Closet for gun storage

Ifdot · Mar 30, 2015

I have been going round and round as to how to store and secure my firearms. I have a gun cabinet that is full and guns stashed everywhere throughout the house with trigger locks on them, but its getting a little out of hand. Talking with the wife I have 2 options realistically. Put a safe in one of the hall closets or get a reinforced door for the closet and use the whole closet.
I have measured and I can get a standard 24 gun safe in the closet. My issue with doing this is it limits my space I have to work with.
I really like the idea of getting a reinforced door with a bolt lock. I'm honestly just looking for something to keep the kids out of and a better storage option. In my search I am having problems finding a door that matches the rest of the doors in the house.

Looking for options here to solve my storage problems.

Mooseman · Mar 30, 2015

I like the idea of the heavy duty door and dead bolt.

Ifdot · Mar 30, 2015

Mooseman said:
I like the idea of the heavy duty door and dead bolt.

Know where I can find a decent door that can come close to matching my other doors?

pwoolford · Mar 30, 2015

Ifdot said:
Know where I can find a decent door that can come close to matching my other doors?

I'm curious what you end up doing with yours. A heavier door, without reinforcing the frame around the door, is almost pointless. I would have needed a better door, and to reinforce the frame and the wall in the back of my closet since it could be accessible through another room.

I went through this for my closet but ended up just putting on a keypad lock on the door. I also put a safe inside the closet for the more expensive toys but I keep a few things quickly accessible on the closet walls. When I leave the door is shut...if I'm home it is open. My lock is just to keep kids out.

Brychan · Mar 30, 2015

If you are not going for fire protection, you could re-enforce the existing door by attaching 1" plywood on the inside of the door, and install a dead bolt ( I would put a dead bolt on both sides handle and hinge so the door can't be readily lifted off the hinges). I would also attach 1" plywood all around the inside of the closet to make it harder for someone just to push through the drywall.

There are also safe that you put together yourself, just do a search on "safes".

smdub · Mar 30, 2015

Why get a reinforced door? There are just two layers of drywall on the sides which is just as (in)secure as an interior door. Just put a keylock knob on the existing door.

FWIW, For an outswing door like a closet, you have to do something to protect the hinges else the hingepins can easily be taken out and the door opened from the hinge side and the bolt slid out of the frame. We did this once as a kid :innocent0

Melnic · Mar 30, 2015

Good point, hinge pins have to be on the inside of closet, or you can easily punch hinge pins up and out unless you buy special hinges (do they exist?).

K31 · Mar 30, 2015

Bed safe?

Mooseman · Mar 30, 2015

Ifdot said:
Know where I can find a decent door that can come close to matching my other doors?

I don't even know what your doors look like.

Z_Man · Mar 30, 2015

Ifdot said:
Know where I can find a decent door that can come close to matching my other doors?

you may have to get a flat door and then glue the outer veneer of your current hollow closet door if you want an exact match, depending on how common your interior doors are.

Redd Byrd · Mar 30, 2015

Melnic said:
Good point, hinge pins have to be on the inside of closet, or you can easily punch hinge pins up and out unless you buy special hinges (do they exist?).

FIXED PIN

Ifdot · Mar 30, 2015

The reinforced door was just a thought but the more I think about it figure it's a meaningless step. I'm not worried about break in's or fire. Just storage and keeping the kids out. I'm out of room, no organization. Pretty sure I've lost more parts out of parts kit than you'd ever know.

Ifdot · Mar 30, 2015

This is my current situation with more guns in every orifice of the house.

Blaster229 · Mar 30, 2015

Just train the goose to poke people in the eye if they go to touch things.

Ifdot · Mar 30, 2015

Blaster229 said:
Just train the goose to poke people in the eye if they go to touch things.

Nice!

This is the door that is on the closet now.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Masonite...ior-Door-17880/202872499?N=5yc1vZc5ioZ1z0uk32
You can just look at it and put a hole in it. I figured I should get something with a little more substance to it. Like this?
http://www.homedepot.com/p/JELD-WEN...THDJW136600050/203618143?N=5yc1vZc5ioZ1z0uk32

Jason21237 · Mar 30, 2015

The door is only as strong as the frame. I honestly would just change the knob on the door and go with it. If your only worried about keeping kids out that's the cheapest and easiest option. Any one who were to break in is just going to break the glass on your cabinet anyhow. My stuff is in the bedroom closet at least the unloaded guns. The loaded Glock is much closer at hand. If you just use the closet itself you can always build racks to keep everything and use the space completely.

wrc · Mar 30, 2015

Google "modular safes". Snapsafe/Titan is one manufacturer. Zanotti Armor is another, which I have had good experiences with. These are "safes" that come in pieces, assembled with something like 3/8" hardened steel pegs. If you can find one that will fit in the closet, but not through the closet door, you can assemble it inside the closet. This is surprisingly secure when installed in a closet, even though they're 10 or 11ga steel. When anchored to the floor, and too large to get out of the closet door, they make it a much longer and louder task for a thief to get purchase on the vulnerable bits.

Add a knob lock to the closet door, and no one will accidentally find out you even have a safe/RSC/whatever. Keep ammunition, holsters, and other accessories in the dead space not occupied by the safe. If you install an engine compartment fire suppression system to the closet, you've got short-term fire protection.

This won't be as secure as a straight-up TL-15 safe, but it will be concealed. Sometimes concealment is a better strategy.

SRD · Mar 30, 2015

Redd Byrd said:
FIXED PIN

This and bolt a piece of flat-bar to the inside/outside of jam and deadbolt.Outside can be hidden if on/near a corner with sheetrock over bolts.Pics coming.

markgrutz · Mar 30, 2015

I won't give too many details, but I friend of mine has a 4 sided block room with a concrete ceiling that just happened to end up that way (happy construction accident I guess). He had a custom solid iron jail door custom welded in place. Outside of that is a standard wall with a panel door. It's kind of a neat little room. Makes a great safe, but so much for fire protection however. I'd love to plan that into a basement some day, except with a vault door instead.

Mark

rseymorejr · Mar 30, 2015

If you're just worried about keeping the kids out of them a $10 lockset will do.

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