Since a family member recently purchased a pistol for a part time job, he has no choice or personal inclination to carry/store it with him wherever he is..and funds are somewhat scarce. When someone is not home, where to put the gun? Some hiding place?? Prefer a small, tough safe. From what I've seen and experience with, the tough are expensive, the cheap little better than hiding it under the sofa. What I do have is some 1/2" thick (i believe) by 8" steel plate and access to welding equipment. My goal is to build a basic box with a lock (heavy gauge). the object is for the CASUAL thief to be discouraged by the WEIGHT of the thing (picking it up, exiting the house, running thru neighborhood). not worried about aesthetics, rusting, padding, emergency access, screwed down (maybe a cable screwed into wall stud?). I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with a proper (yet easily and readily avialable) hinge mechanism and lock. Would be nice to be able to use handcuffs (and keys) somehow. Any recommendations/specs/suggestions would be appreciated. The thing here is finances and what I have on hand to help. I know what to do with alot of money. thanks.
home made pistol safe
- Thread starter SalTx
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Unisaw
Member
If funds are short, go to WalMart and get one of these DAC Sportsafes:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2221464
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2221464
bicyclewrench
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You can get a small lock box for under thirty bucks.
Aside from the personal-sized security safes, he may opt for a car gunsafe. There may be other retailers available, this one happened to be near the top of a Google search list. 1 medium safe runs ~$30 and $9 S&H.
Ohen Cepel
Member
The Gun Vaults are about $100 now. Which I think is a real good deal!
If you're looking to be secure yet inexpensive why not an eye bolt into a stud in and out of sight location. Then you slide the trigger guard over it, place a pad lock through the eye bolt and you're done.
Will be very hard to remove (if the thug finds it)!
Much easier and cheaper then welding something up.
If you're looking to be secure yet inexpensive why not an eye bolt into a stud in and out of sight location. Then you slide the trigger guard over it, place a pad lock through the eye bolt and you're done.
Will be very hard to remove (if the thug finds it)!
Much easier and cheaper then welding something up.
duck911
Member
I like the eye bolt idea, but could't a BG just unscrew the bolt out of the stud, with the gun attached?
MachIVshooter
Member
Not if you use two of them. One goes through the triggergaurd, the other in front. Padlock goes through both.
That said, there ain't a padlock out there that a pair of 24" bolt cutters won't defeat in seconds. When we bought our house, the previous owner had padlock all over the gates. Some of them were really good ones, and I cut through them with a modicum of effort.
Best thing to do is teach family members about the gun and to respect it, then stach it in a concealed but easily accessible area.
sm
member
Heavy guage electrical box, the ones with internal hinges, internal welds.
Like the ones mounted under your Electricity Meter outside
Drill holes, secure from inside of box to something sturdy, not normally a place one would think to look...put on a quality lock.
Agree with educating the minds of owner of firearm and family members. Attend a NRA safety course or similar.
Like the ones mounted under your Electricity Meter outside
Drill holes, secure from inside of box to something sturdy, not normally a place one would think to look...put on a quality lock.
Agree with educating the minds of owner of firearm and family members. Attend a NRA safety course or similar.
Steve,
I like the electrical box idea. A smaller box like those used in laundry rooms would be a great hide in plain sight solution.
I like the electrical box idea. A smaller box like those used in laundry rooms would be a great hide in plain sight solution.
Just my thinking but if the eye bolt idea isd used it might work better to use an eye bolt that you can put a nut on. Drill through the stud,run the bolt through, apply the nut(using thread locker),apply a second nut to lock the first(again with thread locker),then take a chisel to the end of the bolt so no matter what they cant get the nut off.Then obtain a hardened lock. Ive got a few of them so I have seen what they can do. Regular bolt cutters wont cut these locks the jaws break instead.
one shot one kill
one shot one kill
44and45
Member In Memoriam
Electrical box with 220 volts printed on its cover with lightening bolt.
Or, rig up a fake fuse box that the fuse plate is but another hinged door to hide the gun.
Jim
Or, rig up a fake fuse box that the fuse plate is but another hinged door to hide the gun.
Jim
Essex County
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Wrapped in white paper and placed three layera down in a chest freezer... Essex
hurrakane212
Member
Why not ?
Why not make it NOT look like a safe. That way the casual theif will overlook it. I put mine in a Bible cover. Figure a thief wouldn't have much use for a bible...
There is that old cliche about alcoholic housewives with a bottle of gin in the laundry basket... that could work for a gun.
Just a few ideas, maybe you can think of some innoculous looking area to stash your gun that wouldn't scream "Hey, I'm a safe, steal me!"
~Nathan
Why not make it NOT look like a safe. That way the casual theif will overlook it. I put mine in a Bible cover. Figure a thief wouldn't have much use for a bible...
There is that old cliche about alcoholic housewives with a bottle of gin in the laundry basket... that could work for a gun.
Just a few ideas, maybe you can think of some innoculous looking area to stash your gun that wouldn't scream "Hey, I'm a safe, steal me!"
~Nathan
NateG
Member
Interesting ideas, but I wouldn't count on a hiding place alone. If you're trying to keep it safe, then lock it up or keep it with you. Lock it up in a clever place, sure. But don't go for a clever place alone.
