Long gun storage and protection...

Finally finished the research and made a decision on a tall, heavy duty, safe.
Cannon TS7240, 72"high x 40"wide x 24" deep...30 minute fire rating, and weighs 700lbs.

Plenty of room for all my long guns to stay right in their 62" padded cases, as well as my other guns, some valuables, important papers, etc. Will be sitting on the concrete floor of the attached garage with a Golden Rod heater in it.

Here's a link...ignore the inflated MSRP...they normally sell for $1300, got it on year end sale for $1100.
(local Allied Moving Co. pickup/delivery Friday for $250)
http://www.cannonsafe.com/tractor3.html

When you get it where you want it, bolt it to the floor with several lag bolts made for concrete.

If the movers can move it in, other movers can move it out. :hmm:

Good for you! :thumbsup: I have several safes but nothing that will fit long rifles.

I'm thinking of putting a package deal out for bid.
Whoever I hire to build the 20 foot high compound wall around the residence with barbed wire, searchlights, and machine gun nests...will also drill the holes in the concrete floor for some bolts.

Meanwhile, I'll just live with the calculated risk that the typical grab & run low-life won't be able to do anything with a full steel safe weighing about 1000 pounds...

Nice box,

I stumbled onto a safe many years ago, basic, heavy gauge steel, Modeco lock with the key on the bottom of the door ( prevents drilling out the lock ) tall enough for Longrifles.

Priced right, FREE

Zonie said:

When you get it where you want it, bolt it to the floor with several lag bolts made for concrete.

If the movers can move it in, other movers can move it out. :hmm:

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Good idea, some extra insurance.

In our really wet climate storing guns in their cases is death on metal parts because the cases collect moisture from the air and hold it right against them. I suspect you've beat that with the Golden Rod heater, and the fact that the temp in an attached garage shouldn't fluctuate all that much.

BrownBear said:

In our really wet climate storing guns in their cases is death on metal parts because the cases collect moisture from the air and hold it right against them. I suspect you've beat that with the Golden Rod heater, and the fact that the temp in an attached garage shouldn't fluctuate all that much.

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Temp in the garage is usually 55 in winter, and 80-85 during July-August...humidity gets up during July/August too, so I'll definitely have a golden rod in it.
The 12" rod is advertised to handle 100 cubic feet...even if they wildly over-advertised it and it really only handles 75 cu ft, the space in this safe is less than 40 cu ft. (2x3x6)...and it'll let me keep each individual gun protected from all the "safe dings" they can get.

roundball said:

...and it'll let me keep each individual gun protected from all the "safe dings" they can get.

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Boy, is that ever a plus! :thumbsup:

BrownBear said:

In our really wet climate storing guns in their cases is death on metal parts because the cases collect moisture from the air and hold it right against them. I suspect you've beat that with the Golden Rod heater, and the fact that the temp in an attached garage shouldn't fluctuate all that much.

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Would not recommend storing guns in their cases, whether in a safe or not. Don't know that the Golden Rod heater would guarantee against rust inside a zipped up gun case Just a friendly opinion. Nice safe, Roundball! :thumbsup:

I have a Fort Knox gun safe. I have had it for many , many years. I keep my most “prized” guns in it. I have three lesser quality gun safes I store less valuable guns in. I built a room in the basement with it's own dehumidifier in it and it stays about 55-60 degrees all year around. This system works very well.
I would suggest you put the safe on a wooden frame and not down on the concrete floor. I also suggest you lag bolt it to the wall studs and not to the concrete floor. You try to keep holes and cracks out of your concrete so why put them in on purpose? Lag bolted to the wall studs will deter even the most ardent criminal.

Nice purchase. :thumbsup:

roundball said:

I'm thinking of putting a package deal out for bid.
Whoever I hire to build the 20 foot high compound wall around the residence with barbed wire, searchlights, and machine gun nests...will also drill the holes in the concrete floor for some bolts.

Meanwhile, I'll just live with the calculated risk that the typical grab & run low-life won't be able to do anything with a full steel safe weighing about 1000 pounds...

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Do bolt it to something, preferably wall studs. They might not take it, but lying on the floor makes using pry bars and other tools easier to open the door. And, I'll join the others by saying storing in padded cases is not a good idea. Air must circulate.
FWIW, my safe is/was all I could afford it is a Grizzly ten gun model with no fire protection. Otherwise it is a very secure safe. My Rev period long rifle has to lay at an angle across the front. My Brown Bess will not fit in it at all.

I would for sure bolt it to both wall and concrete floor.... a while back in my local newspaper, it was reported that thieves stole a 500lb gunsafe with the guns inside.. they broke the window, of the room where the safe was at, wrapped a chain around the safe and yanked it out through the wall/window destroying part of the house with n unknown vehicle leaving ruts in the yard..not saying ANYTHING could have stopped that, but bolting the safe to the concrete floor and studs in the wall may have helped. I have my safe anchored to my floor joyces (sp?) by(4)
1/2 X 6 inch long lag bolts and to my wall studs with smaller lag bolts...It's not a big deal drilling through concrete to anchor your safe.. if it were me ( I might just be paranoid..lol) I would look into it.

