by prushin on Tue Dec 29, 2009 1:17 pm
Since Ace's brother is no longer available...I'll try to fill in.
The multiple lock safes of the past are gone for a reason. Mulltiple locks=multiple points of failure. If you build or modify a safe with multiple locks be ready to perform maintenance on the door hinge (good doors are heavy). Even top-of-the-line government approved safes are prone to sagging doors and binding dogs if they're not maintained. Be prepared to spend more on steel to reinforce the lock sites too. One of the reasons that cheaper cold rolled sheet is used so much these days is that history has shown that you don't get much more security using hardened plate for the body as just using small plates around the lock to prevent drilling. Dogs are also made with cold rolled bar stock now (with a hardened rod in the center on expensive sets). It takes a lot of bending to break a 1/2" bar. Using hardened plate for the dogging catches is more common now than it used to be. It prevents drilling and punching the dogs.
I'm not going to argue that building your own cabinet out of 1/4" plate wouldn't be more secure (from a break-in standpoint) than anything you'd buy stamped out of 18Ga. Fire resistance might be a sticking point though. Modern fire and water resistant safes have door seals that are designed to swell when heated. This makes them more likely to resist the water used to put out the fire. It also makes them a pain in the *** to repair after a fire. I can't think of a place beyond manufacturers or their reps to purchase door seals. I'm not saying it can't be done. Just saying I wouldn't trust it without testing and who wants to set their safe in a bonfire and then repair it even if it performs well.
Given the quality of most residential grade locks these days, I wouldn't expect them to be much good at stopping a thief. If you want to get me started on the quality of residential locksets we should start a new thread. Short version...they're crap.
My guns are in a pair of those cheap (and I agree, they are cheap) Stack On cabinets. I changed the hinges, added hinge side dogs, reinforced the dogging sites on the door frame, reinforced the attachment points, and replaced the locks with Medeco cabinet cylinders. The only heirlooms I have are pistols at this point and those are in a Schwab fire safe. I don't worry about someone getting the cheap cabinets open. Most thieves aren't carrying a tool chest and they're not going to get the safe out of the house before the cops show up for the alarm call.
Again, I'm not saying spend as little as possible or that there's no way you can build a fairly secure safe on your own. If you want to buy a gun safe to be as big a problem for thieves as possible, I'd recommend looking for a used UL listed safe or buying from a locksmith that carries safes (if you've got the bucks).
If you want to roll your own, don't skimp on the lock. You can get a used Sargent & Greenleaf or Kaba lock for about the cost of 4 residential dead bolts. Heck, a brand new S&G electronic lock with the keypad wholesales for $120 from the cheapest to $400 for a biometric. They are not easy to open. They're a pain to drill (and I can slap a template over the lock that tells me exactly where to put the holes), they are not going to get knocked off or be punched out, they're durable (IIRC the lowest grade is rated at 100K operations), and they're not painfully hard to reset a combination.
I honestly think it would be cool to see what you could build. You're not trying to mass produce a product for maximum profit, so it would be cheaper to build much more than you'd buy. I'm just much too lazy (and a horrible welder as well) to build my own safe. I always tell my wife that if the gun collection gets big or valuable enough to warrant more security that I'll build a 6'x8' reinforced block room and build my own door. I don't know if I look forward to doing it though. That seems like a lot of sweat and (with my welding skills) a lot of grinding.