Now that you have a beautiful new gun cabinet, your concern turns to securing it and its contents, as well as keeping your guns safe from family members or visitors.
Some gun owners like to have their gun cabinet on full display in a prominent area of the house, while others prefer a closet or other hidden location. Other gun owners feel a closet is the best location for a gun cabinet or safe as it is out of sight of guests and children, and difficult to remove, especially when anchored within the closet.
Probably the only location on your property that is not the best location for your gun cabinet or gun safe is the garage. However, if there is no other choice, it is a good idea to bolt it down and build a closet around it. Basements are also a questionable location, as they are generally damp and the humid environment would be bad for gun storage.
Where your gun cabinet is located within your house will determine how to best secure the case. Wooden cabinets are most often attached to walls, while gun safes are usually bolted to the floor.
How to Anchor a Gun Cabinet to a Wall
You will need to attach your cabinet to wall studs to be sure it will be securely anchored. Use your stud finder to locate the studs to which you will attach your cabinet. We sell a variety of wall cabinets for your guns that will anchor nicely to studs.
In the event you cannot attach the cabinet to wall studs, do not attempt to attach a heavy cabinet to drywall, or use drywall anchors. Although some drywall anchors are rated for 50 pounds or more, they are not recommended. A good forward jolt may pull them right through the drywall.
Can you Anchor a Gun Safe to a Wall?
While gun cabinets are generally fastened to walls, gun safes are generally anchored to floors. Most gun safes offer small holes in the bottom of the safe that are called anchor holes. This allows you to easily bolt down the safe to the floor, and you are finished.
However, there are some people, particularly those who live in apartments or rental properties, who aren’t able to put holes in the floors. So they look for the feasibility of mounting their gun safe to a wall. Is the doable?
Yes, but. . . In short, there is only one type of safe that can be mounted to the wall, and that is a safe without a fire rating. With this type of safe, you can drill two holes near the top of the safe that are spaced to fit the studs in the wall, and then drill wood anchors through those holes and into the studs.
Most gun safes do not have holes in the back of the safe because extra holes will create more air flow, making them less fire resistant, and also add extra access points to the safe.
And you can only drill holes in the back of a non-fire resistant safe. If your safe has a fire rating, then the inside of the walls would be covered with concrete or a fireboard that is similar to drywall. If you drill through these materials to make room for wall anchor holes, you damage the integrity of the fire rating, and in turn devalue your safe.
Should Gun Safes be Bolted to the Floor?
The short answer is “yes.” Anchoring the gun safe to the floor helps prevent damage to your home and accidents that could result in injury or even death to a loved one if the safe tips over. If you are reluctant to put holes in the floor, stop and consider the damage a 1,000-pound safe can do if it tips over.
Experts recommend putting a thin piece of carpet under the safe to protect the floor by distributing the weight more evenly. If installing on hardwood floors, a moisture-resistant rubber mat or plywood is recommended. Rubber mats are not recommended for use over linoleum as they can leave permanent marks on the floor.
Safety Comes First
There are four good reasons for bolting a gun safe to your floor:
- It is almost impossible to pry open the door of the safe when it is standing upright, and a safe that is bolted to the floor cannot be tipped over to allow an intruder to pry open the door.
- An intruder cannot push the safe over if it is bolted to the floor.
- Most home break-ins involve smash and grab, and if bolted to the floor, the safe is not a good target for a quick getaway.
- Having your safe bolted to the floor makes it safer for you and your family to use. Anchoring prevents it from tipping over when you open its door. This is important if you store heavy items inside.
Proper safety and security for your guns is of utmost importance to all of us at USA Gun Cabinets. We specialize in high quality solid wood gun cabinets crafted in the Amish country of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. We welcome your inquiries and questions about our unique cabinets. Contact us as usaguncabinets@gmail.com.
