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Fishslayer
05-16-2014, 8:11 AM
The fires had me seriously pondering "What goes? What stays?" Yes, my safe is rated for an hour but dayum... those fires look like they get pretty hot. :eek:

Found one of these in my shed. I believe I got it at Home Depot. More robust than a Walmart crate. Dark color so you can't see inside. It has locking points on both ends so it should satisfy the "locked container" requirement. Home Depot also sells lock sets.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/THE_Fishslayer/OSR/Box1.jpg (http://s305.photobucket.com/user/THE_Fishslayer/media/OSR/Box1.jpg.html)
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/THE_Fishslayer/OSR/Box.jpg (http://s305.photobucket.com/user/THE_Fishslayer/media/OSR/Box.jpg.html)

speedrrracer
05-16-2014, 8:24 AM
Yeah, it's not a much-discussed topic, but it has serious ramifications. Bugging out because your house is about to burn down, your family needs you more than ever, and you get arrested?

There was a thread like this recently in the (more appropriate) survival forum, and the OP actually thought if he shot someone in self-defense while illegally carrying concealed during a bug-out the arresting officers would let him go under some "exemption" (his words). I kid you not...

While we all hope that in a stressful situation our LEOs will use their experience and training to exhibit extraordinary discretion, the fact is you're rolling dice on a bet you can't cover. A box as pictured in the OP is dirt cheap, will last decades, is highly practical and will keep you legal.

Rider1k
05-16-2014, 8:28 AM
Remember Katrina? I suspect it would go down the same. If you have guns or are seen with them they will take them by force. If you are shooting you will be shot.

Oceanbob
05-16-2014, 8:37 AM
The fires had me seriously pondering "What goes? What stays?" Yes, my safe is rated for an hour but dayum... those fires look like they get pretty hot. :eek:

Found one of these in my shed. I believe I got it at Home Depot. More robust than a Walmart crate. Dark color so you can't see inside. It has locking points on both ends so it should satisfy the "locked container" requirement. Home Depot also sells lock sets.

L]

Great idea!

These fires down south that 40,000 people have evacuated. Maybe more...

I wonder if any Cal Gunners are involved?

What to grab on the way out?

Virus55
05-16-2014, 8:44 AM
Ugh I would be in a panic of which stays and what goes? Safe is also rated for an hour of fire.

John Joseph
05-16-2014, 9:02 AM
(chuckles) It used to be illegal to transport a firearm inside a vehicle in California unless it was both unloaded and in full view.
My how times have changed!
So you legally want to evacuate a bunch of pistols? That should work, also a locking tool box, even a suitcase with locks I think would satisfy the need.
If you have to some behind, cache a locked metal gun vault inside your fireplace. If it can keep fire and heat in, it might keep fire and heat out.

Murmur
05-16-2014, 9:13 AM
I had to evac on Wednesday. Still can't go home, but fortunately the fire never went down into our area.

Just went through this drill of packing valuables into the car. It was a pain locking my handguns in individual containers. I am going to get a plastic bin like OP has pictured above. That will make the process much easier in a time crunch.

Tok36
05-16-2014, 9:18 AM
The fires had me seriously pondering "What goes? What stays?" Yes, my safe is rated for an hour but dayum... those fires look like they get pretty hot. :eek:

Found one of these in my shed. I believe I got it at Home Depot. More robust than a Walmart crate. Dark color so you can't see inside. It has locking points on both ends so it should satisfy the "locked container" requirement. Home Depot also sells lock sets.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/THE_Fishslayer/OSR/Box1.jpg (http://s305.photobucket.com/user/THE_Fishslayer/media/OSR/Box1.jpg.html)
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/THE_Fishslayer/OSR/Box.jpg (http://s305.photobucket.com/user/THE_Fishslayer/media/OSR/Box.jpg.html)

It seams Master Lock has gone down hill over the years, might want to choose another lock. :2guns:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsJZ_kKjXcE

sofbak
05-16-2014, 9:19 AM
Remember Katrina? I suspect it would go down the same. If you have guns or are seen with them they will take them by force. If you are shooting you will be shot.

