Gun safe

[Officer Gigglez]

I am in the market for a new gun storage option, mainly one that is fireproof and decently thief proof. I don't want a fancy one, just one that will get the job done and won't cost me an arm and a leg. It doesn't even have to have a large capacity for long guns. Like 6 to 8 would cover it, with handgun storage as well. I didn't realize how many options there were for this type of thing, and to be honest I'm a little overwhelmed. Right now I have a 120 dollar Stack on gun cabinet that has served me well for for two years now, but it is far from ideal. I don't want to wait until someone steals my guns or my house burns down to upgrade my storage capabilities. It wouldn't really even need to be a box built for guns... I know there are tool boxes and cabinets that would work just as well... but I am flabbergasted as of now.

[Pinetreebbs]

I bought from http://www.sportsmansteelsafes.com/

Delivery and placement is something to consider before making a purchase. Most all makers offer curbside delivery. If you have a flat driveway you can likely get them to move it into a garage. Anything else is optional and might be better handled by a local company that does the actual deliver, a locksmith that handles safes.

[The Deacon]

Earlier this year I purchased a 24 gun Winchester safe like this one from the local Tractor Supply here. Main reason I got it there was that two of the fellows who work in that store were willing to deliver it and place it right where I wanted it. Can't hold anywhere near 24 long guns, even if you stacked them in like cord wood, but it will hold a dozen, plus that many handguns, or more.

[remnar]

I bought from http://www.sportsmansteelsafes.com/

Delivery and placement is something to consider before making a purchase. Most all makers offer curbside delivery. If you have a flat driveway you can likely get them to move it into a garage. Anything else is optional and might be better handled by a local company that does the actual deliver, a locksmith that handles safes.

+1

I would also try to find one with a removable door. If you ever have to move it yourself, then removing the door makes it a lot lighter and easier to move. A lot of the doors can be lifted off of their hinges after it has been opened.

[wrdwrght]

If you're young and likely to move a bunch of times before settling down, or you want a safe upstairs, consider Zanotti Armor (http://www.zanottiarmor.com/safes.htm). Mine's bolted to my house's second floor (where I sleep), and I took it there myself. Not cheap, especially with shipping, but money well spent. The waiting list was about nine months when I ordered mine. Worth the wait.

[xceptnl]

My safe is a Western (by Winchester) 24 gun safe similar to the one in Paul's link. It could hold 24 long guns, but that's it. It has a 1 hour UL fire rating @ 1200 degrees F. I paid around $600 at my local gun shop. Has a digital lock and has served me very well. It holds many long guns, hand guns, magazines, ammo boxes, as well as knives as documents. Probably the better bang for your buck than some of the more name brand safes.

[tonydahose]

I just picked this one up off of craigslist. the guy lost the combo but the door was open. For a grand total of $20 and a lil time i figured out the combo and welded the money drop slot. It weighs 230lbs so it isn't a bad lil safe. I still need another big sfe for long guns.

[Officer Gigglez]

Thanks for the help. Still not sure, but I appreciate it never the less.

[Water Bug]

Although I did not buy my gun safe from this particular company, this is the safe I have...

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/i ... ammer_Gray

When I went to my local gun shop looking for a gun safe, I asked for a Browning. The salesman I dealt with recommended the Theftgard Sheriff as being as good as a Browning safe, but at less price. Plus, since my apartment management at the time had a 300-pound limit on safes, this particular safe fit the bill just fine. The gun shop salesman also highly recommended that I go with a manual combination lock system, which was what I planned to do anyway. The gun shop also had a contract with an individual to pick up the safe at their store, deliver it to my place, and put it wherever I wanted. This individual was very professional, very knowledgeable, very safety conscious, and brought an assistant to get the safe to my second-floor apartment. He did everything by the numbers to ensure a safe delivery of the safe. He even made sure I could get into the safe before leaving. He certainly earned his tip!

Overall, I've been very pleased with this particular gun safe. It holds the guns I own quite nicely.

[farnorthdan]

I would recommend a cannon or liberty, I have a cannon and have had it for at least 10 trouble free years. One thing you will often hear is buy bigger than you think you will need, this is a very true statement, seem to outgrow then fast. I placed mine in my garage mainly so I could bolt it to the concrete floor. You also might want to watch a ytube vid called "security for sale" very eye opening.

[klug932000]

I would recommend a cannon or liberty, I have a cannon and have had it for at least 10 trouble free years. One thing you will often hear is buy bigger than you think you will need, this is a very true statement, seem to outgrow then fast. I placed mine in my garage mainly so I could bolt it to the concrete floor. You also might want to watch a ytube vid called "security for sale" very eye opening.

Agree all the way spend 800-2500 and get a good safe. I purchased a Winchester safe to start and it was a waste of money. People may say why spend so much on a safe? Why spend so much on a spyderco? Because it's worth it.

