Bob2222 317 Posted March 21, 2013 That's nice for a long gun, but is there something simple like this for a pistol? I don't see the point of the night table pistol safes when a thief could just walk away with the safe, gun and all. They could torch it open at their leisure. I agree that a small safe in a night stand unattached to anything might not be awfully secure way to protect your guns from a thief but a fair number of posters here have kids. If you own your house, you could still use a small safe, and attach the safe to a wall or floor. There are plenty of ideas as to how to secure things all over the internet. An alarm and a not-too-friendly dog might be good, too.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Walt of Destiny 412 Posted March 21, 2013 Good question. There are several companies that make lockers like stackon. They are relatively inexpensive. But all guns sold recently, not sure how long, come with a lock. I have a box full of them. Can't bear to throw them out. I bet a lot of us have a bunch of them lying around. I have 2 safes. Kind of like them a lot, never thought I would appreciate them like I do but 3 kids will do that to you. My first safe I got from my dad for a wedding present along with a few guns. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Walt of Destiny 412 Posted March 21, 2013 An alarm and a not-too-friendly dog might be good, too.... +1 A dog is the first line of defense as was said on another thread that has a bunch of dog pics on it. And they will also protect your guns! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tack Tickle 0 Posted March 22, 2013 am I the . ly person that bought a gun safe before picking up my guns? I was waiting for someone to say that. My jaw hit the floor reading this thread. Guys, you can get a shitty safe from big lots for $30 for the time being. The same through Harbor Freight, and plenty other stores. Get a few lag bolts and bolt it down. Dicks sells a stand up Stack On rifle locker with shelves for $100+ on sale. Costco has safes, Lowes, Sams club, Home Depot. They sell Cannons, Liberty, Sentry, Winchester, etc... So to anwers your question on what to do when you don't have a safe is to get one!!! The most important thing in firearm ownership is safety. The thing that always cracks me up is when people have many thousands of $ into their firearms and have some shit safe. Get a safe dangit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oneshot 45 Posted March 22, 2013 As a kid pretty much everyone i knew that had guns didnt have them locked up. Not once did i ever hear of anyone being shot or the guns being stolen. My father had a wooden gun rack on the wall in our family room,no locks . I have a safe now and will always have one. But i didnt always have one.. Things/times have changed Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vladtepes 1,060 Posted March 22, 2013 As a kid pretty much everyone i knew that had guns didnt have them locked up. Not once did i ever hear of anyone being shot or the guns being stolen. My father had a wooden gun rack on the wall in our family room,no locks . I have a safe now and will always have one. But i didnt always have one.. Things/times have changed when I was a kid I never heard of anyone getting high on drugs and eating off another humans face on the middle of the sidewalk in broad daylight... unfortunately times are different.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kahout 0 Posted March 22, 2013 For me.....No Kids, no dog, no way to damage a floor or wall to attach a safe, no room for something that is too heavy to carry away, and for now just a handgun or two, no long guns. A permanent wall safe might work as long as it is no deeper then a standard 2 x 4 wall (but it may not be good to have the safe on an outside wall due to moisture). I could leave it behind when I move if I find an appropriate wall and size. I didn't see any point in a night table safe since, in my case, there are no kids to worry about. I keep looking for something but have not come up with anything. If you know of something that will fit the bill, share. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seamusSU 0 Posted March 22, 2013 You're not the only one. I've had the safe for nearly a month but am just now waiting on NICS to clear to have something to put in the safe. am I the only person that bought a gun safe before picking up my guns? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryan_j 0 Posted March 22, 2013 am I the only person that bought a gun safe before picking up my guns? Nope. I did too. However I also have cable/trigger locks which I can use too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The_Matrix 105 Posted March 22, 2013 Before I purchased my first safe, I hid them in the attic. The type of attic that require you to get a ladder and climb way up. Thieves are too lazy to do that. Granted it, it was a long time ago in my mom's home and I only had 2 guns and went shooting MAYBE once a year. