Safe or hardened closet?

[steverjo]

I am looking for a way to store my firearms. I currently have 4 rifles, 1 shotgun, 5 handguns. One of the handguns is by the bed, and I am thinking about mounting the shotgun in the bedroom closet on a locking wall mount.

I have one bedroom set aside as an office, playroom, gunroom, etc. There is nothing in the closet so far. There is not enough space in the room or the closet for a gunsafe. So, my choices are...........

Somehow, harden the closet so I can keep my firearms in there, OR get a gunsafe and place/mount in the detached garage. Problem with the garage, apart from security, is that in the winter it can get below freezing and in the summer, because of lack of ventilation, temp inside garage can reach 130. The house is airconditioned and also has an alarm system.

I am just wanting to keep them safe from theft, there are no kids in the house.

With the extremes of temperature in the garage, is it a good idea to keep them in a safe there? OR how do I go about making the closet more secure against breakins.

 

[Squidward]

Scroll down to the V line here;
http://www.securityandsafetysupply.com/product-firearms/vline-1.htm

and/or this;
http://www.alarmsystemreviews.com/how-to-make-your-own-security-closet.html

I once saw a locking metal roll up door that was mounted inside the frame of a closet door. I couldn't find it now, however.

 

[macadore]

If you move, you can’t take the hardened closet with you and it may not increase the value of your property. Over the past 20 years, I have moved my safe to 5 different dwellings.

 

[texas bulldog]

for the climate control reasons you mention, i might be tempted to simply fortify the closet. but remember that you have to deal with more than just the door. a thief could get through drywall in no time.

really, it all depends on what will give you the most peace of mind. will you feel more comfortable protecting them from theft or protecting them from temperature and humidity extremes? it sounds like you're going to compromise on one or the other...

 

[ZeSpectre]

Safe inside a slightly hardened closet

 

[rbernie]

Since most all cabinets sold as gun 'safes' are simply 16ga-12ga sheetmetal boxes with drywall stuck in the walls to make them look thick and to allow a claim of being 'fire-proof', I would recommend buying the least expensive locking metal cabinet you can and securing it in a closet in a way that hingers it being removed and limits physical access to it with chopping, cutting, or prying tools.

 

[Guns and more]

I'm a believer in the safe for this reason. Almost any safe will deter the snatch and grab thief, as well as a hardened closet. (you don't advertise you have guns, do you?) The safe offers better fire and flood protection. You will be keeping more in the safe than guns. Consider jewelry, important papers, photos, old letters, memoriabelia. This will also be a selling point for the spouse.
Bigger is better.

 

[a1abdj]

Since most all cabinets sold as gun 'safes' are simply 16ga-12ga sheetmetal boxes with drywall stuck in the walls to make them look thick and to allow a claim of being 'fire-proof', I would recommend buying the least expensive locking metal cabinet you can and securing it in a closet in a way that hingers it being removed and limits phisical access to it with chopping, cutting, or prying tools.

I tend to agree with this poster for what the OP is looking to do.

You will be keeping more in the safe than guns. Consider jewelry, important papers, photos, old letters, memoriabelia. This will also be a selling point for the spouse.

This is exactly what the gun safe manufacturers want you to do, yet exactly everything you should not be using a gun safe for.

 

[OOOXOOO]

I would go with a safe.

 

[arthurcw]

This is exactly what the gun safe manufacturers want you to do, yet exactly everything you should not be using a gun safe for.

I don't disagree, but can you elaborate?

 

[brickeyee]

Unless you armor the walls of the closet a few kicks will punch right through.

 

[a1abdj]

I don't disagree, but can you elaborate?

I can go into more detail if you wish, but to keep it simple:

The fire linings they put into gun safes do a very poor job in real world situations. These linings are usually gyspum board, pretty similar to the drywall used in your house. Gypsum board was designed to be a flame barrier, not an insulation.

Assuming that a gun safe would offer you the protection the manufacturers claim, then you're still looking at interior temperatures of 350 degrees. This is 125 degrees too hot for photos and other types of plastic media.

As far as the jewelry, this really depends on the jewelry. Most gun safes don't offer much security, but you would be OK with modest amounts.

What a lot of these gun safe manufacturers are selling is the illusion of security, and then telling you to consolidate all of your valuables in that one, fairly weak spot.

Safes are a tool, and like all other tools, is hard to find a single one that will do every job. Documents should go in a document safe, media should go in a media safe, valuables should go in a burglary safe, and guns should go in a gun safe. You can buy safes that do more than one job, and you can buy safes that will do a better job than others. The price will go up along with the duties the safe will perform.

 

[dalepres]

Someone recently posted a picture of how to harden a room or closet with sheet metal, expanded metal and plywood as well as a metal door. I can't find the picture right now but if you can find it, it will be more burglar proof and fire resistant, I think, than most gun safes or cabinets.