Safe placement-dilemma.

[Axis ii]

Got a slight dilemma. Firearms are currently kept 45min away due to my girlfriend having kids (teens). I have them in a 40yo wood and glass cabinet my mom purchased for me when I was 16 from a man who made it by hand so it’s kind of sentimental because she paid a lot for it for a Christmas gift for me. Anyways, part of me says I hunt within minutes of my moms where they are kept so leave them there but it does get kind of annoying to have to make a pit stop there to grab them the night before. I am debating on either bringing the wood cabinet over and keeping it locked and hope for the best, girlfriend wants to buy a big fire safe and I’m thinking one of the sheet metal cabinets will suffice just to keep kids out of it. Any mention of a safe and my mom gets mad and reminds me of how long I’ve had the wood cabinet and what she went through to buy it.

Now for the other dilemma. If I get a safe I have 3 main options. 1) is in the master bedroom, in the closet or corner of the room, which is on the 2nd floor. 2) in a spare room which is on the main level but right next to the front door. 3) basement which isn’t finish and it’s cold and damp. Still fighting with a waterproof company to 100% fix it. I’ve read about fireman don’t like safes on a top floor due to them falling down. Weight is also another concern but I'm sure the other items we have in the bedroom weigh the same if not more than a 400lb fire safe. Very torn on what to do.

 

[Herzo]

The additional weight of a safe on the second floor is the least of the worries in a fire. The weight of the floor system alone would be a threat in itself. The fire would need to be fully involved in order to compromise the floor joists, at which point no fireman in his right mind would enter a building. Buy the safe for additional security.

 

[ttfreestyle]

If your just buying a gun cabinet to keep the kids out ya can probably put it most anywhere but if your buying a true safe it’s gonna weight easily over 1000 pounds up to twice that. Make sure the main floor will handle it. Good luck, safe research gets confusing fast.

 

[drover]

You didn't state how many guns you have but as a compromise leave the wood cabinet at your mothers house with some of the less used firearms in it and get one of the smaller safes for your house and keep your more often used ones in it.

The smaller safes are small enough that they can easily handled and are secure enough that unless someone is determined they will deter most break ins, and less than determined teen-agers. I bolted mine to the stud in my closet. The small safes can be found for under $500, I purchased mine at a Sams Club.

drover

 

[K22]

I understand your attachment to the wood cabinet. I inherited my father's, it was beautiful and, in a time when we lived in a civilized society, so security was not a concern of mine. It locked so it was child proof.

When we moved in 1987 to a more urban area, not by choice, but because I had to for employment reasons, I "bit the bullet" and took a middle of the road approach and purchased a steel safe which added some security. I bolted to the floor and wall in a spare room closed. I installed a heavy lock on the door to provide some additional security. But any professional determined thief can gain access. My goal was merely to slow the thief down. It offers some but not absolute fire protection.

Since these days I'm rarely away from home for more than a few hours I have some additional level of security albeit oversight. Since I'm in the twilight of my years I don't worry about it anymore.

But if I was a younger with an expensive collection of firearms, I would invest in the best safe I could afford given the times we live in which I believe is only going to get worse. It's a one and down proposition so get the best one you can afford. With the proper internal moisture control equipment that they make today or gun safes, the basement might work. Personally, I like the closet approach since you can add another layer of security with a heavy locked door.

 

[Axis ii]

If your just buying a gun cabinet to keep the kids out ya can probably put it most anywhere but if your buying a true safe it’s gonna weight easily over 1000 pounds up to twice that. Make sure the main floor will handle it. Good luck, safe research gets confusing fast.

Oh, wow, I was looking at a few TSC cannon and Liberty models and they only weigh 400-500lbs

 

[farmerjohn]

What drover said, plus, it's a good excuse to buy a few more guns so your Mom doesn't miss any from her place... John

 

[Herzo]

A liberty centurion (24 gun) is about 400# - good enough to keep the amateurs out particularly if it's bolted down. A true safe of that size/capacity would require a forklift to move.

 

[Axis ii]

You didn't state how many guns you have but as a compromise leave the wood cabinet at your mothers house with some of the less used firearms in it and get one of the smaller safes for your house and keep your more often used ones in it.

