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Would you use rifles after a fire if there was any safety question?

davinski

davinski

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I don't know if this has been covered before, but it's been a topic at our hunting camp. The various gun safe manufacturers seem to make a lot of hay over ratings, temps, times, etc...and the cost to go with them. If your house or building holding your full gun safe was actually in a fire, how would you feel about using those firearms? If it was me, and the fire was anything big and/or close to the safe, I don't think I'd let my family get down behind any of them and shoot. Maybe I'm just paranoid, and my command of metallurgy and heat treating doesn't even amount to rudimentary, but it just wouldn't be worth the risk.

Anyone else ever wonder about that or, God forbid, gone through such a fire and had to make that call? Are there any foolproof tests that can be run on the post-fire weapons? Thanks.

Dave
 
Let them all burn! I will collect the insurance and get a rifle, or two, that I REALLY want. Actually, though, if it was not hot enough to burn off the stocks, the rifle should be perfectly fine.
 
whiskeydog said:
and that's why we have home owners insurance!
Click to expand...

Make sure you have enough coverage though depending on how many guns you have. I know on my insurance its $5,000 for guns + jewelry,furs,collectibles, etc...

This site seems to have a lot of good information. http://gunsafereviewsguy.com/ I agree that fire ratings and such are really sort of a scam. How are you going to know how hot it got inside the safe and for how long? What about water damage resulting from a fire?

I have a safe for 3 main reasons #1 I got it for free #2 to deter theft #3 safety. I suppose that if I had guns that were really un-replaceable I'd maybe a bit more inclined to get the best fire protection that I could afford. While my modest collection of guns mean a great deal to me there is nothing there that insurance money couldn't replace.
 
rifles are made out of steel. like stated above, if their stocks hold up, i would have no problem shooting them, as they will damage FAR before the rifle and it's internal components. might put the rifle in a lead sled and tie a string to the trigger the first few shots just to make sure.
 
MJE2083 said:
Make sure you have enough coverage though depending on how many guns you have. I know on my insurance its $5,000 for guns + jewelry,furs,collectibles, etc...
Click to expand...

Having gone through a house fire and subsequent insurance claim I cannot overstate this enough. There are a boat load of nooks and crannies in your policy where you can get shorted, best to meet with your agent and make sure everything is covered.
 
I would take the rifles to a gunsmith to give them a look over before firing.
 
I believe some of the super cheap econo rifles (remington 783 comes to mind) have plastic internal parts that may be destroyed or weakened if subjected to alot of heat.
 
A friend years ago wanted to insure his guns. He had to take them all to a gun dealer, get a written appraisal as to their value, provide that to the Ins. company, then take out a specific rider on his policy to cover the guns.

Many policies only cover a thousand or two, have a limit on computers, cameras, etc. If you're really into guns and have a bunch, or cameras, orm computers; you will be greatly disappointed about what your policy covers....

As to shooting a gun, as long as the stock wasn't damaged, then heck yeah. A coworkers dad had his trailer burn. A Remington 700 in 7mm mag was in there. The stock finish was blistered & scorched, the bluing was ruined as was the finish on the Leupold VX 2 3-9 that was on it. He lives near the Remington factory in Ilion, NY. Took the gun in, paid for a new stock, a bluing job, etc. and got the gun redone as a CDL model. He also got the scope refinished, but don't know any details about whether it cost him or anything. Gun shots great!

Think about it. You shoot 100 rounds of 7mm mag as fast as you can and no cooling time. How hot will the barrel, etc. get? Plenty hot. Damage the gun, I doubt it.....
 
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Curvebow said:
A friend years ago wanted to insure his guns. He had to take them all to a gun dealer, get a written appraisal as to their value, provide that to the Ins. company, then take out a specific rider on his policy to cover the guns.

Many policies only cover a thousand or two, have a limit on computers, cameras, etc. If you're really into guns and have a bunch, or cameras, orm computers; you will be greatly disappointed about what your policy covers....

As to shooting a gun, as long as the stock wasn't damaged, then heck yeah. A coworkers dad had his trailer burn. A Remington 700 in 7mm mag was in there. The stock finish was blistered & scorched, the bluing was ruined as was the finish on the Leupold VX 2 3-9 that was on it. He lives near the Remington factory in Ilion, NY. Took the gun in, paid for a new stock, a bluing job, etc. and got the gun redone as a CDL model. He also got the scope refinished, but don't know any details about whether it cost him or anything. Gun shots great!

Think about it. You shoot 100 rounds of 7mm mag as fast as you can and no cooling time. How hot will the barrel, etc. get? Plenty hot. Damage the gun, I doubt it.....
Click to expand...

This thread got me thinking about insurance again as it's been on my mind for a few years. A while back my home owners insurance quoted me $400 a year to add my guns individually. I did not have to take them to get appraised or take them to a dealer, but I was required to give them a list of guns with the value that I placed on them via blue book (at the time was roughly $8,000). I know that the NRA also offers a $2,500 policy to members but you have to activate it, and I have heard that there is a lot of holes in the coverage(for instance you are not covered if a contractor working in your home steals your guns). I heard good things on another forum about Collectable Insurance Co. and got a instant quote from them for a $10,000 policy for less than $90 a year
 
MJE2083 said:
I know on my insurance its $5,000 for guns + jewelry,furs,collectibles, etc...
Click to expand...

I have a policy through USAA specifically for my guns/jewelry. It covers against everything and anything. If I slip and the a rifle slides down the mountain and off a cliff, it's covered. If the diamond falls out of the wife's ring and ends up on the bottom of the river, it's covered. Policy covers ~$16k and costs me $158/year.
 
FYI.. Normally, a Homeowners policy has a limitation for THEFT of Firearms (anywhere from $1000-$5000). If they were destroyed in a fire you would get the replacement cost of the gun, as long as you have replacement cost on your Personal Property. The best thing to do is schedule your firearms and optics onto your Homeowners Policy on SPP endorsement. When this is done, you can choose a lower deductible than your Homeowners Policy (anywhere from zero to $500). Also if they are on a SPP endorsement they are afforded the broadest coverage available. The annual cost to schedule $10,000 of firearms would normally run you about $120 with a $100 deductible.
 
mtguy said:
FYI.. Normally, a Homeowners policy has a limitation for THEFT of Firearms (anywhere from $1000-$5000). If they were destroyed in a fire you would get the replacement cost of the gun, as long as you have replacement cost on your Personal Property. The best thing to do is schedule your firearms and optics onto your Homeowners Policy on SPP endorsement. When this is done, you can choose a lower deductible than your Homeowners Policy (anywhere from zero to $500). Also if they are on a SPP endorsement they are afforded the broadest coverage available. The annual cost to schedule $10,000 of firearms would normally run you about $120 with a $100 deductible.
Click to expand...

THIS

Most policies only limit coverages for certain items - jewelry, firearms, artworks, etc...for THEFT and would generally be covered for fire.
 
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