Vault Door Recommendations for gun room

[Primus]

I am in the process of planning out the build for my future gun room. Its currently 800 sqft of unfinished basement. Plan is to reinforce the walls with expanded metal and OSB to provide a barrier and installing a vault door for access.

Has anyone done something similar? Any recommendations for a vault door or beefed up security door?

Thank you,

 

[WirgmanUSMC]

I'm here for the sweet pics to hopefully follow.

 

[MarinePMI]

[No message]

 

[sirhrmechanic]

I always found it amusing that they sell doors for more than entire safe's. I guess they figure that if you are building a room... then they can hose you more!

My solution was to go to a local welder. For less than $400 (including painting a nice grey hammerite) he made me a 'cage' type door from angle, expanded mesh and heavy frame sides. It has a large padlock built in (actually a pair of them) designed in a recess so you can't get bolt cutters on or hammer it. Bolted into the walls with numerous lags (that are recessed and covered. Huge hinges. Will it stop determined criminals? Not forever. But most gun thieves are opportunitistic and don't have equipment or time. And it will take equipment, time and noise to get past it. And with the miracle of WiFi, there is now a camera pointed at the door from the inside. So if you get within 2 feet of it... smile, you are on my phone!

The second bit of advice (and another reason why there is no need to buy an expensive and pretty-looking door) is that your best security is to camouflage it. Put in a cage... behind a sliding bookshelf, a tapestry, an entertainment center, a bar, a billiards chair, a faux fireplace, etc. Be creative! A vault door is a big beacon... an Elvis on Velvet wall-size tapestry.... likely causes thieves to leave shaking their heads and going... "nothing to steal in this dump!"

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[TripleBull]

Loling at sirhr's Elvis velvet. I should sell Elvis Camo shooting mats...

 

[icu812]

I put one in a few years ago and did a lot of research. It seemed the best bang for the buck was sturdy safes. They have a good website that lets you see most all of the options. You can really beef one up if you want to. Just a good heavy no B.S. metal door. Cal guns used to do a group buy once a year for 10 or 15 percent off. Might look into that.

 

[Strykervet]

Diebold (if you can get it) Mosler (if you can get that too) or else Original. I like Amsec but it's a lower end version of the Original. If you are getting just a door, remember that's the hardened part that pros don't bother with --they go through the side. Make sure to use tempered concrete with aggregate like irregular vanadium, cobalt and plastic media --this ruins drill bits. Make sure that the door and walls are similar in security. Were it me, I'd recess the whole damn vault, install a vault door properly, then pull a bookcase or other furniture over it. I wanted to do this myself but didn't have room that would have worked like I wanted.

 

[Primus]

I'm not paying over 4K for a door when someone can go through the wall or knock the door out of the wall easier. Need to match the security up with the rest of the system. It will have an alarm, video recording up to the cloud and some other goodies.

Anyone used this?

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/106307/snapsafe-vault-door-36x80-digital-lock-matte-black

 

[BadDogPSD]

I think amsec sells vault doors. Make sure you have provisions for air circulation/heat/cooling/moisture management.

 

[Primus]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-70-pt-Dehumidifier-ADEL70LR/203661857 will be running 24/7. Its stays nice and cool and dry year round down there.

 

[c1steve]

Invincible Safes will sell doors for safe rooms, but they are not on their website. http://invinciblegunsafes.com/

Your walls are way to weak. Expanded sheetmetal cuts very easily, unless it is very heavy gauge, like 7 gauge. OSB is nothing, a battery sawzall will go through your wall like butter. I would recommend rebar and pour cement 4" thick. You could build an inner wall as a form, and pour over the top. Also the roof above could be reinforced. You could bolt in some angle steel, and weld some 10 gauge or thicker sheet metal on top of the angle.

 

[Primus]

Well no shit its "weak". Kind of hard to pour cement into a basement when there is no footer under where you pour. Thats a good way to crack your floor and let water into the basement. Not to mention adding steel plate or a pour basin on top of a 4" wall would be equally foolish.

Expanded metal and cage reinforcement is good enough for DOD storage of weapons. http://www.clarkdietrich.com/products/security-systems/barrier-mesh-security.

 

[308Gunner]

You are right as far as DOD is concerned but they have unlimited funds to replace shit with, yours and everybody else's tax money. It is just like everything else rifles, scopes you name it get the best you can afford and know that if somebody wants your shit bad enough they are going to get it.

 

[Primus]

Everything is fully insured, just trying to make a nice gun room/cave with a decent amount of security for not a ton of money. It doesn't need to be Ft. Knox

 

[sirhrmechanic]

BTW, depending on where you are, there are a ton of doors on eBay. With local pickup, prices can be pretty reasonable, but somewhat labor intensive.

This seems to have no reserve.... making it a steal if noone bids on it!

Cheers,

SIrhr

 

[Primus]

Awesome suggestions, just on the complete opposite end of the country lol.

 

[opeagle]

Look locally. Many times you can find a local shop that makes this type of stuff.