The NSSF, as part of its ChildSafe Program, has just released a 26-page PDF document covering all aspects of firearms safety and safe storage. We recommend that new gun owners review this Safety Brochure. In addition, NSSF and Project ChildSafe offer a variety of other educational materials and resources:
Message from the NSSF:
“With the holiday season upon us, the National Shooting Sports Foundation reminds Americans to practice responsible safety measures at home, including safe and responsible firearm handling and storage. “It’s important to remember that the holidays can be a challenging time of year for many, and that may be especially true this year — particularly for those who are unable to see loved ones due to the pandemic, or who may be feeling isolated or alone for other reasons,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and CEO. “We want to ensure families are practicing safe firearm storage habits to reduce the chance of a firearm accident this holiday season.”
SAFETY QUIZ — NSSF has created Firearm Storage and Safety Assessment Quiz. This walks gun owners through questions related to safe handling and storage of firearms. Click Link below to take the Quiz.
Do you have a friend or family member who is a first-time gun owner? Then show them this article. It provides important guidelines for new gun owners. There’s an Infographic printed below. And, there’s a helpful Firearm Storage and Safety Assessment Quiz. This walks gun owners through questions related to safe handling and storage of firearms. Here is Part One of the Quiz. If you click on this part, you can complete the entire Quiz and see how you score.
NSSF Infographic for New Gun Owners
Below is the latest NSSF Infographic for new gun owners. This provides questions to ask before buying a gun, plus information on safe gun storage at home. This Infographic is part of a large collection of NSSF Resources for New Gun Owners.
Want to learn more? CLICK HERE for the Interactive Version of the NSSF Infographic. On that Interactive PDF, click on the smaller buttons to get additional information, or to watch related videos.
When you want a firearm for home defense instantly available, you don’t necessarily want it buried in a large gun safe in a remote section of your house. There are reasons you may want a rifle, pistol, or shotgun ready to be deployed quickly. One solution for this is the “hidden in plain sight” option. Using common household furniture or house features (such as vents and mirrors), you can stash a firearms where it can be quickly accessed, but no unwelcome visitor will suspect it is stored. This article presents some popular gun storage options.
Virginia-based Tactical Walls is a leader is specialized gun storage/concealment systems. This company offers a variety of USA-made furniture/decorative options for gun storage. There are mirror assemblies, sliding wooden flags, tables with hidden storage, bookcases, shelving units, and more. The General Manager of Tactical Walls is Dennis DeMille, formerly GM of Creedmoor Sports, and a talented marksman.
Dennis tells us: “Tactical Walls was the pioneer in concealing firearms in plain sight”. He says this company has great creativity and impressive production capabilities. View all Tactical Walls concealment gun storage options at TacticalWalls.com.
Fine Firearms Furniture with Slide-Open Table Top
Here’s something that will teach unwanted guests some “table manners”. We’ve seen handguns hidden in books, and stowed behind faux baseboard vents, but this hand-crafted, slide-open table takes the cake. We doubt that anyone could sit down at this table and suspect that a shotgun, scoped rifle, two pistols and a knife were stored securely inside. There’s an arsenal hiding in there!
To access the guns under the sliding table-top, first you flip down a wood trap-door on the side. That exposes a key-lock which unlatches the interleaved left and right table segments. These slide open horizontally on metal tracks, exposing the full arsenal underneath. This “table vault” is a very clever design, built with fine craftsmanship. You can purchase this table from the maker for $1799.00.
Hidden in Plain Sight — Guide Gear Vent Pistol Locker
This clever “imposter vent” should fool any unwanted visitors. This Guide Gear Hide-A-Gun vent storage unit is just $34.99 on Amazon. NOTE: This will require installation in the wall, with attachment to studs.
Decorative Storage — Patriot Flag Concealment Unit
This handsome triangular wood box has hidden storage for a firearm and/or valuables. It is $39.95 at MidwayUSA or $49.99 on Amazon. You may want to bolt this down to a shelf for extra security.
