Securing gunsafe to floor.

[Dusty Miller]

I'd really like to get my gunsafe secured to the floor so a couple big dudes can't just traipse into my garage and cart it off.  Does anybody sell a kit for this purpose.  If not, what's the best way to go about the job?

[victorcharlie]

That's a good question.....I don't have mine bolted to the floor yet either, but I'm more worried about tipping.....my safe is 42"X 28 X 72......I'd hate for it to fall on a grandchild..........I have read that when placing a safe on concrete, you want at least an inch of breathing room so the bottom doesn't rust out.......

I thought I'd cut a couple of 4X4 to length, then drill them.....then mark the floor through the drilled holes.........hammer drill for a lead countersink....and bolt the 4 X 4 to the floor.......then put the safe in position and bolt it to the 4X4......add some trim to the front and sides.......By leaving it on 4 X 4's I could still get a pallet jack under it if I needed to....but so could the bad guys........

I read an article somewhere the some crooks wrapped a chain around a safe and jerked it out with a 4 wheel drive......pulled out the floor, and wall and drove out dragging the safe........I don't know that you can stop everybody, but the druggies are the ones I think most likely to break in to my place, as I don't have enough for the real pro's.......

just my thoughts, but I'd like to hear from the guys who have done it as well........

[Dusty Miller]

I think you are right about the druggies.  And when the safe falls on top of one of them then its lawsuit city.  That info about the breathing space sounds reasonable.

[gwindrider1]

VC, sounds like a plan, but use pressure treated wood if it will be in contact with the concrete.  Other concern there would be that if the wood under the safe is visible, thieves can cut through it.

Also, if possible, bolt it to the adjacent wall studs with some lag bolts.  That makes it much more difficult for thieves to get the leverage needed to tip it out of it's base attachment.

[jhm]

Remove the carpet in the floor and their should be access holes to drill thru into the concrete to lag bolt ot thru.    JIM

[tbull55]

I have mine in a bed room.  I also need to secure mine to the floor.  Do you think the carpet and padding will be enough of a buffer?  I was thinking of using the biggest TAP-CONS I could find.  I'm not sure how beefy they make them.  What do ya think guys?

Tbull

[NimrodRx]

Yes, carpet is enough of a barrier.  

I think the need to bolt it to the floor depends on location.  My dad has a relatively small Browning safe (about 800 pounds) in his breaze way.  We bolted that sucker down.  

However, I didn't bolt mind down, nor do I plan to.  It weighs 1250 pounds and is in my basement.  I had it professionally placed in the basement.  They even had to build up/brace the stairs to bring it down.  If someone wants my safe bad enough to get that thing (probably now over 1500 pounds with contents) out of my basement, then a few bolts aren't going to make any difference.  

Another consideration is getting it off the concrete so that it doesn't draw as much moisture.  I used one inch pieces of angle iron and welded a frame that is just about one inch smaller than the safe's foot print.

[ShadowMover]

I drilled some holes in the concrete floor of my garage, which lined up with the existing holes in the safe's bottom.  I used steel expanding pins (Red Head) in the holes and a big fender washer under the nut at the top. I took the additional step of pouring liquid epoxy onto the expanding bolts before hammering them in. Blow the dust out first. I didn't think about ventilation under the safe as it's mostly dry where I live. I do keep a "Golden Rod" heater plugged in all the time though.
One other thing to try is to keep the box the safe came in, and leave it around the safe. You only need the front and two sides. No sense in advertising you have a safe in the garage. If you don't tell anyone they would never know. Someone wiser than me once noted that all theft starts with wanting something seen.

[NimrodRx]

That's a good point Shadow.  I had actually considered putting mine in the garage until I realized that everytime the door was open, someone could see it.  Out of sight, out of mind.  I don't like the idea of people knowing where every single thing that I hold dear is stored - regardless of how "safe" I think it is.