Gun Safe in Shop

[MFortie]

Not looking for specifics from anyone, but wondering if I'm overlooking anything.

I'm looking at getting a new gun safe and am pondering whether to put it in the shop or house.

The house isn't all that big and the better half would be much pleased if I put it in the shop.

Shop pros as I see them:

Reloading equipment, bench, ammo, and supplies are located in the shop.
Gun cleaning gear and bench are in the shop.
Don't need to walk firearms back and forth from the house to clean them, put them in a vehicle, etc.
Tools are in the shop.
Shop has power for a dehumidifier in the safe.
More room in the shop.
Happy wife; happy life.

Shop cons as I see them:

Red iron building - easier to breach the sheet metal walls?
All the tools needed to breach the safe are in the shop.
The K9 deterrent resides in the house.
The shop is 75' from the house and I don't have the 'warm and fuzzy' security of instant access. That said, I do have a wall safe in the house with a 1911 in Condition 1 very accessible.

So, am I missing anything?

Thanks!

 

[TK-421]

If they want it, they'll get it, tools in the shop or no. Your best bet is to simply not go around blabbing to people in town about how you have a gun safe, and you shouldn't have to worry too much about people trying to steal it.

What's the likelihood that your place is going to get broken into? If the risk is low, then the chance of your safe getting broken into is also low. If the likelihood is high, I'd worry more about moving to a better location first.

What can you do about beefing up security?

When have you heard about a random burglar breaching a wall instead of a door? Wall breaches are generally done by people who know the owners and know what they have and where it's hidden. Don't associate with those kinds of people and you shouldn't have to worry about it too much.

tl;dr You're over thinking it, stick the safe in the shop and be done with it.

 

[Ray-CA]

Gut an old refrigerator and slide it over the safe or build a cabinet around it. Bolt the safe to the floor and place it in front of one of the steel beam "studs." Bolt it to that as well, if you can.

Ray

 

[Ironhorse74]

I have been thinking about this one. Do I really want my gun safe to reside where the cutting torch and the abrasive cut off stuff lives?

Not that I have any guns. All my guns were washed away in a flood.

 

[JerryC]

Some thoughts:
Hide it from casual observation.
Bolt it down.
Don't tell anybody about it.
Video surveillance with recording.
Build a lockable cage for tools that could be used to break into it, or screw it up.

The sides and back are the vulnerable spots. Not to go into detail here but it can be opened up quick with tools I would guess we all have. If you can protect the sides and back by placement or added on armor, do it. Even building a stud/drywall wall around it might be enough to deter most that it is more work than they want to take on.

Remember that just because somebody can't get into your safe with something like a hammer, they can sure mess up your lock and then you won't be getting into it either without a locksmith repair job.

 

[JonnyMac]

I think there is a "concealed gun safe" thread somewhere on the forum..
Some awesome ideas like behind mirrors, under the furniture type stuff.. thats what id be doing.

 

[Toolfool]

Shop is fine. Frame a closet around it. Glue and screw 3/4" plywood (not OSB) over framing, drywall over the ply. Door with captive hinge pins. Don't tell people what's in the closet.

 

[Slycox]

I have been thinking about this one. Do I really want my gun safe to reside where the cutting torch and the abrasive cut off stuff lives?

Not that I have any guns. All my guns were washed away in a flood.

Tragic. Lost mine in a freak boating accident.

 

[jbwilkins]

I didn't notice anyone mention this. but in the house you'll be better able to control humidity (therefore rust), since the house is most likely air conditioned...........Since you're in San Diego it isn't that big a issue.....

 

[red61cj5]

From what I've seen, the average meth head/neighborhood scumbag/ etc., will target a garage first, simply because the are generally easier to access, more pawnable items that are easier to find, less likely to get shot or dog bitten. that being said, a well secured gun safe will defeat most of these people unless they are given a lot of time and privacy.

 

[mburrus]

i vote garage. tool fool has a good idea going... another idea, along the same lines, would be to build a cbs block wall and top around it... having to get through muliple materials takes longer and is more difficult. keep it out of sight, or disguised...

 

[pepi]

From what I've seen, the average meth head/neighborhood scumbag/ etc., will target a garage first, simply because the are generally easier to access, more pawnable items that are easier to find, less likely to get shot or dog bitten. that being said, a well secured gun safe will defeat most of these people unless they are given a lot of time and privacy.

Are you saying the safe is best in the shop ? The very place they would have the most time to try to access it....


I think the house is the best placement for a safe. Think about it the fastest access to the hardware, no brainer for me...

