When installing a gun safe in your house, you should consider many different factors, such as the size of the vault, the way its doors open, its location relative to other interior elements or in a separate room.
A vault for storing weapons is called a safe and should be in a place closed from people. The most important thing to know is that the safe must be out of prying eyes. Therefore, to hide something well, you need to think like a robber.
Safe size
It is necessary to approach the purchase of a safe only after you decide where you will install it in the house. A safe of significant size can occupy unavailable space in your place. If so, you will have to return it or redo the room to fit the size of the safe. Small safes, in turn, can be placed almost anywhere, and you can easily move them if necessary.
Safe door
You should pay attention to the method of opening the safe door, as they can come off when opened.
The type of door is the main parameter that needs to be considered when deciding on choosing a place. You can buy safes that differ in design, where there will be completely different doors. This idea may not come to mind when you buy a safe, but, of course, it will make itself felt during its installation. At an angle of 90 degrees, the inner loops open, and the outer ones at an angle of 180 degrees. For the convenient opening of doors, you should place the safe away from furniture and other appliances.
Hidden places for installing a safe
1. Safe behind the picture - is one of the most popular places, known from almost any movie. However, it is necessary to plan this place at the stage of construction or repair of the apartment. You should mount wall safes in a load-bearing wall, which has a sufficient thickness for this.
2. Safe under the table - as a rule, these are small safes designed for storing small-sized weapons. They are devoted to facilitating use in conditions of limited space.
3. Safe in the cabinet - it is attached to the back wall of a heavy cabinet and provides secrecy from the eyes. For additional protection, you can screw the safe to the floor or wall that borders the product.
4. Safe under the bed - a typical floor safe is considered very safe, but at the same time, it causes some inconvenience in everyday use. However, much depends on the level of its security.
5. Safe in a drawer - without additional binding, this place is quite risky, especially if the safe is small and with a low level of protection. Robbers can take it out of the house without opening it. Placing a safe in a drawer, as a rule, is provided for hiding pistols.
6. Safe in a separate room - is the best solution since it allows you to limit the access of unauthorized people as much as possible.
IMPORTANT - Weapon safes should be kept away from water and humidity, as they can damage both the weapon itself and spoil cartridges and gunpowder.
See our review on the 9 Best Safes for Guns 2021
Requirements for the room for the weapons cabinet:
1. Choose a room that does not have many people passing by or accessing;
2. Store weapons in metal cabinets under the key or high-strength drawers;
3. It is possible to equip a special room for the maintenance of the weapons collection;
4. Store weapons products in an isolated compartment (separate from ammunition-gunpowder and cartridges);
5. Install a security and fire alarm system or a metal grate on the window in the room. If you can't install an alarm system, it is desirable to fix the safe for weapons products on one of the walls in the room. This is because the budget model of the weapon box is generally light weight. For an attacker, an unfastened safe of this size is just hand luggage that they can remove from the apartment. Therefore, consider the possibility of theft and easy access when placing a gun safe in your home.
6. To protect against fires, brace the safe in a concrete wall. It will significantly increase its fire protection.
7. It is good to fix the safes since they have a specific structure. Usually, they have a great height with a small base area. Therefore, the vaults become very unstable. The fall of a heavy safe can damage furniture or cause injuries to residents.
We recommend storing weapons at distances:
1. More than 1.5 m from the door in the room;
2. More than 0.5 m from windows and windowsills;
3. More than 1 m from the heating devices.
It is good to disguise interior items (painting, decor, TV). Embedded models are very popular. People often install such storage facilities in their homes. These techniques will not allow attackers to determine the location of the secret cabinet.
And finally……
How to fasten a safe for weapons?
Fixing a safe to a wall or floor is a procedure often resorted to by gun owners. Almost all models of weapon vaults are already equipped with holes for mounting, so the owners can only install the box correctly.
You should drill a hole in the floor or wall for the anchor. There are special requirements for the anchor bolt – its material must be high-strength steel. The selected anchor must also withstand a breaking load of up to 3 tons. Some homeowners choose conventional self-tapping screws, but these elements do not provide a reliable attachment.
To install the weapon vault, you will need two anchor bolts with a length of 5 to 30 cm and a thread with a diameter of at least 16 mm. The bolts must be screwed into the designated places. As a rule, the manufacturer includes all the necessary bolts in a box. You will get everything required when buying the product.
