Modular Gun Safe

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Moo 2 Drvr

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McLean, Virginia
I will be moving to a new home in a few weeks and have been researching gun safes for the last few days. My situation is fairly typical in that the safe will reside in my man cave in the basement. The problem is that, like most residences, the stairs are limited to about 1,000 lbs.

An Amsec BF series/Sturdy/Zanotti safe were the top contestants until this morning. The Zanotti got me thinking about the modular safe concept, but the lack of fire protection cooled my interest. The thin metal on the Amsec raised questions as well. Sturdy doesn't have a dealer close by so that is a concern.

Doctor Google pointed me toward a beast of a product called Modul X, by City Safe. It appears to be the Leggos of serious safes. No part is heavier than 200 lbs. The 68" by 49" safe weighs 4,800 lbs - so that sucker isn't going anywhere whether you bolt it down or not. It is TL30 - 6 rated and UL fire rated.

Has anyone heard of this safe or company or have any experience with one?
 
no prices on their website...I travel alot for the government and am looking at zanotti or the snapsafe...I like the idea of being able to assemble and disassemble as needed.
 
You may want to check with a company called Steve's Service in Vienna, he has alot of options for moving safes. He can remove doors to cut weight, and has some crazy equipment for installation.
 
A1ABJ: How do they compare to a Class M or Class 1 modular vault, such as the ones manufactured by International Vault? Are there any modular vault companies that you could recommend? For example, Empire safe? American Vault? Megasafe? others?

Readyornot: Thanks for the information. I will give him a call if I decide to go with a safe. Right now I am leaning toward a modular vault. The price is higher but the cost per cubic foot may actually be better and the protection is much better.
 
The 68" by 49" safe weighs 4,800 lbs

Seems that you would have to start worrying about whether or not your floor can support that kind of weight without damage, that's over twice what my car weights.
 
W L Johnson: The safe/vault is going on my concrete basement floor. There is no weight limitation on the basement floor. The problem is that the stairs leading to the basement can only support approximately 1,000 lbs. Because even a 66/36 AmSec BF safe weighs 1200 lbs, there is a problem. Thus my interest in safes/vaults that are modular. It is the ship in a bottle concept.

Most of the "real" safes that are UL rated for burglary and fire weigh 4-8,000 lbs depending on size. So long as they come is pieces of no more than say 200 lbs, each piece can be carted down the stairs without problem and then assembled in place, like legos.

Another reason for considering a modular vault is that my basement is below grade and four sided (three sides plus floor) are surrounded by concrete and dirt so they are very secure. Only the front and top are open. Thus only those two open sides need real protection. The other four just need enough substance to support the two relatively unprotected sides. Hopefully, that will result in the steel, and therefore the cost, being concentrated in the front and top where it will do the most good.

That is the thinking. Your comments/critical thoughts are appreciated.
 
I have the Zanotti ZA-3/52 gun interior.Yes,they are not fire rated.I needed a big safe and I wanted it in my basement.The other brands were too heavy and big to fit down my hall and stairs.

The Zanotti weighs a total of 825 lbs total and comes in sections that bolt together.I put it in a corner so it is protected from the left and back sides.I then installed a sprinkler head above the safe.Not a perfect system,but now that the safe is down there,it cannot fit the stairwell,let alone being bolted to the floor.

Another option,depending on your basement plans and space,is to build a security room.My current safe is filled and I would like the fire protection.So I'm thinking of building a concrete block room,2 x 8" blocks thick,filled with rebar and concrete,concrete slab/rebar ceiling.Place the safes inside,with sprinkler and I should have some piece of mind.
 
Moo,

Is this going into existing construction? If so, a standard modular vault will probably be too heavy to get in. A class M is pretty similar to a TRTL-15x6, and a class 1 would be pretty similar to a TRTL-30X6.

Most modular vault companies will only sell their product through an installing dealer, as it's not really a do it yourself project. The City Safes could be assembled by yourself. They also build rooms using much smaller (lighter) panels, but they are fairly pricey.
 
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