Gun safes & cold/hot storage

[Eric P]

If this is in the wrong forum, please move.

So I am thinking about getting a gun safe. Only problem is where can I place it. I own a townhome with garage on the 1st level and living area on the 2nd. So placing any safe heavier than the sheet metal style is likely out of the question. Currently store the guns in a locked linen style closet with solid core door. Pretty stealthy, but small.

My garage is not insulated nor has hvac, but doesn't get to the extremes of our weather.

I dont have nor plan to have guns with wood furnature, just not my thing, so distress to wood is of no concern. The thermal expansion/contraction difference between steel and aluminium is minimal. Parts are oiled. Polymers should not be an issue.

I cant see any drawbacks in Colorado's dry climate to leaving AR style guns in an environment that can get below freezing and up to 90 F. I leave ammo in the garage without issue.

Is there something I'm not thinking of that would be detrimental to storing the guns in this environment. Only issue I can think of is the safe battery if I pick an electric lock and batteries for illuminated reticles.

[SideShow Bob]

Depending on your stairway, you would be surprised at what size of gun safe you can get up it. Get a professional safe mover such as opie011 to look at your situation and tell you what size of safe they can get your stairs.
I got A ?23 gun? safe down into my basement with a 180* turn at a mid way landing with the help of two friends, we looked like a 15 minute segment of the three stooges, but we got it down there without injuries. A pro would have gotten it there in mere minutes and would have been worth the expense.

A major drawback about being in your garage is when the garage door is open, and someone seeing it & marking it for theft.
Another would be the high humidity from vehicle melt off in the winter time.

[Bailey Guns]

I had a safe in my unheated garage for 13 years in Bailey. I didn't have the worry about anyone seeing it. No dehumidifier or anything like that. Just a safe full of guns, some with wood, some not. I never had an issue with rust.

Here it's a different story. It's in my house with a dehumidifier and I have to check and wipe my guns down fairly frequently with a light oil.

You really didn't say why you couldn't put it inside the house so just guessing here. Like Bob said, if you can't move the safe into your house but want to, hire someone. Well worth the money if you have the means. If you're worried about weight on the floor, don't be. Your floor will support a lot more than a gun safe.

[Grant H.]

If you're worried about weight on the floor, don't be. Your floor will support a lot more than a gun safe.

Depends on the safe he gets.

The TL's that I have picked up from Opie? I wouldn't trust them on a framed floor in a town home. The lightest one is 2700lbs in a small-ish foot print.

I have a golden rod in each of my safes, but it's not necessary in CO. It's just cheap insurance.

Electric locks are built with the battery available while locked, or with the ability to apply a battery externally. I added one of the SafeLogic Xtreme locks that Opie sells to my manual lock safe, and it's been really nice.

[Irving]

If you put a Cathy Ireland poster in front of the door of the safe, then no one will be the wiser.

[Martinjmpr]

We kept our safe in an unheated (but partially insulated) utility room (actually a converted 1 car garage) in our old house in Englewood for about 6 years with no issues. It didn't get below freezing AFAIK but it got pretty cold (especially considering that the safe was mounted against the outside wall.) I would guess that during the cold snaps it could easily get down to 40 or below during winter and in summer over 90. Never had any issues but the 9v battery in the S&G lock mechanism went out at least twice in the 6 years we had it there. When we got to the new house we briefly considered keeping the safe in the garage but decided to put it in the basement instead. We hired professional safe movers for about $300 and I'm glad we did.

My biggest concern with having the gun safe in the garage would be people seeing it and knowing you have something valuable enough to have a safe.

[Skip]

I also have a Liberty Safelert with a humidity alert. It’s never alerted for high RH.

If you’re nervous and have WiFi it’s also cheap insurance.

[Bailey Guns]

Depends on the safe he gets.

That's true, of course. But it would have to be a pretty doggone heavy safe to exceed the safe load rating of a modern, properly constructed floor.

Just for grins, I found this from a reputable safe company:


Let's say you have a three foot wide safe that weighs 1,000 pounds, and your floor joists span 12 feet (which is typical). This three foot by 12 foot section of the floor was designed to safely carry a live load of 3 x 12 x 40 PSF, which equals 1,440 pounds. So when placed perpendicular to the floor joists as close to the wall as possible, you are well within the minimum safety factor.

