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How many of you carry supplemental insurance just on firearms? I am looking into getting a policy for around $10000 of coverage. I need it to cover the firearm, scopes, and other accesories. I'd prefer not to have to give serial numbers.
Do you recommend using the same company that covers your house (progressive, State Farm, etc) or a specific firearm ins company like the ones endorsed by the NRA?
discuss...
Off the top of my head, for $10k coverage I'd say just get a rider on your homeowner's policy.
With USAA it comes as a separate policy and gives you another 10% discount on your homeowners.
Talk to your insurance agent.
Collectibles Insurance Service, www.CollectInsure.com
In the past, had to list each firearm. Now, they only schedule individual firearms over $5,000.
It is a blanket policy for the amount you require.
I use Eastern Insurance. Blanket coverage, no serial numbers or itemization so long as a single item doesn't exceed $10k in value. They cover firearms and the accessories/optics. $10k of coverage should be pretty cheap.
I had my firearms covered by State Farm about ten or twelve years ago, and I had to furnish a description and serial number of each. Then I let it expire and for some more $'s, I bought a nice safe. Worked for me (so far).[blaster]
With Safeco, all mine are covered with no need to list them separately, nor a separate rider.
The real test is finding good testimonies of insurance companies that made good on these policies, and fairly reimbursed on actual losses without hassling the policy holders.
You've got three options, each with their good and bad points.
Cheapest option will be the rider to your homeowner's insurance. The things to watch out for are the maximum limits they offer, and the specific terms of coverage. I have a firearms rider on my policy for the maximum amount my company will write in my area, which is $5000. Within this rider, there are limits to the maximum amount payable for any one type of firearm, and the specific causes of loss covered. My regular contents coverage takes care of things like house fires, up to the content limits, but for theft, the rider coverage limitations kick in. This is pretty common for most carriers who write riders based on the ISO forms already approved in this state. So know what you are getting when you get the rider.
Next option up is some flavor of personal articles policy. Coverage terms are usually much more generous, but items often have to be specifically scheduled. This is good for high value items you are likely to keep for a while. Not so flexible for newly acquired items. Most major carriers don't care much if the personal articles policy is on cameras, fine art, or guns. They care about the risk amount. They handle the claim like any other, and pay per terms of the policy contract. Unless you are particularly paranoid, it's not that big of a deal to provide them a serial number. I'd suggest you research your insurer carefully to see if they have a history of making things hard for gun owners, then make your choice.
Last option is a specialty insurer who provides a market-specific product. The one I am most familiar with is Eastern, which does brokerage and some claim servicing for Chubb and Hanover. Their big thing is historic firearms, although I believe they also offer blanket firearm collection policies. Collect Insure is another broker specializing in placement of policies for firearms. The advantages are that you get an insurer who knows the firearms markets, and policies that are a little more amenable to acquisition and sale within your collection.
For either of the last two, the pricing is pretty close. Firearms are serialized, and the legal markets do a pretty good job of identifying stolen guns that are reported. This usually pushes them towards the lower middle end of the ratings scale. Rates vary from $0.50-$1.50 for every $100 of coverage, depending on the item classification. Your $10K in coverage would probably be in the neighborhood of $75 to $100 per year. Much more expensive than a homeowners rider for similar amounts, but possibly with more expansive coverage.