We’ve seen the H&K P7 make an occasional appearance in past posts (seems unlikely there are a dozen different P7 owners submitting pocket dumps). What’s really interesting is that there’s a Liberty Gun Safe in the corner of this photo.

How many of you guys store your handguns or other home defense firearms in a safe rather than leaving them loose in your house? What safe do you use and how do you have it staged in your home? Can you get to it in case of a home invader or while the intruder be able to get between you and your gun?

Things to ponder.

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53 COMMENTS

  1. P7M8 NOT a good choice for modern carry.

    Suspect it is the same dork showing off his P7. Yes, I would like to have one in mint condition.a

    • It’s the same guy who had the Black Book of Communism post.

      Other P7 posts would appear to come from other people.

    • P7M8 carries, feeds, and very accurately shoots 8+1 rounds of any 9x19mm you want, such as HSTs. It’s quick to get into action, very easy to operate, can be had with good modern 3-dot tritium sights, and is very reliable. What does your “modern” carry gun do that a P7M8 doesn’t?

    • A P7M8 is an excellent choice for carry. Been using one, off and on, since about ’92. They shoot like a house of fire. Just takes a little getting used to. Of course, they’re only 9mm, but recent improvement in ammo makes it an adequate caliber.

        • You know I went to a thing at Ft. Benning years ago. Lots of firearms manufacturers there including HK. They were introducing the M10. I told them it wouldn’t sell because of the slide. Pissed the guy off, but I was right. The M8 is the thinking man’s P7.

    • Why is that, exactly? It’s a precision-made, highly accurate, highly reliable handgun with an excellent trigger.

  2. Lincoln 40 gun safe from Liberty with 90 minute fire rating. It’s in the garage at this point because it’s too big to get through a door and put somewhere else.

    Most of the long guns stay in it. Pistols are stashed around the house normally but go in the safe when we’re out of town and therefore the dogs are not here either. Not perfect but better than leaving them out all the time or in the safe all the time too.

    The whole point is it’s pretty much impossible to get between us and a gun even if our home carry guns are out of ammo. The habit comes from living in places where this is actually not a bad idea and damned if that habit isn’t hard to break even if the neighborhood we’re in now doesn’t require it.

      • I cannot do that yet because I don’t own this house. We’ll be signing a contract next year to buy it from the current owners at which point I will move that safe into the basement when we do a renovation.

        As it is currently set up they’d have to find the safe, which covered and in between two large cabinets kinda disappears, unbury the safe from behind multiple vehicles in order to steal it and the keys to those vehicles are in the safe. They’d also have to then somehow move that safe which currently weighs over 1000lbs with all the ammo on the floor of it, and do so without getting shot in the face by my lovely neighbors who all have excellent sight lines, hate thieves, know the police response time here is long and love to shoot.

        Really, their biggest challenge would be moving that thing on the sloped ground without one or more of them getting crushed by it. When it was empty it took four very large movers with a dolly to get it where it currently is and that is when it weighed half of what it does now.

        It’s not perfect and it’s far from what I’d like to do with it but it’s what I can do at this point without removing a wall from a house that I don’t own. The situation late last year kinda dictated that I roll with certain punches and this is one of them.

    • “To big to get through the door” .. I was going to suggest a chainsaw but it’d be hard to lie your way out of that to the current owner. “I was cleaning my chainsaw when it went off” as opposed to “Weirdest lightning strike I’ve ever seen, Came in and burnt this door frame, nothing else, weird”

  3. I have a fairly basic handgun safe where I store handguns that aren’t on me. I lock it when I leave, unlock it when I come back. It wouldn’t stop a determined thief but it would delay or deter an opportunist.

  4. I have an armory room set aside opposite my master bedroom. Past a certain point, gun safes stop being practical. Especially when you start picking up random C&R guns just because they are cheap and you can. About 2/3 of my C&R collection are basically display pieces. They are in good shape, but I don’t have the time or obscure ammo to go shooting with all of them. (Seriously, try finding reasonably priced 6.5 JAP.)

  6. I keep my treasures in the safe.

    Cash. Old Smith and Wesson’s., Winchester’s. Etc.

