gun safe questions

[spunger1]

I ended up with a liberty safe a year ago. It was a little over $2000 delivered. I have ammo and guns in it and with the rise of gun prices I figuered it was cheap insurance.

I looked at it as a cry once pay once purchase

My best advice is buy the biggest one you can fit and afford. You will run out of space pretty quickly. They are not near as big once you start filling them.

Take a deep look at liberty safes. They have a great warranty and many models to choose from. I really only wanted to spend $1500 or less but knew I would t be happy. You'll never get your money back on selling a used safe. Just buy the one you really want the first time around.

 

[CD1]

You are best to ask here where there are true gun enthusiasts:

http://http://www.ar15.com/forums/f_6/46_Safes_andamp__Home_Security.html

 

[honda_fox3]

My best advice is buy the biggest one you can fit and afford. You will run out of space pretty quickly. They are not near as big once you start filling them.

Take a deep look at liberty safes. They have a great warranty and many models to choose from.

Best advice yet. You will always want a bigger one, you might not fill a small one now but when you start realizing how much of a comfort it is to put vertain things in a safe you will add to it quickly. Think jewlery, heirlooms, coins, certain kinds items you want to keep, things you want to hide from your wife etc.

As a firefighter and an avid gun collector I have done a ton of research on this and Liberty is one of the better companies to deal with because of quality, warranty, USA made, and customer service.

Another thing, being in Texas you should consider an electrical outlet inside the safe for a dehumidifier.

 

[honda_fox3]

You are best to ask here where there are true gun enthusiasts:

http://http://www.ar15.com/forums/f_6/46_Safes_andamp__Home_Security.html

Are there no gun enthusiasts here? I'm seriously asking, I'm new here so I don't know what the demographics are yet.

 

[freedomgli]

this is a long video, but if your really looking, it explains alot in detail, and bottom line is you need to either lower your standards or expand your welding and fab skills

I came here to post this. Great video. There's a safe for every budget but you've got to be realistic about what you're buying and for what purpose.

 

[denis4x4]

Where do you guys put your gun safes?

Bedroom, living room, basement? First floor, second floor?

I have an extensive collection of Daisy air rifles and when I decided to build an addition to display them, I purchased an American Security gun safe. A portion of the slab is thicker where the safe sits. After unloading the safe, we framed the building and it's part of the deal when and if we ever sell the property.

Ironically, there are several BB guns hanging on the wall that are worth far more than the firearms in the safe!

 

[JOHNMAN]

I hate to continue an argument, but: Let's think reasonably. I kid with a crowbar is not going to pry open a Cannon type safe with locking bolts down the side, top and bottom when it has a 1/4 door with a 3" inner panel. He'll bend the crow bar long before he gets the door open. Burglars want to get in and out within a few minutes. If someone has an expensive collection they should have some type of insurance and a burglar alarm system, anyway. And if there's a fire like the one above, you've got a lot more to worry about than a few cheap guns. Anymore, people will spend $100.00 a month on a cell phone to gab on, then let their home burn to the ground because they won't get an alarm system. So, get a decent safe. Hide it so people won't find it very fast and get an alarm system. There you go.

I respectfully disagree. Get a quality safe. Do your own real research instead of the opinions of those who have only bought one or two safes. Whatever you decide, it's probably good to go on the large side and anchor your safe down.

just my $0.02 (Your Mileage May Vary)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=nBhOjWHbD6M

 

[BellyUpFish]

Are there no gun enthusiasts here? I'm seriously asking, I'm new here so I don't know what the demographics are yet.

More than likely, the demographics are very similar, but I'm willing to bet there is less knuckle dragging and chest thumping going on here.

 

[EOC_Jason]

I don't know what part of Texas you live in, but these guys deliver all around Houston and several hundred miles out... http://lonestargunsafes.com/

P.S. What is up with all the safe companies being in Utah?

 

[honda_fox3]

I don't know what part of Texas you live in, but these guys deliver all around Houston and several hundred miles out... http://lonestargunsafes.com/

P.S. What is up with all the safe companies being in Utah?

Utah residents place a high importance on preparedness and self sufficiency. Food storage is also a huge industry here. A lot of this comes from the majority mormon population. Plus Utah is a pretty good state for business because of tax laws and what not.

