Home made Gun Safe???

[Airborn Ranger]

I was thinking last night about building my own gun safe. I have thought of a wood exterior and Metal (Aluminum or steal) interior. Than I started to think of how the inside would be setup, I.E lights, shelves and storage for pistols and rifles. So what is the condenses on building your own over buying one. I would rather spend the money on more weapons than a safe right now.

Should I build or Buy???

 

[matt]

buy. Even a Stack on cabinet instead of a safe.

 

[doobie]

In my next house, I plan to build a walk-in one in the cellar. Kind of like a wine cellar, but for guns. It'll be in a corner of the basement and composed of a steel door (Fort Knox makes them for between 1 and 3k) and concrete/bricks or something else strong. It'll probably cost about $3-4k depending on the size I decide to make it.

 

[pipmaster1971]

This is the "home made" safe in my house I'm thinking of using:

The door:

The way in:

The storage area:

 

[EddieCoyle]

If the purpose of the safe is to protect your guns from fire and theft, you'll have to go a long way on your own (probably at great expense) before the one you make will be as good as one you can buy.

 

[MichaelJ]

pip, that reminds me of the HUGE marijuana bust in Tennessee a few years ago. I can't find any pics on Google but this guy had a nice big house and underneath he had a maze of underground rooms with his plants in different stages and stuff. All sealed off with hydrlolic doors and stuff. Very cool setup but used for the wrong purpose IMHO...could have made a nice man room or fall out shelter. Anyone else remember this?

 

[pipmaster1971]

I had thought of turning it into a "growing room". I still think armoury would be best though.

 

[dwarven1]

pip, that reminds me of the HUGE marijuana bust in Tennessee a few years ago. I can't find any pics on Google but this guy had a nice big house and underneath he had a maze of underground rooms with his plants in different stages and stuff. All sealed off with hydrlolic doors and stuff. Very cool setup but used for the wrong purpose IMHO...could have made a nice man room or fall out shelter. Anyone else remember this?

Yup, googling the phrase "underground marijuana bust" yields LOTS of links. Here's one of the first with what looks like a good write up: http://www.ssqq.com/ARCHIVE/vinlin19.htm

 

[SKS Ray]

Yup, googling the phrase "underground marijuana bust" yields LOTS of links. Here's one of the first with what looks like a good write up: http://www.ssqq.com/ARCHIVE/vinlin19.htm

Thats a huge system.
I figured electrical useage right away, after all, pot makes the average person do stupid things like overlook a huge electric bill with erratic activity.

Getting back to the OP, you can modify a closet for a safe, thats what I did. Steel doors, reinforced walls, alarms, all good. You can even fireproof it but I skipped that. I figure if my house burns down I'll have a lot more to worry about than crispy old WW2 and WW1 era guns.

 

[Moderator]

Pip, I hope your guns on the outside wont look like the inside of that thing. Be sure to use plenty of oil.

 

[pipmaster1971]

Pip, I hope your guns on the outside wont look like the inside of that thing. Be sure to use plenty of oil.

If I decided to use it I would actually have to get a dehimidfier down there. It's pretty much doable. I just need to increase my gun collection to make it worth while.

 

[Adam_MA]

If it were me, I would maybe put one of the small stack-on cabinets in there, and permanently keep a few selected firearms and ammo in there to keep as an armory, but I would not sacrifice a BIG bonus like having a shelter like that in my house to store my firearms. I would clean that bad boy up real nice, and stock it with supplies, and sleep soundly at night knowing I have a shelter in my house.

 

[JGG]

gunsafe

I watched the local classifieds and craigs list. Bought an old pair of fireproof document safes for $200. The filing drawers were pulled out after using a slide hammer to get them moving, and i built some rough shelving and racks. The drawers hold all my shooting stuff and other hardware. A very affordable safe and fire rated way over what they are selling as gun safes. Watch the papers and salvage dealers especially on the north shore.
These safes are double wall thickness, filled with vermiculite powder. Many people think the powder is asbestos, and i don't feel the need to educate them. It helps imensely in bargaining!! Be sure to research the manufacturer and model before purchasing. The vermiculite adds an extra degree of security, in that a thief can't break in with a plasma cutter and use your own electricity to open the side of your safe!!
Another solution to that problem is to buy concrete board at the local home supply. Line either the outside or inside allowing for a 3/8 air space. This adds fire protection and prevents the use of plasma or cutting torches.
When you don't have money to solve a problem easily, you have to use your coconut and be patient.
Don't let not having a combination to a safe stop you from getting one. The fact it can't be opened by the owner makes it his problem! I get them free or sometimes get paided to remove them. Any safe can be opened and resett. The model and how tough a job is the desiding factor.

 

[MFP4073]

That is a pretty cool thing to have in your basement regardless of what it is used for. When do you suppose that was installed? 1950's?

Is that pipe fully enclosed in concrete?

 

[Fooped]

I was thinking last night about building my own gun safe. I have thought of a wood exterior and Metal (Aluminum or steal) interior. Than I started to think of how the inside would be setup, I.E lights, shelves and storage for pistols and rifles. So what is the condenses on building your own over buying one. I would rather spend the money on more weapons than a safe right now.

Should I build or Buy???

STEEL, CONSENSUS.

Buy a safe, the amount of effort and raw materials will far outstrip the savings (if any) over buying even a cheap safe at Dick's or Wally World.

 

[Airborn Ranger]

It realy is not the saving money. (Mostly) It is about spending time down in the shop building something that I look at and admire. I have been drawing some plans out and it looks like the safe will be built durring my holiday break. I will take photo's and post them as building starts, durring, and compleated project. I got allot of great idea's off this thread. Thanks every one. So lets the shoping begin...

 

[Coyote33]

dupe?

safe/locker/homebuilt/whatever?

 

[pipmaster1971]

That is a pretty cool thing to have in your basement regardless of what it is used for. When do you suppose that was installed? 1950's?

Is that pipe fully enclosed in concrete?

It was installed in the early 60's (Cuban missile crisis). The thing starts in the concrete/stone basement wall, goes out and under the driveway for about 20-25 feet, at a down angle of about 20 degrees, and then turns at 90 degrees into a larger room. This room is about 15 feet long x 7 feet in diameter. My guess is that the whole thing is about 3 feet below the drive.

 

[glennv]

My house has a fallout shelter as well. The room is mega thick concrete, about 12x20. The problem is there is no door. I've found plenty of sources for vault doors but mounting it in a way which it can't be taken off is going to be a challenge.