Securing your 42/53

[noonxnoon]

While waiting and waiting for my 42/53...

How are you guys securing your 42/53s?

Cable lock...trigger lock? will it fit into a safe or are you breaking it down to fit it into a safe?

Figure I'll buy all the 'boring' items while waiting for my baby to show up.

thanks for any advice

[rocco1911]

A safe is a safe place to keep it

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Safe. 'nuf said.

[waffendude]

i use a safe with wire rope(bolted to the slab of my house) through the triggers
waffen

[noonxnoon]

ok...I hear three safes and an addition of a cable lock!

for all the safe people...I'll just piggyback off this thread...did you guys go with big fancy ones or just go with a basic design?

I see Remington has some really fancy safes...but don't know if there is a better route to go.

Looking to get a safe...have to be somewhat cost concious...but I need something big enough to hold my gear as well as possible important documents...and my M53 needs a good home!

Right now all my items of importants are keylocked or cable locked and mixed disassembled and ammo in seperate cans, etc.

soooo....any 'safe' advice??? any safe 'donts'??

thanks

ack! not to get you guys to divulge too much...but any advice as well as bolting it the the studs/joist/cement slabs, etc.

The place I would put the safe would be hard as hell to get the safe there...so hard for someone to take the damn thing...but I am thinking of attaching it to the house...any advice there appreciated!

[johnnymg]

Where you putting the safe? Mine is in the basement therefor granite finish, a friend from work, his is in his bedroom, hi polish/gloss paint job. $1000-1500 should get a nice size safe, check around get a solid well made one, stay away from the $300 specials that are not heavy, Mine unloaded is over 700 lbs. took 4 to get it in the basement. My .02

[noonxnoon]

yeah, I am thinking of a good place to tuck it...but you mentioning 4 guys to tuck it away...that might be a problem.

I was kind of hoping to be able to use a hand truck and someone helping me to stash it...but seems the weight really weighs the issue!

I had seen the Homak ones...guess if that is what you can get...or maybe unique situations...I like the one between the studs...good stash...but if someone knows it is there...easy to rip it out.

...one amuzing safe I had seen had the hinges put on OUTSIDE of the case...just unscrew the hinges and slide the door off the lock!

[rocco1911]

Get the largest & heaviest one you can afford

[Mikesal]

Another option is the wooden crate they were packed in when new. If a thief is looking for your gun cabinet or safe for your toys, a crate in the corner of the garage with junk on it may not get much notice.
Mike S

[johnnymg]

On a quality safe exterior hinges do not matter. HINGES SHOULD NOT BE A MEANS OF SECURING THE DOOR. most good safes use a lip that secures the back side of the hinge side of the door or better yet locking bolts that secure the door on all four sides. Heavier the better with the safe. If it takes four to get it in the house, two SH&T bags will not be able to get it out when they burglarize your house.

[JBaum]

What safety device works best for you is a matter of where you're going to put it, what you need to put in it in the future, and how serious you are about keeping it.

For a few things, a cheap safe is fine, just bolt it to the floor from inside the safe. Fireproofing adds to the weight and can save your stuff in a fire. Remember that a cheap safe is often 10 gauge steel, which can be zipped open easily with a 3/8 drill and an air chisel (I've seen it done).

1/4" steel is getting more serious and more expensive. Store your stuff and a 5 or 8 pound can of powder in it too. If the thieves try to use a cutting torch, your guns will still be there (mostly), and so will the thief, or at least enough to identify through DNA.

If you have or expect to get a larger collection and have a basement or other convenient area (attached garage), rent some forms some weekend and buy some rebar, get a vault door (cheaper than a decent safe), then call the concrete truck and build a vault. They're virtually fireproof, and with enough rebar and 8" thick walls, (don't forget a few outlets and a light). it takes a long time for a thief to get inside, at least a few hours. A burglar alarm complements your vault nicely. Buy a dehumidifier for it, regardless of how dry you think the location is.

Remember that electronic locks are just electronics. Anything electronic will fail, and at the most inconvenient time. If you're going to keep your safe for 30 years, you'll likely have to replace the electronics board several times when it fails due to age (how long does a computer last before it pukes? An answering machine? Your car door remote?). All electronics fail with age. It may not look as cool, but the old, brass wheel tumbler locks are still functioning when they're 150 years old, and never need batteries. You choose. I know what my choice was.

A combination is not a secret if ANYONE knows about it but you. (Wives are excluded from this rule only in exceptional circumstances.) My first wife didn't know the combination. That was a VERY good thing. Explaining to ATF that your crazy, soon-to-be ex-wife has your belt fed can be an embarrassment. Don't write it in the little card in your wallet, don't write it on a piece of paper on top the safe. No "secret places" for stashing it. No birthdays, house, or telephone numbers. If you can't remember it, buy a brain first.

Realize that nothing is 100% secure. The government couldn't keep people from escaping from Alcatraz... if someone is serious about stealing what you have, nothing will stop them. They'll bring tools, torches, and a wrecker to haul it away. Fire can destroy your entire collection even when a thief couldn't carry it all away in 5 trips. Don't get just smoke detectors for saving the occupants, get a burglar/fire alarm with a siren that'll wake the neighbors when you're not home. Guy's with a $300,000 collection living in an $80,000 house that burns are a very sad case. The house can be replaced. The guns are gone.

[noonxnoon]

thanks alot guys for your input.

We all are tend to our legal responsibilities in our own way...and after I did my initial post, I know I was kind of like peeking inside the windows of your fortress!

I had forgot the 53 does come in a pretty non-descript case...could key or cable lock it, throw in a dehumidifyer and stash it in a place to not gain attention.