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Clintoon Eastwood 2 Posted March 22, 2013 Before I purchased my first safe, I hid them in the attic. The type of attic that require you to get a ladder and climb way up. Thieves are too lazy to do that. Granted it, it was a long time ago in my mom's home and I only had 2 guns and went shooting MAYBE once a year. Matrix are you saying its NOT ok to hide it behind a book or in between my mattress? And what's wrong with shooting once a year? Is that not enough to master my firearm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The_Matrix 105 Posted March 22, 2013 Matrix are you saying its NOT ok to hide it behind a book or in between my mattress? And what's wrong with shooting once a year? Is that not enough to master my firearm? 1. I'm not sure what I am trying to say. 2. Why not shoot more than once a year? 3. Whatever it takes to master your firearm! The answers you seek, I do not know for I no longer own any firearms. LOL! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vini 0 Posted March 22, 2013 I would think trigger locks while you were waiting for your safe... Trigger lock goes in few secongs with lil screwdriver: Gun lock goes in few more seconds with paper clips: For an average gun safe - its more complicated - you will need a 3 years old kid : You can't really secure the gun (or anything else) without an expensive safe - still depends who is going after you. If your goal is to make sure your weapon can't be used against you - just remove the bolt. Put it in your pocket or laptop bag. In case with AK it works easy and takes seconds to put it back if needed. I've been told Texas National Guard secures their M16s by keeping bolts separately. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vini 0 Posted March 22, 2013 ... no way to damage a floor or wall to attach a safe, no room for something that is too heavy to carry away... There is an old good trick for safes that can be carried away: put some metal weight plates inside, let's say extra 100 pounds or more so it too heavy for someone to carry away. Just don't affix them inside, most likely weights will move and shift balance on the stairs, thief(s) will drop the safe, make lots of noise and, hopefully, damage toes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
so_dank 0 Posted March 22, 2013 Saw a book shelf on YouTube... all secret compartments and to unlock any of the compartments you need to use a book which I assume used magnets of some sort. Very cool. To he honest I have no kids and live in a good area so my muzzle loaders are displayed and my good stuff is in a locked gun room in case of company with children. Although when I go on vacation I will be bringing them to the inlaws house. Neighbors kid is starting to bug me out a bit. I am in the market for a safe though just in case of a fire or short vacations I'd like to be able to lock up my guns and valuables. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Secret Squirrel 3 Posted March 22, 2013 Before my safe i had they locked in a closet, now they are locked in a safe in a locked closet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maksim 1,504 Posted March 22, 2013 Gun safe's only limit you to the number of guns you can have.... why limit your imagination? =P Keep guns hidden and locked, unloaded.... if no kids, etc. Gun room if you have the money. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MB24 37 Posted March 22, 2013 I wasn't looking for any kind of specific answer as to what to do in my situation in my original post, just wanted to get opinions as to what others are doing. With all the responses, all good, it seems there is no one answer . It all depends on what you want to accomplish. Hide the guns from thieves in a safe, doesn't really give you quick access for self defense. Small nightstand safe, quick accessibility but fairly easy to steal if your not home. Add children in the home and you have other circumstances to deal with. I guess what it comes down to is what the individual is comfortable with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rifleman1 32 Posted March 22, 2013 Just convert that spare bedroom or closet... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rifleman1 32 Posted March 22, 2013 There are a whole host of places to look for pictures and ideas for that gun room. http://www.houzz.com/gun-room Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scatterbrains 0 Posted March 22, 2013 Didnt have a safe for a long time until i moved into my last apartment it was in a basement, so in a fire its the last thing to be "put out" and it will be filled with water. So i got one of those fire/water safes, not for theft protection but for some fire and water protection. It may deter some snatch and grab thieves but if someone wants into any residential security "safe" it doesent take long even bolted down it doesent take long. the only real "safes" are well out of my reach in terms of $$ and wieght capacity. Only thing the cabinents do is keep your kids out, possibly. I suggest with any type of cabinent to "hide" it as best as you can bolt it into a closet in the corner with the door hinge side towrds the closet door, it will make it a little more difficult to pry the door open. A safe is best placed in the same sort of manner bolted down and with the door in a pry resistant corner. Just remember if they have the time, like your on vacation and they know it it doesent matter what protections you have in place. Always have detailed, documented pictures serial numbers and identifiying charactoristics. So you can have the best possible chance of recovery and traceing. A layered security plan is also very effective, auto lights/appliances, dogs, neighbors, friends, family, alram system etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jgofnj 5 Posted March 22, 2013 How does he access it? Did he just rock over the gun and then punch the wall out if needed? He said he knows exactly where it is between the beams and that he would be able to punch his fist or hammer through the sheetrock if neded. He is a 6'6" 285 lbs guy. I think he can manage, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
