Nial Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I've applied for my SG certificate and am wondering about where's best to secure a gun safe. Our house is a new build so all the walls upstairs are stud walls. I can get at a gable wall in the roofspace but it's thermal block which poses its own problems. I was going to bolt a safe on its back to the joists but realise that you're supposed to mount it so you can't get a crow-bar behind it. Would it be OK if I floor an area on the joists and bolt the safe in the middle of the flooring so you can't easily get behind it? I know I can discuss this all when I get the visit from the peelers but I'd like to have most of the donkey work done to speed things along. Thanks for any pointers, Nial Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Mine are on the joists.....no probs for 10ish years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nial Posted July 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Mine are on the joists.....no probs for 10ish years What, just straight down onto the joists with no flooring? Nial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 My apologies, yes there is flooring but the meat of the bolts(3") are in the joists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J@mes Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I had this problem - as my house is a new build too. use M10 threaded rod that has been chemically anchored into the thermo-blocks. board the loft out, put a light up there. sorted! rod and chemical anchor can be had from screwfix for less than £10! my FEO told me that if my safe was screwed to my joists he would like me to plate the joists with steel either side of the cabinet in order to stop them being sawn easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J@mes Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 http://www.screwfix.com/prods/31582/Fixing...ion-Resin-380ml http://www.screwfix.com/prods/22257/Fixing...300mm-Pack-of-5 and 6 M10 nuts/ washers from a local hardware place. what I did: place your cabinet where you want it, mark on the wall with chalk where the mounting holes are and drill them to M12 (make sure you dont go right through the block, do a test hole somewhere to check the depth) put a bit of resin in the holes and then stick your rods in (i did mine 120mm long, with 100mm in the wall and 20mm for the washer and bolt keep them straight while they set if it doesn't set quickly - selotape a pencil under the rod to hold it up. allow them to set for the specified time. put your cabinet over the rods, and then the washer, and then the bolts. tighten them. really tight. I did mine with a breaker bar and still didnt pull the rod from the wall. make sure there are no sharp edges protruding into the cabinet that might scratch your guns. Done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nial Posted July 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 I had this problem - as my house is a new build too.use M10 threaded rod that has been chemically anchored into the thermo-blocks. board the loft out, put a light up there. sorted! rod and chemical anchor can be had from screwfix for less than £10! my FEO told me that if my safe was screwed to my joists he would like me to plate the joists with steel either side of the cabinet in order to stop them being sawn easily. Thanks for the feedback, there's a local screwfix so guess where I'm heading tomorrow morning. A sheet of 8'x4' 1.6mm steel is only £15 odd (or is was a couple of years ago when I last bought one) but bolting it to the wall will be a neater installation. It'll also force me to get that part of the roofspace cleared out. Thanks again, Nial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codling99 Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 my force not fussy on cabinet in loft idea,said that i would be less likeley to lock guns away after a long day out if i had to climb up loft,put mine under stairs bolted to wall and floor in end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klunk Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 My force seems to agree with Codling's. Better off having a cabinet where it'll get used. Don't forget your floor will (probably) also have joists, and these will do just as well as those in the loft. All the police would like to see is that it is securely attached to the fabric of the dwelling, and out of sight of casual visitors. As ever, common sense applies. If making the cabinet blend in with the surrounding is the concern, one tip might be affix it on it's back against a wall, perhaps hidden under a piece of furniture such as a bed, then if you want glue carpet, laminate or whatever type of flooring you have onto the cabinet so it blends in. To the casual observer this will look as though it's a covering for messy central heating pipes or whatever. Also, laying the cabinet on it's back means that you'll be able to fit more in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmer_fudd Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 A friend of mine told me.... The FEO said to remove the Safe from the loft as they had issues over gaining access to inspect it. True? I don't know? They claimed it was a "Health & Safety" issue! Worth asking before you fix it in situ. Elmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickb Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 A mate of mine has been "kind of told" by Derbyshire Police not too put it in the loft cos there is a chance that after a days shooting, your feeling a little pooped, you might not climb up into the loft but leave your gun lying around Worth bearing in mind it might be the latest thing from plod! Mines in the bedroon wardrobe, and my house is only 7 years old, so suffers from waffer thin walls Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fallowbuck Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 (edited) Years ago, a shooting acquaintance of mine mounted his cabinet in his loft. The only access was via a knotted rope(he was a wiry agile fellow!) The police constable came to vet his security arrangements and was gobsmacked when he saw the location and access method!! As he knew my friend quite well he said "There's ****g no way I,m climbing up there" and promptly told him to give the cabinet a good shake.Fair enough he said ,made a few notes and disappeared through the door! My friend duly received his license a few weeks later!! Edited July 21, 2008 by fallowbuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myzeneye Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 mines in the loft, no where else for it to go really....fuzz were ok with it as i have floor boarded out,lights and loft ladder...... hatch could do with being a tad bigger though..... he said i could put it in the garage if i wanted as the garage was on the house alarm, but i think they are probably less secure there so im best of climbing up the ladder everytime.