scratches and dents that could be avoided by spending the time fitting another cabinet

Also you have halved the chances of loosing all by a burglar having to get into 2 or3 cabinets

 

So come on all those that have said I've got 8 in a 5 are they high value?

 

As I'm sure I could get 10 single bakils in a cabinet that I would only put two purdys in 😊

 

Currently installing 5th cabinet 🤗😊

[bruno22rf]

No cabinets dents/scratches on any of my guns, OF, gun socks are the order of the day.

[SPAS 15]

I had a cabinet made for me out of stainless to size I thought would be big enough. Fourteen guns later and I am running out of space. Reckon I can squeeze 3 more though.

When I got the cabinet and applied for my SGC and FAC the local Firearms Officer came and inspected and no problems. As it was not made by a known cabinet maker he asked me how many it would hold and I said, 'probably not enough'.

I did ask him how many shotguns I could buy and he said, 'if you can store them securely you go from Lands End to John O'Groats and buy one from every gun shop in between'. I am working on it. When I got my first shotguns and rifles I made a shelf with slots in for all my guns and provision for a few more. A few more became quite a few more and i ran out of slots.

Luckily I had the cabinet made 18" deep do there was room at the front for another row but nowhere to lean them against. I search round the web and found these below

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gun-Storage-Solutions-Rifle-Rod-Starter-20-Pack-Rifle-and-Gun-Safe-Accessories-/261274080005?hash=item3cd5261305

 

The company was great. The postage was reasonable and delivery was quick to say it came from the U.S. and they were cheaper than buying them from Brownells

 

If you have a shelf or a locking box at the top of your cabinet this system is ideal. They allow you to put a second or third row in your cabinet by using rods with velcro on the ends. The rods go in the end of the barrel. You attach the supplied velcro sheet to the underside of the shelf and then you lift up the rods in the barrel until it touches the velcro and the guns stays upright without any other support.

 

You can place your guns closer together to get more in but I would advise that you place your guns in a gun socks to prevent them touching and scratching each other. It really works well.

 

Sorry about my reply being a bit long winded but hope this helps.

[Twistedsanity]

Well I'd say that if you owned a five gun cabinet and went above that, your insurance company and the police might have something to say about it, if something bad happened.

 

If you really care about your guns go and get another cabinet, or replace the two with one which has better storage options.

My feo said "you have a 3 gun cabinet but we will put it down as 5 as you could squeeze a few more in there"

[Jaymo]

Thanks Spas 15

Have just ordered some as they might be the solution I'm looking for.

[panoma1]

The capacity of a gun cabinet is how many guns that it can hold not how many slots it has or how many it was designed for! The security of a gun cabinet is not affected or diminished by how few or how many guns it holds.............if the FEO says differently, they are just being officious.......because the can!

[walshie]

Doesn't make any difference what the FEO writes down. If you've got 8 guns crammed into a 5 gun cabinet and safely locked away, you've complied with your ticket.

[SPAS 15]

Nice one Jaymo i don't think you will be disappointed. A couple of photos of using them in my cabinet and you can see how close you can get them. Let me know how you get on.

 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2017 by SPAS 15

[Lord v]

 

My friend had is cabinet knocked back due to the size of anchor bolt heads, so it has got a lot stricter in my area since the last FEO retired.

 

 

I sincerely hope that the feo would be able to provide copies of his calculations, quoting the relevant bs numbers, for such a statement. Along with a dated records of his visual inspection of the wall and copies of the data sheets (or at least the class of steel) for the bolts.

 

That's well outside the FEOs duties and expertise and needs to be knocked on the head.

[Jaymo]

Spas15

 

Will do, I see you have doubled up in a few!

Good tip on gun socks too, have one one the new Browning Trap so I guess I need to invest in 12 more- where's best to purchase?

 

Thanks

[njc110381]

I recently had this issue so lifted the foam divider up so my shortest two guns can sit under it. I place them leaning against the sides behind the front row of rifles.

 

That fixed on the door arrangement looks good though!

[Biggsy]

Got a 3 gun cab...1 gun in it...pride of place

[timps]

I sincerely hope that the feo would be able to provide copies of his calculations, quoting the relevant bs numbers, for such a statement. Along with a dated records of his visual inspection of the wall and copies of the data sheets (or at least the class of steel) for the bolts.

 

That's well outside the FEOs duties and expertise and needs to be knocked on the head.

Unfortunately, it is exactly what the FEO is employed to do, they have to assess security. Size and type of anchor bolts is something they are required to check and it is covered in HO guidance and BS7558 1992.

 

The requirement for size is :-

 

11. Provision of at least 4 fixing holes to take not less than 10mm diameter fastening devices. The holes to be spaced to provide maximum binding of cabinet to structure.

 

If the bolt head had M4 stamped on it then with my new FEO you are going to have to replace them for M10 (my old one wouldn’t have bothered). You could try and force his hand in court but I wouldn’t hold much chance of success when he shows the judge the above guidance, even if you do win you will not get costs so it’s an expensive fight and cheaper to replace the bolts.

 

I don't know what size my friend used but it was change them or no certificate.

[Gordon R]

Got to agree with Timps - we have the same FEO. To some it might seem like nit picking, but I am bound to say that what he says is common-sense. If and when he moves outside common-sense, I would need to disagree, but I have found him to the book and reasonable.

[Lord v]

Fair enough, didn't realise that was in there.

[Old Boggy]

Do the police know how big your cabinet is?? Does it state clearly on the cabinet that this cabinet will only hold a certain amount of guns? Does your FEO actually count the spaces in the foam dividers to see how many "bays" there are?....what if you remove the foam divider? p.s. Just rang my FEO and she informs me that you MAY be advised to improve your security if you have more guns than people normally own but that they have no idea as to your storage capabilities nor is it a question on any paperwork.

I think at some stage my FEO had noted the size of my cabinet (3 Gun) as I was informed by Kent Police when purchasing a fifth gun that I had exceeded the security arrangements of the cabinet.

This was quickly resolved by me sending them a photo of the five guns top and tailed and so proving that all were held securely.

However, noting some of the above posts, I think investment in some gun socks might be a good move, although to date, careful placement and removal has not resulted in any dinks.

 

OB

[panoma1]

I think at some stage my FEO had noted the size of my cabinet (3 Gun) as I was informed by Kent Police when purchasing a fifth gun that I had exceeded the security arrangements of the cabinet.

This was quickly resolved by me sending them a photo of the five guns top and tailed and so proving that all were held securely.

However, noting some of the above posts, I think investment in some gun socks might be a good move, although to date, careful placement and removal has not resulted in any dinks.

OB

Again....how does the number of items kept in a cabinet affect the security of the cabinet?

[Wingman]

Again....how does the number of items kept in a cabinet affect the security of the cabinet..

 

 

Simply because the FEO is ensuring that the cabinet is being used "to specification" its the same with any security control.

[jeffjjack]

Again....how does the number of items kept in a cabinet affect the security of the cabinet?

 

As per previous posts the issue is not the number of items in a cabinet just that if you exceed the number that the FEO has noted down then the police have an obligation to ensure that the "extra" items are not just in a wardrobe or under a bed.

In this case the Boggy sent them proof that all the new items were in the original cabinet and all was well.

When I first got my ticket the FEO put a 3 down as a 5....Now have a 7 gun cabinet but I was not around when he inspected so don't know how many is down on the paper work. I have 7 in it but could and have had up to 10 in the cabinet with no repercussions from the police.

 

This is Lincolnshire though where were are expected to have as many as possible in our cabinet!!

[Mr.C]

Surely if the idea is to make the guns safe you would only NEED to lock away the barrels?

[panoma1]

As per previous posts the issue is not the number of items in a cabinet just that if you exceed the number that the FEO has noted down then the police have an obligation to ensure that the "extra" items are not just in a wardrobe or under a bed.

In this case the Boggy sent them proof that all the new items were in the original cabinet and all was well.

When I first got my ticket the FEO put a 3 down as a 5....Now have a 7 gun cabinet but I was not around when he inspected so don't know how many is down on the paper work. I have 7 in it but could and have had up to 10 in the cabinet with no repercussions from the police.

 

This is Lincolnshire though where were are expected to have as many as possible in our cabinet!!

Thanks for that, but your answer is to a question I haven't asked! Where any "extra" guns are stored is another question....my point is if you store one or twenty guns in a cabinet, the level of security the said cabinet provides is exactly the same!

 

So there is no justification for any FEO restricting the number of guns one can squeeze into a cabinet on security grounds...........as long as the cabinet locks after whatever number of guns are placed in it!

[jeffjjack]

Thanks for that, but your answer is to a question I haven't asked! Where any "extra" guns are stored is another question....my point is if you store one or twenty guns in a cabinet, the level of security the said cabinet provides is exactly the same!

 

So there is no justification for any FEO restricting the number of guns one can squeeze into a cabinet on security grounds...........as long as the cabinet locks after whatever number of guns are placed in it!

 

Exactly, the reason they specify a number is that normally storage of shotguns are all nice in a row. If you exceed this number the police have to check that you haven't just rapped one in a blanket in your wardrobe because you don't want to dink it etc. If you stack them in a cabinet on top of each other they have no argument and most FEO's will be satisfied as long as they are all locked in the already checked cabinet.

[nagantino]

It's the manufacturer who states 3 Gun or 7 Gun or whatever, no one else, so it's something they suggest. Think back all you who once owned pistols and revolvers, they fit in nicely around shotguns and rifles, and are securely under lock and key.