Most efficient storage for rifles in a Studio flat.

[Asomodai]

Hello all. 

 

As some of you may know, my marriage ended a few months ago. It was foreshadowed for a while. My ex is buying me out, so I am going to be out of a 3-bed house into a very small, rented studio room/flat (At three times of the cost per month of my mortgage mind you). 

 

In preparation for this I have sold approximately 20 odd rifles over the past few months, I have 9 left, of which two will be for sale when tested. I have resolved to keep the remaining 7 (With another FAMAS being an eventual purchase, so will need room for 8.)

 

I currently have boxes for 5 of them, plus lots of rifle bags. I want to be able to store them in my eventual room in the smallest space possible, so they are not on show, don't take up much horizontal room and not look too messy. 

 

So, bags are out as it is just too messy. I want the rifles to be stacked vertically in the smallest floor footprint as possible. It's bad enough that I have loads of gear as well that needs to be stored as well, but the rifles are the biggest annoyances. 

 

Any out of box suggestions?

 

(The rifles I have decided to keep, because some people seem to like updates on what I have :P)

 

TM Famas

PTS PDRC

ARX160

JLS RX4

E&L AKM

LCT AMD-65

Silverback SRS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by Asomodai

[Strikehard1147]

have you looked at the london gun company they do a cabinet to hold 6-7 or 9 plus rifles 

[Rogerborg]

14 minutes ago, Asomodai said:

my marriage ended a few months ago

 

Sorry to hear that. Did she find the receipts?

 

(Too soon?)

 

I'm not clear on what your priorities are. "Not on show" and "not too messy" sounds like you want them inside some sort of structure, rather than just bin bags and a tie-down strap holding them together.  Do you care if it's secure?  Are you after something more, or less, complicated than a Björk cupboard from Ikea?

[strykerles]

maybe invest in an ottoman bed so stuff caan be stored inside, more for gear than rifles though?

[hitmanNo2]

Perhaps something like a paper storage tower rack?  Spin it around and put a cloth or something over it and it's a sideboard and all out of sight.  Maybe get a carpenter to knock you up one from plywood based on the size of the biggest rifle/box to set the footprint?  Doesn't need drawer shelves I suppose to make it even simpler.

 

 

[Asomodai]

30 minutes ago, Strikehard1147 said:

have you looked at the london gun company they do a cabinet to hold 6-7 or 9 plus rifles 

 

None of these will be able to take my rifles. 

 

25 minutes ago, Rogerborg said:

 

Sorry to hear that. Did she find the receipts?

 

(Too soon?)

 

I'm not clear on what your priorities are. "Not on show" and "not too messy" sounds like you want them inside some sort of structure, rather than just bin bags and a tie-down strap holding them together.  Do you care if it's secure?  Are you after something more, or less, complicated than a Björk cupboard from Ikea?

 

Yes, it would have to be inside some sort of structure. Out of sight and out of mind. It does not have to be secure. 

 

It's not too soon 😉 Our split was unrelated to Airsoft purchases 😛 

 

24 minutes ago, strykerles said:

maybe invest in an ottoman bed so stuff caan be stored inside, more for gear than rifles though?

 

This is the ideal solution, however, may be out of my hands as a-lot of London flats come already furnished and they don't want their furniture removed, many beds do not have drawers. So would rather have a different solution on hand. 

 

23 minutes ago, hitmanNo2 said:

Perhaps something like a paper storage tower rack?  Spin it around and put a cloth or something over it and it's a sideboard and all out of sight.  Maybe get a carpenter to knock you up one from plywood based on the size of the biggest rifle/box to set the footprint?  Doesn't need drawer shelves I suppose to make it even simpler.

 

 

 

This is an interesting idea actually. I may need to consider this. Some of the rifles are quite wide and long though, so not sure if this particular one would fit them. 

Edited September 10, 2022 by Asomodai

[concretesnail]

Sorry to here of your troubles fella. 

If I were looking I'd consider looking at a plan chest, either A1 or A2 sized depending in the longest rifle.

Personally I'd go for one taller than I needed so I could add more or fake front the bottom draws and knock through the trays to make a larger bottom draw and then store kit in it. 

Tool draws might be worth a look too. Both would give a flat top to work on as well.

Edited September 10, 2022 by concretesnail

[Pseudotectonic]

By "stacked vertically" you mean something like this?

 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

I'd knock up a box in tongue and groove and make a wooden divider using a jigsaw.  Sand it, stain it and varnish if you really want, and it won't stand out against quality stuff. 

 

If you get an old packing case the correct size, or knock something up from pallet wood, you can laminate it with 3mm ply and stain etc.  That's dirt cheap and looks OK too.  

 

If you draw up a design, you could get the sides etc cut of ply at a local builders merchants and screw them together yourself.   

 

I've made a few units in similar fashion.  

 

 

[JimFromHorsham]

[hitmanNo2]

A lot of London studio flats have built in beds that fold down, out of the wall so that might not be possible.

[Tackle]

A lot of good suggestions here, but I can't help but think that until @Asomodaiactually has a place lined up, then it's all a bit moot ?

