I'm not going to spend money on a big heavy "gun safe" that is really just an RSC. I have thought about more secure options such as Sturdy Safe but they still store the guns upright. I want a safe that allows the guns to be stored horizontally, perhaps built and hidden in a wall. Has anyone fabricated their own safe from 3/16 or 1/4" plate steel and a welder? Cost effective?
DIY gun safe?
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Reloadron
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Nothing new and people have been doing it for years. You can build anything you want from a simple hidden space to an entire vault. A hidden space can be as simple as a false wall in a room and a vault to digging out a basement extension. As to cost I guess it depends on what you call cost effective. Depends on how much space and materials. Right now a $3 2X4 is selling for $6 so figure what you want and material cost and weigh that against a safe and not a RSC.
Hidden Door
Vault Door
Ron
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BreechFace
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If you have the skills, I agree its the way to go. I've thought about it, but just haven't come up with the space to do it. The only tricky part would be to do the locking bars around the frame along with the mechanical lock.
I would oversize it by 6" each direction and plan for fire insulation and overlapping sheetrock, sealed with high temp fireplace caulking. Pick yourself up a pressure plug for the top so as to not create a bomb, but seals smoke out in case of fire.
I would oversize it by 6" each direction and plan for fire insulation and overlapping sheetrock, sealed with high temp fireplace caulking. Pick yourself up a pressure plug for the top so as to not create a bomb, but seals smoke out in case of fire.
Ohen Cepel
Member
Could start with a Job Box if that worked for you as a shell.
Yes, it can certainly be done. Could harden a room or a closet as you like. If done right, it has the added benefit of being a bit unique and may be more effective in keeping people out as there won't be a youtube video made of how to break into it. Unless, you're a really odd duck.
Yes, it can certainly be done. Could harden a room or a closet as you like. If done right, it has the added benefit of being a bit unique and may be more effective in keeping people out as there won't be a youtube video made of how to break into it. Unless, you're a really odd duck.
wcwhitey
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Standard studs, insulation, chicken wire covered by cement board then 5/8 sheet rock (aka fire rock) on both sides. Steel fire door (standard Home Depot item) with steel frame. Works as a vault, safe room and has both some fire resistance and tamper resistance. Plus it can be painted and decorated to disguise as its Sheetrock.
crestoncowboy
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Right now forming a box and pouring it out of 3k concrete would be about a cheap. So long as weight wasn't a concern. Dimensional lumber had doubled but concrete here is still the same/ yard. Then build a door. Obviously that's a first floor endeavor.... but very secure and fire proof
burrhead
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Residential Security Cabinet
Jim Watson
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A friend did just that. Our agency's shops held a welding school and he got in it although it was not in his job description. It allowed personal projects with salvaged steel. He made up a medium size safe of 1/4 and 3/8" rather pitted but sandblasted and painted.
He designed a servomotor operated locking bolt drive, which was in his job description. I provided a few ideas on a pick and punch resistant key switch installation and the suggestion to record coordinates where a drill hole would admit a long hex wrench in case the servo failed.
I also suggested he lock up his diamond saw blade and cutting torch tip along with his guns. No point in providing a thief his tools.
He designed a servomotor operated locking bolt drive, which was in his job description. I provided a few ideas on a pick and punch resistant key switch installation and the suggestion to record coordinates where a drill hole would admit a long hex wrench in case the servo failed.
I also suggested he lock up his diamond saw blade and cutting torch tip along with his guns. No point in providing a thief his tools.
JTHunter
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Out of curiosity, what is your reason for not wanting to store guns vertically?
Stored vertically, you could build a false wall, attach it to the existing wall and its studs, then store the guns between the new studs.
BigBlue 94
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My safes are in a special room, 8" concrete on all six sides. Steel fire door as entrance.
My grandpa used to take all his guns to the crawl space and hang them on the back side of the floor joists when they went out of town.
My grandpa used to take all his guns to the crawl space and hang them on the back side of the floor joists when they went out of town.
I find the gun oils are creeping down the actions into the stock, no matter how little oil has been applied. Plus it's not good for recoil pads. Storing them on their barrels is just asking for them to tip over. I would prefer to just store them horizontally instead.
Whatever you do make sure it is a conditioned room with airflow. I gave a concrete room maybe 8' x 6' out the side of my conditioned basement. The roof of the building is above grade and ac sites on it. During winter frost forms on ceiling. I havent figured out a good way to condition it since roof is above grade.
jaguarxk120
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Lay down 2-4 inches of foam insulation on the roof top.
I've seen 200 year old house's insulated with foam that way in Europe.
The house's were built with the best building material at the time, stone!
I've seen 200 year old house's insulated with foam that way in Europe.
The house's were built with the best building material at the time, stone!
John Joseph
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Hide in plain sight
they make the portable a/c units that use two tubes for intake and outake of air that you could likely vent to the outside
RetiredUSNChief
Member
Interestingly, what you're describing for fabrication amounts to an RSC as well, and not a safe.
Here's an excellent thread on the difference between an RSC and a safe:
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...the-difference-between-safes-and-rscs.351112/
THAT SAID...I get it that you want something a bit "stronger" than the typical cheaper sheet metal RSCs. The problem is that unless you are willing to put in a significant amount of time and money into constructing one as secure as you are thinking (even as an RSC and not a safe), you would probably be better off buying a quality RSC. 1/4" thick steel doesn't take much to get through. And if you're going to build it from much tougher material, it'll rapidly get more expensive, plus there are specific welding techniques required for various materials, or you'll end up defeating the intended toughness. Then there are how you're going to engineer the weaker points (the locking mechanism and hinges), properly insulating and sealing it, etc.
If you want to make a big ole lock box, by all means have at it. But you'll likely still fall under "RSC" when you're done.
Building your own gun container can be a pretty secure venture and provide flexibility in locations, how to hide, etc. All of which have their advantages over stock containers. A brother of mine just finished building one for his truck that's pretty neat (though he hasn't sent me any pictures as yet). If you do end up building something, l post something up here so we can see. I'm always interested in creative craftsmanship.
doubleh
Member
I want to hear the "doesn't take much to to get through 1/4" steel" methods that don't ruin everything inside the box or safe. I can do it very quickly with the right equipment but everything inside will be junk when I'm done.
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Well I'm not looking to build a 1" thick Graffunder type safe that's going to distort my basement slab.
1/4" steel would slow down quite a few thieves, and the most secure safe is the custom hidden one they don't even know about.
The room I'm thinking of putting a hidden safe in has some odd wall dimensions that could hide a pocket door rack in one side of the closet.
1/4" steel would slow down quite a few thieves, and the most secure safe is the custom hidden one they don't even know about.
The room I'm thinking of putting a hidden safe in has some odd wall dimensions that could hide a pocket door rack in one side of the closet.
CapnMac
Member
Tricky part is that those folks are likely to be closed-mouthed about it.
I've "hardened" a number of spaces for a number of people, and that's about the level of detail I'm willing to go into that.
Most of those solutions used existing building technology, just applied to suit. That's ranged from wooden studs to galvanized stud to CMU. Each solution was individually tailored to its application.
The question becomes one of goals--your goals in this case.
Do you want fire protection? Do you want more or less break-in resistance (exposed hinges, concealed latches, etc.) ? Will this need to be esthetic (as in either being "pretty" or in being "invisible")? Will you want water resistance (FD will apply water in hundred of gallons per minute fighting a residential fire)? Will you need humidity/temperature control?
This matrix is what will inform your design.
CapnMac
Member
If you can find it, the ideal answer is 4" polyisocyanurate roofing foam (known as "iso board" in the trade). Glue that to the ceiling of your space with PL-1 Premium glue (it comes in a caulking-gun tube, use more rather than less in your application). Brace the foam up with scrap 2x until the glue sets.
Applying the foam to the inside is to make it easier for you (no lifting the a/c compressor or having to waterproof the foam above grade). 4" iso is ±R-24 which ought to help, especially if you ad a couple of "rod" type heaters.
Fire protection = no
Break in/theft resistance = yes
Esthetic = no, just needs to be hidden
Water resistance = no
Humidity/temp control = yes
Anything is better than the sheet metal stack-on gun locker they are in now. Mainly want them stored horizontally, hidden, and climate controlled.
rdnktrkr
Member
A lot of the "gun safes" are steel boxes with sheet rock interiors covered with felt/carpet, I built something similar using some commercial steel roofing in a basement room with a commercial steel door, I have to release the door lock from upstairs and a deadbolt on the door, normal AC with a dehumidifier with an AC water pump is how I keep humidity down. My uncle built a room off his basement when he built his house, poured walls with rebar and 2 layers of sheet rock, it is about 10x10 and is also used as a storm shelter. He uses racks like the CMP uses on wheels so he can move them around
Elkins45
Member
From what I understand only the rankest of amateurs will try to breech a safe (RSC) by going through the door, since that’s where makers put all their efforts and marketing. Most of the photos I’ve seen have been where people used a saw or fire axe to go through the thinner sides.
Maybe the best solution is buying a good RSC with a hard to open door and good fire resistance and then adding some strips of hardened steel tacked all around in a strategic pattern that would make it difficult to grind or saw thru to the contents. Of course this would mess up the pretty paint and make it ugly, but I wouldn’t care.
Or maybe just building a box around the RSC and pouring a concrete shell all around it? Imbed some hinge bolts and add a second door while you’re at it to slow them down even more. Hmmm...
Maybe the best solution is buying a good RSC with a hard to open door and good fire resistance and then adding some strips of hardened steel tacked all around in a strategic pattern that would make it difficult to grind or saw thru to the contents. Of course this would mess up the pretty paint and make it ugly, but I wouldn’t care.
Or maybe just building a box around the RSC and pouring a concrete shell all around it? Imbed some hinge bolts and add a second door while you’re at it to slow them down even more. Hmmm...
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