I am thinking about using a refrigerator for a handgun/long gun/shotgun safe. My plan is to reinforce it with sheet metal. I know it won't be fireproof and not the best but it should be affordable. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks.
frige for a gun safe?
- Thread starter ultradoc
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ACORN
Member
Sounds like a skit from "The Red Green Show". Don't forget the duct tape. 
highorder
Member
You would be better served going to Dick's Sporting Goods and buying this:
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2033187
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2033187
Ohen Cepel
Member
If you have an old one sitting around it's not a bad idea.
Biggest plus is the "hidden in plain site" advantage. However, for that to work you need to make sure it still looks like a fridge and that no one knows it's not.
Be sure to have a good way to control the humidity in it, a golden rod should work fine and also give the appearance that it's still plugged in and working.
If you do it please give us an update (or pm me if you don't want to post openly about it). I would consider it myself given the right situation.
Biggest plus is the "hidden in plain site" advantage. However, for that to work you need to make sure it still looks like a fridge and that no one knows it's not.
Be sure to have a good way to control the humidity in it, a golden rod should work fine and also give the appearance that it's still plugged in and working.
If you do it please give us an update (or pm me if you don't want to post openly about it). I would consider it myself given the right situation.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
It would work to keep kids from playing with your guns.
But I doubt there is any way to reinforce one enough to keep a crackhead with a pry-bar or a hammer & chisel out of it.
They are only made out of very light sheet-metal with a plastic liner.
rcmodel
But I doubt there is any way to reinforce one enough to keep a crackhead with a pry-bar or a hammer & chisel out of it.
They are only made out of very light sheet-metal with a plastic liner.
rcmodel
Schofield3
Member
Definitely an interesting idea, I agree with Cepel that you would have the advantage of plain site.
jordan1948
Member
highorder I got that very gun cabinet at academy for $90, although I've outgrown it so I might be looking to seel it locally for cheaper
Dksimon
Member
if it were me I would rip out the plastic liner inside and basically build a steel box insided the fridge. Make sure it is heavy duty yet you need to be able to make sure it doesnt get humid inside. Then make that box lockable some how and also lock the door of the fridge shut.
I think you could definitely play on the "hidden in plain sight" thing and I dont think criminals would look twice at a locked fridge.
Maybe its just me but I think it sounds like a decent idea.
I think you could definitely play on the "hidden in plain sight" thing and I dont think criminals would look twice at a locked fridge.
Maybe its just me but I think it sounds like a decent idea.
bonza
Member
Don't know that I'd use it for a gun safe, but I do use an old upright freezer as my powder magazine. It's got plenty of room, is insulated, & has a key lock, but it also has enough seams for pressure release & not turn into a bomb should anything go wrong.
shotgun12321
Member
That would be a pretty sweet invention thou, get a copyright.
JImbothefiveth
Member
Yep, you'll have to find a way to equip it with a lock.
Maybe line it with some sheet metal, maybe even some concrete underneath the sheet metal. Add a rug to all the walls, the ceiling, and the floor to prevent scratches.
And you could probably add some
2x4s to the outside
Maybe line it with some sheet metal, maybe even some concrete underneath the sheet metal. Add a rug to all the walls, the ceiling, and the floor to prevent scratches.
And you could probably add some
2x4s to the outside
Floppy_D
Member In Memoriam
With a box of baking soda in there, it will keep them smelling fresh.
Killer idea, about as subtle as it gets. The best place to hide is in the open. Don't reinforce it one bit; if it looks obvious, it will blow it's cover. Anyone determined to get in there could... best to leave it unchanged.
A simple latch and lock isn't too conspicuous in a garage (because who suspects a fridge as a gunsafe?)
I'd use a simple padlock in a hinge, one for the bottom, one for the top. Make sure to plug it in, even if it's a dummy cord. Sweep your porch and throw the collected dust on there too, just to make it look unvisited.
sm always says "think like a criminal"... I think he'd approve of this one.
Killer idea, about as subtle as it gets. The best place to hide is in the open. Don't reinforce it one bit; if it looks obvious, it will blow it's cover. Anyone determined to get in there could... best to leave it unchanged.
A simple latch and lock isn't too conspicuous in a garage (because who suspects a fridge as a gunsafe?)
I'd use a simple padlock in a hinge, one for the bottom, one for the top. Make sure to plug it in, even if it's a dummy cord. Sweep your porch and throw the collected dust on there too, just to make it look unvisited.
sm always says "think like a criminal"... I think he'd approve of this one.
kymarkh
Member
Buddy of mine has been using an old side-by-side fridge as a gun safe for years. He bolted it to the concrete floor and uses 2 steel 'straps' on the sides and a bar across the front with a huge padlock to secure it. One thing he has done that has made it work so well is to drill multiple holes in it for ventilation and use a golden rod to keep the guns from rusting - the fact that it was so airtight caused some rust issues early on. I think he might have 50 bucks in it total and he has been using it since the early 90's.
Gnarly
Member
Fridge Gun Safe
Good idea!
Also agree with the idea of a 'safe within a fridge', hiding in plain sight.Would trust that WAY more than the El Cheapo sheet metal ones on the market.
In fact, since I can't afford a REALLY good $$$$ safe right now, I'll be giving this more thought.
Recently bought a really loud new 110V alarm bell that could be wired into the fridge light switch....
And if the base of the fridge was setting in 4-5 inches of concrete, motor and all,then the bottom front vent cover was epoxied back on....
If the 110V going to the dehumidifier went to a wall outlet but the alarm bell was hard-wired in from the nearest breaker,an extra piece of Romex could be wired to the 'inner safe',making any one who didn't know an automatic Ground...
Hmmm.
----Gnarly
Good idea!
Also agree with the idea of a 'safe within a fridge', hiding in plain sight.Would trust that WAY more than the El Cheapo sheet metal ones on the market.
In fact, since I can't afford a REALLY good $$$$ safe right now, I'll be giving this more thought.
Recently bought a really loud new 110V alarm bell that could be wired into the fridge light switch....
And if the base of the fridge was setting in 4-5 inches of concrete, motor and all,then the bottom front vent cover was epoxied back on....
If the 110V going to the dehumidifier went to a wall outlet but the alarm bell was hard-wired in from the nearest breaker,an extra piece of Romex could be wired to the 'inner safe',making any one who didn't know an automatic Ground...
Hmmm.
----Gnarly
Wow. Alot of great ideas and suggestions. My plan is to put it in my basement. I think if I look hard enough I could get a frige for about nothing from a junk dealer or scrap yard. I don't need it to work just as long as it looks like a working frige.
Fleetwood_Captain
Member
Turning a broken fridge into a gun safe is an amusing idea, but I'm not really sold on it being an effective theft deterrent.
Refridgerators are not good places to hide things, as smart burglars know to always check the icebox for cash and cupbards for RX drugs. Every burglar on TV finds money in the fridge. Hell, the FBI found $90,000 in a congressman's freezer a couple years ago.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/05/21/jefferson.search/index.html
If you really want to be slick, consider building a safe into a wall and covering it up. Houses that have built-in furniture like hutches and knick-nack shelves are especially usefull for this.
Refridgerators are not good places to hide things, as smart burglars know to always check the icebox for cash and cupbards for RX drugs. Every burglar on TV finds money in the fridge. Hell, the FBI found $90,000 in a congressman's freezer a couple years ago.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/05/21/jefferson.search/index.html
If you really want to be slick, consider building a safe into a wall and covering it up. Houses that have built-in furniture like hutches and knick-nack shelves are especially usefull for this.
Speedo66
Member
For all your cool guns?
redfireftr
Member
Be careful if you put it in a garage. Kids around here go "garage hopping" they check peoples fridges for beer. I guess they wouldn't mess with it unless the garage was open.
Anyway, good luck.
Anyway, good luck.
Sir Aardvark
Member
I posted this thread a few years ago...
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=129173
titled:Gun Safe Disguised as a Refrigerator
I'm still waiting...
tribbles
Member
On the flip side, how many people here would buy a fridge if it looked like a gun safe? I might...
wyocarp
Member
Sounds great. I'd just use it for my nice guns though. You could also build a little shed out of cardboard and styrofoam to store it in so it wouldn't take up space in your trailer.
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