    The newer ones are out where I can get to them.

    • What’s going to happen, hack TTAGs servers, find out peoples email addresses? You going to hack Google and find out who owns my gmail account? Or get an IP address from Comcast, and figure that out?? Good luck with that. Besides, even if someone did manage to find out something, they’d end up getting their stupid ass killed.

      • Okay, MLee, we could probably be friends. This on line thing is fairly new to me. Got your “I P.” Get my I.P. please. Most of the guy’s I sent prison know exactly where I live. Just never been afraid of something like that. Used to be afraid of roller coasters. Then the army made me jump out of airplanes. First time I ever flew in one. Then they made me rappel down cliffs and out of helicopters. Then I got a job where I had to kick in doors so I could put my hands on armed felons. That was a lot of fun. Scared the living shit out of me. Nothing like chasing a pistol through a door at 0400 hours.

      • ” What’s going to happen.” Well there’s a big push to have a secure that firearm law, TTAG ask some very peculiar questions, D F had me suspicious . ?’s like what gunns do you own, do you ever forget your gun, articles about DGU’ that normally get answers of ,” I’d shoot the SOB if he even looked sideways at me” are you a super owner, how much ammo is enuff, what would you do if the man come knocking, do you leave your gunn in the car when you enter a gunn free zone. On and on. TTAG was once even trying to pump answer’s on weed and gunns. Questions a person would not answer being questioned, we freely give up to strangers, most of which are probably the FBI or something like it, who CAN get your ip address,( oh yes they can) and even if their” Not out to get me” I’m still filling in their survey. Firewalls have never kept a vehicle from burning when the fire gets to hot.

    • Why are you worried about people you don’t know? Is it sour grapes? They have more than you? If you have something to contribute speak up. Otherwise, please be quite.

      • @ Gadsden Flag
        tdiinva probably has little or they would brag it up a little. I mean, why not? We are Americans and take pride in who we are, we we work hard to own and on a minimum level, share our pride and interests with other like minded folks who share our passions.

        • Damn typos: *#^$))$&# lack of edit button!
          @ Gadsden Flag
          tdiinva probably has little or they would brag it up a little. I mean, why not? We are Americans and take pride in who we are, what we work hard to own and on a minimum level, share our pride and interests with other like minded folks who share our passions.

        • MLee, I understand. I have a decent, if modest, firearms collection. H&Ks, Galils, M-1 Garand, 03-A3, several custom built hunting rifles, only factory bolt gun I own is the Kimber Montana I carried today. N frame Smiths. A Python. Several 1911s. Other stuff too. Picked up a mint Marlin 18″ Texan three days ago. Got who’s IP? If it’s mine, drop on by. I doubt I’ll say goodbye to anything I own. I will introduce you to one of the medical examiners. I know all of them. Of course, you’ll be unresponsive.

        • @ Gadsden Flag
          That was a joke. People would say “Got your IP” on line and try and scare folks. Yeah I’ve had a few of what you mentioned. It’s one of those great regrets. No longer do I have the Colt Python I bought new or the Galil ARM 308 I also bought new. Those are two HUGE regrets. What I do have though is nice and it’s mine and I bought and paid for it.

        • I’m not the one bragging about all my cool stuff. If your posting “anonymously” on the internet you’re blabbing it to everybody else so STFU

    • Anonymous security measures from a randomized IP using a throwaway email account? Yeah… I’ll take my chances.

  8. My weapons are protected against most likely threat, which is a random smash and grab. An interior closest with a good door, (built in 1957) has an electronic entry lock and tamper proof hinges. If I leave for more than an hour or so, like if I take the Motorhome and leave for a week, the weapons go with. However, I timed myself earlier to see how long it takes me to open the door so as to grab a weapon….4 seconds.
    My daily carry is always within arms reach for the most part. I mean, I don’t take it in the bathroom when I shower, but that’s what the dogs do for me, provide earlier warning of something happening.
    The early warning they provide is crucial.

  9. I store all my firearms and ammo in a Liberty (24long guns) Safe which is bolted to the floor. While at home I EDC and also have bedside armament . One ever knows.