Didn't happen that way in '07. I got an emergency evac reverse 911 call when the Witch Creek fire hit our neighborhood. Got the family up, started to pack, load, and get ready to go.

While loading the truck, 5 SD county sheriff deputies appeared at the entrance gate to our sub-division (about 50 yds from my driveway), but couldn't get it open. So they were hanging on the gate shouting at the top of their lungs "GET OUT NOW!!!!". I could see the fire front coming down a large hill about 3/4 mile east of us, so the situation was definitely time critical.

I got the gate transmitter out of my truck, waved them off the gate and opened it so they could get in. Then went back to loading the truck with wife, kids, cats, boxes of irreplaceable and important stuff.

Last thing I put in the truck was the Mossberg 500C "chopped" home defense stick. Not loaded, but 5 shells in the butt stock carrier. There was no place in the cab left for it out of sight. So I put it on the dash.

Rolled out of the driveway toward the gate, and the deputy directing traffic through the intersection sees it and points at it:

"Is that loaded?"

"No, and I'm praying hard it stays that way."

He waved me through the gate with no other comment.

LT1Silverhawk
05-16-2014, 9:27 AM
Good topic. Might have to spend time this weekend doing an actual drill.


Just to add another option, I remember reading some survivalist blog a year or so ago and the author mentioned using one of these Stanley Job Boxes (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-37-in-Mobile-Job-Box-037025H/202300294) for throwing everything in and tossing it in the back of his vehicle. It is also lockable.


It was on sale a year ago and I posted about it here (http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=773347&highlight=stanley). Fellow members had good things to say.


It seems there is also a slightly smaller version (Stanley Mobile Chest (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-24-Gal-Mobile-Chest-029025R/203710098)) for $1.53 more. Probably the better option for smaller cars.


http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/400/ee/eef5ad13-66f8-47e8-b887-4985ffeaf335_400.jpg

dflanmod
05-16-2014, 9:37 AM
Take them all. lost all my guns in 07 wildfires.
Trust me, your fire rating on a safe means jack &&#/ if your house burns to the ground.

Fritz265
05-16-2014, 9:38 AM
I have that same mobile chest for my bug out. Pack out gun and ammo stash and toss into the back of the van and go.

Murmur
05-16-2014, 9:57 AM
Take them all. lost all my guns in 07 wildfires.
Trust me, your fire rating on a safe means jack &&#/ if your house burns to the ground.

Wow that really sucks.

Rider1k
05-16-2014, 10:04 AM
Didn't happen that way in '07. I got an emergency evac reverse 911 call when the Witch Creek fire hit our neighborhood. Got the family up, started to pack, load, and get ready to go.

While loading the truck, 5 SD county sheriff deputies appeared at the entrance gate to our sub-division (about 50 yds from my driveway), but couldn't get it open. So they were hanging on the gate shouting at the top of their lungs "GET OUT NOW!!!!". I could see the fire front coming down a large hill about 3/4 mile east of us, so the situation was definitely time critical.

I got the gate transmitter out of my truck, waved them off the gate and opened it so they could get in. Then went back to loading the truck with wife, kids, cats, boxes of irreplaceable and important stuff.

Last thing I put in the truck was the Mossberg 500C "chopped" home defense stick. Not loaded, but 5 shells in the butt stock carrier. There was no place in the cab left for it out of sight. So I put it on the dash.

Rolled out of the driveway toward the gate, and the deputy directing traffic through the intersection sees it and points at it:

"Is that loaded?"

"No, and I'm praying hard it stays that way."

He waved me through the gate with no other comment.

That's how it should be.

GimpsUnlimited
05-16-2014, 10:07 AM
Great idea, OP. I will have to keep an eye out for such a container.

Fishslayer
05-16-2014, 12:29 PM
It seams Master Lock has gone down hill over the years, might want to choose another lock. :2guns:


The goal in this case is compliance, not security.

geoint
05-16-2014, 12:46 PM
Take them all. lost all my guns in 07 wildfires.
Trust me, your fire rating on a safe means jack &&#/ if your house burns to the ground.

