The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Hello everyone :)

I wonder if someone can give me some cabinet advice please?
I plan to purchase the Brattonsound Sentinel Plus RL5+ as that can hold 4/5 guns, is nice and deep for scoped rifles and has a locking top box for ammo storage.
That particular cabinet seems to be well regarded and solidly built.
I won't fix it down until the firearms chap has visited and is happy with where I tend to get it installed.
I was just wondering please, is it possible to just have a safe bolted to the floor rather than a wall? The floor is solid concrete where as there is only one solid wall in the area where I intend to get the safe fixed and in doing so it will be a pain to open the safe door.
Also if I fit to the wall the skirting board will need to be chopped so the safe can fit flush to the wall, if bolted to the floor would the skirting board also need the chop?

Any advice gratefully received :)

Ryan

What ever safe you buy remember that the capacity is based on shotguns so a 4/5 gun safe might only hold 2/3 scoped rifles without the risk of bashing things about. My advice to anyone starting out is save a few more pennies and buy a bigger safe as you'll end up doing it later and have all the faff a re-fixing etc.

Fixings can be a pain particularly if you're struggling to find solid walls, it has to be secured to the wall to prevent it being crowbarred off. Talk to the FEO when they come around and they'll tell you better what they'll be happy with. As for skirting boards I made some wooden plinths to stand mine on to they clear the skirting and were flush to the wall.

Alan

My advice would be get a bigger one if you can aford it, you won't easily get 5 guns in a 4/5 safe, more space you have the better so you dont knock and scratch them, also if you are like most shooters you will end up with more guns. The safe will need to be installed for the firearms visit, probably won't be happy if thay have to return. There is guidance on locations available. Fairly sure it will need to be bolted to the floor and the wall, you could use a wooded spacer behind to pack out to same level as the skirting. I would recomend a Infac Safe i have one which I think is 8/9 with top box which is great and reasonably priced with extra depth for scopes, I can give you a link to where I got it if that helps

The easiest solution to my mind would be: If you have space, lie the cabinet down and secure it to the concrete using Thunderbolts.

Remove the skirting using an oscillating multi tool both to chop the skirting and to slip in behind the skirting to cut the nails to remove it cleanly (of course being careful not to cut through wires etc)

Drill couple of holes in sides that are flush up against the wall and attach fixings.

If it won't move it should pass.

I didn't remove the skirting board, fitted the safes above the skirting and wooden blocks (same size as safes) below and fixed the safe (using M10 rawl bolts) to wall and screwed to wooden blocks as advised.

Definitely buy the biggest safe you can afford and accommodate. I started with a 5 gun. Replaced it with a 7 gun (which now holds 9 guns) so I'm trying to sort out a better location and a huge safe. :)

IMO for floor mounting to be viable you would need to lie the cabinet on its side, especially if you can't get it flush to the wall, otherwise the full length of the cabinet could be used as a lever and it would be fairly easy to wrench it off the floor, probably without even having to use tools.

I would definitely wait until the FEO can call round before you mount it, given your circumstances.

Don't wish to thread hijack too much, but what are my chances of getting approval for a cabinet in my garage? It's detached from the house but well secured and I would put in an alarm. Surrey police fwiw.

StangGT wrote:Don't wish to thread hijack too much, but what are my chances of getting approval for a cabinet in my garage? It's detached from the house but well secured and I would put in an alarm. Surrey police fwiw.

Have a look at the Firearms Security Guidance here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... dbook-2005.
There are some specific notes about cabinets in attached garages which would give you an idea on the minimal standards they'd look for in a detached garage. But it's frowned on.

Triffid

Regarding having cabinets installed horizontally/on their sides, my advice would be to avoid it if you can. The guns wind up lying on top of each other and it's too easy to damage them. On their back is better but access can be difficult. Ideally fix them upright.
Triffid