Owning a gun safe to securely house your firearms may be one of the most intelligent decisions you will ever make. The truth is that a number of firearms related accidents occur each year because people have not properly secured their handguns and rifles, often leading to children finding them. Your firearms properly secured in a safe eliminate this risk. Moreover, your gun safe is intended for more than just a place to store your firearms so your kids don’t get injured. This is where you want to keep your handguns and rifles so that a thief is not able to steal them.

Having a gun safe is a great protective measure, but you need to ensure that you properly install it so that it is kept secure. Just because your safe is heavy doesn’t mean that it can’t be stolen, so properly mounting it or locking it into the floor is essential and here’s how to bolt down a gun safe at your own.

What to Do Before Installing a Gun Safe?

If this is the kind of safe you have purchased, then know that by following some simple instructions you can have your safe securely mounted and fastened into place. To get started, you will need the following items:

• Hammer
• Drywall saw
• Pencil or marker
• Drilling machine
• Drill bits
• Nails, standard and finishing
• Several ¼ inch strips of plywood
• 2 inch screws
• Ruler
• A carpenter’s level

Your next step is to choose a location in your home where you wish to mount the safe. Before firmly setting upon any decision, measure the area to ensure that you have enough space to mount your safe. There should be ample space between foundation boards to fit the safe, and you should ensure that it will not stick out of the back end of a wall. You need to keep in mind that both sides of the safe must be hidden.

How to Bolt a Gun Safe to the Wall?

There are many great safes out there that are intended to be mounted within a wall of your home. By design, they are meant to be camouflaged by a picture, mirror, or similar object. This gives you the security of having your safe mounted securely into your wall, while also giving you the advantage of a camouflaged unit hidden behind some other object.

Now it is time to mount your gun safe. If you have properly chosen location, here are the steps you should follow:

• Your safe will, with an outline that you place over your wall to trace the space needed for you to cut and placed the safe in your wall. Using a carpenter’s level, place the tracing paper directly below it when you have determined that the level is parallel to the floor, then trace your outline.
• Take your hammer, and drive a nail into the center of the area that you have marked. You will need to use this as a knob so that you can pull out the wall once you have made your cut.
• Using your drywall saw, begin to carefully cut along the lines that you have traced. When you are finished, use the nail that you pounded into the center of the wall to pull out the piece you cut.
• Take the plywood strips and fill in the space between the wall where you made the cut and the back wall. Use your finishing nails to fasten the strips of plywood into place so that it creates a frame around the area where you will mount your safe.
• Now, insert the safe into the area you have cut. Make sure that it fits all the way to the back wall so that it is completely flat against it. If the safe is not completely flush with the forward wall that is perfectly okay.
• Open the safe door and remove any shelves. Now, using your drill, drill the screws into the wall studs to firmly fasten the safe in place. It is likely that the safe has come with screws you are to use, so make sure that these are the screws.

You are now done. With just a few simple steps, your safe is securely mounted into your wall.

How to Bolt a Gun Safe to Concrete Floor?

Maybe the kind of safe you have will not fit inside a wall inside your home or is not intended for that. Maybe it is a standard type of safe that needs to be securely fastened to the floor. If you have a safe that needs to be bolted to a concrete floor, here are the steps you need to follow.

• Begin, by choosing the location where you want your safe to go. You need to ensure that there is ample space for the safe to fit as well as space for you to be able to approach the safe and unlock it and open the door. Don’t make the fit to tight.
• If you are bolting a safe in a location where there is carpeting, you will need to begin by removing that carpeted area. This can either be done by placing the safe in the location where you intend to bolt it, then outlining the carpet so you know where to cut, or you can simply measure the safe then measure the carpeted area to create your outline. Using a rug cutting tool, follow the traced line.
• Once the carpeted area is removed, place your safe back in the location where you intend to mount it. Open your safe and remove any shelving that is located within the safe. On the bottom of the safe, you will find the anchor holes.
• Using the screws provided, use a drill and begin to secure the safe to the concrete floor by inserting the screws through each anchor hole. While performing this task, it is important that you wear safety goggles, gloves, and a respirator.
• When you have finished, take a level and place it on top of the safe, ensure that you have inserted the screws evenly. If you find that you have not, you may need to do some additional drilling.
• Clean around the area so that all debris has been removed both in and around the safe. The use of compressed air is one of the best ways you can accomplish this task.

If you wish to add extra security, there should be anchor holes in the back of the safe as well. You can drill through a wall stud if you have properly positioned your safe, so that you are anchoring in the concrete floor and in the wall. This will add additional security.

How to Install a Gun Safe in Your Car?

If you are heading out to go hunting or to go to the range, you will be in a situation where you need to take your gun with you. However, you may not be going directly to the range or to the hunting area before you make a stop or two. This requires you to install a gun safe in your car so that you can keep your weapon secure and not be fearful about it being stolen.

The kind of installation you will need to perform is dependent upon the kind of firearm you are transporting. There are specific safes for long rifles and for handguns, so specific installation instructions are provided for each type.

Installing a Handgun Safe

If you are installing a handgun safe, here are the instructions you need to follow:

• Most of these types of safes come with a cable attachment that makes the securing of the safe a whole lot easier. After locking the safe, ensure that the cable is properly attached. Most safes have the cable locked into the safe once it is closed to add additional security.
• Find a location in your car that not only provides enough space for you to hide your safe but also has a permanent fixture in the car that you can attach the cable to. Usually the driver side or passenger side seat is the best option.
• Threaded the cable through the metal bars that hold the seat in place. If you can run the cable underneath and through the bars that the seat slides back and forth on that is belted to the bottom floor of the car that would be ideal.
• Once you have threaded the cable, use a padlock to lock the cable in place.

Installing a Rifle Safe

If you are installing a rifle safe, here are the instructions for you:

• You need to find a place in your vehicle where there is enough space for your safe but also a location where you can bolt your safe place. This is usually behind the seats in a truck or it may have to be in the trunk of your car.
• Properly positioned your safe where you would like it to be secured. You may find that the safe, as with a set of cables that you can run through the flooring bolts or through the bars that lock the seat in place. If this is the case, read the cables and lock them into position using a padlock.
• If this is not the case, then you will need to screw the anchor bolts of the safe into the flooring of the car. With everything were moved out of the safe, you will see anchor holes in the bottom of the safe. Use the screws provided, and drill them through the floor of your car and into the metal frame. This will lock your safe in place and add the security you need.