Gun safe in a touring caravan

[Ruger 1022]

So with the current situation I dont think we will be travelling aboard any time soon so we have bought a touring caravan and plan on visiting different places around the country to my surprise one of the first places my wife suggested has clay pigeon shooting on site which made me think if I am to take a shotgun on holiday with me what is the legality of it?
Started to think if I could get a breakdown cabinet and hide it under the seats would that be ok or would I need to have the gun broken into 3 pieces and kept in different place?
If I end up getting in anyone's way I apologise in advance.
Regards Ian.

 

[EMcC]

Why don't you break it into two pieces and hide it around the van and then keep to yourself what you have done.
If nobody knows you have it why would they search for it ?

 

[MAH]

The Home Office require you to take reasonable precautions.
I have a motor home, and take my kit with me.
I've used cable locks like this to secure each to the metal chassis.
Bolts are stored in classic money box, which is also bolted to chassis.

 

[Ruger 1022]

Thanks for the reply's never thought about a cable like that, we are going to have a look around the van at the weekend so I have food for thought when I go.

Cheers Ian.

 

[Dickie]

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something like this hidden beneath the seats anchored through the floor or fixed in a wardrobe job done.
I would also say discretion don’t leave the caravan with the gun in a full length slip in a sheet vest.

 

[Ruger 1022]

Cheers Dickie thats what I was thinking about, I am always discrete when I leave the house I never let anyone see me bring it out its always covered over you never know who is watching.
Need to go ans have a look to see where I could put something

 

[sh1kar]

I would have thought your car. Locked and alarmed is safest place. With gun padlocked to day seat frame and hidden with a coat. Take bolt and fore end with you when leave it

seems reasonable precautions to me

S

 

[Ruger 1022]

Have already flipped the rear seats up to look to see if it could take the gun and it looks like it might but I need to take it to work and try it out in the garage so no one sees my doing it

 

[gonzo]

A cable may work through a rifle action and bolt locked away. But the OP mentioned a shotgun.

Possibly a gun clamp may be an option, if you can find somewhere to mount it securely. In the car probably would be best (as has been suggested already), as there is little solid enough to bolt to in a caravan. And it would be useable for more than just caravanning. And a gun clamp would be small enough not to get in the way when not being used.
Also, when you go out for the day, you will prob be taking the car, so locking it in the car will avoid leaving the gun unattended on a camp site.
Removing the forend will pretty much disable most shotguns. So leaving that behind in the caravan, or popping it in your pocket if small enough, would be an idea.

 

[AllyCrow]

I take mine regularly in the caravan. First of all it travels broken into 3 in a case in the car. The trigger travels normally in a pocket or with my wife. If I move it around it travels in a slip, inside my fishing rod holdall as a good portion of holiday makers have fishing tackle. My range bag is also a NGT fishing bag.

I break it onto 4, by removing the trigger which is only a small Allen key which sits on my car keys. I then use a trigger lock in the space.

When leaving unattended it has the stock and trigger with me or at least stock in the car and trigger in my wife's bag.

The barrels and butt are in a lock box in the caravan which is alarmed.

I consider I take "reasonable" precautions which is the minimum standard the law demands.

 

[Woodsmoke]

Trigger lock?





I have a few. If you'd like one you can have it for the price of the postage

 

[Druid]

Put the barrels and forend in the car, locked in the boot.
Put the stock in the caravan secured to a suitable hardpoint with a cable lock like the one above, through the trigger guard.
Don’t bother with trigger locks as they don’t stop the gun getting nicked and are easily removed with a hammer and screwdriver by the thief at a later time.

 

[Ruger 1022]

I drive a x trail so dont know if I would have the parcel shelf in or not so thinking if I can get a cable lock long enough thinking either stock or barrels under the back seat locked to the seat mounting points and then then the other in the caravan guarded by a savage springerpoo arriving next week and to be trained to savage! they will need to watch out for his tongue!

 

[Grannysmith]

Personaly i would check with your feo its best not to take a chance and get them stolen and then lose your certificate because you havent complied with its conditions mate

 

[Stalker62]

Personaly i would check with your feo its best not to take a chance and get them stolen and then lose your certificate because you havent complied with its conditions mate

Absolutely no need to bother the FEO - who is (perhaps) unqualified to give you an answer that would prevent you subsequently losing your SGC.

It's all there is black and white on your SGC.

Condition 4 (a) and 4 (b).

 

[zambezi]

Prudence and reasonable care. The HOG has guidance here. Pretty straightforward per advice above:

 

[Stalker62]

Nice graphics!

 

[Tazz]

If you read the police advice when traveling with a firearm it’s a guide rather than a set of absolute rules but the onus is on you to take “reasonable “ precautions. It does say leave in the locked boot of a locked vehicle with a key part removed. You have to think worst case scenario what are you going to explain to the officer if it’s stolen and how round bust would those precautions be viewed. When I overnight in hotel with my shotgun I

Lock the shotgun in a Pelicase and using decent chain lock the case to the frame of the Disco rear seats

I remove the forend and trigger unit if it’s my rifle I remove the bolt and take it with me in the hotel. The other key thing is take pictures of the set up with smart phone showing locks and chain the pics will be dated and timed so you can prove the level of security. It’s all about taking reasonable precautions and being able to prove it hence the importance of the pictures

 

[zambezi]

take pictures of the set up with smart phone showing locks and chain the pics will be dated and timed so you can prove the level of security

Wisdom. Hopefully you never need to produce those images, but it would certainly go some way to minimising police/FEO discourse if loss occurs.

When travelling abroad, I have carried my locked Peli case into my hotel room's en suite and chained it around the U-bend of the toilet. [car theft in Africa is higher than in the U.K. so leaving firearms in the car comes with added risk]

 

[Tazz]

T
The pictures are key to proving the effort you have taken on my Peli set up I put padlocks on both the hasps then lock the chain round the case and the seat tram then use a decent quality combination lock to lock the chain through one of the case locks. Taking the pics verifies the level of security if you don’t and the case is gone along it’s just your word as to the effort you put in. Apologies this is not the best picture I took from trip up to Scotland but all the others have my details from the case on show