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Forum member Nodak7mm has discovered an ideal way to store your rifle cleaning rods in your garage or loading room. Using inexpensive Berkley Horizontal Fishing Rod Racks, Nodak7mm has secured a half-dozen Dewey rods on the back of a door. You could also mount the racks along a wall or on the side of a storage cabinet. This installation takes up minimal space and the Berkley Racks cost just $11.96 at Amazon (select “6 Rod Rack”) or $16.50 per set at Walmart. If you prefer wood, Amazon also sells a pine 6-rod wall rack for $22.45.
Nodak7mm explains: “I was moving some fishing poles around and ended up with an extra pair of Fishing Rod wall racks. I said to myself, ‘I bet this would hold my Dewey cleaning rods’. I mounted the pair on the inside of a closet door in my man cave and put my cleaning rods in it. It works like a charm and is far cheaper than a specially-made rack that only lets the rods hang. One can even slam the door with the rods mounted and they stay put. This rod rack set… is made by a nationally recognized name and does a great job of holding the cleaning rods securely and safely.” These are inexpensive and are easy to mount to a door or wood cabinet.
Stow Your Cleaning Rods on Your Gun Safe
Another option is to make a rod set with a magnetic backing strip. This can be affixed to the sides of your gun safe or steel storage cabinet. Here is a home-made, magnet-affixed cleaning rod holder made by Forum Member “BobM”. This smart installation works great. CLICK HERE for more information.
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Running out of space in your gun safe? Here’s a clever product that will allow you to store more long guns in your current vault. The plastic Rifle Rods from Gun Storage Solutions slip in long-gun barrels and then grip the shelf above using Velcro pads. This allows you to nestle your rifles and shotguns much closer together than with the conventional racks provided with most gunsafes.
The handy Rifle Rods are offered in bright orange or basic black. We prefer the orange rods (shown above with the Velcro “receiver” shelf liner provided with the Rod Kit).
Rifles with narrow furniture (such as lever guns) can be placed very close together, saving lots of space. For benchrest or varmint rifles with wider fore-ends, you won’t benefit as much. Note that, in the photo above, all of the guns are fairly slim — none have wide fore-ends. Still we think these Rifle Rods could open up 12″ or more horizontal clearance in a medium-sized safe — that could easily allow you to store six (6) more guns in two rows, as shown.
Rifle Rod Kits Starting at $24.95
A kit with 5 Rifle Rods and loop fabric shelf liner costs $24.95 on Amazon.com, while the 10-Rod Kit with liner costs around $34.95. That’s a lot cheaper than buying a new safe. A six-pack of additional Rifle Rods costs $17.95 on Amazon. You can also purchases rods and fabric directly from Gun Storage Solutions.
WARNING: Always REMOVE Rod from barrel before taking gun to the range. Never place live ammunition in a gun with storage Rod in the barrel!
Product tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, hardware, reloading components, optics, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.
1. CDNN — DPMS A15, Magpul Stock, Match Trigger, $499.89
The DPMS A15 is a good basis for a .223 Rem varmint rifle. It’s an excellent value at $499.89, given the components. The Magpul stock works well with a rear bag. And we like the 1:9″-twist 24″ stainless barrel with target crown. For varminting, it’s nice to have a 24″ barrel for extra velocity. Be aware this barrel has an unusual triangular profile forward of the handguard. This DPMS rig also features a 2-stage Bushmaster target trigger and durable Cerakote finish. NOTE: This is NOT a complete rifle — you need to supply a bolt carrier group and charging handle. But if you already own an AR15, you can use those components.
2. MidwayUSA — Dual Steel Gong System with Frame, $71.99
Who doesn’t like shooting steel? The “clang” of hitting a steel target at long range provides instant gratification. This patented Viking Solutions Gong Target System features two 3/8″-thick, AR500 Steel Gongs (8″ and 10″) suspended by chains. The support frame consists of 2 leg stands and 2 crossbar sections. Assembled, the crossbar is 32″ above ground level. Right now this unit is on sale for $71.99 — 20% off the regular price.