[opusxpn]

Stack-on fire proof 14 gun cabinet with manual combination lock, been using this one for over 7 years and its pretty sturdy, got it as a gift but I think they cost around $700

[HorserloverFat]

This STACK-ON safe can be had from BJ's for $299 : https://youtu.be/JepvbbrAk9o" target="_blank

[RanCoWeAla]

A few years the local Walmart had three left after Christmas and I bought a Sentry that was originally 629 for 429 and I have. been well pleased with it. I didn't want it at first because of the electronics key pad but this one has a place for a. large key way back behind the keypad so I have the big keys in another location. I would want one that was fire proof has the motion alarm has a shipping weight of 700-800 pounds and has another way into it if you go with electronics. Then once you fill it with guns and ammunition the weight will be well over a thousand pounds. Locate it way in the center of the house away from doors and windows because there was an incident in my area where some crooks went into a house in a remote area tied a big log chain around a gun safe and tore the whole side of a house off with a Doolie truck.

[Aveenb]

In Around $150 Budget, I would recommend barska Biometric safe, Barska are the best selling safe in that budget with all the standard and decent features and Specification, if you're looking for the best gun safe for the money, barska is one you should take a look at.

[Midnightrider]

The most basic rule of gun safes seems to be get one bigger, possibly much bigger than you think you will need. Don't waste money on fire protection safes, house fires will mostly win. Bolt it to the slab if your house is built on concrete. Get thickest steel you can afford, heavy safes are harder to steel unless the criminals are experts at this they will just kill themselves instead. Problem solved.

Don't use electronic locks, go with standard S&G. Don't try to move it yourself. A reputable safe company can arrange it for you.

I had an 850 pound safe moved several times by single guys (I don't mean he wasn't married, I have no idea. I mean one qualified guy did the work) who moved safes for a living. Another time 4 big guys from a professional furniture moving company took much longer and almost got hurt. There are ways to make it easy and if you don't know what they are things could go very wrong.

[Ferris Wheels]

A safe does an excellent job of keeping kids from having easy access to a firearm and keeping honest people honest. Outside of that, it is simply just a time sink that takes a thief anywhere from seconds to minutes to break into unless you plan to spend a significant amount of money. Before spending any money on a safe please watch a couple youtube videos of people breaking into safes it may change your mind on what route you choose.

After seeing how easy most safes priced under $3,000 are to break into, I realized I had two choices as my views had been shattered on what a budget priced safe offered for protection. Choice one was to stop looking for a safe and find a large, lockable, metal locker as it provides the same amount of theft protection as a budget priced safe. Option two was to look at safes that make up the next level, this includes options like American Security's BF series and higher, Sturdy Safe, etc.... Depending on size and your location, most prices start at $3,000 and go up quick. I ended up choosing the AMSEC BF6030 because it was small enough I could still move it myself and when that filled up I got another one as the cost per sqft of storage was only slightly more than the largest BF safe but I can easily move two smaller safes weighing 1000lbs vs. having to higher professionals to move the 1800lb largest safe. Another reason I went with AMSEC is because they use concrete for their insulation, called drylight which is an unexpected obstacle for a brute force attack on the safe.

I could care less about fire protection as that is what home owners/renters insurance is for and I have seen first hand what the contents for a fire rated safe looks like after a household fire. You could see exactly where the smoke line of the fire was as every portion of the firearm was devoid of finish above the smoke line which was about a foot from the floor. The firearms didn't burn up or char, etc... and were still fully functional but totally ruined from a cosmetics standpoint. Paper documents also survived but suffered similar reactions. This was a liberty safe with a 90 minute fire rating and in my opinion it did its job, it protected the contents of the safe from going up in flames. Something people don't consider when thinking about fire protection is all the chemicals and gases being released into the air from combustion of a multitude of household items.

I am not under any illusions that the safes I have purchased will keep a determined thief, given enough time, out of the contents of the safe. All I have done is buy myself more time for other measures of protection to do their job, home security system, video/motion detection and alert systems and provide enough time for law enforcement to arrive onsite before the thief has gained entrance to the safe. I still estimate that a well prepared and determined thief could enter one of my safes in under an hour but it is going to take more than a pry bar or an angle grinder like most safes.

These are only my opinions and thoughts on the matter but don't fall into the trap that a safe provides this ultimate protection for its contents. A safe is just one tool in protecting your assets and requires other systems in place to be effective to its full potential. I hope this gives you and others some pause for thought and ends with you finding the best solution for your situation and the protection of your assets.

[SolidState]

Jeez Ferris,
I just watched youtube, and I think I have a new calling as a safecracker. That was a whole bunch of real-world that I wasn't ready for. It's like when I found out what I can write off as business expenses on taxes.
Thanks for saving me a lot of false security... and money!

Edited to include Ferris saving me money.

[MacLaren]

I would recommend a cannon or liberty, I have a cannon and have had it for at least 10 trouble free years. One thing you will often hear is buy bigger than you think you will need, this is a very true statement, seem to outgrow then fast. I placed mine in my garage mainly so I could bolt it to the concrete floor. You also might want to watch a ytube vid called "security for sale" very eye opening.

+1

[SpyderNut]

We went with a Liberty Fatboy and have never regretted the purchase. I very highly recommend Liberty's safes. As Ferris and others stated, you certainly do NOT want to skimp when it comes to protecting your personal property from thieves, fire, etc.