Holy crap dude that sucks balls

smittty
05-16-2014, 6:56 PM
I remember evacuated twice about 4-5 years ago. The first time was a panic event with 20 min warning by the sherif and we have 2 very young kids.

The 2nd time was painless as we learned from the first event. We didn't lose anything in either event.

Now, I don't keep a lot of guns. I sold off a lot of them and kept only those that mattered. I have a few at my home and store the rest off site. With guns and ammo, if I can't take it with me I don't want it in my house. I don't hoard more than I can take with me, it's that simple.

ElvenSoul
05-16-2014, 7:00 PM
In mh life I have had to evacuate for a hurricane and a fire. It is no fun guessing what you should grab. Make a list now and keep it updated.

Dinosaur Jr
05-17-2014, 11:39 AM
It seams Master Lock has gone down hill over the years, might want to choose another lock. :2guns:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsJZ_kKjXcE

Great video! However, the Master lock is probably adequate for a plastic container...

Dinosaur Jr
05-17-2014, 11:44 AM
Good topic. Might have to spend time this weekend doing an actual drill.


Just to add another option, I remember reading some survivalist blog a year or so ago and the author mentioned using one of these Stanley Job Boxes (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-37-in-Mobile-Job-Box-037025H/202300294) for throwing everything in and tossing it in the back of his vehicle. It is also lockable.


It was on sale a year ago and I posted about it here (http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=773347&highlight=stanley). Fellow members had good things to say.


It seems there is also a slightly smaller version (Stanley Mobile Chest (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-24-Gal-Mobile-Chest-029025R/203710098)) for $1.53 more. Probably the better option for smaller cars.


http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/400/ee/eef5ad13-66f8-47e8-b887-4985ffeaf335_400.jpg

I have one of these and I love it!

SDM44
05-17-2014, 7:28 PM
Take them all. lost all my guns in 07 wildfires.
Trust me, your fire rating on a safe means jack &&#/ if your house burns to the ground.
Just curious, what type of safe did you have and what was the fire rating for it?

Just wondering since my safe is rated at 1850 degrees for 90 minutes (better than the more common 1200 degrees for 1 hr rating), but just wondering if that would even make a difference in a wildfire situation where your house burns completely down.

dflanmod
05-17-2014, 7:58 PM
Just curious, what type of safe did you have and what was the fire rating for it?

Just wondering since my safe is rated at 1850 degrees for 90 minutes (better than the more common 1200 degrees for 1 hr rating), but just wondering if that would even make a difference in a wildfire situation where your house burns completely down.

The gun safe was not fire rated. I had a one hour 1200 degree rated document safe. Literally nothing was left of the document safe but the steel frame that held the file folders.

A complete burn down in a wild fire is a lot different than a neighborhood fire that the fire department responds to. If a fire department can show up and throw some water on your house then I think your rating would matter. But when your house burns down completely and then sits in a pile of coals for the next 10 hours until it's cool, you're talking about a whole different animal.

The fire was so hot that everything that was not made of steel was reduced to ash or melted to slag. Nothing but steel or ceramic (ceramic was shattered into very small pieces) was even identifiable after the fire.

All the widows melted. Pyrex cookware melted. Found lumps of melted glass everywhere. The fire was so hot that it melted the aluminum out between the layers of my stainless steel cookware and in one case burnt a hole completely through two layers of a stainless steel pan.

The neighbors truck? The aluminum rims melted and ran in a river down the street and formed a nice puddle in a pothole in the road.

My motorcycle, nothing left but the steel parts. The aluminum engine block melted away completely.

My guns, nothing left that was not steel. Ruger 10/22, I had a twisted warped barrel. Rem 870, the same. 92fs, Barrel and slide were left. All the rifle barrels got hot enough to glow red, and were warped/twisted like you would not believe.

BTW the 1200/1hr rating is nothing. Complete burn downs easily exceed 1200 degrees.