3. Natchez — Big Weaver Scope Sale, Save Hundreds
Weaver makes very good optics for a variety of disciplines — hunting, tactical, even benchrest. With Natchez’s June Weaver Optics Sale you can save up to $585! For centerfire benchrest the 48X T-Series XR scope can do the job at 1/3 the price of a Leupold. And for rimfire benchrest rifle, the 24X Weaver T-Series XR is a fine choice. Hunters will find suitable Weaver zoom scopes at crazy low prices. The 3-9x40mm Kaspa Hunting Series scope is just $79.99 on sale.
4. Midsouth Shooters — SK .22 LR Rimfire Ammo Sale
Right now Midsouth is running a big SALE on SK .22 LR Rimfire ammo. This quality ammo has shown fine accuracy in our rifles. A variety of types are offered starting at $5.59 for 50 rounds. For target rifles we recommend SK Flat-Nose Target ammo at $7.10 per box or $64.79 for 500 rounds. For many folks it performs close to high-end match ammo costing much more. Also, if you are looking for bulk .22 LR ammo, you can get 1000 rounds of Browning BPR 36gr copper-plated HP ammo for just$44.99 at Cabela’s. That’s just 4.5 cents per round.
Varminters rejoice! Here is a killer deal on excellent “dogtown” bullets. These 55gr .224-caliber V-Max bullets deliver explosive results on ground squirrels, p-dogs, and other small varmints. The BC is pretty low, but you can drive these V-Maxs over 3300 FPS with a standard .223 Rem cartridge using Varget or CFE223. With this sale, you can grab these excellent bullets for less than $17 per hundred — that’s a steal. If you’re a V-Max fan, act soon before this deal sells out.
6. Amazon — The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters, $22.99
This is the NEW May 2020 Edition, Just Released!
Readers often ask: “Is there a good, easy-to-comprehend book that can help my wind-reading?” Many of our Forum members have recommended The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters by Linda Miller and Keith Cunningham. Other books cover wind reading in a broader discussion of ballistics or long-range shooting. But the Miller & Cunningham book is ALL about wind reading from cover to cover, and that is its strength. The book focuses on real world skills that can help you accurately gauge wind angle, wind velocity, and wind cycles. Here’s a video review explaining what makes this book so good.
Need a small vertical safe for your workshop, loading room, remote cabin, or RV? This Legend Range & Field 4-Gun Safe can fill the bill. It has an electronic lock and backup key, and secures with five 1″ locking bolt. This small safe also includes a bolt-down kit for added security. At $183.30 this safe offers significantly more protection than a thin-walled security locker, for not much more money. Save $37 with this promotion at Gander Outdoors. NOTE: If you have the safe shipped to your house, there is a $50.00 Shipping Fee. Exterior Dimensions: 55″H x 11.6″W x 11″D
8. Cabela’s — Catch-All Gear Bag $12.99, Many Colors
This versatile bag holds lots of gear, and you can’t beat the price — just $12.99. At 16″x10″x6″ it’s big enough to hold rifle ammo, muffs, a Kestrel, and other accessories. It can also serve as a general utility bag for car camping trips. Six exterior pockets, including zippered mesh pockets on top and side, provide multiple storage options.Sturdy 1-1⁄2″ nylon web carry straps can be joined by a hand-friendly wrap handle. Cabela’s Catch-All Gear Bag available in a variety of colors including True Timber Camo, 02 Octane Camo (3 versions), Lt. Gray, Blue, Green, Tan, Orange Gold, and Dark Gray.