 

[Cyberbear]

Wherever you decide to locate your gun vault, you should also think about a loud audible alarm bell or horn. These can be hard wired or wireless, but I have more faith in being hardwired. Years ago when building my shop and had a trench open for plumbing, I added a couple 1/2" PVC lines for alarm and intercom to my house. Now, if there is a break in, me and the entire neighborhood will know it, which gives me time to call 911 and grab my mini-14.

 

[Onewolf]

I vote two safes. One for the house and one for the workshop. Can't fit everything in one after all.

 

[red61cj5]

Are you saying the safe is best in the shop ? The very place they would have the most time to try to access it....


I think the house is the best placement for a safe. Think about it the fastest access to the hardware, no brainer for me...

My point is that if the OP doesn't have room for it in his house, the safe (provided its a decent one) will probably protect his stuff, but a thief is more likely to check out a shop before a home.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have been thinking about this one. Do I really want my gun safe to reside where the cutting torch and the abrasive cut off stuff lives?

Not that I have any guns. All my guns were washed away in a flood.

This might be a slight deterrent.

 

[Ironhorse74]

This might be a slight deterrent.

Eric, good idea.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Eric, good idea.

Nobody ever claimed criminals were brillant.


Liberty sent me one for free along with the touch paint when I bought a safe that had a paint chip.

 

[78Bird]

Secure it, conceal it, don't talk about it...

add some security alarms, motion, glassbreak, that alert you in the house of shenanigans in the shop.

Get another dog, a large intimidating one, that lives outside and in the shop, and doesn't like strangers. You can get doggie doors that key off a radio fob on their collar to let him have free reign without allowing other visitors to get through

If after all that they get it, they were going to get it anyhow.

 

[crewchief888]

Secure it, conceal it, don't talk about it...

add some security alarms, motion, glassbreak, that alert you in the house of shenanigans in the shop.

concealment, and not bragging about it, is the best deterrent.

if i was to have a safe in a detached garage/shop area, i'd be adding an alarm/video security system.

my last safe was inside the house, concealed in a closet, with a dog that didnt like strangers around the house.

 

[muncie21]

Here's the recipe for gun security:

• Put the safe in the shop.
• Make sure it is easy to see.
• Build a bookshelf next to it.
• Hide your guns in 'dummy books' and place them on the bookshelf.

BTW, it would be considered poor sport, to not leave at least 1 gun in the gun safe. This way if the bums manage to breach it, they will be rewarded for their efforts and move on. For this, I would suggest a timeless classic such as a Jennings, Hi-Point or similar

 

[buddyboy]

conceal it very well.

any thieves, once they get inside, will post one guy as a look out while the other one searches for easy to sell loot.

they'll dump all your wrenches and sockets into 5 gallon buckets, snag power tools...make trips back and forth to their getaway car.

if you don't want your tools stolen (first) then leave your safe in plane sight. they'll go for that like white on rice.

if you make your safe look like a fridge they will try to open it to score some free brews...

if they see gun cleaning stuff or reloading or hunting stuff they know you have guns and will look for anything that would hide a safe. or hide guns.

years from now when they are in jail for some other crime they'll talk about the time they found the gun safe in a detached shop and how when they smacked a hole in the top of the safe with an axe it made so much noise that they thought for sure they were going to wake someone up... but didn't

 

[brownbagg]

if someone broke in to your house, would you have to run to the shop to get a gun

 

[PelicanPines]

I vote two safes. One for the house and one for the workshop. Can't fit everything in one after all.

Agree. Shop and bedroom.

 

[benjamintmiller]

Every time there's a thread like this, people come out of the woodwork with their advice to build a fortress, continuous video monitoring, etc.

There's a much easier solution: buy good insurance. Talk to your insurance agent, add a rider for the firearms, send them some pictures to document.

If you are storing something that is priceless or irreplaceable, such as a family heirloom, perhaps it belongs in an actual bank vault.

 

[MFortie]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I probably am over thinking it.

As I mentioned, I have a wall safe with a handgun readily available in the bedroom and a GSD roaming the house and yard as a deterrent.

I think concealment is the best option.

And re: the bank vault comment? My wife and I own a commercial building that used to be a bank. We actually have a vault in the building but don't have the combo to the door - it's kinda cool! I wouldn't keep any guns there though since we use it for our business and everyone working there has access to the vault. In fact, we used to have a ping pong table in there for everyone to use. And before that, an air hockey table. No one really used them though so now it's for document storage.

 

[78Bird]

Had a thought.... Halon fires system. trigger that and it puts out more than fires, ya know.

I still think Big Dog is a major deterrent (and company!)

 

[SALIV8]

I would put it in the shop for the wife.

Then I would buy a lockable gang box and secure that to the floor and put all my power tools in there.

get good insurance and be done.

 

[PhantomEB]

Guns probably go to under the stairs, bullets in the shop way up high.

