# My Complete Prepping Failure: Fortunately, the S did not HTF or I would have been SOL



## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

I went on vacation last week to northern Florida. Enjoyed some diving, went to a lot of state parks & did other fun stuff.

About Wednesday, I was thinking about all that ammo we had just reorganized and put away in boxes, and I started to think... "you know, what would happen if somebody broke into my house and stole the ammo? How on Earth would I be able to explain that to an insurance company and get them to pay out on it".

Let's just throw this out there, I am talking about multiple cans of ammo here... not an insignificant portion of my net worth. 

Guns? Not worried about them, they are behind 3 locked doors and if you can manage to get to them, well you are using a jackhammer. The ammo? Not so much.

Here's the kicker, what would possibly be a better item to steal right now than ammo boxes full of .22LR, .357 Magnum, 9mm self defense rounds & FMJ, etc. Just open up the ammo box full of untraceable CCI Mini Mags and sell em.

SO... I downloaded an app for my cell phone and inventory starts tonight. I checked with my agent, and theft of ammo falls under "contents" and doesn't fall under "guns" so I have up to the limit of my personal property in coverage.

I have no intention of EVER showing this list to anybody except Mrs. Salty, but I have that 'funny feeling' that I need to get this done and not mess around with it. This feels like my "fair warning" on the matter.


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## whoppo (Nov 9, 2012)

A smart phone is the last place I'd inventory firearms / ammo.


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

whoppo said:


> A smart phone is the last place I'd inventory firearms / ammo.


I don't plan to keep it on the phone, I plan to erase it when I am done. That's an excellent point, though 

This is a one-time project, I am done buying ammo except for on a one out, one in basis. I have enough. I actually have more than I will ever use right now.


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## NotTooProudToHide (Nov 3, 2013)

Do you have to list the contents as ammunition or can you just assign a value?


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

The only real way to get a payout for a loss is to actually list the contents and document them with pictures. Just saying "I had $500 worth of 22LR" won't get the job done, it has to be documented what they were. Not down to the bullet, but within a reasonable proximity.

Everybody should do a photo home inventory or a video one, just to prove you actually owned the stuff you do in case of a fire or theft.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

I was going to say excel but then I realized that you can't take a PC to the ammo. I would save it on a flash drive and print a hard copy.

Does your insurance guy know about things now?


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Besides a list of all my major possessions including firearms, ammo, etc., I also went thru the house and took photos of everything and I do mean everything. Even the inside of the two vaults (a majority of my ammo is locked up). Then the photos, list of items and Serial Numbers went on two flash drives. One is in the bank safety deposit box and any time think make a substantial change, the second flash drive is updated and swaps into the safety deposit box.


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

James m said:


> I was going to say excel but then I realized that you can't take a PC to the ammo. I would save it on a flash drive and print a hard copy.
> 
> Does your insurance guy know about things now?


"Future inventory for when I open a gun-show business"... 

That's the line I will use if I ever need to. Until then, I am not showing it to anybody.


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

I keep a pretty good running list of my ammo count written down with all my serial numbers in a notebook in the house. the notebook is just tossed in the closet. I normally do a updated count about every 3 months. Honestly not sure if the insurance company would cover it but makes me feel better knowing where I am at.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

Salt-N-Pepper said:


> I don't plan to keep it on the phone, I plan to erase it when I am done. That's an excellent point, though
> 
> This is a one-time project, I am done buying ammo except for on a one out, one in basis. I have enough. I actually have more than I will ever use right now.


You can erase it off your phone, but once it hits the clouds, its free game. Or so I'm been told. Lots of high profile types are going back to flip phones to avoid such things. my .02.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

On your phone?? What the heck happened to paper and pencil?


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

1skrewsloose said:


> You can erase it off your phone, but once it hits the clouds, its free game. Or so I'm been told. Lots of high profile types are going back to flip phones to avoid such things. my .02.


Won't hit the cloud. I know what I am doing.


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

1skrewsloose said:


> On your phone?? What the heck happened to paper and pencil?


Really? you think i want to draw pictures of boxes of ammo? Photos and inventory list transferred via is good enough for me.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

You guys are getting me on my "erase" trip again! After you click delete it says that area is free space, but it doesn't bother to get rid if it. It will start to write over it when it needs the space. Even when it does get written over if someone sophisticated enough wants to, they can still read it. This goes for micro SD cards in phones as well. Now they are coming out with better cell phone encryption, but they publicized that they will play nice with the govt. So who else would want to look into your phone besides the govt?


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

James m said:


> You guys are getting me on my "erase" trip again! After you click delete it says that area is free space, but it doesn't bother to get rid if it. It will start to write over it when it needs the space. Even when it does get written over if someone sophisticated enough wants to, they can still read it. This goes for micro SD cards in phones as well. Now they are coming out with better cell phone encryption, but they publicized that they will play nice with the govt. So who else would want to look into your phone besides the govt?


Trust me when I say I know what I am doing. I really, really do&#8230;. as in REALLY do&#8230; I can't go into it any further, but&#8230; I've got "erasing" covered here, thanks


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## rjd25 (Nov 27, 2014)

Salt-N-Pepper said:


> Trust me when I say I know what I am doing. I really, really do&#8230;. as in REALLY do&#8230; I can't go into it any further, but&#8230; I've got "erasing" covered here, thanks


If I were going to take a video that I didn't want anyone else to have on my cell phone I would put it on Airplane mode, take the video, move it over to a UBS or micro flash card, erase the video, press record again and let it run until it runs out of free space (should only take an hour or so). Then you can turn your phone off of airplane mode. The second "dummy" video will overwrite any remnants of the original video.

I realize you probably know this, but I was posting for everyone else's benefit who might not have.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

Just for everyone else's benefit. If a hard drive is written over between 6-8 times it can still be read. I have taken the micro SD out of one of my old phones and I could see files that I deleted a long while ago.

At that point I would be more worried about how I paid for things and how it was shipped first. The easiest way, the path of least resistance.

If they want to take your devices they already raided your house anyway. But I like to be as paranoid as possible just to be on the safe side.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

If you have an inventory and list of serial numbers but don't have it all secured, what good it the list? I mean a fire is going to destroy the list and a tornado or flood will also most like destroy the list.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Just have a gun safe and an ammo safe. Why have one without the other?? Which is more important??


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

paraquack said:


> If you have an inventory and list of serial numbers but don't have it all secured, what good it the list? I mean a fire is going to destroy the list and a tornado or flood will also most like destroy the list.


Why would it not be secured? Not following what you are saying.


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

Chipper said:


> Just have a gun safe and an ammo safe. Why have one without the other?? Which is more important??


A safe for ammo? Ummm&#8230;

I buy my .50 cal ammo cans by the dozen. I really can't say more than that.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

James m said:


> I was going to say excel but then I realized that you can't take a PC to the ammo. I would save it on a flash drive and print a hard copy.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Boss Dog (Feb 8, 2013)

It's beans man, beans. lintels = 22's, navy beans = 9mm, Pinto's = 357, kidney = 45! lol!

I'm sure most of you are aware that the gvn't can see in your phone without your knowledge. They can even turn it on remotely and take a peek. And as someone else said earlier, most carriers/service providers will cooperate with barry.

Have a copy of your inventory in a secure place outside of the house.



James m said:


> I was going to say excel but then I realized that you can't take a PC to the ammo. I would save it on a flash drive and print a hard copy.
> 
> Does your insurance guy know about things now?


This is what I do but, have multiple flashdrives. Flashdrives can and do fail. 
Storing it on CD's is also not failsafe. Home burned CD's degrade with time, some last longer than others. 
I keep it loaded on a couple flashdrives and I print out a couple copies.


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## Deebo (Oct 27, 2012)

Damn beancounters.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

Good thread. Food for thought.
I have always wrote down the serial/model numbers/names of all valued items in the household.
Pictures I have not thought of! Thanks for the idea.
and Ammo count..


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

James m said:


> You guys are getting me on my "erase" trip again! After you click delete it says that area is free space, but it doesn't bother to get rid if it. It will start to write over it when it needs the space. Even when it does get written over if someone sophisticated enough wants to, they can still read it. This goes for micro SD cards in phones as well. Now they are coming out with better cell phone encryption, but they publicized that they will play nice with the govt. So who else would want to look into your phone besides the govt?


If this is a concern download a free tool like cclean. Amongst other features like cleaning up.registries and freeing disk space it will clean free disk space doing up to 10 passes on it. What that means is it writes empty bytes onto the free space and deletes it up to 10 times in a row. Amd u can run it as often as you like. 3 or 4 passes is all ghost memory can retain since every sector may not be full when retaining data you wanted there. This overwrites all sectors. Do it 2x at 4 passes and your hard disk is scrubbed.


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

paraquack said:


> One of the posters said he "tosses the notebook in the closet", another says it's on his computer and he has a hard copy, etc. If the hose burns down, destroyed by flood or tornado, where is the list, it's gone if it is not secured as in a safety deposit box.


Gotcha! I was a bit lost on the conversation, thanks.


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## Salt-N-Pepper (Aug 18, 2014)

I've actually been thinking about this project a bit more, and instead getting a hand-held scanner for my PC and keeping an inventory on my Mac. That way if somebody grabs it, well... they had to break into my house to do it and my goose is already cooked... and USB's off sight are simple. I will let y'all know what I decide, not that you care I am sure.


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

Salt-N-Pepper said:


> I've actually been thinking about this project a bit more, and instead getting a hand-held scanner for my PC and keeping an inventory on my Mac. That way if somebody grabs it, well... they had to break into my house to do it and my goose is already cooked... and USB's off sight are simple. I will let y'all know what I decide, not that you care I am sure.


Create a google account with that free google drive. Its in the cloud. Dont be part of anyones circles or friends or nuthin. Its just an account in the cloud that has free gigs of storage. Take all the pics u want and upload. No matter what you lose its there on any computer you log in on. A hard copy is also good if shtf but if shtf you wont have insurance so......i wouldnt put copies of deeds and things on it just in case but pics of your insurable possessions should be just fine


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I'll stick to a hardware storage device. The cloud seems to be to easy to hack.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

1. Most electronic devices are fallable. Flash drive is likely your best option there are better more costly memory storage systems. Paper can last 10 or 20 years legibly easy and can be used as tinder.

Why not secure your ammo by hiding it like your other valuables. Security doors just scream expensive. You can cut through metal with a portable metal grinder which can be bought for less than $200. Meanwhile a good portable drill can bore out many locks.

All doors and locks do is add 10 years if the theif is caught as it is B&E instead of only E.

Hide your stuff if you need consultation on this I will be your security advisor for a small fee.

Of course if you want your ammo to vanish so you can claim it for cold hard cash that is another matter.

You are better off using obvious deterents as decoys for remote alarms or boobytraps.

Any theif going after heavy bulky ammo is likely willing to put effort into it. I would expect them to source from a tail from an ammo purchase place gunshop show etc...

If PIs can do it so can organized crime they just need to find a mark just like Dog the bounty hunter.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Hand grinders can cut thru the metal walls of a safe, it's true. That's why my safes are lined with copious quantities of Det Cord. I wish!
While I have no first hand personal experience, it seems that while alarms on a house once said there is something expensive inside, I don't know about that today. Most intruders would prefer and easy target to the idea of getting caught. Heck, they say even just a sign that an alarm is on a house works as a deterent.


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