The smaller safes are small enough that they can easily handled and are secure enough that unless someone is determined they will deter most break ins, and less than determined teen-agers. I bolted mine to the stud in my closet. The small safes can be found for under $500, I purchased mine at a Sams Club.

drover

6 scoped rifles and 3 shotguns.

 

[Axis ii]

What drover said, plus, it's a good excuse to buy a few more guns so your Mom doesn't miss any from her place... John

I think she likes the feeling they are there and also me coming over to get them before I hunt but right now I’ve got 4 that need cleaned and it’s just a pain with the back and forth.

 

[jelenko]

What drover said, plus, it's a good excuse to buy a few more guns so your Mom doesn't miss any from her place... John

+2 for drover's idea.

On the type of 'safe' - that may depend on the area.
Personally, since the guns are now in a wood cabinet, I'd go for a light weight, securely lockable steel cabinet with the objective to make it inaccessible to kids in the house.

 

[284winner]

I have a wooden chest kinda like a wooden foot locker at the foot of our bed. It accommodates around 6 long guns. Scopes don't take up any room in this set up. Looks good and we put pillows and additional blankets on top of the guns so it doubles. It's just another idea. Similar to this picture. It locks also.

 

[farmerjohn]

I think she likes the feeling they are there and also me coming over to get them before I hunt but right now I’ve got 4 that need cleaned and it’s just a pain with the back and forth.

Don't know how old you are or what the relationship is like between you and your Mom but I lost mine in 96, and I regret not having spent a little more time with her and not putting up with some of her wishes now that I am approaching the age she was when I lost her, butting into your business but I spect later on you'll be glad you went over there and cleaned a few guns.... John

 

[ttfreestyle]

Oh, wow, I was looking at a few TSC cannon and Liberty models and they only weigh 400-500lbs

Those really aren’t fire safes, I’m not sure any safe is truly a full blown fire safe unless you spend more than most of us can afford. Once you research safes in depth and talk to a few companies you decide most are just cabinets with a locking door.......

 

[ttfreestyle]

Don't know how old you are or what the relationship is like between you and your Mom but I lost mine in 96, and I regret not having spent a little more time with her and not putting up with some of her wishes now that I am approaching the age she was when I lost her, butting into your business but I spect later on you'll be glad you went over there and cleaned a few guns.... John
[/QUOTE
I think we all regret not spending more time with them. Time with family is precious.

 

[TIMO]

Lots of options, and the best advice I can give to do enough research so that you can make a sound decision based on YOUR circumstances, funds and the personal reasons involved.

Whether it is a fire, tornado, hurricane, earth quake, flood, blizzard or some other calamity or some type of human engineered event, you cannot cover every possible situation.

Tim

 

[snert]

Sturdy safe.

Anywhere not damp.

You won't be feeling sentimental when you go to your mom's house after your guns are stolen.

Turn the wood one into a book case.

Put safe where it can be accessed. A closet is fine if you have two guns and four shirts....

Bolt that puppy to the wall and floor.

In your situation, I bought a safe from BJ's. It served me fine and kept kids out. It is still in the basement, as a decoy. I have a hidden room and vault door.

 

[Axis ii]

Don't know how old you are or what the relationship is like between you and your Mom but I lost mine in 96, and I regret not having spent a little more time with her and not putting up with some of her wishes now that I am approaching the age she was when I lost her, butting into your business but I spect later on you'll be glad you went over there and cleaned a few guns.... John

I often visit with her when I do go over there but the pain in the butt moments are when someone calls the night before and says they are rabbit hunting the next day so now I’ve gotta call mom to tell her I’ll be over at 7am and don’t shoot me when she hears someone in the house. Doing so riles up the shepherd who wants to eat me before she realizes it’s me and then moms awake. I often visit for an hour or two and grab what I need and leave.

 

[Dave M.]

Don’t underestimate the ingenuity of teenagers. Get a good gun safe and don’t mess around with kids and guns.
Dave

 

[Gargoyle]

Possibly a training issue/point will save the situation. Teach them how to shoot, gun safety, and all that. Take away the curiosity of "the gun". "You can see my guns whenever you want to, just ask me first."

Get them into precision shooting and they will engulf themselves in all the shit we ponder and pontificate on this forum and they won't have any thoughts left about how to do nefarious things with them!