Home Owners Insurance the doesn't penalize reloaders?

[daddySEAL]

Does anybody know the names of any, please ?
(In Texas, or available to homeowners in Texas?)

[Trapper L]

I've never been asked, never heard of anybody being asked in Texas. It's never been on any of the application forms that I've seen. Try a Safeco agent, Allstate, or Hartford.

[cloudcroft]

I used to have a Renters Insurance policy with Allstate...until their sorry "customer service" and unavailable/condecending agents became too much to put up with. Now I hear they had a price hike.

So I went with Geico who has Travelers handle their Renters Insurance (maybe Homeowners, too, you'd have to check) but Geico manages the policies, IIRC.

Anyway, neither company asked me anything about guns/ammo/reloading...and I wasn't going to volunteer any such info, either.

-- John D.

[Mal H]

I've never been asked and there is no clause in our policy concerning reloading. Obviously, I've never volunteered the info to them either. What is the nature of the problem you've had, daddySEAL.

[nass]

That is considered in the same category as how many times you pick your butt per day. Don't ask, don't tell...

My Homeowners is through Citizens, and there were no questions on that topic, and I do have riders for the gun collection through them... Didn't see any price hikes when I added the riders...

[daddySEAL]

thanks,
I'm closing on a house at the end of the year(being built right now).
And need the Insurance to satisfy the mortgage co. before signing final papers.

I wasn't planning on "volunteering" the info that I'd be storing a few pounds of powder, and will be very very careful. But I would tell them, if there was a company that would allow it with a small bump in premiums(not a huge one, or prohibit it....or make my ins. voided, if an accident happened.

[Dave P]

But I would tell them, if there was a company that would allow it


I suggest you change your approach to situations like this: instead of assuming it is not allowed unless specifically being called out, turn it around to " I dang well will do want I want until someone says I cant!"

Kinda like dealing with the laws - everything is OK unless specifically disallowed.

[Trajan]

I wanted to switch to geico for homeowners, but they ask about dogs... and I have a Great Dane.

"sorry, we can't insure your home...".

My dog is a big baby... he will lick you to death, but that's about it. Think "marmaduke".

I'm tempted to remove my cars from geico, just for that reason.

[daddySEAL]

I actually have not begun reloading yet, but have bought all the equipment, dyes, primers, presses and the powder. I'm reading some very good manuals and learning all I can before starting.

I have a question about storing the powder. I've read that it all should not be stored in the same place, rather smaller quantities in seperate places around the house. So I ordered 4 one pound containers of the kind of powder my manuals recommended for my calibers and grained bullets. But they sent me a 4 pound container of the stuff!

I will be reloading on a bench I'll build in my new house garage...My question is how "sensitive" or volatile is the stuff when I store and distribute it around inside my hot Texas garage (estimated to get to possibly 110...or more, degrees on really hot days of summer)?

Your thoughts please.

[T. O'Heir]

"...how "sensitive" or volatile is the stuff..." It's not. Your basement, if you have one, would be a better place for your bench. 110F is too hot to be spending any time loading, but it won't bother the powder. The powder doesn't need to be spread around either. A shelf over the bench will do nicely.
Talk to your insurance agent. Or a broker. Brokers don't work for one insurance company. They work for you.
"...we can't insure..." They must figure he's going to wag his tail and knock the place down. I've never heard of being refused coverage because of a dog. I'd be on the phone to another company. Think broker too.

[stinger]

In reference to the insurance question, "don't ask, don't tell, don't persue."

As far as the temperature of you garage, I wouldn't store my powder in the garage because it really ought to be in a climate controlled area that is cool (relatively) and dry.

[T. O'Heir]

"don't ask, don't tell, don't persue." An insurance policy is a legal contract. Lying on an application is considered to be fraud. That will lead to the policy being canceled, if they ever found out. Then you'll have a problem getting insurance at all.
Few insurance companies care about reloading one way or the other.

[Wuchak]

There is a whole list of dog breeds that will either cause you to lose your home owners insurance or make the premium so high you cannot afford it. State Farm gave me a bit of static over my last dog who was a shepherd mix. We had to change on the form to put that he was a husky mix since the huskies didn't show up as high in the bite statistics.

11 dogs that could raise your insurance costs http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/ins...-dog-list1.asp

They never asked about reloading and I didn't volunteer the information.

Be sure to store the powder in the original plastic containers. If there is a fire the containers will just melt and the powder will burn but there won't be any explosion.

