Most gun safes offer small holes in the bottom of the safe that are called anchor holes. This allows you to easily bolt down a safe to the floor, and you are done. However there are some people, particularly those that live in rented homes and apartments that aren’t able to put holes in the floors. These people tend to look at the possibility of mounting a gun safe to the wall.
So how do you mount a gun safe to a wall? The short answer is that there really is only one style of safe that you can mount to a wall, and that is a safe without a fire rating. These safes, you can drill two holes near the top of the safe, that are spaced to fit the studs in the wall, and then drill wood anchors through those holes, and into the studs.
Lets dig into why and how you can only anchor one type of safe to the wall, and not others, so that you don’t damage your safe, and waste your money.
Why only gun safes without a fire rating can be mounted to the wall?
As I had mentioned earlier, most gun safes have anchor holes on the floor of a safe which allow you to bolt it down to concrete, wood, and more. However most safes do not offer holes in the rear of the safe for mounting to the wall. This is mainly because extra holes in a safe will create more airflow, making them less fire resistant, as well as add extra points of access to a safe.
Mounting a safe isn’t a popular method of securing a safe, so for the most part, it isn’t worth adding that feature.
For those that do want to mount to a wall though, that causes an issue.
If your safe has a fire rating, that means that on the inside of the walls, you will find concrete, or more commonly a fireboard that is very similar to drywall.
If you were to modify your safe, and drill through these materials to make room for wall anchor holes, you begin to damage the integrity of your fire rating, and in turn, devaluing your safe.
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So why do safes without a fire rating work for mounting to a wall?
On the flip side, if your safe doesn’t have a fire rating, you can easily modify the rear of the safe without fear of damaging your fire rating.
Essentially, you will want to drill two holes that are centered and the width of 2 wall studs (generally 24” apart). Once this is done, you will place the safe up to the wall, and put wood anchors through those holes and secure it to the wall.
This method is great for those that don’t want to damage their flooring, or for those that are in rented homes.
It’s much easier to do a quick patch in a wall than to replace carpeting, laminate or whatever other flooring you have.
Why you should always anchor your safe down
Before we finish up this article, I want to make sure it is addressed as to why you should anchor your safe down in some way.
Some people may find that it might just be too difficult, and will end up just setting the safe on the floor and calling it good.
However this could end up being a huge mistake!
Think about it, you are putting a ton of your valuables and firearms into a safe all in one place.
Safes are large, and easily noticeable.
What is the easiest way to break into a safe? Tip it over and pry it open, or remove it from the home and get into it off the property.
Anchoring your safe to something will make doing these two things much, much more difficult, meaning firearms and your valuables are far less likely to end up in the hands of criminals.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, not every safe can be bolted to a wall, as you will end up damaging your safe in the process.
However for those that can be bolted to a wall via a modification, it can be a great way to own a safe, stay more secure, and not damage your property in a permanent way.
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