Here’s a great Father’s Day gift that you and your Dad can use together. Walkie-Talkies are “must-have” items for long-range shooting. The 22-CH Motorola T100 Two-Way Radio is an Amazon Favorite among FRS/GMRS Handheld Radios. Motorola says the T100 has a range up to 16 miles (with ideal conditions), and the T100 units can receive communications from all FRS/GMRS two-way radios. Price for a Two-Radio T100 Set is just $29.00
10. Brownells — Wipeout Foam Cleaner, $14.99
Walking the firing line of the Berger SW Nationals this year, one cleaning product was mentioned over and over again and for good reason. Sharp Shoot R Wipe-Out foaming bore cleaner is a no-nonsense, easy-to-use bore cleaner that does a great job. We get best results with two applications of Wipe-Out after some wet patches. If you’re tired of long brushing sessions, give Wipe-Out a try — it really reduces brushing required. This is a great deal. The same 5 oz. can is $23.95 on Amazon.
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Due to concerns about the Coronavirus Pandemic, large numbers of Americans are acquiring firearms for self-protection. Many of these citizens are purchasing a gun for the first time. It is important that these new gun owners learn about gun safety and responsible gun storage.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has released a new Infographic for first-time gun owners. If you recently purchased your first firearm, we recommend you review this document. Additionally NSSF released a new Firearm Storage and Safety Assessment Quiz. This walks gun owners through questions related to safe handling and storage of firearms. The Quiz also links to helpful gun safety resources.
Below is the latest NSSF Infographic for new gun owners. This provides questions to ask before buying a gun, plus information on safe gun storage at home. This Infographic is part of a large collection of NSSF Resources for New Gun Owners. Among those resources you will find links to gun storage options, training videos, guidance on talking to children about gun safety, and much more.
Here’s the NSSF Infographic for New Gun Owners. CLICK HERE for the Interactive Version. On that Interactive PDF, click on the smaller buttons to get additional information, or to watch related videos.
In many states, schools have been closed and citizens have been ordered to stay at home for days or weeks, as a response to the Coronavirus health issue. With more gun owners at home with their kids for extended periods, firearms safety is more important than ever. Given that fact, the NSSF reminds gun owners to keep their guns locked up so they cannot be accessed by children.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and its partners urge gun owners to keep firearm safety a top priority and are making safety resources widely available as gun and ammunition sales increase, especially among first-time firearm purchasers.
“During this stressful time and with children spending more time at home, the firearm industry reminds gun owners that protecting yourself and your family includes making sure your firearms are stored securely when not in use”, said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and CEO. “The last thing any firearm owner wants is to have their gun fall into the wrong hands, particularly those of a child or someone at risk of harming themselves.”
For anyone considering buying a gun, Project ChildSafe’s Road To Responsible Firearm OwnershipMany Paths to Firearm Safety video series helps gun owners determine the best safe storage device for their home/lifestyle. You also view the Safe Storage Options chart.
NSSF encourages gun owners and non-gun owners to use the firearm safety resources available on its Project ChildSafe website. These include the McGruff Gun Safety videos for young children and this educational video explaining how to discuss gun safety with children:
“More parents are assuming the role of educators in their homes, so it’s a good to time have a talk with your kids about gun safety, even if you don’t own a gun”, Bartozzi said. “If you do own a firearm, be sure your family understands the safety rules regarding firearms in your home, and always store guns responsibly when not in use.”
If the battery on your safe’s electronic lock is more than a year old, or if it is not giving you the right voltage, replace it today!
This time of year, many of our readers are putting their guns away in a safe for the winter. It’s easy to just tuck the guns away and forget about them. But there’s something you should do before you shut the safe door. If you have a safe with an electronic keypad, you should replace the battery every year as a precautionary measure. Trust us, you don’t want to come back in a few months and find that the keypad memory is kaput, and you’re locked out. That can lead to frustration and an expensive locksmith visit.
Here’s a true story. I have one safe with a Sargent & Greenleaf (S&G) keypad. A couple years back, in early December, I went to get into the safe. I punched in the correct combination, but all I got was a rapid “beep, beep, beep, beep” after I finished the last combination entry. I tried again to ensure I entered the combination correctly (I did). But again, the locking system responded with multiple rapid beeps indicating something was wrong. And the safe would not open. Now I was worried….