W2MC 1,699 Posted March 22, 2013 Simple solution - it's not Fort Knox, but it's what 99.9% of us actually need. http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12982249 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PDM 91 Posted March 22, 2013 I have one of those stack on gun cabinets (not a safe, more of a metal locker). It has a key, and I keep the key locked in one of those small key safes. None of the guns in the cabinet is loaded. That set up is sufficient for me with respect to securing the guns from my kids. I have a other guns hidden in various places in pad-locked plastic cases throughout the house and one small pistol safe in my bedroom. I've set things up this way under the theory that a burglar may find the cabinet or one of the guns but won't get them all, and they are all locked and secured from my kids (all of whom have been well educated to keep away from guns without adult supervision in any event). I like the idea of putting metal weights at the bottom of the gun cabinet and will try that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Underdog 1,593 Posted March 22, 2013 . My first safe I got from my dad for a wedding present along with a few guns. And all this time I have been happy with my All-Clad pots. What was my father thinking? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BOOMSTICK 6 Posted March 22, 2013 He said he knows exactly where it is between the beams and that he would be able to punch his fist or hammer through the sheetrock if neded. He is a 6'6" 285 lbs guy. I think he can manage, Size or not....seems shifty to me. Sounds like a place for an illegal gun. Why would you seriously want to rely on punching through a certain spot of sheetrock to get to a gun?? Stupid. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duppie 73 Posted March 22, 2013 Size or not....seems shifty to me. Sounds like a place for an illegal gun. Why would you seriously want to rely on punching through a certain spot of sheetrock to get to a gun?? Stupid. I was about to ask a similar question...Does he have so many firearms as to have one permanently sheet rocked behind a wall? also is it wrapped in some protective covering or oil cloth and what type of gun is it? Semi auto or revolver? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BOOMSTICK 6 Posted March 22, 2013 I was about to ask a similar question...Does he have so many firearms as to have one permanently sheet rocked behind a wall? also is it wrapped in some protective covering or oil cloth and what type of gun is it? Semi auto or revolver? Yeah.. Having to blindly reach through a hole that you punch through sheetrock for a gun doesnt seem safe or practical at all. Assuming the dude is as big as stated, it would still take a couple/few punches to make the hole big enough. Almost comical. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MB24 37 Posted March 22, 2013 If he has one gun and doesn't want it stolen in the event of a robbery, OK I guess. If he has several guns, what's the point in putting one in the wall? If it's for home defense I'd guess with all the racket and time to break the wall the burglar would be on him. Not judging, just saying. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jgofnj 5 Posted March 22, 2013 Size or not....seems shifty to me. Sounds like a place for an illegal gun. Why would you seriously want to rely on punching through a certain spot of sheetrock to get to a gun?? Stupid. I was about to ask a similar question...Does he have so many firearms as to have one permanently sheet rocked behind a wall? also is it wrapped in some protective covering or oil cloth and what type of gun is it? Semi auto or revolver? Yeah.. Having to blindly reach through a hole that you punch through sheetrock for a gun doesnt seem safe or practical at all. Assuming the dude is as big as stated, it would still take a couple/few punches to make the hole big enough. Almost comical. I was just making a comment about something a friend of mine did when he had is house built (and he and his family is still living in it). I think it's a dumb/stupid idea too. It's an absloute last ditch emergency gun if he needs it. All I know is it is wranpped in a plastic bag and it's a revolver. I had my doubts about it too and still do. It is a very strange place to hide a gun and since that's what we were talking about, I thought I would share it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites