Guys, I need a little help brainstorming a couple non-standard gun safe ideas.
PLEASE, let’s not get into a discussion of “Safes” verses “Residential Security Containers.” It’s not the focus of this thread post, and not productive to the desired end result. I’ll be using the term Gun Safe as a general term to encompass the entire spectrum with no regard to technicalities.
Here’s the situation:
I have a 100 year old frame home. Like many homes built in this period, the floor plan does not focus as well on our “Modern” lifestyle and needs. I’ve done quite a bit of subtle modifications and creative solutions in making the house work.
Moving is not an option. Nor is drastic alteration to the home. This home was built by my great-grandfather, and I have made strong efforts to keep the home in its “period” style.
Like most homes of this period, closet space is VERY limited. To make matters worse, I have VERY little usable wall space. Perhaps it is a function of the lack of air conditioning in that period or a desire to let more light in, the home has MANY tall windows taking up precious amounts of wall space.
Now couple that with the fact that the floor plan itself has utilized far too much of the wall space with built in book cases and other architectural nuances and my wife’s propensity to appropriate the very last bit of wall space with interior designing, I have VERY little—or should I say NO room to stick a nice Gun Safe against a wall.
I have identified a couple places that I could stick a narrow gun safe in my study. However, it is a fairly small room that was converted from a sun room. And I seriously mean a sun room—that sucker has 9 windows in it! However, putting a gun safe in here SERIOUSLY cramps up an already cozy space.
That leaves me with a couple other options that move towards the “unconventional.”
I am interested in a HORIZONTAL gun safe where I can store a few guns inside the house for easier access. Because this house is made of Heart Pine and Heart Cypress, it would go up like a match if a fire broke out. Fire protection is a must.
I’ve seen this safe:
http://www.amsecusa.com/gun-safe-HC1854.htm
Frankly, I am not all that thrilled about it. The top looks awfully thin. The cabinet—thank God, I suppose—is not included. It looks like something I’d see in cheap hotel furniture anyway. Even so, that means I’d have to have a cabinet built to match our furniture.
It IS fire-rated, and seems to offer SOME degree of protection.
But I see that the price tag hovers near the $2K mark. Frankly, that seems OUTRAGEOUS considering what level of protection you are getting and the lack of real modification to make the safe a horizontal design.
So…
I am exploring the options building/modifying a gun safe to a horizontal configuration. As I see it, the major challenges are:
- The door will be heavier. However, one of the things I dislike about the above safe is its thin door. I believe that the door of the size safe I am considering would be able to be opened. I would have to add a “Hold-Open” mechanism that is very sturdy.
- I would rather the controls be facing the side rather than what would normally be standard. But I can live with them.
- I would need to gut the safe and put in properly aligned racks. No biggie here.
- I will probably have to install an external handle to assist in opening the safe due to the heavier door and opening direction.
- After all is done, I would have to have a cabinet or chest built around it that matches our furniture.
- It would have to be flush to the floor for weight distribution and to be bolted down. I can do that through the cabinet I have built.
As I see it, such a safe would offer some degree of fire protection and a higher level of theft protection then the AMSEC safe above. Like the AMSEC safe, more of its theft security would rely on concealment than actual strength. At the same time, I believe that even a cheaper or smaller gun safe would offer more actual strength and security than the AMSEC one. But I do recognize that I am protecting against the “Smash-and-Grab” theft.
Don’t worry. I have other security measures – including an alarm system.
For the sake of this project, I may use one of these safes:
http://www.sentrysafe.com/products/productDetail.aspx?s=204
http://www.stack-on.com/securityplus/gun_safes/gs-16blk-cb.html
http://www.stack-on.com/securityplus/gun_safes/gs-416.html
http://www.stack-on.com/securityplus/elite/gsx-516.html
So here it is guys. What do you think of my idea, and do you have anything you’d add?
What would you do to address the logistical concerns?
Thanks!
-- John
PLEASE, let’s not get into a discussion of “Safes” verses “Residential Security Containers.” It’s not the focus of this thread post, and not productive to the desired end result. I’ll be using the term Gun Safe as a general term to encompass the entire spectrum with no regard to technicalities.
Here’s the situation:
I have a 100 year old frame home. Like many homes built in this period, the floor plan does not focus as well on our “Modern” lifestyle and needs. I’ve done quite a bit of subtle modifications and creative solutions in making the house work.
Moving is not an option. Nor is drastic alteration to the home. This home was built by my great-grandfather, and I have made strong efforts to keep the home in its “period” style.
Like most homes of this period, closet space is VERY limited. To make matters worse, I have VERY little usable wall space. Perhaps it is a function of the lack of air conditioning in that period or a desire to let more light in, the home has MANY tall windows taking up precious amounts of wall space.
Now couple that with the fact that the floor plan itself has utilized far too much of the wall space with built in book cases and other architectural nuances and my wife’s propensity to appropriate the very last bit of wall space with interior designing, I have VERY little—or should I say NO room to stick a nice Gun Safe against a wall.
I have identified a couple places that I could stick a narrow gun safe in my study. However, it is a fairly small room that was converted from a sun room. And I seriously mean a sun room—that sucker has 9 windows in it! However, putting a gun safe in here SERIOUSLY cramps up an already cozy space.
That leaves me with a couple other options that move towards the “unconventional.”
I am interested in a HORIZONTAL gun safe where I can store a few guns inside the house for easier access. Because this house is made of Heart Pine and Heart Cypress, it would go up like a match if a fire broke out. Fire protection is a must.
I’ve seen this safe:
http://www.amsecusa.com/gun-safe-HC1854.htm
Frankly, I am not all that thrilled about it. The top looks awfully thin. The cabinet—thank God, I suppose—is not included. It looks like something I’d see in cheap hotel furniture anyway. Even so, that means I’d have to have a cabinet built to match our furniture.
It IS fire-rated, and seems to offer SOME degree of protection.
But I see that the price tag hovers near the $2K mark. Frankly, that seems OUTRAGEOUS considering what level of protection you are getting and the lack of real modification to make the safe a horizontal design.
So…
I am exploring the options building/modifying a gun safe to a horizontal configuration. As I see it, the major challenges are:
- The door will be heavier. However, one of the things I dislike about the above safe is its thin door. I believe that the door of the size safe I am considering would be able to be opened. I would have to add a “Hold-Open” mechanism that is very sturdy.
- I would rather the controls be facing the side rather than what would normally be standard. But I can live with them.
- I would need to gut the safe and put in properly aligned racks. No biggie here.
- I will probably have to install an external handle to assist in opening the safe due to the heavier door and opening direction.
- After all is done, I would have to have a cabinet or chest built around it that matches our furniture.
- It would have to be flush to the floor for weight distribution and to be bolted down. I can do that through the cabinet I have built.
As I see it, such a safe would offer some degree of fire protection and a higher level of theft protection then the AMSEC safe above. Like the AMSEC safe, more of its theft security would rely on concealment than actual strength. At the same time, I believe that even a cheaper or smaller gun safe would offer more actual strength and security than the AMSEC one. But I do recognize that I am protecting against the “Smash-and-Grab” theft.
Don’t worry. I have other security measures – including an alarm system.
For the sake of this project, I may use one of these safes:
http://www.sentrysafe.com/products/productDetail.aspx?s=204
http://www.stack-on.com/securityplus/gun_safes/gs-16blk-cb.html
http://www.stack-on.com/securityplus/gun_safes/gs-416.html
http://www.stack-on.com/securityplus/elite/gsx-516.html
So here it is guys. What do you think of my idea, and do you have anything you’d add?
What would you do to address the logistical concerns?
Thanks!
-- John