Adding weight to a safe

Equipment and accessories for shooting. Safes, firearm storage, bipods, carry cases, slings etc.

Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by Dunxy » 02 Sep 2017, 7:05 pm

bladeracer wrote:
That's garbage. There is no requirement for your firearm storage receptacle to have left any factory, you can make it yourself if you prefer.

Never said it was in the act or regs, just what my local DFO said when i directly asked him the question. Ive read both the act and regulations and i know it says nothing about that.
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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by bladeracer » 02 Sep 2017, 7:19 pm

Dunxy wrote:
bladeracer wrote:
That's garbage. There is no requirement for your firearm storage receptacle to have left any factory, you can make it yourself if you prefer.

Never said it was in the act or regs, just what my local DFO said when i directly asked him the question. Ive read both the act and regulations and i know it says nothing about that.


That's my point, the DFO was telling you rubbish.
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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by Dunxy » 02 Sep 2017, 7:36 pm

bladeracer wrote:
Dunxy wrote:
bladeracer wrote:
That's garbage. There is no requirement for your firearm storage receptacle to have left any factory, you can make it yourself if you prefer.

Never said it was in the act or regs, just what my local DFO said when i directly asked him the question. Ive read both the act and regulations and i know it says nothing about that.


That's my point, the DFO was telling you rubbish.

Agreed, but lets say he was inspecting me, which is highly probable as hes the closest,would it be worth the grief to argue it with him? Its something i honestly wanted to do because i posses the skills and equipment to do it properly, ive built friggen boilers and those great big ass signs above crown casino, i welded the mounts for them and they've been up nearly 20 years so im more than qualified to make a strong box! I had read the storage requirements long before doing class and had seen nothing about not being able to do it so i was a bit miffed when he shot it down but it hardly felt appropriate to argue the point with him at that moment in time.

At the end of the day im still happy with what i got without having to modify it, happier than i would have been. I probably spent around $1-150 more to buy my 14gun safe that exceeds weight requirement by a long shot. that i would have buying a smaller lighter new safe.I don't work in the metal industry these days so id have to buy the steel, that alone would have cost me the difference id hazard a guess, especially if you need it cut! Sometimes stuff that seems like an easy option actually works out more expensive and difficult in the long run.
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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by bladeracer » 02 Sep 2017, 7:54 pm

Dunxy wrote: Agreed, but lets say he was inspecting me, which is highly probable as hes the closest,would it be worth the grief to argue it with him? Its something i honestly wanted to do because i posses the skills and equipment to do it properly, ive built friggen boilers and those great big ass signs above crown casino, i welded the mounts for them and they've been up nearly 20 years so im more than qualified to make a strong box! I had read the storage requirements long before doing class and had seen nothing about not being able to do it so i was a bit miffed when he shot it down but it hardly felt appropriate to argue the point with him at that moment in time.

At the end of the day im still happy with what i got without having to modify it, happier than i would have been. I probably spent around $1-150 more to buy my 14gun safe that exceeds weight requirement by a long shot. that i would have buying a smaller lighter new safe.I don't work in the metal industry these days so id have to buy the steel, that alone would have cost me the difference id hazard a guess, especially if you need it cut! Sometimes stuff that seems like an easy option actually works out more expensive and difficult in the long run.


I agree with you on that unfortunately, rarely is it ever beneficial to argue with a Police officer, no matter how wrong they are. I would probably simply ask for a copy of the requirements. It wouldn't surprise me if they don't sometimes just try to push our buttons to rile us up so they can then report that we were "uncooperative" during the inspection or something. My DFO made a surprise inspection two weeks ago and I think he was actually pretty impressed with my security efforts. After we finished going through all the rifles I asked if he wanted to inspect my ammunition safes as well but he just said "I think you're well on top of it" and left it at that.

I'm the same, I really, really want to build my own safes, but the cost of materials and time is far too high so I just keep buying more safes. I will need yet another very soon so I am once again looking at building my own, but I'm pretty sure I'll just buy another 20-gun and add it to the collection.

I'm lucky to have discovered an old grain hopper on the farm. It's 6mm steel plate and roughly a 1.5m cube, although Bob cut one side out decades ago to make something he needed. I really hope I can turn it into a nice safe one day.
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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by Mononoke » 02 Sep 2017, 8:33 pm

Hey thanks so much everyone for all the answers!

Given I probably won't have ownership until early october, I will hopefully know by then where I will be working over the summer. At least then I'll know what options I have to choose from, and if I'm going somewhere in NE Victoria whether there are storage options that the locals can let me know about.