    Intruders would have a very difficult time removing my safe from it’s location. No doubt expert safe thieves could possibly open the safe but would make a hell of a racket in trying. I’m sure our neighbors would be aware “something” is wrong and notify authorities if we’re not at home and heard excessive “unwanted noise” coming from our home.

    Yeah, I can honestly say that we feel safe as can be with our EDC and firearms and ammo vaulted.
    .

    • Your ammo can fit in a safe!? Jesus, mine hardly fits in the utility room. Well, a few 10,000s of rounds does take up a little room.

      • .
        perhaps they shoot nothing but .9mm , a shoe box would probably hold 20 thousand rounds of that bad boy

      • You know what? I bet you’re full of shit about most of the stuff you’ve done, and most of the toys you own. Tough guys know they’re tough. They don’t need to break their fingers trying to convince the internet that they’re a badass. Come on, man. I’m embarrassed for you. Nobody is impressed, and nobody likes a braggart.

  10. Cannot afford a safe. Have several Stack-On gun cabinets, including a handgun “safe” which is too light weight to be called that. The cabinets are lag bolted to wall studs and bolted to each other. All are in a locked walk-in closet. Locked up guns are ones that are either never used for defense or are only locked when I am out.

    Primary home defense guns are Mossberg 12ga shotguns. When I am home those are unlocked, closet door is open. No kids around anymore so that is not an issue.

    Handguns that I carry are sometimes in a lock box in the car when I am someplace I cannot take them inside. Most any workplace for example.

    That P7 pistol is interesting to me but only as a design curiosity. I can’t be spending that much money on design curiosities and there’s too much commentary around on the gun’s shortcomings.

    • I have two gun safes. Both Liberties. Just what I like. Also, have four handguns stashed around the house. And one rifle. Live alone. Retired. Here most of the time. Know all the bad guys. They remember me. They keep their distance.

      • You and I are in the same boat, both retired, live alone, here most of the time. Only thing is I do have my animals. Been in the same place for 40 years.

    • I have one Fort Knox pistol box, the lift up lid, it’s hidden and mounted to the concrete floor. I have a Cannon Safe for the long guns, then a locked cabinet for the ammo cans.

    • Yes, when I got it back in the 1980s, Ft Knox was about the only game in town. Chuck Yeager was stumping for them at the time and I got to spend 20 minutes yacking with him at their booth at the Reno NRA meetings while I made the purchase. I think it was $600 way back then and was top of the line for the size. Great safe. I picked up a used Treadloc chest safe at a gun showfor $100 years later and still could use a couple more safes. That Treadlock is a crock- have to lie on the floor to open both key locks. Pal of mine also has a couple pickup truck job boxes as safes- probably as good as that Treadloc and cheaper.

      EDC is not in the safe, however. I also don’t “store” it in the oven… WTF was with that rage some time back?

  12. Im not too concerned about theft for a locksmith.
    I keep my long guns in a Homack gun box. Decent door crummy light steel box though. Bolted to my subflooring.
    Hand guns are also locked in 4 non fire rated lock boxes. also all bolted to the subflooring.
    All my gun boxes have digital locks.
    A few (3) loaded handguns around the house where I am never more then 15 feet at any time from a loaded gun.
    Not counting the one on my hip 20/24 hours a day every day.
    No kids, nor other half around anymore…………………Maybe thats a good thing.

  13. Jay, I’m sorry, but I wish I had a hundred dollar bill for every burglary for one of those Homack safes that had been pried open with a screwdriver. If your firearms are worth $1000+ buy a Liberty, or a Cannon.

  15. I remember Tred-Locks.. A friend had one. Hell of a lot better than a Homack and not far below a new Liberty.

  16. I have a Stack On RSC in my bedroom and a Fort Knox Titan series gun vault weighing in at around 3000 lbs bolted down to a concrete slab with three quarter inch bolts….I carry when I am at home and I am carrying as I write this blog so the only so called loose gun lying around the house is on my person…..all my other guns are quietly behaving themselves in their respective storage facilities.

  17. I’m curious – do you guys have special ‘riders’ on your homeowners insurance for your firearms collection? If so, how did you breach the subject without your agent freaking out about it?

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