 

[JerryC]

Every time there's a thread like this, people come out of the woodwork with their advice to build a fortress, continuous video monitoring, etc.

There's a much easier solution: buy good insurance. Talk to your insurance agent, add a rider for the firearms, send them some pictures to document.

If you are storing something that is priceless or irreplaceable, such as a family heirloom, perhaps it belongs in an actual bank vault.

Depends on how you look at it.

"Property"

or

"Guns", that when stolen will likely be used in other crimes including murder.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Had a thought.... Halon fires system. trigger that and it puts out more than fires, ya know.

I still think Big Dog is a major deterrent (and company!)

The Halon might be a tad expensive to replace and CO2 will displace the oxygen as well. I'd guess the latter to be not only cheaper but more readily available.

 

[Brad54]

If you had $15-, $20-, $30,000 in cash, would you put it in a safe in your shop that's far back off the road, away from the house and has all the tools required to breech it sitting right there, or would you put it in a safe in your house?

Does your wife have any expensive jewelry? Ask her if she'd like it all secured out in the shop where all the tools to access the safe are right there, of if she'd rather have that safe in the house.


-Brad

 

[sberry]

Get another gun, protect the ones you have. I never really look at garages and think guns. But tools are a target and would lock them out. You would have a tuff time breaking in to my red iron building.

 

[jask]

If there is a worry about thieves I would want to guard my shop and tools as much as my guns. A good alarm system will cover the house and your shop as a separate wireless zone. If you do not want to pay for monitoring you can install and configure to call your cell, the police, or someone who recently had their tools/guns ripped off....

 

[G-ManBart]

The house has some advantages, but if the wife would prefer the shop, it's possible to do with reasonable security.

First off, buy a good gun safe...that means not one you would find at a big box store. Even good gun safes aren't as good as true high security safes, so you might consider talking to a local lock and safe place to see if they have a used high security safe that would fit your needs. Frequently you can buy a good, used high security safe for what you would pay for a good gun safe.

If you can hide the safe from casual view, the more likely it will get overlooked. An alarm system (even if not connected to a monitoring service) will drive off the average smash and grab thief.

I'm planning to have a safe in my shop eventually, and I'm considering adding a burglar bomb system when I do (and ultimately connect it to my home security system). The burglar bomb is a stand-alone system that floods the room with OC (pepper spray) to the point the room basically is uninhabitable. The system I'm looking at has four canisters that will go off in sequence if the burglar tries to set the system off, and wait for the shop to clear (hours). The good thing is that OC won't harm tools or electronics....wipe it up with a damp rag and you're done.

http://www.burglarbomb.com

 

[mikeyr]

i first installed my safe in the garage without really thinking about it, a friend came over and told me how nice I was to put right next to the plasma cutter. When we did some remodeling in the house, wifey let me build a special, nicely hidden spot for the safe, most people would not notice it and it is securely bolted down to walls and floor, walls in that area are 3/4" ply on both sides of the studs, if they get that safe out or open, they probably deserve it.

 

[Pay2play]

Bolt it down in your garage, keep a quality dehumidifier in there and enjoy having your stuff where you want it. Not advertising it is good advise. If they want it they will get it is also true. But I'm a believer that 90% of criminals are dumber than most and will probably mess up a locked anything beyond future use if they try hard enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TractorJeff]

Well first mistake was advertising on the Internet that you have Guns worth stealing!
My neighbor spends a lot of time in his shop, his gun safe is out there to keep the wife happy(they have two idiot boys).
A deep closet with a false wall is the best if it is full of clothes as MY OPINION is most thieves wouldn't empty a closet to see if it had a false wall in the back of it. I see them make a bookshelf hidden doorway on a TV show for a small unusable room. The woman was storing odds and ends in there. They said they are actually quite popular additions to houses.
Final OPINION is to spend the money to have the wife take shooting lessons and get on a league. Then she will meet other woman who have an interest in guns.

 

[NUTTSGT]

If you had $15-, $20-, $30,000 in cash, would you put it in a safe in your shop that's far back off the road, away from the house and has all the tools required to breech it sitting right there, or would you put it in a safe in your house?

Does your wife have any expensive jewelry? Ask her if she'd like it all secured out in the shop where all the tools to access the safe are right there, of if she'd rather have that safe in the house.


-Brad

While I see where you are coming from, one of the problems Brad, is that a typical home safe might be about 2 cu ft and easy to hide in a closet or built in. However, a safe that is easily 10 times that size is mighty hard to hide or will have to sit out in plain sight.

To each their own and I hope no GJ'er ever has a break in and lose stuff to some low life POS criminal.

 

[jhelrey]

2 safes...

One concealed... and one stupid obvious like in the basement, bolted in a corner. Keep nothing in it.