I'm assuming he doesn't want it on show, as anything gun shaped could spook visitors, so if the bed option isn't feasible then I'd be thinking about a dedicated piece or pieces of furniture, think cabinets or large trunk style coffee table that could be adapted for pure storage ?, maybe even a kitchen island in place of a kitchen table ?. 

Once he's secured a place, assuming it's furnished, then he'll know how much space he has & what he needs to match with, within reason. 

Alternatively what about "off site" secure storage, lots of firms around offering various size options from literally cupboard size up to 40ft container & bigger, short term options are usually available & he may find he needs this option anyway for other possessions ? 

 

Prob not helped much but its just my interpretation of options 🤔

[Guest DrAlexanderTobacco]

Honestly this is out of the box but it's what I'm using to store some RIFs at my mum's house - semi-rigid, tall, laundry basket:

 

 

You can use towels as spacers, or something like a camping mat cut up into strips. Set them so the weight of them makes the basket rest against a wall, cupboard etc. with a towel over the top if any barrels are sticking out.

 

Is it ideal? Far from! But it's dirt cheap. Sorry to hear about your separation.

Edited September 11, 2022 by DrAlexanderTobacco

[#blackadder]

How about a double wardrobe with a false back ? Just deep enough to hold your rifs sideways with battened sides and mdf removable panel .

Hang your clothes in front . 

 

Please no jokes about lions and witches .

[Monkeywrencher]

 

41 minutes ago, #blackadder said:

How about a double wardrobe with a false back ? Just deep enough to hold your rifs sideways with battened sides and mdf removable panel .

Hang your clothes in front . 

 

Please no jokes about lions and witches .

 This but less complicated, stood up in the back of the wardrobe you clothes are in, screw dividers in and put a bungee across to stop them falling forward

 

[#blackadder]

I was thinking of hiding them , not just storing . 

[clumpyedge]

Personally for me and depending on budget I would look at everything people have suggested however there are a couple of options people haven't mentioned.

 

Peli make multi rifle lock boxes (this is a very expensive route) see the multi rifle case - this was just for reference but other models would accommodate 5 or 6 rifles.

 

5.11 also make the CAMS bag that has double or triple rifle (depending on the dimensions of the guns) underneath the main compartment. The main compartment has removable inserts to make it differing sizes which could potentially hold all of your surplus gear as well. This is also somewhat lockable if you use a few padlocks on the zips. This is also the better option in terms of footprint. 5.11 also make the SOMS (some of my shit) which is the smaller of the variant and without the under bag storage (I currently own a SOMS and its great for storing all my stuff minus guns and takes up the space on top of my wardrobe, if I organised it a bit better I could fit all my gear, my M4 and my MK46 in - Alas I am lazy).

 

The CAMS or SOMS are a lot less conspicuous in terms of storage but also allow for better transport as they are both wheeled with extendable travel handle. Peli (or other rebrand) also have travel handles which would be useful for peace of mind if traveling to games that you aren't leaving your stuff at home.

 

Looking at your list of guns the CAMS would easily store them all plus your gear (depending how much stuff you have obviously)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by clumpyedge

[rj1986]

Might need to measure, and looks a bit agricultural, but i use this to store my older plate carriers, spares, random bits

 

https://www.homebase.co.uk/heavy-duty-trunk-on-wheels-175l/12818840.html?rctxt=default

 

The lid is flat and quite strong so other things can be but on top of it

Edited September 12, 2022 by rj1986

[Lozart]

How about a simple rifle rack with a blanket over it? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225115280542?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338353466&toolid=20006%26customid%3Ds%3AGS%3Bgc%3ACjwKCAjwsfuYBhAZEiwA5a6CDOtHXZn0XObWCG8iUUlEipeAV-x_x-TSod7hU59JkgO1tYFNdnYJtBoCQ8oQAvD_BwE%3Bpt%3A1%3Bchoc%3A2&customid=s%3AGS%3Bgc%3ACjwKCAjwsfuYBhAZEiwA5a6CDOtHXZn0XObWCG8iUUlEipeAV-x_x-TSod7hU59JkgO1tYFNdnYJtBoCQ8oQAvD_BwE%3Bpt%3A1%3Bchoc%3A1&gclid=CjwKCAjwsfuYBhAZEiwA5a6CDOtHXZn0XObWCG8iUUlEipeAV-x_x-TSod7hU59JkgO1tYFNdnYJtBoCQ8oQAvD_BwE

[JimFromHorsham]

One or two large blanket boxes , a couple of locks and a couple of cushions on top would be a ton of storage and extra seating for not a lot of money .

 

flat pack Stuff like this is dirt cheap in places like homebase 

 

[Keldon]

You thought about wire mesh lockers you can hang some on the sides and stand others in middle. 

You can make a cheap easy cover to go over them to hide and should make a small footprint

[Diemaco]

I was looking on the Ikea website earlier. Found a 60x50x193cm ( Ithink) free standing wardrobe. Plenty of space for all your guns and shelf space above for all the other bits and bobs. 

[Jaylordofwaargh]

This is what the ideal storage looks like. It's not for everyone but here it is. This is peak storage

[Tommikka]

This is how to do it 

[Jaylordofwaargh]

On 13/09/2022 at 17:52, Tommikka said:

This is how to do it 

At this point it also needs a bed, running water and something to cook on and it is several problems solved at once