Gun Safe Questions!

blopez50

New member
I am accumulating enough guns that I think its time for a good (yet hopefully cheaper) gun safe to upgrade security! They are currently locked up well but I want to be good and safe.

With all that said, the way my house is designed I really dont have a place to put it in the house itself. Im thinking that the garage might be the way to go. I could bolt it to the floor ect... My only concern with this plan is climate. My garage is UNinsulated. In my neck of the woods, humidity isnt a problem but temps might be. We can get down to the 0 range in the winter and 100+ in the summer...

1) Do you think those temps are TOO extreme?
2) Any recommendations of a safe?

Thank you!
 
I run a pretty wide range in temps, so far none of my firearms have gotten hyper or hypothermia
smile.gif


I think moisture with the temp swings would be a bigger concern.
 
The wide temp swings could lead to condensation on any cold soaked metal. I see it rather extreme in our garage fairly regularly. The safe itself would provide some dampening effects for the contents. There is usually a good protective enamel paint on the safe to protect it but exposed metal would be affected. It would be doable. Are you short of room in your house? How about getting rid of something that takes up space? You could look into a Zanotti safe, it's USA made & you assemble on site.
 
Keep it in the garage, but put it up off the floor. Use 2x2's or some such thing. Just seems that when you place a flat something on the concrete floor, the concrete under it looks wet. Mabey wicks moister up from underneath???? Most safes come bolted on a pallet.
 
It isn't the temperature that causes condensation, it's the temperature swing--how quickly the temp moves from cold to warm. Just being cold or warm doesn't matter, but changing quickly from one to the other causes condensation.

In any garage, there are going to be fairly large temp swings as warm vehicles move in and out and the door is opened and closed. IMO, it would be about the last option short of the garden shed. Obviously, a wide variety of factors come into play, safe design, climate, etc, etc, but overall an uninsulated garage is going to be one of the most difficult places to have any control over as far as temp, humidity, condensation, etc.

If you proceed, I would be +1 on the golden rod anti-moisture device. I would also start by moving just a few less valuable guns into the safe for the first 6 months and see if there are any issues.

I would also agree with the member who said buy bigger than you think you need by 2. The safe makers WILDLY overstate capacity, once you start dealing with real-life guns with scopes, slings, bipods, and the like, capacity is about 25% less than the stated number.

Grouse
 
It also wouldn't hurt to have a dehumidifier going. Make it with a permanent drain and you shouldn't have any problems. I'd also use a goldenrod inside the safe.
 
Thanks for the imput guys! The only place that I could put it inside would be in plain sight...

Do you think building an insulated "box" for it would make a difference?

I'll deffinitely have some sort of golden rod/dehumidification system.
 
The thing with insulation is that it only helps to retain the heat/cold that is being given off. Unless you were to put some type of heat in the safe the insulation would not do much good. Maybe a small incandescent lamp would help. Dave
 
Ya but if it's the swings that cause moisture, wouldn't insulation "slow" those swings? I guess I was thinking it might make it more stable.
 
Originally Posted By: RustyCJ8The thing with insulation is that it only helps to retain the heat/cold that is being given off. Unless you were to put some type of heat in the safe the insulation would not do much good. Maybe a small incandescent lamp would help. Dave

I know one gentleman who runs a 40 watt bulb inside his safe, which is located in his workshop which is in an out-building on his property. Since he turns down the heat to about 50 degrees when he's not using the shop, he was concerned about condensation when he warmed up the shop so his solution was to experiment with different bulbs until he found the wattage that would keep the safe at a consistent temp. He finally settled on a 40 watt for the winter and then in the summer he just ran the golden rod to eliminate the moisture.

I think in practical terms it is impossible to dehumidify a whole garage. Having that big door open and thus turning over all the air every time it does, would make it very difficult to maintain a steady humidity.

Do you have any other options inside your house? Have you thought about installing 2 smaller safes in separate locations rather than one large one?

Grouse
 
^ no... I'll be going with one large safe. As for inside, there just isnt a way with my house and it's setup.

The humidity itself is not a problem here... It's DRY!! Just temp changes!

I'll keep you guys up to date. I'm gonna get one here pretty soon amd give it a go! Get it off the ground, bolt it down and get a golden rod goin.. I really don't forsee it being much of an issue.. The safe will be bordered by two insulated walls from the house and the two open to air may get insulation!

Thanks guys
 
I always keep all my guns in a silicone sock this should help with the temp swings and also the golden rod actually puts off heat so it will help with this too.
The first safe i purchased ruined a benelli that i had in less than a week. i have had no problems after useing the socks my safe is in my house.
 
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Where I live, humidity and temp swings can be a real problem. I have a couple of buddies that both have their safes in unheated/uninsulated garages or sheds. One uses the light bulb trick mentioned above. The other uses the same thing I use, Eva-Dry renewable dehumidifiers. He has used them in his safe in his garage for 3-4 years without any moisture problems. I have used them for about 4-5 years and never had any type of moisture problems in the safe. Whenever they get saturated, I set them on the porch and plug them into the extension cord to dry them out. It takes several months for them to get saturated in my safe. I think it takes 1-2 months to saturate his in the garage environment. You only have to plug them in when you need to recharge/dry them so they can save you on the electric bill compared to remedies that have to constantly be plugged in to work. Google Eva-Dry renewable dehumidifiers to see what I am talking about. I bought mine through Amazon, but I have also seen the same type of unit with Remington logos on it at Dick's Sporting Goods.

By the way, follow the advice about buying 2x bigger than you think you need. Those are wise words!
 
Originally Posted By: CinchPick out the safe you think you want then get one twice as big. Trust me on this one...

So true.
 
^

Thanks for all the help guys! Ill check out those Eva-Dry units.

Im currently only at ~5 long guns and ~4 handguns but im gonna go with the 24 rifle safe with the shelves on the side. I think Ill get one of the pistol storage systems that goes on the inside of the door.
 

It gets very humid here and my safe is in an uninsulated room with no temperature control. Even with a golden rod I still can have problems with rust on "dry" guns. So every time something gets used, before it goes back, it gets a good coat of Birchwood Casey's "Barricade" and a wipe down with an oil rag. And the long guns that don't get used regularly are kept in gun socks.

Treated gun socks are a very good second line of defense against rust in a safe. Never had a gun rust that was in a sock.
 
Originally Posted By: AZcayoteOriginally Posted By: CinchPick out the safe you think you want then get one twice as big. Trust me on this one...

So true.

ha ha ha. Yep.
 
Go with at least a 30 gun blopez. I know you wouldn't regret it. I wish I would have gotten a bigger one, BUT I didn't. Now I am gonna have to get another one, oh darn he he,but I am not sorry for that. Once you start filling it with documents and other stuff you run out of room FAST.
 


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