Home Made gunsafe

[jgalt]

I've been thinking about doing something similar for the extra basement room my guns (and some other 'valuables'...) are stored in, so I'd definitely be interested in at least reading a description of whatever you come up with, or arranging an 'on-site' visit ... if you don't mind of course.

I would love to give you a "tour". How versed are you with a framing nailer and a scew gun?

None, but I'm always looking to learn...

[Ironbear]

yeah, pretty much what I was thinking. Like you suggested, I was thinking more along the lines of solid wood/metal door, metal frame, and 3/4"ply under sheetrock on both inside and outside walls. It's more to prevent little hands from getting into things they shouldn't and preventing the "smash and grab" type home theft than naything else. I don't have the "high end" or high volume of forearms necessary to construct a hollywood style panic room.

Instead of 3/4", how about sandwiching some thin steel sheet in there? Get some fire resistance as well.

[Seismic Sam]

You might look into how much 1/16th steel sheeting is up North of the old Stand-Up Frank's. they also have that metal sheeting with the tread pattern on it, and either of those lag-screwed (rather than drywall screws) to the 2x4's would make for something that would take a while to breach.

[FJ540]

Properly counter sunk drywall screws placed on 8-10" centers would be more than strong enough. Lag bolts are more likely to damage the strength of the stud because of how much wood they displace. IOW, I wouldn't use more of them than necessary in any given board.

5/8" sheetrock is pretty close to 1hr burn resistance, but only if mudded as well.

[1911fan]

pm coming

[chunkstyle]

Disguise the door. Breaking in is tough, if you don't know where to break!

[VikesFan1]

Disguise the door. Breaking in is tough, if you don't know where to break!

I agree with chunky. It's the best advice, I believe. They can't steal them if they don't know where they are, or where to look. Anything else only slows them down.

If you're thinking of using a closet, re-enforce the walls as already suggested, or you may as well not even have a door on it.

Plywood under sheet rock is a good idea. It will keep someone from "walking" through the wall. Or you could fill the stud bays with spray foam insulation, like a exterior wall in a newer house, and achieve the same result. The foam would be as difficult to get through as the ply, if not more so. Or do both, insulation and ply.

Anything short of building a vault, or buying a spendy safe and bolting it to the floor, and you're better off hiding them... I think.

[Pat Cannon]

If you figure out a place where you can build a staircase up to your attic, you could build your secret gun closet in underneath it.

[1911fan]

If you figure out a place where you can build a staircase up to your attic, you could build your secret gun closet in underneath it.

WAY To go Pat, Its never a secret when you go blabbing his plans out on the internet....thats as bad as telling people he hides his key inside the BBQ grill in the back yard....

[Pat Cannon]

If you figure out a place where you can build a staircase up to your attic, you could build your secret gun closet in underneath it.

WAY To go Pat, Its never a secret when you go blabbing his plans out on the internet....thats as bad as telling people he hides his key inside the BBQ grill in the back yard....

Hey that's why we all have our secret online names. Besides it's not in the grill it's under the mat.

[FJ540]

The stairwell bit is a good idea. You could make the front of the closet have a false floor that slid forward and allowed you access to the real back wall.

If you laid your long guns down rather than standing them up, it would actually be an optimum use of the space. Best of all, the wall surface area is minimal, and the stair frame provides easy mounting for your reinforcement.

This is just going off the closet we have under our stairs in the basement.

[Stradawhovious]

If you figure out a place where you can build a staircase up to your attic, you could build your secret gun closet in underneath it.

WAY To go Pat, Its never a secret when you go blabbing his plans out on the internet....thats as bad as telling people he hides his key inside the BBQ grill in the back yard....

Hey that's why we all have our secret online names. Besides it's not in the grill it's under the mat.

Thanks a ton guys, I really appreciate it. Besides, I moved it to a fake rock next to the front steps. It's the only rock on the property, so it's easy to find.

[westberg]

and I thought you would be using the fake dog poop for hiding the key. That's what we use and with 3 dogs you may need to turn over upwards of 50 piles on any given day.

[ttousi]

and I thought you would be using the fake dog poop for hiding the key. That's what we use and with 3 dogs you may need to turn over upwards of 50 piles on any given day.

smell em first............dum dum

[westberg]

and I thought you would be using the fake dog poop for hiding the key. That's what we use and with 3 dogs you may need to turn over upwards of 50 piles on any given day.

smell em first............dum dum

It didn't say that on the directions.