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Gun safe in Garage?

21K views 43 replies 19 participants last post by  EricOKC 
#1 ·
Hello, I'm new here and am looking for some info on gun safes. What do you think about installing a gun safe in a garage? Do I need to worry about the temeratures or humidity? Thanks for any advice.
 
#3 ·
If its a humid climate I'd put it in an area with some AC. Regardless if its not heated and AC you need to keep them greased (NOT OIL), and put a golden rod or a small flourescent light in the safe to warm it up enough to keep any condensation off the guns. I seal all mine in the garage in gun bags too. No rust in 10 plus years down here in a cypress swamp.
 
#4 ·
If its a humid climate I'd put it in an area with some AC. Regardless if its not heated and AC you need to keep them greased (NOT OIL), and put a golden rod or a small flourescent light in the safe to warm it up enough to keep any condensation off the guns. I seal all mine in the garage in gun bags too. No rust in 10 plus years down here in a cypress swamp.
Yes.

And bolt that sucker down to concrete anchors in the floor and to the wall behind it, just to keep it from ever "moving arround" (which usually only happens with "assistance").
 
#5 ·
I'm getting ready to anchor my safe. Choosing a wall to anchor it to my exterior walls are red brick double wall, interior walls are plaster on plasterboard (not lath w/ mesh) If I attach to a interior wall I think I will have more even temps. Exterior wall is NE side of house, no direct afternoon sun, only early morning sun. Would it likely make much difference which wall I attach to?
 
#8 ·
I planned on anchoring to the concrete floor, but I thought I understood it should be anchored to the wall also. Seems it would be a good idea to keep someone from being able rock the safe and possibly breaking loose from the floor bolts. This will be in a closet, a nice and cool closet with little activity.
 
#6 ·
I would attach it to the floor, as most all safes are predrilled for floor anchoring. Use a Golden Rod or any moisture wicking device, as they work great and a decent safe will have a 110V outlet inside. If you decide to mount to your wall, it won't matter where the Sun rises and sets. +1 for a garage install, no bulky safe taking up house space, and its usually much easier to install 1000+ Lbs. in a garage anyway. Your house probably won't have concrete floors either.
 
#11 ·
Bolting it down does not solve all the issues. A friend had his safe hit. They used a chain saw to cut through the wood side of the garage then used a Sawzall of something along that line to cut off the front face of the safe. Contents were picked through and the high end stuff taken.
 
#12 ·
Unfortunately if someone wants it bad enough, they're going to get it regardless of what you do. All you can do is try to slow them down enough, or difficult enough to make it not worth their effort. Then not brag about what you have or attract attention to yourself.

Grey
 
#13 ·
Regardless, get plenty of insurance, best to spend the $ on insurance than a super-duper safe that a thief could wrap a chain around, break loose, winch into his truck and haul off to open at his leisure. My collectinsure.com policy covers shipping and gun shows too.
 
#15 ·
I had to have a gun safe in a garage for a short period of time until we moved, and never felt comfortable with it, as garages tend to get broken into.

Contact your insuance company and buy a firearms rider on your policy.

Have an alarm system installed. They tend to make burgalars want to spend far less time trying to open or remove a safe. Place the alarm company signs in the front yard, stickers on windows.
 
#22 ·
I decided to put my safe in the basement, this was a huge challange. I used a winch to get that sucker down there(600lb+) and bolted it to the wall and floor. I used rubber grommets in-between my bolt heads and safewall/floor. This helps keep out moisture and I use a Remington rechargeable dessicant that plugs in to dry itself out.

I check my safe reguarly, as it sits 10 feet from my reloading bench. I also have a large steel box bolted beside it to hold ammo, but it is only padlocked.
Grey headed guy, can you put bolts through the brick wall? If you could hide them with paint and shrubbery, then nobody would know what they are for.
Garage is ok, but don't have a garage sale where all the losers can see it!
Tony
 
#24 ·
have in basement next to the garage two full safe and up stairs two full safes with the most expensive collectibles.
all treated cleaned greased the same......the one in the basement sometime produces spots of mold on the oil finished stocks.
but no rust.....i have to clean the safe inside, outside the basement guns 3 times a year to get a head start of the mold.....
you can have Cam's, alarms, bolted, chained but i think the tear gas trip wire protection sold now a days Will catch everybody's attention....
at my house on a dead end road with every door that is steel, and reinforced steel framed bolted to floors and walls, ceiling frames, with excellent long tonged dead bolt lockes....
your have to go back outside to break into each room....getting around all cameras, alarms is another story...if everyones gone from home which isn't often at all....neigborhood is deputy and below the hill another deputy.......we are the neighborhood watch form hell the angles warned you about!....hunters in the other houses.......but a garage i wouldn't have the added protection with more doors to go through.
 
#26 ·
Answers that Ask Questions

Concerning the secure and protective storage of guns, I offer the following generalizations.
For the average gun owner, corrosion deterioration is probably the greatest asset protection hazard in the ordinary course of firearms ownership. Temperature stability, humidity control and minimizing corrosive airborne contaminants such as salt, are probably chief mitigating factors. However,beyond simple commonsense employment of anti-corrosion agents, variables are simply too great to prescribe any single specific remedy to all.
Most residential casualty losses are likely to occur from natural disasters rather than theft. To the extent practicable, reasonable conservation in place includes such factors as storing guns out of identifiable harm’s way. Preparatory mitigation might include a fireproof container, locating them in a basement sheltered from severe weather or on an upper floor in flood prone areas. Sufficient forewarning available, a feasible evacuation plan might even include removing such valuables.
As to theft losses, the most common residential burglaries remain rapid, unsophisticated, smash and grab, targets of opportunity crime. The typical exception is where a specific attraction is pre-identified, deterrence factors are surveyed and factored as surmountable. A planned and structured burglary results. Such are core elements of a more professional burglary. Most ‘average Americans’, absent some glaring personal security lapse, are unlikely to suffer a loss at professional hands.
Concerning theft countermeasures, this adage seems to well apply as a great starting point: Use common sense and otherwise simply make your residence appear the least attractive burglary target in your neighborhood. Other than this, I don’t believe in ‘one fits all’ advice approach on this entire topic. A good personalized hazards analysis and implementing reasonable response measures, fulfills the other portion of the equation.
 
#27 ·
I've always sworn I'd never have a gunsafe in a unheated garage, but I have an uncle that's kept one for years with no problems. He has some very high dollar guns in a safe in his garage in WV and swears he's never had one spot of rust develop. He's very picky about his stuff, so I'm sure he's right, but the thought of the wide temperature changes still scares me.
 
#28 ·
I say go for it, but whatever you do, fasten it to the ground. I have been working on a case that has taught me about how unsafe a gun safe can be. 15-30 mins, a sledgehammer, a crowbar, and a little sweat can get into pretty much any gun type safe. If you can spin it over on it's front, you can beat into it. If it can be rolled, it can usually be opened. The garage is as good as anywhere, if you keep them clean and take care of them.
 
#30 ·
Time is the enemy of the thief. the more time it is going to take the less likely the thief is to succeed. Bolts, chain, etc etc one more action required.
The Navy man says" allways tie a good knot" the Air Force guy says " Allways tie lots of em"
 
#37 ·
I've actually sold off a large part of my collection over the last year or so. Lack of insurance coverage being the primary reason. I checked into collector policies but figured I rather just keep my primary interest firearms rather than pay the insurance premiums.
 
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