I popped out the battery holder (which slides in from the bottom of the keypad housing on the door). I removed the battery and tested it with a volt-meter. The 12-month-old Duracell 9-volt battery only registered 6.1 volts.
Low voltage was the problem. I went down to the store and got a couple new 9V batteries. I tested the new batteries and both measured 9.4 volts output. I slipped one of the new 9V batteries into the keypad housing, punched in the combination and everything worked OK again. Eureka.
Most electronic locks for safes WILL “remember” the combination for a period of time even when the battery is low (and the keypad’s “brain” should retain the combination when you remove the battery for replacement). However, a dead battery, or extended periods of low voltage can give you problems. Don’t rely on wishful thinking…
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Wintertime is here, the season of cold and damp… and RUST. There’s snow on the ground in many parts of the country. If you want your fine firearms to remain pristine and rust-free through the winter months, it’s wise to protect then while they are stored in a safe. You should protect blued surfaces with a rust-blocker. In addition, we recommend storing guns in protective sleeves. Our take on Bore-Store Gun sleeves is simple: They work great, so buy them and use them — for ALL your valuable firearms.
These thick, synthetic-fleece sacks cushion your guns, preventing nicks and scratches. The breathable fabric wicks away moisture, and the fibers are coating with corrosion inhibitors. I personally use Bore-Stores for in-safe storage with all my guns, and I have never had one of my guns rust inside a Bore-Store, even when I lived a stone’s throw from the ocean.
Bore-Stores are offered in a wide range of sizes, so you can find something to fit everything from a Snub-nosed revolver to a 32″-barrelled 50 BMG. Rifle-size Bore Stores can be purchased for $13.00 – $22.00 from Brownells. For long F-Class or tactical rifles, we recommend the 10″x52″ Scoped Shotgun Bag, Brownells item 132-000-003WB. You can also order direct from the Bore-Store manufacturer, Big Spring Enterprises, www.BoreStores.com. Big Spring will also craft custom sizes on request.
Consider Military-Style, Triple-Layer Bags for Long-Term Storage
While we prefer Bore-Stores for regularly-used guns, if you have heirloom firearms that will be kept in storage for very long periods without seeing any use, you may want to grease them up and place them in the thin, but rugged three-layer storage bags sold by Brownells. The bags are made from a three-layer laminate of polyester, aluminum, and polyethylene film, with a shiny silver exterior. Though the laminate is thin, the Brownells storage bags are puncture-resistant, and have a 0% moisture transmission rating so moisture can’t get inside. These bags are also resistant to petroleum-based chemicals and they won’t break down even in contact with soil or moisture.
Here’s one VITAL bit of advice for using these bags. Be absolutely sure, before you seal up the bags, that your guns are DRY and that all metal surfaces have been coated with an effective anti-corrosive, such as BoeShield T9 or Eezox. Brownells’ storage bags are inexpensive. A three-pak of 12″x 60″ rifle sacks (item 083-055-003WB) costs just $22.99 — under eight bucks a gun. That’s cheap insurance for rifles and shotguns that may cost thousands of dollars.
Get Your Guns Out of Foam-lined Cases — They Are Rust Magnets
Just about the worst thing you can do in the winter (short of leaving your rifle outside in the rain) is to store firearms in tight, foam-padded cases. The foam in these cases actually collects and retains moisture from the air, acting as the perfect breeding ground for rust.
Remember, those plastic-shelled cases with foam interiors are for transport, not for long-term storage. Don’t repeat the mistake of a wealthy gun collector I know. He stored four valuable Colt Single Action Army (SAA) revolvers in individual foam-padded cases, and locked these away in his gun safe. A year later, every one of his precious SAAs had rusted, some badly.
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Nobody wants to fumble around in a dark gun safe. Here’s a very affordable product that will illuminate your safe automatically when you open the door. These magnetic motion-detecting light bars (with 10 LEDs) can be placed on the sidewalls and shelves of your gun safe. As soon as you open the door, the light bars illuminate brightly. When you close the safe door, the LED light bars shut off, saving battery power.