 

[jtbinvalrico]

I got one of these from Blue Dot Safes. Apparently, this company's bread and butter is bank-type drop and deposit boxes, and they've branched into home safes. I opted for a mechanical rotary lock. This safe is 6 feet tall, 40" wide, and 27" deep. It's huge, holds all my guns, ammo, etc. It takes up an entire bedroom closet. I got it for $1250 shipped to my door when they first started selling them.....the price has since gone up to about $2200.



http://www.bluedotsafes.com/safes/floor-safes/gun-safe-gs724027.html

Remember tactics. This thing isn't a fortress. By bolting it to the concrete floor in that closet, tipping it over is unlikely. By recessing it into the closet, a bad guy will have a hard time getting leverage to pry at it or swing an axe at the sides.

Technically, all the safes we are talking about here are "Residential Security Containers." Unless you get into the mid-thousands and pony up for something with 1/2" thick side walls, the idea of a safe being stout enough to survive all on it's own against a determined crook is laughable.

For the rest of us, the layered approach works. It starts with simple things like lights on outside at night.....and progresses through some common sense things like alarms, dogs, exercising some vigilance, etc. I don't have, nor can I afford, all the best items in a "home defense matrix", but I have enough overlapping components to thwart the average bad guy.

I have some other things in store for the more determined among them.

To answer the OPs question, this is the best I can find for your budget:

http://www.bluedotsafes.com/safes/floor-safes/gun-safe-gs592820.html

 

[honda_fox3]

Another thing you want to keep in mind is actually getting it into place. These things are very heavy, the link above is nearly 500lb. A bunch of friends is ok but professional install is a good idea if you have to go down a lot of stairs or through some tricky openings and corners. The last things you want to do is slip and destroy a wall, your foot or worse.

 

[EOC_Jason]

A friend of mine recently bought a low-end small safe.. It weighed I think around 750lbs... We loaded it on the trailer with a forklift, but unloaded it and put in his house with a furniture dolly (with the strap around the middle). It wasn't too difficult to maneuver around.

The #1 thing before buying ANY SAFE... is MEASURE YOUR DOORS & PATHWAYS! Often people want to put them in their closets which have smaller doors, so you can only get so large of a safe if you want to squeeze it through there.

 

[ToddG]

My suggestion is to buy the cheapest safe that's big on CraigsList. Put some wheels on it so it's easy to move. Put some pieces of heavy metal in it so it sounds full. Then put a label on it like "GUNS". Put it in plain site. The crooks will go for it every time and stop looking through the rest of the house....

 

[brownbagg]

i love how these conversations are like the chevy vs ford vs harley davidson. its always buy the most expensive one out there, nobody ever considers a plain cheap safe is better than none at all. and it still be safer than if you never have a fire or break end.. you more likely to have a fire smoking in bed than have a cheap safe. so buy one that meets your need. even a plain box with a padlock is safer than non at all.

so go ahead buy a two thousand dollar safe to go with your forty thousand harley and your 80 thousand king ranch, a plain ten year old toyota get down the road just as fast

 

[spotco2]

Never store ammo in the safe with other valuables. In a fire it can cook off and create a fire inside the safe basically converting your safe into an oven since it will hold the heat inside.

Also when it comes to keep your guns loaded inside the safe, do not keep one in the chamber if it is an automatic. If the ammo cooks off it will cycle the gun and continue to fire until it jambs. I've seen several safes after fires that had nice bullet holes from the inside out where the guns shot through them. This also creates openings in the walls of the safe so that it can breathe and burn from the inside out.

A cheap layer of protection for guns inside a safe during a fire is a gun sock. I've seen several that were damaged much less that were in one that also had guns that were naked in the same safe. The ones in the socks were hardly damaged if at all and the others were unsafe to shoot.

 

[Mike007]

i love how these conversations are like the chevy vs ford vs harley davidson. its always buy the most expensive one out there, nobody ever considers a plain cheap safe is better than none at all. and it still be safer than if you never have a fire or break end.. you more likely to have a fire smoking in bed than have a cheap safe. so buy one that meets your need. even a plain box with a padlock is safer than non at all.

so go ahead buy a two thousand dollar safe to go with your forty thousand harley and your 80 thousand king ranch, a plain ten year old toyota get down the road just as fast

Did you read the OP's post? He has a list of requirements. He's not asking about a plain cheap safe. So that just might be the reason no one recommended a cheap safe.

