We finally broke down and bought a gun safe, fire proof, and its full!! AR15's, few other rifles but mostly Colt handguns!  But atleast now hubby won't be stressed out when we leave the house. Thank goodness for our 2 sons-in-law, they helped slide it down the basement stairs. I think it will go with the house if we ever move. Now to find a place to write down the combo!

I can't wait to get a safe.  i feel like i'm living on borrowed time.  The thought of having to replace a couple of AR's is Scary! $$$$$$$

That's the best move any gunowner can make.  I bought one decades ago for $350 on closeout.  Not as nice as yours, but it still kept over $10,000 worth of guns safe from burglars who broke in one day.  That safe payed for itself that day many times over.

Ross

A few helpful safe tips.

It is difficult for BG to open safe from the front so they pull them onto their face and open them with a drill and mettle shears as easy as a can opener.
Bolt it down and if you can bolt it down in a place where the sides are protected also your guns will be much safer. We had a cubby built for our safe with a set of sliding doors to cover the front and it looks like a storage closet in our garage instead of a GB magnet.

Buy a few stickers from your local gun shop that sells reloading supplies that says DANGER!!! BLACK POWDER and place them on the safe door.
This will make most BG’s think a little longer before they use any power tools that may cause a spark.

THISISME

The DANGER-BLACK POWDER stickers are a nice touch.

I for one am glad you got a safe thus the OTHER guys that I do not wish to have guns will not get yours. It is a good move! Even as an LEO I am all for legal citizens owning guns, I or someone else may need help one day.......

A tip for those that cannot afford a safe. Go and buy about $10.00 of stickers for your windows and doors (put one on each and be consistent where you put them) stating that you have a burglar alarm. Also, and just as important, get the yard sign that states you have an alarm and put it near the street...mailbox. It is my experience that most small time thieves will pass-by a house displaying such......just a thought.

I like the Black Powder sticker idea.  I don't have a safe now, but I have got to get one soon.  The idea of losing my guns is very scary. What brand do most of you have/suggest?

I am shopping for a safe myself.  There are some really nice ones out there.  Can anyone recommend a good one for around $1500?  I would like one around 850-1000lbs.  Glossy finish, fire-lined...the works.  Also where is a good place to buy?

I have it delivered to my house.  The guy had that incredible machine that look like a mini tank. It crawl upstair and downstair with the safe in its back. All he has to do is standing on it and steer.

Get one larger than what you think you need.  You WILL fill it up.

Liberty, National, Ft Knox etc...

I had 3 guys delivery my safe.  1500 pounds.  They used a pallet jack to move the safe.  

was looking at one of the 12 gun cheapos for like 150 bucks-I know its not the most secure thing in the world, but I palnning on putting 2 hasps on it- one on each end of the door with paddle locks (in addition to the round key locks) also bolt it to the wall.  
Any opinions of this setup? (other than cut open like tin can)

I wish I could afford/had a place to put one of those nice big safes.

Cleatus, Drill the locks and pry the door and you will have no guns anymore.

Or cut the locks and pry the door and you will have no guns anymore.
Either way you have no more guns anymore.

Better than nothing though.

THISISME

My nephew lives near Oklahoma City.  A couple of months ago, he built a "strong room."  He said some of the nicer new houses they looked at there had one.  It's a walk-in closet off of the master bedroom with interior walls lined with concrete blocks with a metal-beam under fire-resistent plywood ($120 per sheet, but worth it) for the ceiling.  He placed rebar and poured concrete in the blocks to reinforce them.  He said the most expensive part was the solid wood door and metal frame he used to replace his old vented closet door.  A close second in cost was the lock that pushes a bar into the metal frame above the door and another into the concrete slab below.  He lined the edges of the doorframe with an aluminium weatherstripping that's made to help with fire resistence.

Here's the nice part, he did most of the work himself, and his home owners insurance gives him a discount for having this safe room, just like they used to do if you had a storm cellar.  He told the insurance company it was for use in case of a tornado, but in reality, it's his closet and LARGE gun locker.  Everytime they leave home, his guns, important papers (locked inside a fire-proof file cabinet w/ his handguns), and his wife's jewelery are locked-up.  Think how much a safe would cost that's the size of a walk-in closet.  I know a solid wood door isn't as secure as the door on a nice safe, but with the safes I've seen broken into, I simply don't trust any but the most expensive.  I work for an armored car company, so over past few years, I've seen a few cracked safes that looked like child's play to open with a recipricating saw.  One local consignment shop had their large (about 9' tall x 5' wide x 4' deep) safe cracked by a single guy with a crowbar.  The guy left some skin and lot of blood, but he did get the side of the safe pried open enough to reach-in and grab a handful of rings.