Let there be light. Here’s a great accessory for your gun safe. This “smart” LED lamp turns itself on when you open the door, and off when you close the door. There’s a built-in magnet so you can easily attach the light to the inner walls or “ceiling” of your gun safe. It works, it’’s handy, and it’s inexpensive — just $19.99 for THREE (3) light bars. You even get FREE shipping with orders over $25.00.
Each motion-sensing light bar has 10 LEDs and can provide 12+ hours of light with four AAA batteries (not included). Very versatile, these motion-sensor lamps can also be used in closets, car trunks, trailers, basements, storage sheds — anywhere you need light. This is an “Amazon’s Choice” for motion-sensor lighting.
Motion-Sensing Light Bar With Three Pivoting LED Heads
If you prefer a motion-sensing light system with a black body and dome-type LED lights, consider the Stack-On SPAL-17300. This provides “instant-on” motion-sensor activated illumination with three light heads, which pivot independently for positional lighting. The unit can be mounted via provided mounting plate or Velcro-type panels. This $20.85 SPAL-17300 light system has earned 80% 5-Star ratings.
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Our take on Bore-Store Gun sleeves is simple: They work great, so buy them and use them — for ALL your valuable firearms.
These thick, synthetic-fleece sacks cushion your guns, preventing nicks and scratches. The breathable fabric wicks away moisture, and the fibers are coating with corrosion inhibitors. I personally use Bore-Stores for in-safe storage with all my guns, and I have never had one of my guns rust inside a Bore-Store, even when I lived a stone’s throw from the ocean.
Bore-Stores are offered in a wide range of sizes, so you can find something to fit everything from a Snub-nosed revolver to a 32″-barrelled 50 BMG. Rifle-size Bore Stores can be purchased for $12.00 – $21.00 from Brownells. For long F-Class or tactical rifles, we recommend the 10″x52″ Scoped Shotgun Bag, Brownells item 132-000-003. You can also order direct from the Bore-Store manufacturer, Big Spring Enterprises, www.BoreStores.com. Big Spring will also craft custom sizes on request.
Get Your Guns Out of Foam-lined Cases — They Are Rust Magnets
Just about the worst thing you can do for long-term storage (short of leaving your rifle outside in the rain) is to store firearms in tight, foam-padded cases. The foam in these cases actually collects and retains moisture from the air, acting as the perfect breeding ground for rust. Even in warm summer months, humid air can leave moisture in the foam.
Remember, those plastic-shelled cases with foam interiors are for transport, not for long-term storage. Don’t repeat the mistake of a wealthy gun collector I know. He stored four valuable Colt Single Action Army (SAA) revolvers in individual foam-padded cases, and locked these away in his gun safe. A year later, every one of his precious SAAs had rusted, some badly.
Consider Military-Style, Triple-Layer Bags for Long-Term Storage
While we prefer Bore-Stores for regularly-used guns, if you have heirloom firearms that will be kept in storage for very long periods without seeing any use, you may want to grease them up and place them in the thin, but rugged three-layer storage bags sold by Brownells. The bags are made from a three-layer laminate of polyester, aluminum, and polyethylene film, with a shiny silver exterior. Though the laminate is thin, the Brownells storage bags are puncture-resistant, and have a 0% moisture transmission rating so moisture can’t get inside. These bags are also resistant to petroleum-based chemicals and they won’t break down even in contact with soil or moisture.
Here’s one VITAL bit of advice for using these bags. Be absolutely sure, before you seal up the bags, that your guns are DRY and that all metal surfaces have been coated with an effective anti-corrosive, such as BoeShield T9 or Eezox. Brownells’ storage bags are inexpensive. A three-pak of 12″x 60″ rifle sacks (item 083-055-003WB) costs just $22.99 — under eight bucks a gun. That’s cheap insurance for rifles and shotguns that may cost thousands of dollars.
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