Tripper
05-17-2014, 8:37 PM
Sorry to hear that
Same happened to my dads shop/safe 2 cars, lots of guns, what was left of them was all warped, and that was inside the good safe even, fire lasted way too long and was way too hot, country, volunteer fire dept, lots of fuel, generator prepared for a weeks usage, he's a wood worker hobbyist so had lots of woodworking stuff, reloads so had lots of powder and bullets.
A lightning strike sparked it



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tbc
05-21-2014, 4:03 PM
For only a handful, the Pelican 1600 is large enough for my babies. Now I just need to find cheap locks for it.

The ammo just have to stay behind :facepalm:

327373


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DDRH
05-21-2014, 4:23 PM
cool setups i see in here...although this thread should be in the 'Survival and Preparation' Forum.:oji:

Fozzie TheBear
05-21-2014, 4:37 PM
No such thing as a fire proof safe, they are the first thing I empty if I need to evac. For papers or more sensitive items get a small Sentry lock box, not secure but adds time and additional fire resistance if you aren't able to empty your safe.

As far as locked case requirement, wouldn't a small lock on the zippers of a rifle bag satisfy it?

L84CABO
05-21-2014, 10:39 PM
Pelican is also obviously a good choice for this need. They have a wide variety of sizes, shapes, wheels, etc.

It also goes without saying that this is why you have insurance in addition to your safe. If your collection is big enough, it's unlikely that you will be able to take it all...assuming you even have the time. The irreplaceable and expensive go first. Insurance covers the rest...again...assuming you even have the time.

DavidR310
05-21-2014, 11:24 PM
Interesting - the case costs works out to be about $12/pistol which is not much different than buying 12 different single cases, but would be much easier to manage and keep track of for a grab-n-go emergency or if you frequently need to transport quite a few pieces.

I have a Sturdy safe with fireliner that I count on handling a nominal house fire with firefighting response. Not sure if it would handle a "burn to the ground" fire or not. If I had to flee, I'd be in trouble - don't have enough pistol or rifle boxes / bags. Would have to prioritize what firearms to take along with other high priority household items to fill the car with before hitting the road.

If I knew a situation was developing, I'd have time to get my trailer ready.

I'm thinking the same thing. Another plus is the pelican is a much more stout case then the $12 ones.

tbc
05-22-2014, 11:20 AM
I bought the whole pelican case used (the pick n pluck foam is new) for $100 from the Marketplace here. Being able to arranging my handguns and spare mags in a single case, I am pretty happy with it.

For folks that have multiple long guns and safes, you guys just have to prioritize.


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mabilis_matulis
05-22-2014, 11:46 AM
Thank you for this thread..

dflanmod
05-22-2014, 5:53 PM
Whatever your evac plan, make sure your wife is up to speed. I was at work when the evac went down and the wife didnt know what to do or how to handle and clear loaded weapons so i told her to grab the kids and pets and get out of there.

Fishslayer
05-22-2014, 6:28 PM
For only a handful, the Pelican 1600 is large enough for my babies. Now I just need to find cheap locks for it.


Home Depot sells sets of four with the same key. I've had two of 'em cut off at the range when I forgot the key.:facepalm:
Now the key lives with my truck key. ;)

cool setups i see in here...although this thread should be in the 'Survival and Preparation' Forum.:oji:

Not really. Not all of us are into the prepping thing. I don't even own a gas mask. :eek:

Soginator
05-22-2014, 6:30 PM
Just offering another solution that will (probably) be less popular but whatever. Take pictures of everything in your house for insurance purposes. If you are evacuated in a hurry, leave the guns, take the paperwork for those guns. Worst case scenario your house burns down and you have to file a claim through insurance for the lost value of the guns. There are 2 reasons I say this. 1) There is hardly enough chaos that I can see over valuables that would actually require having a way of defending yourself. The fire evacuations don't have looting, at least for the past 3 years I've been paying attention. Usually it's people in a hurry to get the heck out of nature's way. 2) Your guns, unless you did something incredibly custom by hand or something, are manufactured and mass produced goods that can be easily replaced (this is assuming the insurance reimburses you for it).