Thanks for all the input...just to recap, I've been thinking/studying/researching various safes and installation options for several months. One option I won't be doing immediately is bolting it to the floor or walls because I'm not yet certain of it's permanent location.
I currently have zero secure/fire protected storage for anything valuable...but in 48 hours they will finally all be secure/fire protected in a huge heavy high quality safe that mere punk mortals are not going to be able to deal with.

I'm having it delivered into the garage, left on its current wooden pallet where it will sit on the concrete garage floor, to achieve 2 goals:
A)
Take advantage of the $200 sale price reduction I just found out about, for the safe that I want, that ends this Saturday;
B)
Get some long over due security/fire protection for some valuables now instead of dragging things out longer looking for some further/final/perfect solution;

With the safe on hand and in sight for closer detailed measurements, I can then start looking at alternative installation options...ideally inside the house in a room I use for all my hunting stuff.
Slide it on half strips of masonry board using PVC pipe rollers onto a reinforced section of floor, and then consider bolting to the floor and/or wall studs at that time.
That would all be sort of a phase 2 activity during which time I'll finally have significant security/fire protection for them that I never had at all before now.

Bill

You might look @ this product to store stuff in,http://sackups.com/ I've used them for years to protect my High $$$ guns from my blackrifles,AK's and such.We all know how restless those guys get all locked up :shocked2: for months on end.I've been using these and a golden rod in my safes for 10-15 yrs with NO rust on anything and they really help eliminate the dings when the other stuff runs around in the safe @ night :rotf: .The last time I was deployed for almost 2yrs I cleaned every thing oiled them up put on the sack ups and 20 mos later when I got home everything was fine. No rust no nothing!!! Academy sports sells their version and I'm sure others do too.Just another idea for ya

Bill, when you get the safe, check your guns to make sure the rod is enough climate control. My safes are in an attached part of the house that does not have heat/AC, and one rod seems to be adequate. I do store a few handguns in cases, but they are closest to the rod. If it's inside your house I think you have no worries, if in the garage, check them often at first and check them when the weather changes.

As far as theft of a safe goes, I repainted and reorganized my shop last winter. I moved my two safes by myself across the floor to the other side of the room. Distance of the move was less than 10' across a concrete floor. I didn't have a dolly and full I could not move them at all. I moved my small one empty without too much trouble. My larger one, which is lighter than yours, nearly won the fight. It took a lot of common sense and all the strength I had to get it where I wanted it.

When I moved down here I needed to get them out of the basement. Three people, empty safe, refridgerator dolly, and it was a PITA.

In other words, your average crackhead isn't taking it with him.

Bottom line, in your garage where you could back a pickup up to it, I'd bolt it. Far inside the house, I wouldn't worry about it.

I've been thinking about getting a couple of these for my nicer/older guns. It's a bit strange protecting a HC rifle with the latest molecular technology, but they look like they will alleviate the worry in or out of the safe for seasonal storage, and the price point isn't half bad.
http://www.zcorrproducts.com/products/universal-long-rifle-bag

I've got a couple Sack-ups from past Christmas presents or something...never used them as I've always just used good padded cases. As far as storing guns in cases being a problem, I'll have to think on that a while.
Reason is I've stored guns in zippered cases all my life and never had a problem...humidity is the issue to guard against and Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina have more than their share of high humidity.

But always trying to over-engineer things, I actually bought two 12" golden rods for the safe in case and with have both installed a few inches up from the bottom floor...if one should fail without me knowing it for a few weeks...the other one would still be working.

The storage environment in that small safe space should be a far drier/better controlled environment than the various house conditions we've lived in where we might have windows open on days of high humidity, rainy days, etc...yet I've never had a problem storing guns in individual zippered cases.

In this small space scenario, with two golden rods, if I've had any worry so far at all it is wondering if I'll get it TOO dry in that small space and dry out the stock wood.

I'll be hawking things close until I'm satisfied with what's going on...in fact, little battery operated humidity/temperature meters are cheap...I'll get one to sit in there and be able see exactly what's going on.

I've been reading this thread with some interest. From a neighbor's experience a few years ago, I know that the cheapest, lightest, flimsiest gun safe can and has been a successful deterrent to theft. Not bolted down, but more trouble than it was worth for the thieves. Probably kids looking for a thrill (or crack money) who had no wits.
Also, we in Tuscaloosa are beginning to build "safe rooms" inside our homes as a place for shelter when the tornadoes come again. Safe rooms can be built as sturdily and as secure as the owner wishes. My experience in the tropics suggests that a small lightbulb burning in a protected floor fixture will ensure dry, mildew-free clothing in an enclosed closet. Do you think that might also work well in a room-sized safe room? A room dehumidifier running all the time seems excessive.

Roundball, I think you have made a good investment and a smart move. As stated most everyday theives/crack heads aren't going to try to get into a safe or try to take it. One of mine is anchored in the concrete floor and theother one isn't. Not yet anyway,I'm still looking for it's final resting place :wink:.I have found the best way to move them around in the house,it's those little plastic furniture mover disc that you put under the legs on your chairs or couch.You can put the safe on four of those a put it just about anywhere with everything still loaded in it. :wink: