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All guns stolen, insurance question

jsthntn247

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 25, 2009
1,205
139
Mississippi
My house was broken into and they stole every one of my guns. I'm going to talk with the insurance company tomorrow about my renters policy. When I was talking with my agent two years ago about what policy to get, he mentioned the policy had a maximum of 2500 for firearms. I got a special rider for several guns and their scopes that I take out of the house regularly so they are covered. My question is that I had several Zeiss scopes brand new in their boxes in the top of my closet. These were stolen also, my agent was telling me over the phone that these would also fall under the 2500$ maximum for firearms. How the hell can a brand new in the box scope that's never been mounted count as a firearm. My agent never mentioned anything about scopes attached to the rifles counting toward the 2500 limit. However, I can go along with that, but some brand new in the box that have never been mounted is no different than a new flat screen setting in the closet. Anybody ever go through this before?
 
Dude, if it's never been mounted period, it would just be considered an optic, like if a $3,000 camera got stolen... I don't think he wants to pay out.. Ask around and don't get shafted!!!
 
Going through this myself with a scheduled firearm that was upgrade...they only pay the value of the firearm as it was when scheduled.

Anything that can "ONLY" be used with a for am and shooting falls under the $2500.00.

So if they have any other use other than shooting it falls under you home owners and is not subjected to the 2500.00.

For instance your Mafratto carbon fiber tripod can be used for photography not just shooting. It would be payed outside the 2500.

The scopes might be tough but I have seen scopes mounted together as a really cool pair of binos for bird watching.

Good luck and do not settle, your agent is there to help you fight the claims adjuster. I had much more than just a homeowners policy that he was in jeopardy of losing. He put up a good fight for me and even though I was not made whole, it was partial my fault and I kept my policies with him. If he screwed me I would have dropped him in a second!
 
Sorry to hear you got robbed. Hopefully you'll get a favorable resolution.

Sometime ago I tried to price out a insurance rider for guns, scopes and guitars. If stolen out of my car my auto insurance would cover me, but at home I quickly realized it would be cheaper to buy a second safe for my scopes, handguns, accessories, ammo and two of my choice guitars. My amps are covered under the home owners policy.

I hate insurance; it's the biggest racket. Buy a home, get a car, take out a mortgage you are required to get insurance, but submit a claim and your rates go up or they might cancel you.

Good luck
 
Really sorry to hear this, I hope the cops are able to get whoever did this to you.

To help you in the future, State Farm offers a firearms policy on their renters package. I believe it's $5,000 max but if you get your firearms appraised for value they can write you a policy to cover the full value of the appraised collection. This is what I did once I acquired enough to know I was over the $5,000 limit.
 
Sorry to hear Brad...I hope the Sheriffs office is able to find the SOB's. I have friend who also just recently got cleaned out one day, while at work. Our county Sheriff acted like he was being inconvenienced with the matter. You will have to stay on your agent like it's your 2nd job. Just remember all that cash you have given them, just for an event like this...and unfortunately you may have to stand your ground for some time to get what you are due. Good luck.
 
The renters policy I had included a $2500 limit for firearms and firearm accessories. So scopes, ammo, reloading equipment, ROTC all fell under that limit unless they are separately insured.

My brother had ~10guns stolen in a breakin a few years ago. Prob ably $10k worth, and a few family heirlooms. Insrance only paid the limit $2500.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Are you an NRA member? And activated your armscare policy? If so that's another $2500 if you did.
 
Sorry to hear about that this is why I went with USAA I have a policy that covers my guns up to 50,000.00 if you have a gun that is over 5000.00 you will have to get it appraised but they will cover it. Make sure to take pics of not only guns and scopes but seriel numbers for any claim. Hope you get them back.
 
Very sorry to hear you got robbed. I work for a small ins comp and I can tell you that Willys46 is right. Your rifle scopes fall under used for firearms and/or shooting only. However, it dose not hurt to tell the claim adjuster that the scope is for bird/wildlife watching (which is 50% truth and don't tell them what you do after you look at the animals) and it might get your scope covered.
 
Very sorry to hear you got robbed. I work for a small ins comp and I can tell you that Willys46 is right. Your rifle scopes fall under used for firearms and/or shooting only. However, it dose not hurt to tell the claim adjuster that the scope is for bird/wildlife watching (which is 50% truth and don't tell them what you do after you look at the animals) and it might get your scope covered.


The manual does state firearms and related equipment, but that is very vague. They could say that a microwave in a deer camp is related equipment if they wanted to try and stretch the grey area that far. The NRA policy states that related equipment is what is attached to the firearm and that's what the intent of related equipment should be and was meant to be. I got an extra 10k worth of insurance to cover my scopes and other things because he only said firearms and mentioned nothing about related equipment, and I was thorough when asking questions before I signed the policy.
 
In my case, everything that could only be used for shooting/hunting was included in my $4,000 limit. This included scopes whether mounted or not, shooting rests, etc. Things that had a use outside of shooting/hunting were not included in the limit. These included my spotting scope as it could be use for wildlife viewing and my Wheeler torque driver set as it could be used on items not used for shooting.

I now have everything separately scheduled that fall above my limit.
 
That sucks man. Start watching the pawn shops. A few of them might turn up...... For insurance I got a policy through the NRA. So I have a firearms policy and the $2500 being a member. This covers home, range, or vehicle theft as well as fire. Once I got to the point that I knew there was no way I could afford to replace it all I got a policy.....
 
Are you an NRA member? And activated your armscare policy? If so that's another $2500 if you did.

I've been an NRA member for years and did not know you had to push a button to activate the insurance. I thought it was automatic, I can't catch a break.
 
Where would a range finder fit in the insurance policies? I got a vectornix terrapin a couple months back and it didn't even occur to me it could be lumped into the firearms part of my policy, although now that I think of it I am not sure where else it could go since I am not a surveyor or anything like that and it is obviously used in my case for firearms related activities. Any thoughts anyone?
 
Thanks for the eye opener, Shopping insurance now. Hope all goes well for you
 
Just curious...were the guns in a safe? If so what make/model.
 
Yes I golf but I never considered this since it's such a high end unit with way more capabilities than required for golfing. That said, who are they to argue if I want to use a high level LRF for golf. Good suggestion, thanks!
 
I looked into extra insurance and its a tough call between monthly premiums versus amount covered. If you have a large collection (say over 40k) you may want to only cover the rifles that are the most expensive and if you have several that are 500-1000k each, you may want to let them ride and take your chances. I was quoted somewhere around 300 a month for coverage for everything I have and after taking account of my home security systems and my safes, the amount each month is not worth it so I just insure the upper end of the collection. For those that don't have a safe, get one. I will not say "get this over that as brand X is crap" but I will say, get the best safe you can afford and find a solid place to bolt that puppy down. Also keep in mind that you are going to need a bigger safe than you think you need so keep that in mind when setting a budget.

To the OP, having a thief enter your home and take your stuff is beyond infuriating and I am sure you will lay awake at night going through the "shoulda/coulda/woulda" until your sick to your stomach. Hope you get your stuff back and at the very least, you learn from the experience and take measures to improve your home security.
 
I have USAA and I needed to put my rifle scopes under the firearms rider policy. I would imagine this is consistent across most insurance companies.

That is a real bummer. Even if you get the $ to rebuilt your collection, I don't envy the hassle you'll have to go through.
 
The problem is that I sent my agent and email back in February saying that items on my rider have changed. I never got a response back from him (he says he never recieved the email but I have it saved where I sent it to him). I swaped a barreled action with another fella and sold one of the guns but put the scope, rings, base that was on the rider policy on the new guns. They are not wanting to cover the new gun and barreled actions because they don't have the same serial number as what was on the rider even though both are worth more money that what I had on the rider. Not sure how all this is going to work out.
 
This is why I don't care for insurance companies. At a time of need you have to go through this hog wash! A safe is cheaper than some of the high monthly premiums quoted in this thread. You could be paying your premiums and you still could get caught up with hog wash pertaining to this action, that barrel,etc.

Side note, do you still have a carry gun in case they come back? If not, I'd get me something.
 
I'm sorry to hear this, my parents house has been broken into twice and they stole a bunch of jewelry and electronics (mostly mine when I was still living there). Don't let the insurance railroad you on your losses. I fucking hate those bastards when they try to pull this crap.

You pay your monthly premiums over and over for years, then when you need to file a claim - they make you jump through whoops and cut a shitload of red tape to get paid. They pulled the same crap on my parents...fucking greedy bastards.
 
Where would a range finder fit in the insurance policies? I got a vectornix terrapin a couple months back and it didn't even occur to me it could be lumped into the firearms part of my policy, although now that I think of it I am not sure where else it could go since I am not a surveyor or anything like that and it is obviously used in my case for firearms related activities. Any thoughts anyone?
You told.me you use it on golf course the other day.
 
Well, an off duty cop came home today out by my house and they were breaking into his neighbors home. He called for back up and they shot at the officers when they showed up. The officers shot one of the bastards and got in a high speed pursuit with the others for 35 miles before their black escalade broke down and all of them were arrested. Hopefully they stand on their nuts until they talk and I get my shit back.
 
Renters Insurance usually has a cap on stuff like firearms thats absurdly low...

Get valuable personal property insurance... Have it insured for its full value.
 
Well, an off duty cop came home today out by my house and they were breaking into his neighbors home. He called for back up and they shot at the officers when they showed up. The officers shot one of the bastards and got in a high speed pursuit with the others for 35 miles before their black escalade broke down and all of them were arrested. Hopefully they stand on their nuts until they talk and I get my shit back.

my home was broken into about 6 years ago and all my guns were stolen as well besides one i had sitting next to the bad, dont know how they didnt see that, the renters insurance was in my gf's name at the time and they wouldnt cover my guns. i was pist. guys were never caught, glad they got the bastards that envaded your home! hope they give them hell
 
Sorry to here about your loss. Hope you are able to get them recovered!

And the POS ! gets what he deserves! !
 
Where would a range finder fit in the insurance policies? I got a vectornix terrapin a couple months back and it didn't even occur to me it could be lumped into the firearms part of my policy, although now that I think of it I am not sure where else it could go since I am not a surveyor or anything like that and it is obviously used in my case for firearms related activities. Any thoughts anyone?

That's a golf range finder
 
Sorry for your problems, glad they caught them. 1.Get a good safe. 2. Have an alarm that makes noise and gets the cops called, the bad guys know they only have a few minutes. 3. You have to get a rider separate from your renters or home owners policy. Everytime you buy something you want covered get a picture and a copy of receipt, even if you bought it private party to your agent. Everytime I ad something my rate goes up a little, but it is all covered all the time. It only costs me about 250.00 a year or so. I put my gals jewelry, guns, scopes, spotting scope, rangefinder and anything else that I want specific coverage on, on top of my regular home owners policy. Hope ya get your stuff back. Security is multi-layered.
 
Insurance is a scam, add up your yearly premium and spend it on a good safe, by the time those bastard get my safe out the floor Iam sure someone is going to notice a big freakin truck out front.
 
Well, an off duty cop came home today out by my house and they were breaking into his neighbors home. He called for back up and they shot at the officers when they showed up. The officers shot one of the bastards and got in a high speed pursuit with the others for 35 miles before their black escalade broke down and all of them were arrested. Hopefully they stand on their nuts until they talk and I get my shit back.


Would you mind sharing the city/county this happened in?
I'm interested in reading the news stories.
hope you get your guns back.
Thanks.
 
Insurance is a scam, add up your yearly premium and spend it on a good safe, by the time those bastard get my safe out the floor Iam sure someone is going to notice a big freakin truck out front.

And if they can carry these heavy bastards out the house, unnoticed; then crack the safes, they deserve them.
 
Just a quick thought without any after thought so I am not sure if following will make sense BUT...

I am thinking for you to call same insurance company but another agent of course. Tell them you are considering other insurance companies and want to see what they offer in line with your firearms and other items within your home. Also mention something to the fact you have cameras, scopes, binoculars etc. If He/She tries to sell you on this have them send you a quote stating exactly what you are looking for so you can compare with other insurance companies...

Then turn this into your current insurance agent of same company and se what He/She tries to tell you. Not sure what they will be able to deny once you have it written by them on their own letterhead.

Hope this helps some.

Another quick thought. Do you have all the serial numbers and pics of firearms, scopes mounted and not mounted? If so, is there anything you can do in terms of putting them on some type of list in case they are moved through a gunsmith / FFL?

Just throwing thoughts your way.
 
Would you mind sharing the city/county this happened in?
I'm interested in reading the news stories.
hope you get your guns back.
Thanks.

I live on the Hinds/Madison county line. They had a high speed chase to yazoo city today. The boys mother who was driving the car today made me want to strangle her. She told the news, Her sone didn't do nothing, don't know why all these cops are raiding my house looking for stolen stuff, he's an angel...... Yadayadayada. They should put her in jail with her son for raising such a POS.
 
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Yea that's it, see what I'm talking about. His mother is mad about the cops flipping her shit over when her son flipped so much of my shit over I had to take two days off work to clean it up. He probably did at least 20 other folks this way also. Bless her fucking cold Bob Marley loving heart. When the country goes down the sewers the rats do noting but breed.
 
Sorry to hear you got robbed. One Zeiss scope should equal one safe? I guess you can not say you glued two scopes together to make a good binocular?
 
The way this shit works is that they'll be out of jail on bond in the next day or two if they're not out already. So, it sounds like someone needs to go all Creacy on their asses and paint a masterpiece of violence. Duct tape, a knife, and a cigarette ligther all cost less than a box of stolen 22LR ammo. :D
 
Where would a range finder fit in the insurance policies? I got a vectornix terrapin a couple months back and it didn't even occur to me it could be lumped into the firearms part of my policy, although now that I think of it I am not sure where else it could go since I am not a surveyor or anything like that and it is obviously used in my case for firearms related activities. Any thoughts anyone?

Golfers use rangefinders.
 
Ok dude Iam not harping on you but if your on this site more than likely you need a safe.i don't understand why you would of though your guns were safe anywhere else, I love my guns like I love my dog both will keep any MF at bay, don't rely on the freakin insurance company.....There scammers.....no better than the fools that stole your guns, one got the guns the other got the money, no safe no guns.hope you get your stuff back...but I wouldn't rely on outside help, might need to get dirty on this one.