Gun Storage

[Paul davies]

So haven't started yet but I am stripping and re-painting/hydro dipping a semi auto shotgun just for the hell of it. Whilst its being done certain parts will be removed and the gun will be split into stock,action,forestock and barrel. What would be the law about storage. Problem I have is it will have to hang to dry at points and wont be able to be stored in a gun safe possible for up to a week . Some parts may even need to be left in my workshop overnight whilest they are drying and being washed or polished . The internal parts like the piston,spring etc ain't with the gun at all. Only myself doing the work and no one else has access to the workshop 

[Scully]

Tells you everything you need to know on your ticket, in the ‘conditions’ section. 

[Paul davies]

3 hours ago, Scully said:

Tells you everything you need to know on your ticket, in the ‘conditions’ section. 

Cheers ..I will paint the barrel in a differnt location to the action and the internals are kept in the safe..I guess reading that ..that is suficient precaution as no one can steal a whole gun  

[Red696]

As a new SGC holder I’ve read the conditions on my cert, which state it cant be left out unattended even for drying.  
 

it is the unattended bit that confuses me, my safe is in my ‘gun room’ which can only be accessed via another upstairs room.  If I’m in the house but downstairs is that classed as unattended?  I do all of my gun maintenance/rebuils in the room and usually have something on the bench in bits.

[HantsRob]

On 16/09/2023 at 14:32, Red696 said:

As a new SGC holder I’ve read the conditions on my cert, which state it cant be left out unattended even for drying.  
 

it is the unattended bit that confuses me, my safe is in my ‘gun room’ which can only be accessed via another upstairs room.  If I’m in the house but downstairs is that classed as unattended?  I do all of my gun maintenance/rebuils in the room and usually have something on the bench in bits.

I wouldn't think too literal, and it's about security. Your gun is in theory unattended in your safe, is it not?

If you have full control over your house and occupants (but consider your partner may not have a licence so you can't leave it out and go downstairs) then I would suggest that's ok. Leaving it out and then nipping to Tesco would not be considered ok, but some will argue an alarmed house that's locked is up to BS level.

Answer the question: What would I feel is acceptable when explaining to a judge why your gun is missing.

That would usually tell you what is acceptable.

Edited September 18, 2023 by HantsRob

[London Best]

Or just leave the gun as it is and go shooting.

[Red696]

4 hours ago, London Best said:

Or just leave the gun as it is and go shooting.

It’ll get shot, and it’ll get wet.  Does your advice still stand, or do you have other recommendations?

[HantsRob]

I'm not sure what you're getting at but I think I may get the gist. 

What part of a gun could you leave out drying.....

If you've got the gun really wet, you can clean all metal parts easily and lock away. If you're concerned with the forend and butt you could take those off and leave those off.

for the OPs question, I can see the stock and forend being left out. I can't see the need that the barrels or action would need to be left out more than a few hours at a time? Maybe I am missing a point.

In short I believe pressure bearing components need to be kept locked up when unattended. 

[Poor Shot]

On 15/09/2023 at 16:32, Paul davies said:

So haven't started yet but I am stripping and re-painting/hydro dipping a semi auto shotgun just for the hell of it. Whilst its being done certain parts will be removed and the gun will be split into stock,action,forestock and barrel. What would be the law about storage. Problem I have is it will have to hang to dry at points and wont be able to be stored in a gun safe possible for up to a week . Some parts may even need to be left in my workshop overnight whilest they are drying and being washed or polished . The internal parts like the piston,spring etc ain't with the gun at all. Only myself doing the work and no one else has access to the workshop 

If the gun is in a state where it cannot be fired then you should be fine. Without the actions internals then it's little more than some steel tubes and a lump of wood. 

In any way, contact your FAO and they'll have the answer for you. Or at least a version of the guidelines that they are personally aligned to and happy to provide as advice. 

[London Best]

1 hour ago, Red696 said:

It’ll get shot, and it’ll get wet.  Does your advice still stand, or do you have other recommendations?

The remark was aimed at the OP, who is going to ‘ paint’ his gun.

[Red696]

1 hour ago, London Best said:

The remark was aimed at the OP, who is going to ‘ paint’ his gun.

Apologies, thought it was advice for me.  
 

I may be overthinking it all as I’m more used to Airguns and the less restrictive conditions.  Easy to strip those, deal with the metalwork amd just leave on the rack to dry out completely.

[HantsRob]

On 18/09/2023 at 17:10, Poor Shot said:

If the gun is in a state where it cannot be fired then you should be fine.

Whilst I agree with the sentiment, there are many things you can buy without a licence. Also it is worth noting that S1 barrels fall under slightly different rules to S2.

[Poor Shot]

15 minutes ago, HantsRob said:

Whilst I agree with the sentiment, there are many things you can buy without a licence. Also it is worth noting that S1 barrels fall under slightly different rules to S2.

In answer to your own question in above Rob. I would feel comfortable explaining to a judge that someone had broken into my workshop and stolen the barrel only of a S1 shotgun and that the action and internal mechanisms were safely stored away from the gun and are still in my possession. 

Not ideal of course but given that, in isolation, the barrels are no more than a steel tube. It's unlikely that a common thief would be able to identify them as anything other than a metal tube and likely focus on taking other, more easily fencible items. An educated thief would recognise that without the action and internals, they are useless and the risk vs reward factor for taking them just isn't worth it. 

An educated thief of course, would have come to your home equipped to break into a cabinet knowing that any guns that are fully assembled will be locked away in a steel cabinet and are unlikely to be left alone in an unmanned workshop. 

I do feel that as a community we overthink these things. Given that a determined thief could be in and out of your property with your whole collection within minutes armed with nothing more than a cordless grinder, I think taking reasonable precautions outside of this to carry out work on firearms is acceptable. After all, the aim of the gun safe is to prevent an opportunist attack and not a pre planned and determined attack. For the latter you would need bank style vaults, electronic alarm systems and possibly even 24 hour supervision of the property which is unfeasible. 

[HantsRob]

I don't disagree with the above in the slightest, except around the point of it needing to go to a judge.

I agree it's just a barrel, but I suspect it would lead to a world of pain to explain why it's just a barrel. I do agree wholeheartedly that reasonable precautions is all we can do.

I appreciate the balanced reply, sometimes I wish I could be so eloquent with my opinion.