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nial Posted July 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 Just had the visit from the peelers, he was a decent chatty guy. He said there's no problem with the safe bolted to the gable in the roof space. We've a reasonable ladder up and a flourescent light up there so it's not too much hassle to get at. He said that if the roof joists were a bit thicker he'd be happy enough with it coach bolted to them, but with this being a new build they're like match sticks. He was only here for 25 mins or so, said there should be no problem and that things should be sorted in a couple of weeks. Nial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattslaptop247 Posted July 22, 2008 Report Share Posted July 22, 2008 I bolted mine to the breezblocks on the inside of the gabel end, no probs with doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nial Posted August 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2008 Just a final update. I ended up 'glueing' it into the wall with some of the resin from Screwfix that J@mes pointed me to. For future reference the 380ml container needs a special gun to push the two parts of the resin out. If you go for the 150ml pack this can be used in a normal squeegy gun thing (can't remember the proper name for it). I couldn't believe how soft the thermal blocks are. I used a 12mm masonry drill for 10mm threaded bar and reckon I could almost have drilled it by hand. I was very impressed with the resin, everything's ended up solid and tight to the wall. The FIO was impressed and said the certificate should be out in a week or two. Thanks for the pointers, Nial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEINVISIBLESCARECROW Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 How the hell do you get a cab' up to the loft, christ, 3 of us struggled & sweat blood to drag, slide, heave & grunt it up the stairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nial Posted August 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 How the hell do you get a cab' up to the loft, christ, 3 of us struggled & sweat blood to drag, slide, heave & grunt it up the stairs. It's only a 3 gun cabinet, 25kgs I think. It was easy enough to get up the loft ladder on my own. Are you some sort of southern shandy drinking sausage jockey ;-) Nial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight32 Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 How the hell do you get a cab' up to the loft, christ, 3 of us struggled & sweat blood to drag, slide, heave & grunt it up the stairs. It's only a 3 gun cabinet, 25kgs I think. It was easy enough to get up the loft ladder on my own. Are you some sort of southern shandy drinking sausage jockey ;-) Nial. No we are not...... it is just we normally a little out of condition from using the house servants all the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Sam Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 As my FEO pointed out, removing the cabinet from the wall is the least of a potential thief's problems.... the fact that it weigh over 100lbs empty, and even more with three guns and 500 cartridges in it! Stuck a ear blaster shed alarm in the room too to wake me up if anyone tries to enter the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirokujames Posted August 8, 2008 Report Share Posted August 8, 2008 mine is coach bolted 4 times to triple trusses and floor joists. cop said it was perfect its also hidden away and alarmed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEINVISIBLESCARECROW Posted August 9, 2008 Report Share Posted August 9, 2008 How the hell do you get a cab' up to the loft, christ, 3 of us struggled & sweat blood to drag, slide, heave & grunt it up the stairs. It's only a 3 gun cabinet, 25kgs I think. It was easy enough to get up the loft ladder on my own. Are you some sort of southern shandy drinking sausage jockey ;-) Nial. No, just someone with a larger cab'/ Forgot abot the 2/3 gun ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deejay Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 my force not fussy on cabinet in loft idea,said that i would be less likeley to lock guns away after a long day out if i had to climb up loft,put mine under stairs bolted to wall and floor in end. I agree here as mine is up in the loft and yeah, at the end of the day its a pain going back up there to put it away may just move it,when my sgc is up for renewal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 My cabinet is bolted to the gable end in the loft, Breezeblock and bolted thru the joists, I believe there is a special stuff you can get for thermo block, get the loft boarded, lighted Should be ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 A friend of mine told me.... The FEO said to remove the Safe from the loft as they had issues over gaining access to inspect it. True? I don't know? They claimed it was a "Health & Safety" issue! Worth asking before you fix it in situ. Elmer. Simple, add loft ladders, some boarding, light n power, hey presto !!! I did with no problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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