making a gun room

[JMW]

Hi,

 

I have a room which I was thinking about converting into a gun room, there

are two small frosted windows, about 10 inches by 40 inches which I could

easily put bars across. No one can see into the room.

 

The walls are all brick and the door is a heavy sold wood door.

 

What would I need to do to get this room cleared as a gun room? Metal

door frame? Number of 5 point locks needed?

 

If cleared as a gun room would I be able to mount the shotguns on the

wall rather than in a gun cabinet as the room would then be a large

gun cabinet.

 

Any advice appreciated.

 

Jon

[Essex Keeper]

Hi,

 

I have a room which I was thinking about converting into a gun room, there

are two small frosted windows, about 10 inches by 40 inches which I could

easily put bars across. No one can see into the room.

 

The walls are all brick and the door is a heavy sold wood door.

 

What would I need to do to get this room cleared as a gun room? Metal

door frame? Number of 5 point locks needed?

 

If cleared as a gun room would I be able to mount the shotguns on the

wall rather than in a gun cabinet as the room would then be a large

gun cabinet.

 

Any advice appreciated.

 

Jon

 

 

best ask your feo for the right info iknow my uncle had a safe like door with a very strong frame put in with heavy roller shutter on the window and an alarm he has the guns on the wall with trigger locks

Edited September 26, 2010 by m2tyj

[danimal]

best ask your feo for the right info iknow my uncle had a safe like door with a very strong frame put in with heavy roller shutter on the window and an alarm he has the guns on the wall with trigger locks

 

I have just finished setting up a gunshop and our gunroom has no windows and we have 11 point locking metal doors for entry, we have had to have a monitored alarm system too that goes straight through to the police in case of an intruder! another thing that was insisted on is that the floors between the rooms above and the shop were metal clad to stop anyone dropping in. we also have the guns locked to the wall but you might not have to if it is just as a private gun room?

 

hope this helps

 

Dan

[Blunderbuss]

Be prepared for a long read! The following from the Home Office Firearms Security Manual 2005 (still extant I think). Go to Annex A for the Gun Room standards, but here is a cut & paste:

 

Gun Room

 

29. The adaptation of an existing room within a building which may be considered to be suitable

for the security of the firearms, shotguns and ammunition where the enclosure does not have any

walls of timber and plasterboard construction (studded wall) unless the area has been rendered

secure by:

a) the fitting of expanded metal mesh, not less that 4mm (8swg) or not greater than

30mm by 50mm section, secured to the studding at not more than 300mm centres by

suitable screw fastenings; and

if the wall may be subject to sustained attack, consideration should be given to tying

the mesh to adjoining walls, floor and ceiling, or mounting in a frame secured to these

areas (see illustration 7).

30. The room is accessed by an internal door within the building, or door within a protected

area.

31. The door should be, according to risk and location, either:

a) a solid core timber barricade or laminated security door of not less than 44mm

thickness;

a timber door lined with sheet steel not less than 16swg, the sheet to be folded round

the locking and hanging edge of the door. It should be secured to the door structure with

steel screws, non-return on the external surface. The fixings to be not more than 125mm

centres. (See illustration 4 & illustration 4a);

c) a door to Loss Prevention Board Standard LPS 1175, Security Rating 4; or

d) a sheet steel door (subject to constructional strength of walls) of either:

i) 10mm minimum thickness sheet steel door; or

ii) 6mm minimum thickness sheet steel door, stiffened by the provision of a

50mm by 50mm by 6mm steel angle or channel welded as close as possible to the

four edges of the door, allowing a minimum of 20mm of the door edges overlay

onto the angle of the frame on an outward opening door. The stiffening to be

continuous. (See illustration 8).

32. Solid timber, security class and steel lined doors must be fitted with good quality steel

hinges. At least three to provide the necessary support.

33. Doors of sheet steel fabrication will need to be:

a) hung on robust steel hinges continuously welded to the door and door surround.

Hinges may be either externally or internally fitted. Doors over 1.5 metres in height

should be fitted with not less than 3 hinges. (See illustration 8, illustrations 9& 10);

 

where external hinges are chosen, hinge bolts must be fitted to prevent the door being

opened on the hinge side if the hinges have been destroyed/removed. The hinge bolts of

not less than 40mm by 20mm cross section must be continuously welded to the inner

surface on the hanging side of the door. The hinge bolts should fit snugly against the door

surround, passing at least 20mm behind the surround. (See illustration 8, illustrations 9&

10);

c) hinge bolts should be fitted to support each hinge provided on the door and in the case

of only two being required, they must be positioned either at or above the level of the

upper hinge, and at or below the lower hinge on the door;

d) when a 6mm door pattern is chosen, steel lock pockets must be fitted so that the edge

of the angle is not cut through, but slotted to receive the lock (see illustration 11);

e) for inward opening doors, lock bolt receivers fabricated to the standards above must be

continuously welded to the surround. They should be constructed to permit only

necessary play in the door. Their vertical opening should allow for any flexing/expanding

the door may need. (See illustration 10).