For the longer term next year..... someone told me that you can ask the DFO to do an inspection BEFORE you transfer your firearms there, to make sure everything is compliant. However, if I have the beans in the bank I may just bite the bullet and get a factory-made heavy safe. Otherwise I always have my mate's brother as a backup.

I guess an important key comment in the discussion is that there are mixed verbal messages from the authorities. Best to get things in writing, and to even have inspections done beforehand. Anyway, very educational. My lifestyle is a little unorthodox and just trying to figure out the best, safest, most legal, and hopefully affordable to keep my firearms stored and safe but also accessible when hunting opportunities arise.
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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by bladeracer » 02 Sep 2017, 8:40 pm

Mononoke wrote:Hey thanks so much everyone for all the answers!

Given I probably won't have ownership until early october, I will hopefully know by then where I will be working over the summer. At least then I'll know what options I have to choose from, and if I'm going somewhere in NE Victoria whether there are storage options that the locals can let me know about.

For the longer term next year..... someone told me that you can ask the DFO to do an inspection BEFORE you transfer your firearms there, to make sure everything is compliant. However, if I have the beans in the bank I may just bite the bullet and get a factory-made heavy safe. Otherwise I always have my mate's brother as a backup.

I guess an important key comment in the discussion is that there are mixed verbal messages from the authorities. Best to get things in writing, and to even have inspections done beforehand. Anyway, very educational. My lifestyle is a little unorthodox and just trying to figure out the best, safest, most legal, and hopefully affordable to keep my firearms stored and safe but also accessible when hunting opportunities arise.


I think you'll have trouble getting an inspection beforehand. Police are years behind just inspecting people that already have safes full of firearms, but it never hurts to ask.
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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by Dunxy » 02 Sep 2017, 9:14 pm

bladeracer wrote:
I agree with you on that unfortunately, rarely is it ever beneficial to argue with a Police officer, no matter how wrong they are. I would probably simply ask for a copy of the requirements. It wouldn't surprise me if they don't sometimes just try to push our buttons to rile us up so they can then report that we were "uncooperative" during the inspection or something. My DFO made a surprise inspection two weeks ago and I think he was actually pretty impressed with my security efforts. After we finished going through all the rifles I asked if he wanted to inspect my ammunition safes as well but he just said "I think you're well on top of it" and left it at that.

I'm the same, I really, really want to build my own safes, but the cost of materials and time is far too high so I just keep buying more safes. I will need yet another very soon so I am once again looking at building my own, but I'm pretty sure I'll just buy another 20-gun and add it to the collection.

I'm lucky to have discovered an old grain hopper on the farm. It's 6mm steel plate and roughly a 1.5m cube, although Bob cut one side out decades ago to make something he needed. I really hope I can turn it into a nice safe one day.


Unfortunately i hadn't read the entire act or even knew the regulations (was it you who pointed the regulations out to me when i queried the target shooting on private property stuff? ) existed so i wasn't in a position to argue the point at that stage.

Its good when inspections go smoothly and im sure I should have no problems myself because I have gone to excessive efforts myself.

When you're talking about another 20 gun i just get jelly :mrgreen: have you looked at bank vaults? One of my long time shooting mates has an ex bank vault! I have no idea how he got it wherever he has it because it weighs more than you can handle without heavy equipment! He offered me a smaller one he had got for a mate who no longer needed it for whatever reason but it was excessive to my needs and weighed 1000kg! Was only $1000 though and i think he said it would have held over 20 no problems.While I would happily love to collect a lot of firearms my budget will probably keep me in my safe for a long time :(

I would have thought though when you move above the 15 gun limit, stuff changes and couldn't you use a strong room kind of thing i have seen in some gun stores VS keeping them in lots of or even 1 large safe? Would be stupid if the laws regarding storage are better for them than us.
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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by bladeracer » 02 Sep 2017, 9:37 pm

Dunxy wrote:Unfortunately i hadn't read the entire act or even knew the regulations (was it you who pointed the regulations out to me when i queried the target shooting on private property stuff? ) existed so i wasn't in a position to argue the point at that stage.

Its good when inspections go smoothly and im sure I should have no problems myself because I have gone to excessive efforts myself.

When you're talking about another 20 gun i just get jelly :mrgreen: have you looked at bank vaults? One of my long time shooting mates has an ex bank vault! I have no idea how he got it wherever he has it because it weighs more than you can handle without heavy equipment! He offered me a smaller one he had got for a mate who no longer needed it for whatever reason but it was excessive to my needs and weighed 1000kg! Was only $1000 though and i think he said it would have held over 20 no problems.While I would happily love to collect a lot of firearms my budget will probably keep me in my safe for a long time :(

I would have thought though when you move above the 15 gun limit, stuff changes and couldn't you use a strong room kind of thing i have seen in some gun stores VS keeping them in lots of or even 1 large safe? Would be stupid if the laws regarding storage are better for them than us.


