Guns are quite controversial objects. Their very existence and ownership by civilians seem to drive a particular segment of the population crazy. Weapons are also dangerous when handled by children or individuals unfamiliar with them. On top of that, guns are expensive and bring a high black market price. Why am I bringing all this up?
Because every one of these is a reason why you may want to consider building a weapons cache. The idea of caching weapons isn’t new and has been used by partisan and rebel forces since armies battled with crude handmade devices. The rebels behind the French Resistance were some of the most successful at caching weapons. To this day, people are still accidentally digging them up.
A weapons cache can be developed in a variety of ways. In this gun guide, I will focus on both indoor and outdoor gun cache options that each offer both quick and easy access to weapons, as well as more subtle and systematic models.
Important: If you have kids, don’t be stupid. Ensure they have absolutely no way to access cached guns, so keep them in mind as you plan.
Some Guns Just Aren’t Liked.
Why Cache your Guns?
I have already listed a few reasons, but in the end, your specific reasons for hiding your firearms is ultimately your own. It’s none of my or anyone else’s business, why you feel the need to build a gun cache. As long as you’re not a criminal, you are fully entitled and allowed to develop as many weapons caches as you see fit.
Caching Guns Indoors
Let’s start with an indoor weapons cache. An indoor weapon’s cache is separate from your standard gun safe full of boomsticks. A gun safe is far from covert or subtle. If you have a gun safe, it’s a safe assumption you have weapons. If the gun safe is found by those who want the guns, you can bet it can be cracked. A gun safe relies on brute strength, an indoor weapons cache relies on finesse, cunning, and a bit of stealth.
Decoy Cache
An All in One Fighting Kit.
Because you are building a cache indoors, you are limited in solutions and options without major reconstruction in your home. To deal with this, we are going to look at a few inside options for very simple firearm’s caches. Indoor caches are generally smaller than outdoors and best created in multiple areas.
What Guns to Stash?
Since the cache is indoors, you can safely store any weapon, big and small, expensive or cheap. At a minimum, I would store a modern semi-automatic rifle with six 30 round magazines and a sidearm with two additional magazines. Multiple caches will help prevent all of your guns from being found and can provide you with a wide variety of firearms when and if necessary.
Is this Clock More than Meets the Eye?
Purpose Built Furniture
There is now a wide variety of different home furnishings designed to help you conceal a gun. These devices look like standard housewares but secretly hide your weapons in plain sight. They can be any number of items.
One of my favorites is a full-length mirror that is capable of concealing long guns, extra ammo, pistols, knives and more. The Tactical Walls 1450M is a mirror that covers a full sized gun cache. It uses magnets to hold the weapons in place and to conceal its bulk it’s stored into the wall of the house. Installation takes some effort, but it’s a functional design that hides away extra weapons.
A SIG P220 snuggled in nice and tight.
Outside of a sliding mirror, some options are shelves, coffee tables, and even lamps, clocks and books. These small pieces of furniture allow you to safely and covertly stash weaponry wherever it is needed.
Gun Magnets
Gun Magnets, or just big and tough magnets in general, allow you to store firearms in easy to reach but unconventional areas. These spots include under a sink, in the top part of a cabinet behind the lip, and other areas unseen by the naked eye. The areas you stash these guns should be dull, like the place you store cleaning supplies or toilet paper. These spots keep thieves from investigating with too much vigor.
Your Closet
By in your closet, I don’t mean just your closet, but the clothes in your closet. Small and lightweight handguns can be stashed in the pockets of coats and hoodies. A hoodie isn’t a long-term cache necessarily, but one you can improvise and use in a pinch. Clothes mostly don’t have value outside of fur coats, so they are unlikely to be stolen. But, keep in mind when considering such a temporary weapons cache, during a SHTF scenario, warm coats, boots, and shoes will become a valuable commodity.
Jacket Pockets Are Convenient Temporary Weapon Stashes
Decoy Items
Additionally, decoy items are something you can construct to conceal a firearm. The most famous being the hollowed out book. You can modify a variety of things to hide guns, extra magazines and more. These can be strategically placed, and you’re only limited by your imagination.
The Outdoor Weapons Cache
Stashing guns outdoors will most likely mean burying them. Burying weapons is an efficient means of hiding them, and was the favored tactic of the French resistance. To bury a gun safely and successfully there are a few things you should know.
First, burying guns means dealing with moisture. One of the best ways to ensure your weapons stay safe from moisture is silica gel packets, waterproof containers, and ample amounts of gun oil or grease. If I were to bury a gun, I’d use a waterproof container of some kind, oil the guns heavily, wrap them in rags or towels, place them in contractor’s bags and seal them with duct tape. The same goes for ammo and magazines – outside of oiling them.
Next, never bury guns in public property, or on someone else’s property without their permission. I’d stick to private property. I would also avoid low lying areas prone to gathering water or washing out in heavy rains. Outdoor caches are meant to last longer and to be harder to find than indoor caches, so they need to be placed in an area you can remember, or discreetly mark.
What Guns to Cache Outdoors?
I prefer to go with affordable guns. I wouldn’t bury a Wilson Combat or a Knight Armament rifle. Outdoor caches give you more room to stash different firearms. I would stash a robust and reliable modern semi-automatic rifle with six full magazines at a minimum. Add in a fighting load carrier, a cleaning kit, and essential maintenance items.
The AR can be broken down into a Compact Cache
For a full fighting load, I’d include a handgun, two extra magazines, spare ammunition for the rifle and pistol, a holster, sling, and a flashlight of some kind with the rifle kit. You can separate the fighting load into multiple caches to decrease the likelihood of all of them being found.
Additionally stashing an affordable shotgun with extra ammo, and a 22 LR rifle will cover a wide variety of hunting tasks. These weapons are rarely on the minds of gun grabbers, but stashing affordable models of either isn’t a bad idea.
Outdoor Cache Containers
There are three containers I prefer for outdoor caches. The first is likely the most common and easiest to find and is large sections of PVC pipe. PVC pipe with a cap and the proper PVC glue will form a waterproof container larger enough for most long guns. PVC is a durable material designed for dealing with water, plus its cheaper and widely available.
A Simple PVC pipe makes an awesome cache.
For smaller caches, military ammo cans are a great choice. These containers are waterproof, made of metal and perfect for caching handguns, extra ammunition, and magazines.
Lastly, polymer containers like the MTM cans and boxes are perfect for long-term underground storage. The containers need to be waterproof and sealed with at least a rubber gasket. Then containers are also easy to lock. They vary in size and small rifles that are easy disassembled, like the AR 15, are easy to stack in these cans.
MTM Container are Affordable and Lockable.
Burying the Weapons Cache
Once you’ve got the right weapons, container and location, it is time to bury the gun cache. You want to bury the firearms kits with at least 18 inches of dirt overhead, but deeper is better if possible. You can choose a landmark to mark the spot or utilize GPS coordinates to ensure you always know where the cache is. I prefer a landmark because I can find a landmark without a GPS or a map.
Conclusion
Indoor and Outdoor caches are effective ways to hide your weapons from those who do not need to access them. They allow you to effectively and safely store weapons for a rainy day. The challenge is to choose the right weapons for the right situation as well as the proper location and container to secure them. Always consider your situation and put serious thought into how and where you will be storing these weapons. Stay safe, and stay prepared.