Jbaum, thanks alot for the detailed advice. You are right about electronic keypad locks. In the back of my head I thought about what happens if the device fails...say some burgler tries to break into it and when he can't desides to make things hard for me and melts the keypad since it is probably weaker then the safe itself.

I am a traditionalist and like that old combo lock. I'll have to see if that is an option or something I'll have to pick a design around.

Your vault concept is something i had thought about...almost thought of making like a 'panic room' but just figured I was watching too much America's Most Wanted! A vault probably would be cheaper and I probably could make cement forms and secure the rebar. Hmm...but the door would be a weakness...but I get your point on alternatives to think about.

thanks again guys. I'll have to start pricing out things...*shudder*

...if I had won the lottery...this would be much easier!!!

[ChrisPCook]

I ended up getting a beautiful safe from Lowes, fireproof rated for one hour and massive in size. Comparable ones at a gun shop were 1k plus. Mine was a floor model, regular price of 800$, but all they had left was a floor model, I had to go through three different managers and be a PITA, but got it knocked down to 600$, they also give a military discount so don't forget that it it's an option to you. It took four guys to help me load it into the truck, invest in the safe, you won't regret it. Chris....

[Bil]

I built the house I just moved out of,and although my 'safe' wasn't fireproof,I was more concerned with keeping the stuff hidden as I am away for extended perions of time.Fortunately the neighfors were real scared and avoided the place.I had built-in bookshelves at the top of the stairs,the bottom shelf lifted up and I kept some decoy valuables there.Under that,the subfloor slid aside,and I had built a sheetmetal box that held the guns.This slid on a wooden track between the joists,and was pulled back by a section of 12/2 wire.So even if the hole was found,anyone looking only saw some wiring and ductwork.There were several other places built in like that.My favorite was the hollow-core door by the front door.the top was opened up and a pistol just inside,with a string taped to the top.A handy place in case of late night visitors.Now my stuff is in a vault,safer but not as much fun! ---bil

[noonxnoon]

looks like 4 guys is going to be what it takes to move that beast around.

Hope the company I buy one from offers that as part of the service!

Every know and then I had seen Lowes have full sized safes...but that seemed more around Christmas, etc. I'll look to see what they have and compare fire ratings, etc.

I am mulling the thought of getting two safes...one safe could perhaps just hold ammo...or if the 'nice' safes look too small to hold everything guns/non-guns...I could get two smaller/thinner models. Would be easier to tuck away.

While after hearing you guys telling how heavy that beast is...I'd still like to bolt it to the foundation or studs, etc.

Bil- your hidden mansion would be fantastic! There was a show on one of those house channels that was big secret places...hidden chambers...secret passages...really cool stuff.

I still have several areas in the house that has exposed studs/joists...maybe I could think of something similiar to your James Bond house...

[Bil]

Those kind of spots are fun,and a good place to hide other goodies too.In my living roon I had old beadboard wainscott and chair rail.I had several sections of the board screwed together from behind,to get into them you put a nail into a small knothole and lifted,it would slide behind the rail and just clear the baseboard.It had a space about 30 " wide,3 1/2 deep,and 30 high. ---bil

[noonxnoon]

Bil, did you explain to the new owners of the house all these little tricks??

They either thought it was the coolest thing...or looked at you like you were the strangest person!!

I was looking at Liberty safes...they sell floor and stud/joist safes...not too bad...couple hundred and looks quite simple to install and hide.

While those wouldn't be my cure for my safe needs...could be handy for smaller things of value.

heck, I could even hide one in the floor boards of my bathroom near the toilet and I could store extra rolls of paper there when the need arises

[DDayDog]

I just bought a new gun safe this week (National Security) that is very nice and expect to have it "installed" by this Thursday to upgrade my old one. But keep in mind what was said earlier in this thread. If they want your guns or valuables, they will find a way to get them. If you are going to get a good gun safe, bolt it to the frickin' floor. Deterrent and difficulty are your friends. If you don't have an alarm system, put a smoke alarm in the safe itself - that way if someone uses drilling tools, etc. it might go off from any smoke inside the safe and at least scare the crap outta them. Tell only "TRUSTED" neighbors (if you have any) when you are going out of town and who, if anyone, will be at your home. The problem is this: What people have to keep in mind is, other than a professional, a lot of thiefts are chance opportunity. My law office sees tons of them. Therefore, do NOT tell people what you have unless you absolutely positively trust them. I know this is common sense, but I am continually amazed about how some guys will brag and brag and brag about ALL the guns they have in front of "groups of people" or what your friends may (innocently) tell others about what you have. Some of my favorite statements come from people I know. "You should see all the guns that D Day has, I'd be worried if I was him when he goes out of town on the weekends." or my other (and most annoying) one: "My dad has all kinds of military and assault rifles. But he has a safe to put them in for whenever he leaves town." Your guns and valuables are only as secure as YOU make them to be. D Day

[noonxnoon]

I hear yah DDay.

I tend to keep things a low key...I found if I brag about something, someone always seems to have something bigger and better! Some of being low key is you mention to non-gun people you shoot or hunt...they think you are a crazy person, etc.

What you say is part of what concerns me. When the 53 shows up and I go to the FFL dealer to pick it up...I hope I dont create a scene with it...and if there are others around to ask to deal wiuth the transfer in the back room, etc.

...but yeah, the 53 will cause some extra attention I dont need...

loose lips sink ships!

thanks for your comments

[medved]

I use a 1200lb Liberty safe bolted to the concrete floor though the holes provided in the botttom of the safe for that purpose. No matter how heavy the safe is it can be easliy moved if a theif witth for knowledge has access to safe jacks , so bolting is a must.