[LHB1]

The most dangerous item/s stored in my garage for the last 40 years was not the gunpowder, primers, or loaded ammunition but was the two cans of gasoline for the lawnmower, edger, trimmer, etc. I actually proved this for a neighbor many years ago by pouring a long thin thread of powder on the driveway and lighting it. The neighbor thought we were going to have an explosion (per too many old western movies) but instead saw it merely burn rather slowly. When I asked if he wanted me to do the same thing with some of the gasoline stored in his garage, he said NO. Lesson was understood.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

[ShootingNut]

About whether or not our insurance would cover, when I started reloading.
So we checked with our Farmers Group agent (no I'm not a farmer), he said "good question, my dad's been loading for years in his house".
Underwriters said NO PROBLEM, go for it!
Don't know about Texas but can't imagine there would be a difference.

[remshooter]

Erie has always done us good as has Farm Bureau.

[Mal H]

As for the reloading in your hot/cold garage - I won't say it's a bad idea, but you won't be doing much reloading in there in the Texas summers. Even if you do, you do not want to store your powder and primers in there, and probably not your loaded ammo either.

As for spreading the powder around the house in small amounts, that is completely unnecessary. Keep it all together in a relatively cool place. Keep the primers in a separate location, but they don't have to be in a different room, just not stored in contact with the powder. If there is, God forbid, a fire in your home, it is better for the firemen to know where all the powder is rather than having little cans of flammables stored everywhere.

Some paranoia is a good thing when it comes to reloading and handling powder, but, to be honest, you may be going a little overboard with the insurance and powder things.


Oh, I meant to ask - you did register your home with the BATFE before purchasing a press, right? They always need to know if you will be reloading in there.



Just kidding! Sorry, couldn't resist.

[daddySEAL]

Thanks Guys,
I just won't tell anyone (even the neighbors)
I won't store the powder in the garage. And I'll build a movable bench for the presses and equipment(so I could possibly reload there, besides in the house, when temperatures are moderately cool....Ha!, but then again that kind of "moderately cool weather is only usually about 2 weeks in the spring, and 2 weeks in the Fall...the rest is usually extremely hot or extremely cold!)

Mal H, your advice is particularly helpful on storage.
HaHa!....your last question had me going for a second!

Thank you all!
dS

[brickeyee]

If you have the typical 'all peril' policy it covers anything and everything that is NOT excluded.
If they do not list smokelss powder storage for reloading as EXCLUDED it is covered, along with any consequences.
Since the insurance company writes the policy any omisions are in your favor.
They are supposed to know what they are doing.
Read the policy.
All of it.
There is usually a seperate section that covers JUST exclusions.
If they do not ask you do not have to tell them.
If they do ask, you have to answer truthfully.

[daddySEAL]

Thank you for the advice, brickeyee.
I WILL read it thoroughly, even if I need to get a microscope to read the "fine print areas"...Ha!

I appreciate your advice.

[Mike Irwin]

I have Erie.

My agent knows about my firearms and my reloading, and has never said boo.

He also knew about my dogs, and never said boo about that, either.

[cdrt]

Someone already mentioned Farm Bureau. Never had them even bring it up. You might also try USAA out of San Antonio, but you need to be military to qualify to belong to them.

[Alleykat]

Smokeless powder doesn't explode when stored in the containers in which it's shipped, whether it's 8# or 1# containers. It just burns, like a lot of other stuff in your house. Buy in bulk for the best prices and stop sweatting the small stuff!

[swmike]

Like LHB1 said, that gasoline for the mower, etc is more dangerous than your reloading supplies. Probably handled in a more careless manner too. What about paint or staining rags. More fires caused by these than any of the other items mentioned. Insurance Companies don't care about these unless you have a claim caused by their causing a fire. Then they might not renew you, that's all.

As to storage of primers and powder, if you anticipate storing large quantities you might want to consult local and State Laws. For example, here where I live, the State Law requires that if you store quantities of more than 10,000 primers separation of at least 25 feet between them. Also, powder quantities of more than 25# need to be stored in a "magazine", the dimentions and specs of which are specified by the state.

With the prices creeping up, and my buying up "bargains" I am approaching both limits, but my Insurance Agent does not care.

[daddySEAL]

cdrt,
I AM a USAA member and use them for my auto insurance, renters and brokerages services for 25 yrs.

I've already made a general preliminary inquiry about rates, amounts of coverage, etc., but no detailed specifics yet...and never was going to volunteer doing reloading in the house to them.

I'll get to the specifics when we get closer to closing time, and will read EVERY SINGE word of the policy, and EXCLUSIONS.

I've always been happy with USAA's service and will go with them because of that, and their reasonable price quote on things....Unless there is any Exclusion or stated prohibitation for reloading. I would suspect that most of their military customers are all gun owners anyway.

thanks, guys