AusVarmint

To aid in saving a few dollars to buy a new rifle, I decided to alter one of the heavy duty boxes we get at work into a gun safe. Had to do a couple of quick modifications like put in a stainless hinge and welded some metal around the outside to prevent someone prying the box open. It will be locked with three padlocks and is to be attached to the floor using 3 dyna bolts.... FRA would be happy with this hey? Oh and I will only be storing Class A & B firearms insise this box.

may need to throw some more dyno bolts in to start with. but i would check with the locals first before you go to the trouble.

I love a tight arse project. Rip into it .

Looks good mate, can't see you having any problems with that - after all a solid timber cabinet is OK, that will be a lot tougher.

The box was used to store the missile seeker heads that our military aircraft use. It is very difficult to even drill though this metal even with the best drill bits out there.

Mate i have an old steel locker bolted to the shed with a heavy duty padlock and hasp and staple. My local copper had a look and said it was good enough. You wont have any problems, but i would still invite them for a look anyway. It show you are a responsible gun owner

Yeah I rang the locals and asked if they could come around for a look. They said no, you have to ring the FAR and request a submision though them for them to come and inspect it..... Still no real problem though.

no worries

Its probably a lot easier for me living in a small country town, especially when Firearms Branch is nearly 700km away

Dr G wrote:Mate i have an old steel locker bolted to the shed with a heavy duty padlock and hasp and staple. My local copper had a look and said it was good enough. You wont have any problems, but i would still invite them for a look anyway. It show you are a responsible gun owner

You know why he said it was good enough? Because that's what the coppers use for the personal stuff!!

You'd need a gas-axe to break into that. Go for it!

Nah mate no worries with that, an excellant idea, like previously said - if 10mm timber is fine your strong box will suffice also.

Tikka

I finally pulled my finger out and dyna bolted the safe to the floor this morning- In preparation for my buy next weekend... I placed the dyna bolts down the centre line using three bolts at equal intervals..... After I have tightned everything up you can still lift the front edge up ever so slightly (2-3mm).... So do you think this is ok? It only flexes due to slight flex of the case floor...... I very much doubt they could pull it out of the floor..Happy to get the police to come and check it but I have to get the FAR to request there inspection.....And I don't want to get picked up on anything once I have my rifle.

Thats looks the goods mate.

I think from memory in the brochure they sent me when I got my licence it reccomended that the safe be bolted to the structure in four places with 12*50mm dynabolts or coach bolts, and that's what the Licensing Sergeant looked for, four bolts through the back or floor of the safe.

The whole "container of sturdy construction" is very open to interpretation, they accept school lockers with a padlock on the front!

The other test he did was to grab a hold of the safe and see if he could rip it off the wall.

Your safe looks a lot more sturdy than my one is, and you will probably need a gas axe to break into it like Woob said.

It is strange about the inspection thing because i have just moved house and rang FAR to let them know that as of a certain date my safe storage address would change. Asked the girl if i needed to have the police come and inspect it and the reply 'no need to worry unless i am concerned about it being compliant otherwise it will just get done during routine police inspections' anyway i rang the local licencing officer to ask about the regs about putting a safe in the garage which is detached from the house.
He promptly said i did need the safe inspected if moving and couldn't believe that someone from the registry would tell me otherwise. Doesn't bother me cause the policeman who does the inspections has seen the safe a few times over the last 2 years for the other times i have moved and it complies no probs. He even remembered me from the first time i had the safe inspected and that i was into clay target shooting and he had a stack of questions lined up cause he want to have a go.

As for the flex whe you pull it up i would say for the sake of a couple of extra bolts it would be worth while. one in each corner would do. What i would say that if you can get it to lift it up a bit you could also get a jimmy bar or some other lever under the safe and bust it off.

Cheers
James

yeah bolt the corners mate, even though you could never bust three 12mm dynabolts from the centre.

Oh forgot to say Muttang, I'd put good padlocks on those lugs or even better weld a shroud around them, cause it only takes a small rod through the padlock shank and with a twist motion they go 'pop'

Tikka