There are far more valuable things I can think of to get out of your house. Photos, family heirlooms, that sort of stuff. I suppose the only time you might have to defend your stuff is if you're forced to stay at a hotel or shelter because your house did burn down. But then again, most of you probably have friends/family in the area you could stay with. So just make sure you are prioritizing the right stuff.

Ninja edit: The only reason I mention this is because if it is a time critical situation, you don't have to worry how to store some pieces of paper, you can just toss em in your car wherever. The biggest concern, at least for me, in that situation would be to get me and anyone I cared about out of nature's way.

tbc
05-22-2014, 7:01 PM
Home Depot sells sets of four with the same key. I've had two of 'em cut off at the range when I forgot the key.:facepalm:
Now the key lives with my truck key. ;)

Awesome! and thanks for starting this great thread!

Just offering another solution that will (probably) be less popular but whatever. Take pictures of everything in your house for insurance purposes. If you are evacuated in a hurry, leave the guns, take the paperwork for those guns. Worst case scenario your house burns down and you have to file a claim through insurance for the lost value of the guns. There are 2 reasons I say this. 1) There is hardly enough chaos that I can see over valuables that would actually require having a way of defending yourself. The fire evacuations don't have looting, at least for the past 3 years I've been paying attention. Usually it's people in a hurry to get the heck out of nature's way. 2) Your guns, unless you did something incredibly custom by hand or something, are manufactured and mass produced goods that can be easily replaced (this is assuming the insurance reimburses you for it).

There are far more valuable things I can think of to get out of your house. Photos, family heirlooms, that sort of stuff. I suppose the only time you might have to defend your stuff is if you're forced to stay at a hotel or shelter because your house did burn down. But then again, most of you probably have friends/family in the area you could stay with. So just make sure you are prioritizing the right stuff.

Ninja edit: The only reason I mention this is because if it is a time critical situation, you don't have to worry how to store some pieces of paper, you can just toss em in your car wherever. The biggest concern, at least for me, in that situation would be to get me and anyone I cared about out of nature's way.

Agree. Most of my important stuffs such as photos (including photos of my guns/serials :D) and documents have been scanned and stored in a small flash drive.

92E2
05-22-2014, 7:11 PM
For only a handful, the Pelican 1600 is large enough for my babies. Now I just need to find cheap locks for it.

The ammo just have to stay behind :facepalm:

327373


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That is a sweet pistol case !!!

Banana_hands
05-22-2014, 9:16 PM
Just offering another solution that will (probably) be less popular but whatever. Take pictures of everything in your house for insurance purposes. If you are evacuated in a hurry, leave the guns, take the paperwork for those guns. Worst case scenario your house burns down and you have to file a claim through insurance for the lost value of the guns. There are 2 reasons I say this. 1) There is hardly enough chaos that I can see over valuables that would actually require having a way of defending yourself. The fire evacuations don't have looting, at least for the past 3 years I've been paying attention. Usually it's people in a hurry to get the heck out of nature's way. 2) Your guns, unless you did something incredibly custom by hand or something, are manufactured and mass produced goods that can be easily replaced (this is assuming the insurance reimburses you for it).

There are far more valuable things I can think of to get out of your house. Photos, family heirlooms, that sort of stuff. I suppose the only time you might have to defend your stuff is if you're forced to stay at a hotel or shelter because your house did burn down. But then again, most of you probably have friends/family in the area you could stay with. So just make sure you are prioritizing the right stuff.

Ninja edit: The only reason I mention this is because if it is a time critical situation, you don't have to worry how to store some pieces of paper, you can just toss em in your car wherever. The biggest concern, at least for me, in that situation would be to get me and anyone I cared about out of nature's way.

While I agree somewhat, for some of us, guns are family heirlooms. And with California and the ridiculous roster, many pistols cannot legally be replaced.

ruchik
05-22-2014, 10:07 PM
I'm curious. Let's say that your house does burn down and all your guns are gone. All documentation regarding them is gone too, so you don't know the serial numbers. How do you go about reporting those?

pdude
05-22-2014, 10:58 PM
It's more pricey but you can itemize the guns with a personal articles policy on your insurance. To do that you would need to submit the serial numbers as we'll.

dflanmod
05-23-2014, 6:15 AM
I'm curious. Let's say that your house does burn down and all your guns are gone. All documentation regarding them is gone too, so you don't know the serial numbers. How do you go about reporting those?