[BPTactical]

Get an old refrigerator and gut it, cover the safe with the refrigerator shell.

[Grant H.]

It seems like it wouldn't be too hard to conceal a safe from someone casually viewing from the street. Chip and dales wardrobe decal? Lean an "I'm with her" political sign against it? Etc.

It's not.

A little bit of forethought and planning for layout of garage and placement of safe makes it nearly impossible for folks to realize what they are looking at.

[Irving]

Just put a $5,000 tool chest with $20,000 of tools in front of the safe.

[Skip]

Get an old refrigerator and gut it, cover the safe with the refrigerator shell.

Fridge in a garage screams BEER!

First thing I?m going for. I have plenty of guns already but can?t enough free beer.

[Bailey Guns]

Get an old refrigerator and gut it, cover the safe with the refrigerator shell.

No thanks. Then I'd just open the door and stare at guns without being able to decide which one sounds good.

[ChickNorris]

No thanks. Then I'd just open the door and stare at guns without being able to decide which one sounds good.

Make sure you connect the bitty light for full effect ya?

: )

[Bailey Guns]

Oh, ya.

[Hummer]

I think the best option is to have the gun safe in a defensible living space close to the room where you spend the night. That would be upstairs in your townhouse, not in a garage. Ideally conceal a safe inside a lockable closet, maybe in a spare bedroom, office, hobby room, or man cave/reloading room in or close to the master bedroom.

If and when you sell the property simply include the safe as a featured appliance and save on any move out cost. Doing it right the first time makes it an investment rather than a liability.

[beast556]

Movers will be able to get a safe where you need it. Like others have posted keep it at 1000lbs or less and your good to go in the house. You can also get a solid core door and reinforce your hindges and a defender plate and deadbolt in your current room and be good to go.

[Aloha_Shooter]

I wouldn't want to move the safe upstairs unless you're planning on living in that house until the day you die -- and even then I'd think three times about it. I might have a safe in my garage and that safe might have some wood and other materials in it that are sensitive to moisture but I can definitely say I don't have any problems with heat or moisture although I probably should wipe things down with some oil more frequently than I do. If I had such a safe in the garage, it wouldn't be visible to the street and the configuration would preclude someone just using a chain to drag it out.

I remember a picture circulating 12 or 15 years ago showing how some enterprising service members concealed their office beer fridge at the Pentagon by cutting up the ends of boxes for copier paper then placing the construction on the fridge door so it was artfully concealed within their mound of office supplies.

[Irving]

I remember a picture circulating 12 or 15 years ago showing how some enterprising service members concealed their office beer fridge at the Pentagon by cutting up the ends of boxes for copier paper then placing the construction on the fridge door so it was artfully concealed within their mound of office supplies.

I saw that picture and actually did that in my office.

[wctriumph]

Most closets are too small for large safes so I use two medium safes in the bedroom closet (runs the length of one wall with sliding doors), temp stays pretty even throughout the year, no extreme swings. In a previous dwelling we had a swamp cooler and I really had to keep an eye on my firearms to prevent rust. We don't have a cooler (or any air conditioning) so the humidity is not a real issue. Some of the motorcycle crates we get delivered have desiccant packs in them so I keep one in each safe and change them out about 4 times a year. No problems with rust or issues with wood stocks.

[ben4372]

Where ever you put it bolt it down. Cold metal is a condensation magnet. Warming up a car in the garage makes more moisture than you think. I'm not a fan of keeping a safe in the same room that has tools to open a safe. Maybe you have a grinder or pick ax in your garage.

[Eric P]

Thanks.

I'm not to worried about theft from an unknown person where I live. The amount of time it would take to open or whatever would have the busy bodies going. I can't bolt to the floor, since it has post tensioning, and drilling through a strand could be deadly on the tension.

Upstairs is just finding a place to put it. Garage would be for convience. Cleaning and all happens in the garage already with the door usually open.

[Ah Pook]

I've had safes in detached garages, bedrooms and basements... Bottom line is what is defensible.