Thursday, September 23, 2010

Intriguing...

Flipping through the pages of the latest issue of America's 1st Freedom, I came across an advertisement that made me look twice. It was for a shotgun security system called the ShotLock Shotgun Vault, and it has piqued my curiosity. The concept is straightforward and simple: the 14 gauge steel metal frame bolts to the wall (or goes inside your car), and the shotgun is placed with the receiver and trigger group behind the hinged, locked door.

It locks and unlocks with a two-stage system, which seems somewhat on the complicated side - you have to turn the knob to clear, then enter the code - but it doesn't look like anything that a little bit of training wouldn't take care of. Since it renders the firearm incapable of being fired, it's safe to store the shotgun loaded (although personally I would err on the side of caution and leave the chamber empty - that way you can rack the slide and make the goblin quake in fear... *g*)

It looks interesting, that's for sure, but I think I'd need some feedback from folks who own this system or something like it before I committed to it. I'd be especially interested to know how difficult it is to work the knob and buttons under timed conditions, especially in no- or low light conditions like you would find yourself in during a home invasion. And of course, I'm always available for an impartial and thorough evaluation if so desired...

Any thoughts/comments/ideas/feedback on this design or others like it?

That is all.

6 comments:

ZerCool said...

Looks like a re-hash of Mossberg's "Loc-Box".

http://www.mossberg.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=95092

http://survivalpreps.blogspot.com/2008/07/mossberg-loc-box-review.html

http://www.amazon.com/Mossberg-Loc-Box-Gun-Lock/dp/B0000C52MU

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

MA compliant?

Carteach brought up a good point to me about a shotgun locked in a truck. All that bouncing in a vehicle isn't good for the shells.

Jay G said...

Z,

Thank you! That's what I was trying to think of!

I don't know about the "put the hook in the muzzle and the receiver over a hook" method of securing - it looks like it would be prone to error should you need to access in a hurry.

T-bolt,

It's generally not a good idea (read: illegal) in most states to carry a loaded long arm in a vehicle.

I'd rather have a carbine like a Mosin-Nagant M44 for a truck gun, simply because they're really cheap, pack a wallop, accurate with iron sights out to any distance you might feasibly use, and oh, have an integral bayonet for up close stabby goodness...

ZerCool said...

I haven't used one, but from the looks of it, the receiver hook is barly a nub, just enough to hold it in place, so pure adrenaline should get you over that little lip. The hook in the muzzle ... eh. I expect you'd sort it out right quick - or just rip the damn hook out of the wall and stud in the process. :-)

Chris said...

A while back, a guy on my local forum was selling surplus police shotgun vehicle locks. All you had to do was mount them and wire up a opening mechanism of some kind. The easiest would be a simple switch but you could use anything so long as you had the proper voltage. I almost got one for over the inside of my closet door but he ran out before I could.

dr mac said...

They should send you a free sample so you could give us, uh, commentary.