Cleatus,

It's a tough call if you simply can't afford a high dollar gunsafe.  What kind of dwelling are you in?  You might be able to improvise and get a higher level of threat protection than that gun locker/hasp combo.  If $150 is what you've got to work with, it's better than nothing.  You just have to realize the level of protection it gives you.  For the casual grab and dash punk, that setup might delay them long enough to deter them.  Someone with a little more time can get in with some handtools.  Whatever you come up with, it's better than sitting in a closet or under a bed (which is how I had it before getting my safe).

Since I'm in the alarm business, I'll mail "real" stickers to anyone who sends me a stamped self addressed envelope. If they want a yard sign, they have to reimburse me the $2.00 it costs to make it, and send a much bigger envelope, with maybe $1.00 worth of postage on it. I don't have any metal stakes since we usually screw them to mail box posts. E-mail me for my address.

We build homes and are starting to pour rooms for storm shelter/  vaults alot of people are using them for firearms storage I know my next house ( soon) will have a vault in it. My son is 5 but is well taught not to mess with guns as they are not toys but I'm concerned about his friends I don't know what their parents teach them about safety. We pour insulated foam form basements and they have a package for a vault room -solid concrete. To save money they suggest using a steel door with dual deadbolts. Combination Vault doors start @ about 1500.00 so this can be pricey but I figure how much is a life or at least my peace of mind worth?? Many are interested in "hiding" their safe room so they pour them under breezeway's  or porches. One suggestion though if you go under a porch opt for at least 10inches of concrete for a top mke it as hard to break into as possible.

Boomin

Critter,

Please check your e-mail for a request for your address for stickers.

Thanks,

Merlin

Boomin-DO you(or do you know of anyone) that does those insualted pured basements in northern WI (Rice Lake)?  My dad is building a house up there and needs someone to do this...

Now that is a DEAL!

I already have an alarm and all, but CRITTER_FR is offering a great opportunity here!

Just had to say thanks to Critter!!!  Great thing you are doing dude.  I myself have ADT alarm service since I had a break-in last year and had a Mossberg model 500 persuader, pistol grip cruiser model stolen!!  Still miss that gun!  It was sweet...


Anyone wishing to give to the Eric_A Mossberg 12guage fund should...
..have their mind checked....heh hehhe ehheh

Forgot to add, anyone having plans for such a room (vault, gun safe room, etc) please post them.  If you have written plans and no scanner I will scan them and post them if you want...

Those small cabinets are fine for some purposes. That's what my dad got when I was little, tucked in the corner, no problem. At 18, i still can't geet in there. :) Mainly because i don't want to damage it. He just tucked it away in the basement, where even we have trouble getting at it. No problems yet.

FEMA has plans and material lists on-line for new and retrofit construction storm shelters designed to withstand tornados; easily adaptable for "safe rooms".  

www.fema.gov/mit/shplans

i need to build a safe thats a extra room when i move out into a my own house [:)]

Where I live there is usually someone home and awake at every hour of the day.  So I just got a cheap gun case and it does the job of keeping the guns away from people who shouldn't be touching them.

[sniper]

I have thought about converting one closet in my house into a gun cabinet/safe. The back wall is a solid brick outside wall, the one side is 9" thick outer wall and siding, and the other side has 1" thick plywood on it and is inside a steel gated room with only 2 windows, both are 7 feet off the ground. The floor is concrete slab, the door and frame is cheap wood and the ceiling is drywall, but the door and frame can be replaced with heavy metal easily.

Haven't converted it just yet, my main concern was the fire protection. Thought about buying some of that 3/4" thick concrete wall stuff that is supposed to be fireproof. Anyone use it before? I think it is for around fireplaces or something.

Whatever it is, I'd line the entire inside with the stuff. Then use some brackets and build a fireproof ceiling. Line that with some carpeting to protect the firearms and all should be great with a heavy steel door.