20-gun safes don't hold twenty long guns, unless they're milsurps or shotguns perhaps. Start putting pistol grips, scopes and bipods on them and I only fit four rifles comfortably in my "10-rifle" safe.

The big problem with those heavy safes is transporting them and installing them. I've actually been drawing up a poured-in-situ steel-reinforced concrete strongroom as I could mix the concrete on site and pour it straight into the forms. That includes a 100mm thick cast reinforced concrete door poured into a 100x100x8mm steel angle perimeter frame with a steel outer face.

Once you want to permanently store more than fifteen Cat A/B firearms then you go to the next level. But the step is not huge, being primarily an intruder alarm system with a siren and flashing light - you can still store them in a wooden "safe" rather than steel. The next level is Cat C/D and H (handguns) which requires a steel safe. If you have more than fifteen Cat C/D/H firearms then you need the alarm system but also must have the keys on you or locked away securely. My keys are attached to my belt 24/7, and the alarm is monitored. We also have CCTV with real-time remote viewing as well as recording.
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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by Die Judicii » 02 Sep 2017, 10:01 pm

I'd love to come up against any of these f/arms branch pen pushing experts that make self opinionated statements about the construction of a safe.
I'd be willing to bet that none of em have any qualifications/experience in the metal trade as far as fabrication and design engineering is concerned.

Any metals fabrication/industrial welder or boilermaker that makes their own safe would be almost guaranteed to exceed the flimsy "recommended minimum" standards.

John Howards biggest failure of all time that he should go to his grave with eternal shame,,, is that he failed completely to achieve national uniform gun law.

Also, (in my opinion) he is responsible for the destruction of countless pieces of art, the likes of which will never be replaced.
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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by GLS_1956 » 03 Sep 2017, 1:26 am

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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by Oldbloke » 03 Sep 2017, 9:35 pm

Yeah, agree with G. The 150kg was only to make it too heavy to carry out to a ute. Same as bolting it to the floor/wall. Has nothing to do with factory specs.

Problem is cops keep applying what ever opinionated rule they feel like. And they are getting away with it. When you read the regs a locked wooden cupboard or school locker should comply. . Regs in this area have not changed since 96.in Vic.
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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by Mononoke » 06 Sep 2017, 7:01 pm

The regulations are a bit confusing for new gun owners, that's for sure! Reading the wording it does seem to make it easy for officers to choose their own interpretation as they see fit. I will tread with caution... I don't want to lose my license having waited so long to get it!

Thanks everyone for your input. :)
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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by Jt-2019 » 11 Feb 2020, 6:50 pm

Mononoke wrote:Hi all,

Now at the stage of getting a rifle safe organized (Victoria). Although I am living in a house right now where I am allowed to bolt things down in the garage, I am likely to be moving soon and somewhat itinerant over the next 12 months (spending time working in regional Victoria this summer plus spending time overseas and in WA next year), so am looking at a storage option that doesn't need to be bolted down AND can be transported without too much drama. There may be periods where I will need to have my things stored in a storage unit when I'm overseas and in WA.

I have been looking into getting a "normal" 7-8 gun safe and adding weight to the base to bring it up to 150kg+. It seems that here in Victoria it is permitted to do this if the weights are bolted to the base. I have been looking into using a couple of heavy cast iron olympic weights, but ideally would like to use steel plates cut to the dimensions of the safe. I will also need to take into account how much interior height the weights take up so that I can still fit my rifle in there. :) I am also looking at housing the safe inside a heavy jarrah cupboard with no base to disguise it.

What sort of strategies have you guys used? to get 100kg of olympic weights costs about $300, which would bring the total cost (given a $300ish dollar safe) to about $600.

I am also up for buying a 150kg+ safe straight up, but can't quite afford $1000. Any cheaper options?

Thanks everyone. :thumbsup:


I'd probably say no ey...
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Re: Adding weight to a safe

Post by CrackThump » 13 Feb 2020, 5:09 am

bladeracer wrote:A perhaps more useful alternative might be to simply buy two safes and weld them together


There's something wrong with me. :allegedly:

The moment I saw the above sentence, my mind's eye saw two safes being welded together face-to-face. :unknown:

I can't help it. :shock: :?




you sir.. need professional help hahahahaha..

although, admittedly, never would there be a safer safe
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