34. Solid timber and steel lined doors must be hung in a heavy duty timber frame fitted to the

surrounding walls by appropriate fixing devices of not less than 150mm length at no more than

400mm centres with such devices not more than 150mm from the corners.

35. Steel door frames for up to 6mm thick steel doors fitted in walls not less than 125mm thick

can be fabricated by 100mm x 100mm x 6mm angle, ideally fitted with the fixings inside the

room. If this is not possible, the heads must be welded or splayed to prevent removal.

36. Steel door surrounds to be fitted in solid or cavity walls not less than 230mm thick, may be

fabricated, dependant upon 6mm or 10mm construction of either:

a) 100mm by 75mm by 6mm/10mm steel angle with a 100mm by 6mm/10mm plate

continuously welded to the "L" to produce a "T" section frame 200mm by 75mm by

6mm/10mm;

200mm by 75mm by 6mm/10mm steel "T" section;

c) the surround must be secured by ragbolts or similar high strength masonry devices

both on the external and internal faces of the "T" section surround. The outer side ones

welded or splayed to prevent removal. The fixings should not be greater than 400mm

apart, and not more than 150mm from the corners. (See illustration 8, illustrations 9&

10).

d) if the door is outward opening, hinge bolts must be fitted sufficient to prevent door

failure in the event of an attack on the exposed hinge pins (See illustration 8, &

illustrations 9)

 

37. Gun room doors should normally be secured by:

a) two mortice locks to at least BS3621 or its equivalent; orb) two locks from the HELA Tech doc 26/5.

38. It is acceptable for a door to be secured by a system of driven boltwork which is to the

following standard:

a) the boltwork can be either lever or key driven (see illustration 5 & illustration 6);

the bolts should operate:

i) along the opening edge, driving a minimum of 3 bolts, set equally spaced down

that edge; or

ii) along opening edge, top and bottom, of the door.

c) where the door has no bottom channel or frame, a bolt operating in the lower section of

the opening edge of the door to replace that in the preceding paragraph;

d) the boltwork may include driven bolts acting as hinge bolts down the hanging side of

the door. The number of such driven bolts must be the same as on a door with fixed hinge

bolts;

e) the bolts must be of good quality steel;

f) on solid timber/steel lined doors, the boltwork can either be internally secured to the

door or morticed into the door either during construction or at fitting;

g) on sheet steel doors the bolts must be installed either:

i) in steel pockets constructed from similar material to the door, continuously

welded to the door;

ii) on a 10mm plate door, in at least 2 steel carriers constructed from 50mm by

10mm steel angle continuously welded to the doorplate (see Illustration 6); or

iii) on a 6mm steel door with framing, the outer carrier may be the existing angle

with a 6mm reinforcing plate welded continuously to the inner face of the angle

and extending at least 25mm above and below the bolt slot top and bottom edges

(see Illustration 6).

Where round bolts are fitted, the steel angle should be not less than 60mm on that side

through which the bolts pass.

h) the boltwork must be secured by a lock to BS3621, engaging into the driving bars. It

must effectively detain the whole of the linkage in the locked position when operated.

The lock to be fitted in either a steel pocket or carrier welded to the interior of the door;

i) in the case of a handle operated locking system, it must be designed so the handle is of

a weak construction and cannot be used to place leverage on the mechanism when the

door is locked;

 

j) any handles fitted to either timber or steel doors should be of weak construction to

prevent their being used in any attack on the door;

k) on timber door frames, long plate lock boxes, or a 1.5mm (16swg) thick bolt protection

strip should be fitted to the frame on the opening side;

l) if the door is outward opening, an anti-bar strip may be incorporated to frustrate attacks

on the locking side.

39. Where the ceiling of the room is accessible from a vulnerable area, eg a loft, its security

should be enhanced by the installation of a weldmesh grille secured to the walls of the room or if

an alarm is fitted, by a method of detecting any attack at this point.