Manedwolf
member
The reason they dump bookshelves is that a solid object sounds different when it falls than the thump and shuffle of books. They'd find that nearly immediately.
hurrakane212
Member
It's not on a bookshelf
I don't put it on the book shelf. I put it inside my nightstand.
Oh btw, a previous poster was right. Clever hiding place is good, clever and secure is better. However I just like having my guns easy to get to (for me).
~Nathan
I don't put it on the book shelf. I put it inside my nightstand.
Oh btw, a previous poster was right. Clever hiding place is good, clever and secure is better. However I just like having my guns easy to get to (for me).
~Nathan
rockstar.esq
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The electrical box would likely cost you at least $30.00 and would still require you to purhase a lock and create a faceplate. For $40.00 I've bought a humble steel gunsafe with a keyed lock installed. Currently I've got three handguns in there and two of them have 6" barrels and the third is a full sized auto!
GLOCKADODADOO
Member
Well since my wife don't cook I use to hide mine in the oven "electric" . Also we don't have any children, teenagers etc.. Now if someone breaks in do you really think they would look in there ??? 
MD_Willington
Member
I have a recloser control box I will hopefully be modifying sometime.
my recloser box looks like this:
Single door enclosure
http://www.selinc.com/sel-651r.htm
my recloser box looks like this:
Single door enclosure
http://www.selinc.com/sel-651r.htm
I built something similiar to what you want at my old job a few years ago. What I used for hinges was two VERY heavy-duty pieces of chain welded to the lid, and then to the box. This stuff was so thick I doubt you could have gotten a bolt-cutter thru it, but I suppose a smart guy with a Dremel and a cut-off wheel could have cut thru it. Not too many thieves carry a Dremel with them though, so I was counting on the intimidation factor to keep them from even trying to get it open.
I used a torch and blew a hole threw the thick bottom plate. Then I drilled a hole thru the wood floor of the closet, and ran a heavy-duty grade 8 bolt up thru this hole and thru the floor of the srongbox. I got under the floor and put a 1' x 1' steel backing plate flush against the underside of the floor. This already had a hole drilled thru it. The bolt went up thru the hole, and I tightened down a big nut inside the strongbox to secure it all.
The thieves would have had to saw up a entire section of floor to remove the box. Even a crowbar wouldn't have helped much because of the steel backing plate. I would also have one of those cheap electronic screamers balanced on a empty salt shaker that had a very narrow top. The screamer was motion-activated and if someone jiggled the strongbox lid even a little it would topple off, and turn on. No one ever broke in, but a big truck did make the screamer go off once and I was convinced that there was an intruder in the house.
The box really was built to overkill, but it was free to build and was fun to do. I decided to leave it for the next owner as a present because I was going to make a stronger, better designed strongbox. I never got around to it, and I don't have access to the tools and scrap anymore because I no longer work there.
I used a torch and blew a hole threw the thick bottom plate. Then I drilled a hole thru the wood floor of the closet, and ran a heavy-duty grade 8 bolt up thru this hole and thru the floor of the srongbox. I got under the floor and put a 1' x 1' steel backing plate flush against the underside of the floor. This already had a hole drilled thru it. The bolt went up thru the hole, and I tightened down a big nut inside the strongbox to secure it all.
The thieves would have had to saw up a entire section of floor to remove the box. Even a crowbar wouldn't have helped much because of the steel backing plate. I would also have one of those cheap electronic screamers balanced on a empty salt shaker that had a very narrow top. The screamer was motion-activated and if someone jiggled the strongbox lid even a little it would topple off, and turn on. No one ever broke in, but a big truck did make the screamer go off once and I was convinced that there was an intruder in the house.
The box really was built to overkill, but it was free to build and was fun to do. I decided to leave it for the next owner as a present because I was going to make a stronger, better designed strongbox. I never got around to it, and I don't have access to the tools and scrap anymore because I no longer work there.
SRYnidan
Member
SalTX
First of all please forget using handcuffs. there is a reason they are called restraints not locks (every two bit wannabe hood I know has a key).
If you have the steel plate, a welder and the time is yours try this.
First build a box (think of a medium thick book with the opening on the narrow end) and make a sliding lid with a tab that protrudes through a slot in the side. Us a good padlock or better yet one of the round concealed bolt locks you see on vending machines.
Want to really frustrate them weld it (or mount it with plow bolts (used on dozer blades, counter sunk with no wrench access) to the frame rail on the bed(its out of sight and if they want it they have a seven foot angle iron to haul with it.
First of all please forget using handcuffs. there is a reason they are called restraints not locks (every two bit wannabe hood I know has a key).
If you have the steel plate, a welder and the time is yours try this.
First build a box (think of a medium thick book with the opening on the narrow end) and make a sliding lid with a tab that protrudes through a slot in the side. Us a good padlock or better yet one of the round concealed bolt locks you see on vending machines.
Want to really frustrate them weld it (or mount it with plow bolts (used on dozer blades, counter sunk with no wrench access) to the frame rail on the bed(its out of sight and if they want it they have a seven foot angle iron to haul with it.
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