Putting a large safe through a small hole

kirkwood · Post by **kirkwood** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:30 pm

My problem is that I want to put a gunsafe in a large dressing room off the master bedroom, but the doorway is only 22" (24" if I take out the door frame). This means either going with a Zanotti safe that is assembled on site or else locating the safe in the master bedroom itself (which is not a very good option due mostly to limited floor space).

Is anyone familiar with Zanotti Armor gun safes? I've heard they were actually more secure than some prebuilt safes. The ability to break it down into panels and take it with the next time I move is a plus. The apparent lack of a watertight seal is a big minus.

http://www.zanottiarmor.com/

Unfortunately, I can't make the doorway bigger than 24" due to plumbing and built-in cabinets. I suppose a third option is to bring in 2 or more smaller safes, but the problem with multiple safes is the extra cost.

Does anyone know of a gun safe that is wide in one dimension and relatively thin in the other and has both a reasonably good fire rating and a water seal?

Mike

bsaride · Post by **bsaride** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:43 pm

Hmmmm.....

Can ya open up a back/side wall that doesn't have a plumbing issue?

kirkwood · Post by **kirkwood** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:09 pm

Nope. The house is brick. Any tear-out and construction adds to the cost which I want to avoid. Plus I really don't want anyone driving past the house to see that there is a large safe going into that corner of the house.

I guess having multiple safes is OK. I could have one small safe with my personal defense weapons and ammo in the dressing room and then a larger second safe in the guest bedroom on the other side of the house.

the idea of putting in a large prefab safe still interests me though.

Mike

jnyork · Post by **jnyork** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:38 pm

I have two smaller safes by Liberty, a 30 gun and a 24 gun. ( neither of which, of course, holds any where near that many) I like the idea better than one huge one in case I ever have to move it will be much easier and if I dont like them in one spot, I can unbolt them and my wife and I can easily (sort of) roll them around.

Old No7 · Post by **Old No7** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:52 pm

Just my $0.02...

Very few "safes" are truly waterproof anyhow, so don't let that deter you from the Zanotti model, if it meets your needs.

I put the word "safes" in quotes, as if you check the fine print on the UL Labels, they're sold/listed as "Residential Security Containers". I forget what the difference is between a real safe and an RSC, but let's all agree that what's sold as a safe sure beats having nothing at all or one of the cheap sheet metal steel cabinets.

One other tip -- trust me on this! -- buy something 2X what you think you need for size, as the safes CAN NOT fit the # of guns they are rated for -- no way, no how!

Plus... Your collection will multiply once you have a safe place to store them...

Tight groups!

Old No7

marlinman93 · Post by **marlinman93** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:33 pm

Safe makers like Liberty and Fort Knox will make safes to exact sizes for about $150 over std. prices. I had a friend who had one made to fit in his closet. They made it 8" taller than normal, and slightly deeper and narrower. Go to their web site and contact them. You can have one made very wide, but only 22" deep to fit your space.
http://www.ftknox.com/builder/

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:33 pm

I just checked out the Zanotti site but couldn't find any prices. Does anybody have ball part idea of what they cost?

Joe

kirkwood · Post by **kirkwood** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 10:24 pm

marlinman93 wrote:Safe makers like Liberty and Fort Knox will make safes to exact sizes for about $150 over std. prices. I had a friend who had one made to fit in his closet. They made it 8" taller than normal, and slightly deeper and narrower. Go to their web site and contact them. You can have one made very wide, but only 22" deep to fit your space.
http://www.ftknox.com/builder/

I didn't know that some makers will do a custom size. That would solve all my problems and may be cheaper than buying two. If there is still a problem getting enough room in a single safe, then I will go with buying 2.

As far as the water sealant, I just want to keep out any short term standing water put in by the fire department. It will be on a platform also, so water sealing is a want and not specifically a need.

Thanks all for some good ideas.

Mike

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 11:39 pm

Caulk it once you have it put in place. This ought to keep spray from a firehose out and if it is on a platform, standing water should not be a problem.

Actually, I have found with a little bit of creative storage, you can usually cram 2X the number of guns into a safe than what it is rated for. The problem is getting them back out again - the ones in the rear become safe queens" really fast. Buy the Zanotti and get it big - as big as you can. You'll appreciate it as your collection grows, and the ability to put others things in the safe as needed.

Tycer · Post by **Tycer** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 12:12 am

marlinman93 wrote:Safe makers like Liberty and Fort Knox will make safes to exact sizes for about $150 over std. prices. I had a friend who had one made to fit in his closet. They made it 8" taller than normal, and slightly deeper and narrower. Go to their web site and contact them. You can have one made very wide, but only 22" deep to fit your space.
http://www.ftknox.com/builder/

THAT is good info. I'll be buying a Liberty this year and may go that route.

Bullard4075 · Post by **Bullard4075** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 12:48 am

Is putting it through a window an option?

kirkwood · Post by **kirkwood** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:20 am

Bullard4075 wrote:Is putting it through a window an option?

I thought of that too, but the only large window is over a bathtub in the adjacent master bathroom. I would first have to take out part of the security fence and then take out the window. Then figure out how to get an 800 lb safe over a 5 foot wide whirlpool bathtub and back onto the floor. So that means a small portable crane has to be brought in. That is more effort than I can deal with. Plus if I am forced to move, I have to leave the safe behind.

I will price out a custom safe against the Zanotti and finally compare this to the 2 safe option (with identical combinations). Right now I am leaning for a custom safe that I can make wide but only 21" deep. I really like that idea.

Mike

marlinman93 · Post by **marlinman93** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:15 pm

Some companies also make wide double door safes that aren't too deep. They hold a lot of guns without the hassle of moving guns to get to the back row.

wm · Post by wm » Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:36 pm

Zanotti makes a very good product......I think you'll be very happy with one.

Wm

Grizz · Post by **Grizz** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:58 am

I like the zanotti idea. I could build that thing very easily and use concealed hasps and high security combo padlocks. Anyone who has time and energy to get that open will be able to open any safe. A cutting torch bypasses a lot of impressive looking 'features' that won't keep dot.gov out of it.

Yup, gonna design a corner safe and get the details worked out on graph paper, see what it looks like.

Grizz

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:55 pm

Didn't you always want a nice sliding door to a covered deck right there?

Putting a large safe through a small hole

Putting a large safe through a small hole

Gun "Safe"...