I tried to report mine as destroyed and nobody gave a crap. PD didnt care and couldnt even say what I should do to report them as destroyed.

tacticalcity
05-23-2014, 5:43 PM
Interesting. When I think bug-out I tend to think "end of society" type event. Not really thinking about a localized even that forces me from my home into a hotel room. But I can see how if that is a real threat where you live that you would need a solid evacuation plan in place. Fire's are pretty uncommon in my area aside from an individual house fire. Plus all my guns will fit in the trunk of my car. So I never really thought of that as "bugging-out".

My bug-out bag / plan is more for when the car is out of gas, and so are all the gas stations, and so is the entire country...so I am hoofing it along with a million other people trying to flea to safety. Don't think such an event will occur any time soon, if ever, but plan for the worst not the best right? That kind of chaos is what I think of when I think of "bugging out". But again, I do think it is a great idea to have plans in place for common threats you may face in your area.

LT1Silverhawk
05-24-2014, 7:30 AM
Interesting. When I think bug-out I tend to think "end of society" type event. Not really thinking about a localized even that forces me from my home into a hotel room. But I can see how if that is a real threat where you live that you would need a solid evacuation plan in place. Fire's are pretty uncommon in my area aside from an individual house fire. Plus all my guns will fit in the trunk of my car. So I never really thought of that as "bugging-out".

My bug-out bag / plan is more for when the car is out of gas, and so are all the gas stations, and so is the entire country...so I am hoofing it along with a million other people trying to flea to safety. Don't think such an event will occur any time soon, if ever, but plan for the worst not the best right? That kind of chaos is what I think of when I think of "bugging out". But again, I do think it is a great idea to have plans in place for common threats you may face in your area.

Good points.

I think too often we get caught up in preparing for emergency situations without thinking realistically about the scenarios for our own local area.

For example, in the Los Angeles area, just a rain drop can bring all the freeways to a halt. Bugging out during a big emergency may not be such an easy option.

sdsguy87
05-24-2014, 9:16 PM
I thinking bug out is the wrong word, it really should be preparedness. We live in California, are we ready to handle a major earthquake? What about long term power outage? There's so many different scenarios and each one should be handled differently. I have a friend who keeps everything in a red container so in a fire you grab the red container and go.

highpower
05-25-2014, 6:07 AM
I have had to evacuate because of a fire before, and unless the fire starts right in your neighborhood, you should have a bit of a warning. In my case, I could tell by the smoke that it had shifted direction and I started loading my car early.

All my rifles are stored in gun socks from Cabelas and by in large the handguns are in their original boxes. This makes it relativity easy to toss them in the trunk of a car or the back of a truck without damaging them. I have an old army footlocker for the handguns that has a hasp on it for security. I can be loaded in about a half an hour, but there could be times when I may not have that much time, so I make a point of paying attention, and If I think something is going on, I will start loading early.

I keep a detailed photographic inventory of all my valuables, including scanned copies of any documentation, in two places. One is on a CD, the other is on a cloud based data bank. Even if everything goes up in smoke I have proof of serial numbers and ownership. I don't just do this with my guns, everything that has any real value goes on the inventory.

I now live in the Nevada desert, so I don't worry about the wildfires like I used to. I still like to practice preparedness though, as you never know what might happen.

Ninja45
05-27-2014, 12:36 PM
Man, I have a lot of preps to do! Never thought of a fire evac!

diverwcw
05-27-2014, 12:39 PM
Remember Katrina? I suspect it would go down the same. If you have guns or are seen with them they will take them by force. If you are shooting you will be shot.

I think the authorities have learned from Katrina. This would not surprise me at all.

bdock
05-27-2014, 2:24 PM
My Pelican 1720 has three handguns and an AR in it. Ammo in the backpack with one full set of clothes. I'm ready, assuming I'm at home if a fire/other disaster comes. If not... Just the gun I got with me.