Gun Safe Location

kruser · Nov 25, 2016

Looking at getting a larger, fire resistant gun safe and was wordering about the best location. Previously, the gun safe has always been located in the basement for little, if any, visiblity and am wondering if this is still the best location or would somewhere on the main floor make more sense? (including getting it down the stairs!). The safe I am looking at is rated for 1400*F for 30 minutes. Thanks in advance

PaGlenn · Nov 25, 2016

If you put it in the basement get some kind of dehumidifier to put in there to keep the dampness off those precious guns. I got one from the NRA a few years back. You can plug it in an outlet when the crystals turn pink or clear to dry it out and turn the crystals back to blue.

Kansas4010 · Nov 25, 2016

Depending on how big it is make sure your floor will take it. The safe itself is heavy of course but by the time you start adding guns it gets a lot heavier than you realize.

Mark - IN. · Nov 25, 2016

My gun safe is an old boiler in the basement lined with gypsum which is what absorbs the heat and is what makes it fire proof. It's behind a sliding wall which is my lock. Should someone start tearing walls down and find it, it's a boiler with gauges and pipes and "CAUTION HOT" stickers that I got from a power plant on the outside. Inside are firearms that get cleaned and oiled periodically. It's pretty low tech, but effective. A month or few ago I saw someone here posting pictures of removing a big boiler from the basement. At the time I told myself, now there was the foundation of one HUGE gun safe, but since it was already lifted up and out, no point in suggesting...

Mark

Tom Dowling · Nov 25, 2016

Gotta be careful with those old boilers, theres a good chance what you think is gypsum may actually be asbestos.

Olliejunkie · Nov 25, 2016

most guns safes have very thin sides and back. It doesn't take long to cut through them. They suggest you bolt them down with walls on 3 sides.

Mark - IN. · Nov 25, 2016

Tom,

It's the shell of a boiler. I lined the inside with 1/2 "gypsum four sheets thick. One complete layer inside another, another, and another, staggering complete layers. I don't know what that fire rating is, but I figure not bad and pretty inexpensive. To look at it from the outside with valves, meters, dials, stickers, and pipes that go up and disappear...it's a boiler and it's behind a sliding wall locked by one screw that no one knows is there or opens. I know what's inside and that's all that matters. I've got maybe $100 in it, $200 absolutely tops.

Mark

mjsnodgrass · Nov 25, 2016

I have 2 gun safes. the first one is a cheap gun safe, kind of out in the open easy to find with a few old beater firearms in it. the second safe has the good firearms, some silver, money, etc in it, and some what hidden. my hope is any thieves will find the first safe and quit looking. I do how ever hope I never find out how my plan works.

RayP(MI) · Nov 25, 2016

Warm dry and hidden.

centralilbaler · Nov 25, 2016

Bring it over to my house Kruser (i'll need to combination to do inventory once in a while).

JF in MI · Nov 25, 2016

I put mine in the basement. Ammunition locker next to it. Gravity makes it a breeze to get down the stairs (laid down planks on stairs and slid it) as long as you're not below it. Was harder to move around on the concrete floor on furniture rollers and even worse to get stood up again. Would take heavy equipment to get back out (700+ pounds).

Fawteen · Nov 25, 2016

I talked to a guy who sells and services commercial safes for a living.

According to him, unless you're spending in the high four figures or more, if a pro can get at the sides or back, they can peel any homeower gun safe like an onion. He recommended three things to do when installing a safe:

1. Bolt it to or through the floor.
2. Position it so the sides and back can't be attacked without major effort.
3. Camouflage it as much as possible. If they can't find it, they can't break into it.

jeffcat · Nov 25, 2016

Go on U-Tube and watch Traditional Gun Safe /Fail. Be ready to cry.

Geo-TH,In · Nov 25, 2016

I know a man who has a visible gun safe in his house. It's a decoy. He stores his guns in a safe he has hidden in the floor of his closet.

His reasoning is, if someone brakes in and steals his safe they won't get any guns and they won't look for his hidden safe in the floor.

Bob Harvey · Nov 25, 2016

Yo, now we ALL know and just have to look for a random screw in the basement ! ;^)

kruser · Nov 25, 2016

SWMBO said I could put it in our walkin closet next to the bedroom - HOPE I get to walk out next Black Friday!
Apperently she and the Dottir were thinking about that for Christmas ??

Bonnan · Nov 25, 2016

Really! A little material like that never hurt me or anyone I know. On a risk scale of 1 to 10, that is about 2.

D beatty · Nov 25, 2016

Correct advice!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oregon Tractor Jack · Nov 25, 2016

Do as other have said about anchoring it down and hiding it if possible. I have two. One is in the house for the "good stuff" and the other is in my shop for the over flow. I lock up all of the cutting tools that I use in my shop in the safe itself. Cutting torch head, plasma cutter stinger and all of my abrasive cut off disks. If you have any of those type of cutting tools in your shop I would advise you lock them up also. I have a "Golden Rod" heater in the one in my shop. It is like a 40 Watt heater and works well to keep the inside dry. The biggest thing is to anchor it down. I have seen the videos of how fast and easy it is to topple a cheap safe and pry the door open.

OTJ

Brendon-KS · Nov 25, 2016

The safe may be good for 1400 F for 30 minutes but floor under it may not be. It could go from the main floor to the basement with a crash if the structural integrety of the floor is compromised in a fire. I'd want something this heavy to be located where there's no chance of it going too far down should the flooring under it catch fire.

MarkB_MI · Nov 25, 2016

I would not place a gun safe in a basement unless I could be certain it would not get flooded. Note that water often causes as much damage in a fire as the fire itself.

robgIN · Nov 25, 2016

A few years ago in this area a guy had a very good gun safe in a basement anchored down . No good grandson new about it , him and buddies took chains down stairs wrapped around safe yanked it up out of house with 4WD pickup . Took it away got it opened and sold guns. Got caught but I think the guy only got a few of the guns back. No matter how safe you think you are , nothing is for sure.

1970-1655 · Nov 25, 2016

I know of a relative that built a house several years ago with a built in safe. He made the opening in the outside wall of the basement into the dirt bank. This way, if someone looked, there was no "hidden safe" extending into any of the rooms. Dehumidifier with it's own drain. He even had a door from an old bank on it. Then he built the room walls with a hidden sliding door. He went to a lot of work but was the best set-up I have ever seen or heard of.

jim950 · Nov 25, 2016

Kruser, the best location would be at MY house!

D beatty · Nov 25, 2016

He must have had safe setting down by stairs close . If its bolted the way it should be to concrete floor well away from stairs there's no way a 4x4 would pull it.Bolted to floor and wall there is no way to get a chain around it.

Traditional Farmer · Nov 26, 2016

I have a gun safe but it doesn't have guns in it,its in a metal building in the back,well disguised where a thief would need a forklift for awhile to even get to it to remove it,I have to crawl over some stuff to get to it.Plus its in a well 'protected' area.Also have a cheap dummy safe half way hidden in the house with a few dollars in it as a decoy.

J.Wondergem · Nov 26, 2016

.

I think the best place is in the basement. If your house catches fire, all the intense heat goes up.

Mark - IN. · Nov 26, 2016

It's the one behind the picture on the wall that matches the wall in color.

Mark

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