gun room

[jeb111]

I have been finishing out my basement all winter and have made accommodations for a nice sized gun. Has anyone had any experience with murphy doors? I want the room to be hidden. I made the room so as to have a real high fire rating but to guard against theft my thinking is that if a thief doesn't know the room exists my things will be that much more secure. Any comments or suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks
Jim

[tomaustin]

just how big a gun is it ?

[Norme]

I like those bookcases you see in the movies, you tilt one book "A Polish-English Dictionary" would be a good choice, and the whole bookcase swings open to reveal a hidden room. You could probably pick up the dictionary real cheap.
Norm

[Ron Wood]

A swinging bookcase is a neat solution. The only problem is the weight. You need a really hefty back frame and hinge set-up. Otherwise, you have to add a roller to the bottom to help carry the weight and that leaves a track on the floor. A hidden cable (or steel rod) and turnbuckle from the top hinge to the bottom outside corner helps with carrying the weight and can be adjusted over time.
Ron

[jeb111]

They make these hideaway doors from several manufacturers and they come assembled or put together yourself. Most seem to be able to hold a reasonable amount of weight. I have just never seen one in person. Wondering if they are worth it or if it is better to go another way like with a heavier security door? A safe door is not an option, and I will have my gun safe in the room when finished.
Jim

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by jeb111

They make these hideaway doors from several manufacturers and they come assembled or put together yourself. Most seem to be able to hold a reasonable amount of weight. I have just never seen one in person. Wondering if they are worth it or if it is better to go another way like with a heavier security door? A safe door is not an option, and I will have my gun safe in the room when finished.
Jim

I'd go look at one in person if interested.

IMO use a steel door, one that opens into the room(may not meet code, so put it in yourself).

Good locks, and a security system on top of that.

If you can panel over the door, to hide it great- but a security/alarm system is a requirement for sure.

But even more important, don't talk about it.

[Olle]

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

A swinging bookcase is a neat solution. The only problem is the weight. You need a really hefty back frame and hinge set-up. Otherwise, you have to add a roller to the bottom to help carry the weight and that leaves a track on the floor. A hidden cable (or steel rod) and turnbuckle from the top hinge to the bottom outside corner helps with carrying the weight and can be adjusted over time.
Ron

You could hinge it at the center (for example on a piece of pipe and two wheel bearings) to balance the weight. Still, it would lose a lot of the cool factor if you can't show it off to your buddies (and I'm sure you'll be very tempted to do that), so a vault door might be a safer solution.

[MP38]

It really depends on the layout of your home. A smart person will know that the basement of your house usually follows the layout of the upstairs of your house. So having a "hidden" room is difficult to fool the keen observer.

Having said that, I have seen several that are really good. One I've seen had a "hidden room" under the garage. Normally, you wouldn't have a basement under the garage, so it was perfect for "concealment". He had a bar in his basement, and the back bar had an automated sliding doors to it, to reveal a bank type vault door, the when opened, would lead to his gun room. The doors were controlled with a simple garage type remote. Very cool, and very concealed, but also a lot of work, money, and preparations to do it.

Another one I've seen has a "hidden room" under the porch. Again, you wouldn't think there would be a basement under the porch, so it it's easily concealed. He concealed it by having a work shop in his basement, and had large peg board with hanging tools on it. If you turn one of the pegs, the peg board swings open, revealing the vault door, and inside is the gun room. Very simple, and not easily seen to the casual observer.

Both really good designs. All depends on your home, and how much money/time you want to spend on it? Think outside the box!

Matt

[Edward Tinker]

Depends on where you live - many places only half half basements

But If your gun room takes up the entire basement, then hide the door to the basement, if say half the basement, you could hide the door - remember that the strength of a vault is only as strong as its walls.

[ithacaartist]

"Gas springs" such as seen on automobile hatchbacks and hoods might come in handy. Something off the shelf might work, but it's better to get help from the supplier to engineer its application, which will result in really slick operation. You'll have to submit lots of pertinent dimensions, weights, and calculated centers of gravity, but it's worth the trouble. I installed some on a large contact exposure table at Cornell that had two lids. The first lid was a steel-framed piece of glass that held the negative and paper in position. The second lid contained a bank of fluorescent bulbs of the proper color temperature, positioned as tightly together as possible. After I had moved their ballasts into an box I made and installed under the table, the sheet metal box/lid was still quite heavy. Bottom line, the lids stayed closed when shut, and could be raised to stay in any position with a little finger. The darkroom folks loved it, and I'll admit the results even impressed me!

[4 Scale]

I presently store my modest pistol collection in a wooden vault (bookcase). It is probably a character flaw but I have imagined an upgrade to the "gun room" security approach shown in this video when/if it becomes available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS2PtmM9mwU While presently unsafe/illegal, to say nothing of the hazard posed to family pets, the approach demonstrated in the video would probably be quite effective. As well as obviate the need for a Polish-English dictionary.

[DonVoigt]

I'm not sure what those Utube videos have to do with a bookcase?

[4 Scale]

I mentioned my wooden gun vault (actually a cupboard in a bookcase) to illustrate how I am in need of a more secure system. It would be nice to have something even better than metal cabinets or hidden rooms.

[Ron Wood]

I have been fortunate enough to have my last two homes built for me. In each I had a reinforced concrete vault constructed and the house built around it. The first vault had a door salvaged from a jewelry store in Odessa, TX. That was a chore hauling that heavy son-of-a-gun back to El Paso and setting it up. My current vault has a door I purchased from the Ft. Knox Safe Co. It is insulated and fire-rated with a 1-inch thick steel door front, twenty-four 1 3/8” stainless locking bolts with 4 additional bolts of the same dimension at the corners and a Sargent & Greenleaf combination lock. The total cost was roughly the same as three years of insurance premiums would have cost. Fourteen years later it makes it a pretty good investment.
Ron

[hayhugh]

The use of a "water tight door" as used on ships might be part of the answer.

[JTD]

Very nice set up there Mr Wood!!! John

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

I have been fortunate enough to have my last two homes built for me. In each I had a reinforced concrete vault constructed and the house built around it. The first vault had a door salvaged from a jewelry store in Odessa, TX. That was a chore hauling that heavy son-of-a-gun back to El Paso and setting it up. My current vault has a door I purchased from the Ft. Knox Safe Co. It is insulated and fire-rated with a 1-inch thick steel door front, twenty-four 1 3/8” stainless locking bolts with 4 additional bolts of the same dimension at the corners and a Sargent & Greenleaf combination lock. The total cost was roughly the same as three years of insurance premiums would have cost. Fourteen years later it makes it a pretty good investment.
Ron

Cool!
Now just hang a large picture over it.

[Norme]

I like it Ron, no one would ever guess that you store valuables there.
Regards, Norm

[Ron Wood]

Actually that is just a diversion. I keep all my stuff in a sock drawer.
Ron

[Lyn Islaub]

This setup has worked well for me for several years. It spans 70" which is wider than any doorway.
Lyn