 

[jtbinvalrico]

Moving it yourself can be done under certain circumstances. This one weighs close to 1000lb. Me and my teenage daughter moved it from the garage to a bedroom closet using only three pieces of 3/4" PVC. We never had this safe more than an inch off the ground:























How is all this relevant to the OPs question? Easy. If he can save a few bills on moving and installation, he can buy more safe. Of course, everyone's circumstances and layout vary.

 

[bob15]

Where do you guys put your gun safes?

Bedroom, living room, basement? First floor, second floor?

I prefer basements. It doesn't involve beefing the floor up to handle a 1400 pound safe. Also, a PIA to get in the cellar. Even harder to get it out if things are built around it soundly. Also out of sight, of of mind.

the catch is making sure you have a dry cellar.....sump pump, dehumidifier, etc. AND using a Goldenrod INSIDE the safe.


bob

 

[denis4x4]

i love how these conversations are like the chevy vs ford vs harley davidson. its always buy the most expensive one out there, nobody ever considers a plain cheap safe is better than none at all. and it still be safer than if you never have a fire or break end.. you more likely to have a fire smoking in bed than have a cheap safe. so buy one that meets your need. even a plain box with a padlock is safer than non at all.

so go ahead buy a two thousand dollar safe to go with your forty thousand harley and your 80 thousand king ranch, a plain ten year old toyota get down the road just as fast

I have to relate something that happen last week and kind of relates to brownbagg's comments. Last week my Grandson dropped by and we talked about guns. Turns out he has four rifles under the bed in a house he shares with two other guys and assorted couch surfers. The next day I went to Sports Authority and purchased a $325 gun safe with a combination lock for him. It's not so big that he can't move it to another place. More importantly, it makes it difficult for his room mates or friends to get a hold of firearms.

Even though I have a $2000 + gun safe, my wife still insists on putting certain items in the bank safety deposit box.

 

[readhead]

Hey denis4x4 do you keep the air and bb's in a seperate location for safety?

 

[karrbass4life]

Very Informative Video On Safes

 

[shooting4life]

Breaking into guns safes is not very hard, most safes can be gotten into with the tools you have laying around the garage. Sawzall? prybar? torch? grinder? Band saw? All of these can get you into most safes that are in your price range in 5 to 10 minutes.

The best thing you can do is bolt your safe to the floor and wall. This prevents the safe from being tipped on its back where it is easier to pry open. The next best thing is to hide the safe, people wont break in if they don't know you have valuable things to steel. My safe is in my garage, but I built a cabinet around the safe. When the garage door is open you cannot tell I have a safe.

 

[04fivefour]

your 80 thousand king ranch, a plain ten year old toyota get down the road just as fast

60k king ranch, and its way faster than any toyota

 

[advblane]

This is one of two that I made in my garage. It can by yours for $5000

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WTsjgh5rABo?list=UUOLm2EkrTDvxBoNbtXvIk7Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Hoologan]

I just picked up one of these for under $2k and I think I got an excellent safe for the money. OP, I went into this purchase with a budget of $1k as well, but quickly learned that I was out of my mind with my expectations for that budget.

Summit Cascade Series

Mine is still on order because I got a color that was not in stock, but it will look like this when it arrives (except mechanical dial)

 

[BlindViper]

99% stuff in this thread are residential security boxes. They shouldn't even be called a safe.

 

[denis4x4]

99% stuff in this thread are residential security boxes. They shouldn't even be called a safe.

Any time guns are secured and out of harm's way, they're safe wether you spend $350 or $2000 plus. Give these guys some credit for doing the right thing.

 

[Gixxer603]

Never store ammo in the safe with other valuables. In a fire it can cook off and create a fire inside the safe basically converting your safe into an oven since it will hold the heat inside.

Also when it comes to keep your guns loaded inside the safe, do not keep one in the chamber if it is an automatic. If the ammo cooks off it will cycle the gun and continue to fire until it jambs. I've seen several safes after fires that had nice bullet holes from the inside out where the guns shot through them. This also creates openings in the walls of the safe so that it can breathe and burn from the inside out.