Then, after it is all done it still simply looks like a closet. I can still upgrade it at some point by simply removing the rifle rack and shelving and replacing with a "real" safe.

Sure would be cool to have my own private arms room. Dedicated alarm system, solid concrete floor with 2 foot thick cinder block walls, 500 lb steel door, large space, controlled environment.....

That is what we are hoping to do someday(add another room), if our farming situation ever turns around. It would either be his firearms room or my embroidery room, or a combo of the both.[;)]
We also bought a small safe with keypad and key entry from Sam's Club, he anchored it to the wall. Good size for handguns.

To make something fireretardent they use 5/8 sheetrock. It is rated fire resistant. You can also use the cement boards.



Great Idea for anyone who wants a safe but has limited funds. Go to the trade supply houses. Electrical,plumbing,Home depot lowes ect. Find those big onsite tool boxes. Get the biggest one you can find. I think one manufacturer is greenlee. Then line it with 5/8 sheetrock,fire raterd. Glue it to the side,bottom and top of the box with liquid nails. Bolt it to the floor and the locks recess into the box. See if they have a lage model that will fit rifles. Wores comes to worse store the rifles without stocks so they are shorter. To replace a stock is better then to replace a rifle. A theif will not steal just a stock anyway.

Cleatus,Eric_A:

Sorry answer is taking so long - working 2 jobs.

First Cleatus: no I don't know anyone in WI doing the work I'm talking about, I'm in Southern Iowa.  

Eric-A: Here is an address of Liteform safe info it has an address you can contact.

http://webster.liteform.com/saferoom.html


Also WWW.Liteform.com will get you there. Some are using the saferoom as a Tornado shelter and getting federal funds reimbursed I understand not here though. Hope this helps.

Boomin

A sidebar on something I noticed in this thread......


IMHO, A Demokommie would say 'for the kids'..I was taught, as all SHOULD be (I guess the parents have to parent AND care) GUNS ARE NOT TOYS...IF THE GUN DOES NOT KILL YOU I WILL....
(THAT IS a quote from a couple older family members)....I think this was PART of the [program which they more less whipped personal responsibility into me...

NOW, a prudent man WILL have the best safe money can buy to keep out BG who were NOT taught personal responsibility...


PLEASE...NO MORE FOR THE CHILDREN......THAT IS A PARENTS JOB !!!!!!!!!!

All of my guns are beatifully displayed, and some are loaded but not charged, as a home defense weapon.  I have a 6 year old, and a brand spankin' new 1 month old son.  The 6 year old girl has been raised around them, and KNOWS the rules.  For security, if we're home, I need not say why I am not worried.  When we're away, an ADT system w/ motion detector on the guns.  BUT, I will have to get a safe eventually.  Not on behalf of MY family, but on behalf of other kids that may be here, esp. when they're teens.  Unfortunate, really.  I fear not for the safety of my cache except in the hands of teenagers I haven't met yet.  Dumbass kids.

Hell with the stickers, I leave an empty black powder container on top of my safe.

Forget the empty can, I put a few boxes of primers in there.

================================================

Scooper,

That's why you have to be smarter than the criminal and change the combo as soon as you get it.  I always love how people leave things (such as new garage door openers) with the factory setting.  

here my deal.i have el cheapo wal mart sheetmetal gun safe.obviously not theif proof.well the good part is i have it hidden behind a false wall in a deep closet.open the closet you see rack of coats and such,behind that is some storage boxes,bolling ball,old micro,usural junk.then the wall.now ill admitt it takes a few minutes to get in there but the peice of mind is well worth it.stealth my freinds ,stealth.the best safe in the world is only a comination away from being opened.
i was going to buy a gun safe from a local gun store but they had the safes on display with the combs on them.well im always thinking of a way to get over and it seemed real simple to me for BG,gunshop employee etc to write down combo then find out who bought it.very easy to find there address buy following the buyer home or for gunshop employee to tell freinds(theives) or a yr or 2 later go buy this house and ripp off their safe.yes maby far fetched but good criminals are smart.

Along the same lines, would a theft or burglary at your home cost you everything? Do you have all your eggs in one basket?

Many of us have more guns than we ever use. It might be a good idea to store a few spares with a relative.