40. Ideally, there should be no windows in the gunroom if at ground floor/basement level.

Secure ventilation to the following standard would be suitable:

a) the fitting of a steel grille and internal baffle as in illustration 15; or

an arrangement where the internal and external ventilation openings are not in line, the

external ventilator facing a solid inner wall for at least the whole of its surface area.

41. Any windows serving this room should be fitted with either:

a) steel bars of not less than 19mm diameter or section at a maximum of 125mm vertical

centres. Horizontal steel straps or crossbars to be welded to each upright at a maximum of

450mm spacing to resist jacking. The bars may be individually fitted, grouted in not less

than 50mm and 50mm from inside edge; or mounted in a steel plate or angle frame fixed

to the wall surround at no more than 250mm centres; or

welded or expanded steel mesh grilles of at least 8swg (4.5mm) maximum 50mm x

50mm mesh, welded into an angle iron frame and installed as above.

[CZ550Kevlar]

Be prepared for a long read! The following from the Home Office Firearms Security Manual 2005 (still extant I think). Go to Annex A for the Gun Room standards, but here is a cut & paste:

 

Gun Room

 

29. The adaptation of an existing room within a building which may be considered to be suitable

for the security of the firearms, shotguns and ammunition where the enclosure does not have any

walls of timber and plasterboard construction (studded wall) unless the area has been rendered

secure by:

a) the fitting of expanded metal mesh, not less that 4mm (8swg) or not greater than

30mm by 50mm section, secured to the studding at not more than 300mm centres by

suitable screw fastenings; and

if the wall may be subject to sustained attack, consideration should be given to tying

the mesh to adjoining walls, floor and ceiling, or mounting in a frame secured to these

areas (see illustration 7).

30. The room is accessed by an internal door within the building, or door within a protected

area.

31. The door should be, according to risk and location, either:

a) a solid core timber barricade or laminated security door of not less than 44mm

thickness;

a timber door lined with sheet steel not less than 16swg, the sheet to be folded round

the locking and hanging edge of the door. It should be secured to the door structure with

steel screws, non-return on the external surface. The fixings to be not more than 125mm

centres. (See illustration 4 & illustration 4a);

c) a door to Loss Prevention Board Standard LPS 1175, Security Rating 4; or

d) a sheet steel door (subject to constructional strength of walls) of either:

i) 10mm minimum thickness sheet steel door; or

ii) 6mm minimum thickness sheet steel door, stiffened by the provision of a

50mm by 50mm by 6mm steel angle or channel welded as close as possible to the

four edges of the door, allowing a minimum of 20mm of the door edges overlay

onto the angle of the frame on an outward opening door. The stiffening to be

continuous. (See illustration 8).

32. Solid timber, security class and steel lined doors must be fitted with good quality steel

hinges. At least three to provide the necessary support.

33. Doors of sheet steel fabrication will need to be:

a) hung on robust steel hinges continuously welded to the door and door surround.

Hinges may be either externally or internally fitted. Doors over 1.5 metres in height

should be fitted with not less than 3 hinges. (See illustration 8, illustrations 9& 10);

 

where external hinges are chosen, hinge bolts must be fitted to prevent the door being

opened on the hinge side if the hinges have been destroyed/removed. The hinge bolts of

not less than 40mm by 20mm cross section must be continuously welded to the inner

surface on the hanging side of the door. The hinge bolts should fit snugly against the door

surround, passing at least 20mm behind the surround. (See illustration 8, illustrations 9&

10);

c) hinge bolts should be fitted to support each hinge provided on the door and in the case

of only two being required, they must be positioned either at or above the level of the

upper hinge, and at or below the lower hinge on the door;

d) when a 6mm door pattern is chosen, steel lock pockets must be fitted so that the edge

of the angle is not cut through, but slotted to receive the lock (see illustration 11);

e) for inward opening doors, lock bolt receivers fabricated to the standards above must be

continuously welded to the surround. They should be constructed to permit only

necessary play in the door. Their vertical opening should allow for any flexing/expanding

the door may need. (See illustration 10).

34. Solid timber and steel lined doors must be hung in a heavy duty timber frame fitted to the

surrounding walls by appropriate fixing devices of not less than 150mm length at no more than

400mm centres with such devices not more than 150mm from the corners.

35. Steel door frames for up to 6mm thick steel doors fitted in walls not less than 125mm thick

can be fabricated by 100mm x 100mm x 6mm angle, ideally fitted with the fixings inside the

room. If this is not possible, the heads must be welded or splayed to prevent removal.