A cheap layer of protection for guns inside a safe during a fire is a gun sock. I've seen several that were damaged much less that were in one that also had guns that were naked in the same safe. The ones in the socks were hardly damaged if at all and the others were unsafe to shoot.

Not sure if serious...

 

[EOC_Jason]

Sounds like a job for the MythBusters!!!!!

 

[Ginmn]

I don't have a Cannon, that safe is the real real. I've got a "cheaper" 30-minute fire safe.

Nothing special, but I'm concerted about drilling concrete for anchors… what works to lock down the safe and keep the concrete from cracking?

Also do you put something between the concrete slab and the safe? I see "shooting4life" hide his monster in a "cabinet" that a good idea for sight-unseen, but if I'm not worried about visual security, should he safe still be mounted up off the slab?

 

[shooting4life]

I don't have a Cannon, that safe is the real real. I've got a "cheaper" 30-minute fire safe.

Nothing special, but I'm concerted about drilling concrete for anchors… what works to lock down the safe and keep the concrete from cracking?

Also do you put something between the concrete slab and the safe? I see "shooting4life" hide his monster in a "cabinet" that a good idea for sight-unseen, but if I'm not worried about visual security, should he safe still be mounted up off the slab?

If you look at the picture of the safe, I built the wood up at the base so it is flush with the opening to slow down access to the bottom of the safe since the safe is mounted on plywood, raising it up about 6 inches.

 

[ironmutt]

if the fire rating is such a concern why not wrap it in refractory wool like makeing a gas forge only inside out . take a cheaper safe wrapthe inside in wool then it should hold up to about 2000 deg. for atleast 3 hours

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I bought the Winchester RSC, made by Granite Security, at Sam's Club many years ago for about $500. It was actually recommended by a seller of AmSec as adequate for my uses at the time. Naturally he would have loved to sell me a real safe, but at the same time he recognized the quality of Granite, while still maintaining a great price. I've never been sorry, other than running out of room in this one rather quickly. But a bigger one would have been far too heavy, as mine is 600 lbs empty, and has already proven itself a huge pain to move.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

A good rule of thumb is take the stated capacity and cut in half. A 20 gun safe will only really hold about 10 scoped or pistol gripped rifles.

Mine is 1100lbs empty and I'm not excited about having to move it. I didn't bolt mine down as it's in my house and would take a coordinated effort to steal. If they get mine out, bolting it down would've just caused more damage.

 

[shooting4life]

A good rule of thumb is take the stated capacity and cut in half. A 20 gun safe will only really hold about 10 scoped or pistol gripped rifles.

Mine is 1100lbs empty and I'm not excited about having to move it. I didn't bolt mine down as it's in my house and would take a coordinated effort to steal. If they get mine out, bolting it down would've just caused more damage.

I would rethink that. It is very easy to "walk" a heavy safe by tipping one end up then the other, especially when you are not worried about damaging the floor or walls.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I would rethink that. It is very easy to "walk" a heavy safe by tipping one end up then the other, especially when you are not worried about damaging the floor or walls.

I know it's not ideal, but anybody that is going to go through the hassle will overcome any type of lag bolts holding it down. It took 3 of us to move it in and it was a *****. I can only hope it would fall and crush them as they try to steal it.

 

[Mike007]

I would think the bigger reason to bolt a big safe down is not to prevent it from being carried off, but to prevent it from being tipped on it's back to aid in prying it open.

 

[cnk]

I would think the bigger reason to bolt a big safe down is not to prevent it from being carried off, but to prevent it from being tipped on it's back to aid in prying it open.

^This. Criminals don't want your safe, they want what's inside. Bolt it to the floor and if possible the back and side to walls. Try to position the safe so that the safe is in a corner with the door opening away from the wall. That will make it more difficult for someone to get a pry bar in and have enough room for leverage since the hinge side is usually a little more stout.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

[Flyerfan1688]

I bought the Winchester RSC, made by Granite Security, at Sam's Club many years ago for about $500. It was actually recommended by a seller of AmSec as adequate for my uses at the time. Naturally he would have loved to sell me a real safe, but at the same time he recognized the quality of Granite, while still maintaining a great price. I've never been sorry, other than running out of room in this one rather quickly. But a bigger one would have been far too heavy, as mine is 600 lbs empty, and has already proven itself a huge pain to move.

I have the same safe...thought I was the only one