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Gun safe question


Jackalope33B

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I'm shocked that M1014 let one of his "Queens" out for a breath of air. What about the dangerous ozone and gamma rays?? Soon those "Queens" might be showing their age.

 

You're a little behind Sgt, M actually took his queens out for a shoot and actually shot them :eek: :p

 

He put a thread on the forum but I can't find it right this second...

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SGT, your safe is NOT bolted down? But sitting up on 4x4 pieces of wood? Do you think that is a good idea to have it set up like that? :confused:

 

 

My safe was shipped to me bolted onto a wooden platform made out of 4 by 4's and heavy cut planks. They were several inches larger than the base of the safe. I painted the wooden platform black. Keeps the bottom and rear of the safe ventilated and 4 inches off the floor. My safe is actually taller than me now. It took two men using dollies to get the safe in place.

 

I'm shocked that M1014 let one of his "Queens" out for a breath of air. What about the dangerous ozone and gamma rays?? Soon those "Queens" might be showing their age.

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SGT, your safe is NOT bolted down? But sitting up on 4x4 pieces of wood? Do you think that is a good idea to have it set up like that? :confused:

 

I kind of have the same concern. The safe I've ordered (don't have it yet) is rated waterproof for 2 hours. And though it sits in the basement right next to the water main, I'm far more concerned about a would-be thief tipping the thing over to get leverage than I am about a basement flood damaging all my firearms. Plus, my safe manufacturer will only warranty the safe as waterproof if it is bolted down ... Which, incidentally, makes me wonder if it would float away like an old ironclad warship.

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If you have not seen this video yet, it is worth a few minutes of your time. It deals with how unsecure a low-end safe can be. It also will show you how important it is that your safe is anchored securely to the floor so that it cannot be tipped over.

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Some very good ideas about safety and securing a safe have been mentioned. In my case, I rent an apartment with wall-to-wall carpeting and solid cement floors under the carpet. Management will not permit me to rip up the carpeting and drill/install large bolts into the foundation.

 

It took two grown men using dollies to place my safe and even then it was quite a difficult job due to dimensions of doors and hallways.

 

Everybodies security concerns are different and in my case theft caused by druggies, teenagers and burglars looking for quick items to pawn, are the norm. I have a quality safe and tipping it over would require an extremely strong person. It stands over 5 feet tall and currently weighs around 1,000 pounds. If you are a professional safe cracker or part of a crew of men using dollies and a lift truck, have at it. My safe is yours. However, if you're a typical punk, druggy or burlar looking for drugs or things to pawn, my safe will just be a frustration.

 

This is all considering you have the good sense to break in when I'm not home. Otherwise, you will have to deal with the size and weight of my safe and my .45 automatic. My apartment, has in the past, suffered some flooding due to burst water pipes and the 4 x 4's it sits upon have kept it dry and high, which was the main focus of this post. I will yield my safe to the HULK or SUPERMAN, should they decide to appear.

 

I'm sure there are readers that have safes bolted to floors with muti- alarm systems, heat/motion sensors and electrified fence. But let's face it, two of my friends have gun safes, the rest just place firearms in the corner of a closet (no thief ever looks in closets).

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if they can carry a safe, they can rip it loose.......:cool:

 

if the safe is not bolted it can be tipped to one side rods/pipes can be used to roll the safe....bolting down is easy to do in most cases, cheap and will only add security the way I see it. I realize some do not have the option.

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I agree that carpet under a safe is probably a poor vapor barrier and that setting it on tile would be better if it were elevated and if their was any chance of flooding in my area!

Has anyone thought what a loaded gun safe rolling on any kinda round object will do to ceramic tile? I strongly feel that it will only roll a few feet at the most before the tiles start cracking and coming up. I know if mine was given the roll on rods that it would not make it but a few feet down the hallway before it bogged down in cracked tiles! My safe is at max capacity plus i am one that will admit i store all my ammo with all my guns, yes not smart but have not had any issues yet and hope i do not have any! That would be FUGLY! I store a bunch of different ammo in it and i would hate to be the guy that had to tip it to even put a rod under it, it is possible but it better be a HUGE bar with 3 or 4 full grown big boys on it! Still as mentioned it would not make it over any ceramic tiles anyway! I did not think about that before i had tile laid a while back but empty it might make it out of the house if rolled on boards laid down! The place that installed it could not use their motorized safe dolly in my house because of the tight corners they would have to go thru=bummer for them! i have an AMSEC and empty it's kinda heavy!! i also have 2 bags of desiccant inside for corrosion protection which is no problem in NM anyway! Anywhere in Florida i would be concerned about rusting and lubricate all of them with a quality gun grease, only a light coat! Also would keep a close eye on all of them for first hint of rust!

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My safe was around 1,100 lbs. empty and I have tile floors. When the men delivered it, they placed a moving pad on my tile floor just inside the doorway. They then tipped the safe off the hand cart/dolly onto the moving pad. At that point the strongest of the guys, and this guy was strong, grabbed the moving pad and pulled the safe down the hallway as two of us pushed from behind. We had about four turns and two inside doorways to negotiate. All went smoothly, although it was a bear to muscle the safe onto the cement platform and get it perfectly centered.

To the earlier question posted, they used 4" X 3/8 - 1/2" tap-cons to fasten through the safe into the cement platform.

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To the OP:

 

I am sure this has been mentioned before, but regardless of what you are using as a "base" for your safe, I strongly suggest keeping several dessicants inside, in order to help keep things dry. I personally prefer those which can be reactivated within an oven (these come in metal canisters). How many one should use depends on the square footage of the safe. Dehumidifiers are also available, but may be less cost effective vs. the dessicants.

 

if the safe is not bolted to the floor....your only fooling yourself, would be way more concerned of security vs moisture under the safe.
This is true. However, many thieves want an "easy" acquisition of goods, unless they have quite a bit of time on their hands. Hence, even if a safe is "merely" bolted to a wall via the studs (preferably close to the floor), this takes effort and time; time which a potential thief may not have. Particularly when other valuables are in plain sight. So, for instance, better a wall mounted safe than nothing at all.

 

Besides, ever try to bolt a small 2 gun safe to a floor? Not nearly as "easy" as doing the same with one of those monolithic, 500+lb. safes!

 

Of course, effective weapon insurance, to me, means more than any of this. After all, if someone wants your weapons badly enough, given enough time and skill, even that "fort knox" style safe (bolted to the floor) won't keep this stuff from going "bye-bye."

 

It is all about making things harder for the thief. But, impossible? This is very tough to do, IMHO.

Edited by shotgunNoob
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Just had the safe bolted down yesterday. I tried doing it myself. But after 2 concrete bits, and 45 min later, It was well worth the $75 to pay the lock smith to do it.. I must say, the 4 1/2" x 5/8" Bolts he used did look intimidating.. He said they have a pull out strength of like 12000lbs EACH!! So unless they have a forklift, the safe is not going anywhere :)

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Just had the safe bolted down yesterday. I tried doing it myself. But after 2 concrete bits, and 45 min later, It was well worth the $75 to pay the lock smith to do it.. I must say, the 4 1/2" x 5/8" Bolts he used did look intimidating.. He said they have a pull out strength of like 12000lbs EACH!! So unless they have a forklift, the safe is not going anywhere :)

 

That would work for my safe. Ain't nobody going to lower a forklift big and heavy enough for that kind of job into my basement. Nothing in the safe is worth the cost of leaving the forklift behind either.

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