36. Steel door surrounds to be fitted in solid or cavity walls not less than 230mm thick, may be

fabricated, dependant upon 6mm or 10mm construction of either:

a) 100mm by 75mm by 6mm/10mm steel angle with a 100mm by 6mm/10mm plate

continuously welded to the "L" to produce a "T" section frame 200mm by 75mm by

6mm/10mm;

200mm by 75mm by 6mm/10mm steel "T" section;

c) the surround must be secured by ragbolts or similar high strength masonry devices

both on the external and internal faces of the "T" section surround. The outer side ones

welded or splayed to prevent removal. The fixings should not be greater than 400mm

apart, and not more than 150mm from the corners. (See illustration 8, illustrations 9&

10).

d) if the door is outward opening, hinge bolts must be fitted sufficient to prevent door

failure in the event of an attack on the exposed hinge pins (See illustration 8, &

illustrations 9)

 

37. Gun room doors should normally be secured by:

a) two mortice locks to at least BS3621 or its equivalent; orb) two locks from the HELA Tech doc 26/5.

38. It is acceptable for a door to be secured by a system of driven boltwork which is to the

following standard:

a) the boltwork can be either lever or key driven (see illustration 5 & illustration 6);

the bolts should operate:

i) along the opening edge, driving a minimum of 3 bolts, set equally spaced down

that edge; or

ii) along opening edge, top and bottom, of the door.

c) where the door has no bottom channel or frame, a bolt operating in the lower section of

the opening edge of the door to replace that in the preceding paragraph;

d) the boltwork may include driven bolts acting as hinge bolts down the hanging side of

the door. The number of such driven bolts must be the same as on a door with fixed hinge

bolts;

e) the bolts must be of good quality steel;

f) on solid timber/steel lined doors, the boltwork can either be internally secured to the

door or morticed into the door either during construction or at fitting;

g) on sheet steel doors the bolts must be installed either:

i) in steel pockets constructed from similar material to the door, continuously

welded to the door;

ii) on a 10mm plate door, in at least 2 steel carriers constructed from 50mm by

10mm steel angle continuously welded to the doorplate (see Illustration 6); or

iii) on a 6mm steel door with framing, the outer carrier may be the existing angle

with a 6mm reinforcing plate welded continuously to the inner face of the angle

and extending at least 25mm above and below the bolt slot top and bottom edges

(see Illustration 6).

Where round bolts are fitted, the steel angle should be not less than 60mm on that side

through which the bolts pass.

h) the boltwork must be secured by a lock to BS3621, engaging into the driving bars. It

must effectively detain the whole of the linkage in the locked position when operated.

The lock to be fitted in either a steel pocket or carrier welded to the interior of the door;

i) in the case of a handle operated locking system, it must be designed so the handle is of

a weak construction and cannot be used to place leverage on the mechanism when the

door is locked;

 

j) any handles fitted to either timber or steel doors should be of weak construction to

prevent their being used in any attack on the door;

k) on timber door frames, long plate lock boxes, or a 1.5mm (16swg) thick bolt protection

strip should be fitted to the frame on the opening side;

l) if the door is outward opening, an anti-bar strip may be incorporated to frustrate attacks

on the locking side.

39. Where the ceiling of the room is accessible from a vulnerable area, eg a loft, its security

should be enhanced by the installation of a weldmesh grille secured to the walls of the room or if

an alarm is fitted, by a method of detecting any attack at this point.

40. Ideally, there should be no windows in the gunroom if at ground floor/basement level.

Secure ventilation to the following standard would be suitable:

a) the fitting of a steel grille and internal baffle as in illustration 15; or

an arrangement where the internal and external ventilation openings are not in line, the

external ventilator facing a solid inner wall for at least the whole of its surface area.

41. Any windows serving this room should be fitted with either:

a) steel bars of not less than 19mm diameter or section at a maximum of 125mm vertical

centres. Horizontal steel straps or crossbars to be welded to each upright at a maximum of

450mm spacing to resist jacking. The bars may be individually fitted, grouted in not less

than 50mm and 50mm from inside edge; or mounted in a steel plate or angle frame fixed

to the wall surround at no more than 250mm centres; or

welded or expanded steel mesh grilles of at least 8swg (4.5mm) maximum 50mm x

50mm mesh, welded into an angle iron frame and installed as above.

 

 

Bahh that`s nothing, about a half days work and a bit of sticky back plastic and job`s a goodun. I`m sure it would all be worth it to avoid buying a couple of large capacity cabinets.

[JMW]

Dave,

 

Thanks for all the information.

 

All the best

 

Jon