Safes - likes and dislikes

[C-dub]

I'm beginning to look at safes for the small collection I currently have with the possible expansion, but not too many. Well, we'll cross that bridge if I fill the first one up. However, size is a consideration because I think I would rather have a medium sized safe either in my closet or bedroom rather than a large one in the garage.

I think I would prefer a safe that weighs in the 400-600 pound range rather than an 800+ pound behemoth that I would only be able to get into the garage.
I also think I would rather have a mechanical combination lock rather than an electronic one. I don't want to be locked out in the event of an electrical outage.
My current collection is only 6-rifles, 3-handguns, and one shotgun.

I would love to have one of those great big gun "closets", but I'm trying to think practically, so maybe in our next house when we have more room.

What say you ladies and gentlemen?

[AustinBoy]

I am in the EXACT same position and curious as to responses.

I will throw in another question as well.

Does the fire rating really matter?

AB

[Oldgringo]

I bought a Winchester 24 gun safe at Thanksgiving last year from Tractor supply. It has an electronic (battery operated) dial and weighs 500+ lbs. It was a two day holiday special marked down nearly three hundred dollars. It has pockets on the door for handguns, scopes, adult movies, what have you. With it, I am well pleased; however, the house has not been burgled nor has it burnt down. A couple young buck neighbor/friends helped me roll it into the house.

Safes might hold the advertised number of long guns IF they are single shot small bore break down guns. If they happen to be scoped, bolt action guns, the safe might hold 1/2 the advertised number with alternating up/down stacking. BTW, I keep my long guns in socks within the safe so I don't ding 'em up taking them and out over each other.

Start shopping now and buy during the holidays. Good hunting!

EDIT PS:

Fire rating$ certainly mean $omething if the dwelling catche$ on fire. ITMT, my safe is located on an outside wall where any fire should be less intense.

[OverEasy]

I would say "Any safe is better than no safe."
I bought a Cannon about like this one, last year at Tractor Supply on sale.
Manufacturers Number: TS6026E
Brand: Cannon
Type: All-Purpose Safe
Exterior Width: 26 in.
Exterior Depth: 20 in.
Exterior Height: 60 in.
Inner Width: 25.75 in.
Inner Depth : 18 in.
Inner Height: 59.75 in.
Capacity: 16 cu. Ft.
Gun Capacity: 24
Product Weight: 360 lbs.
Exterior Material: Heavy Gauge Steel
Mounting Type: Floor
Lock Type: Type 1 Commercial Grade Electronic Lock
Fire Protection: Yes
Warranty: Limited Lifetime Warranty
Color: Black

You can bolt it to the floor or put a bunch of ammo in it to make harder to move, because it's only 360lbs.
The lock runs on a 9 volt battery, power outage is not a problem. But, yes, I would rather have a mechanical lock too.
But the price was right.

Don't go without a safe just because you can't afford the BEST.

Regards, OE

[AEA]

Check out Liberty models.
http://www.libertysafe.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The local dealer is "The Safe Company" in Garland.
They used to haul a lot of these around to gun shows and usually will have some scratch & dent sales in their showroom. That's how I got mine, about 300 off regular price as I recall.

I too recommend the S&G Combination lock over battery powered push buttons.

[Divided Attention]

When we started looking at safes I thought my DSH (Dear Sweet Hubby) had lost his mind. He was looking at what I thought were huge safes, and it was headed for my bedroom! Then we sat and chatted and shopped and ended up with a 30 gun, (picture short, wide, upright freezer.) It is in a "tactical" location in our bedroom, easily defendable and serves as concealment and cover. AAANNDD it is now full, We opted for the dial with a cute little red light that goes over the dial. It has a 90 minute fire rating IIRC and is made by Champion. The folks at Lone Star Safes were great to deal with, and installed it in a tough spot (many doors and corners to get around).

Is it my favorite accessory in my bedroom? No, but the peace of mind that my firearms are stowed safely, ready to go quickly if need be, and cover and concealment are close at hand as well is worth it. It is a handsome safe, and I am pleased that I have practiced the combination a lot and feel confident in getting in quickly - however, at night and when we are home the safe is latched not locked, so a turn of the wheel and we are in.

Never thought we would fill that puppy up, but now are discussing the possibility of a second safe in another room in the future.

[C-dub]

Check out Liberty models.
http://www.libertysafe.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The local dealer is "The Safe Company" in Garland.
They used to haul a lot of these around to gun shows and usually will have some scratch & dent sales in their showroom. That's how I got mine, about 300 off regular price as I recall.

I too recommend the S&G Combination lock over battery powered push buttons.

I like the Liberty safes. I've been checking out the Colonial model. That 23 gun model looks like just what I was thinking about.

The Safe Company's website doesn't list Liberty as one of the manufacturer's they carry. The Liberty website only lists A-1 Locksmith's in North Dallas. Either way, though, a nice looking safe.

[papajohn1964]

When we started looking at safes I thought my DSH (Dear Sweet Hubby) had lost his mind. He was looking at what I thought were huge safes, and it was headed for my bedroom! Then we sat and chatted and shopped and ended up with a 30 gun, (picture short, wide, upright freezer.) It is in a "tactical" location in our bedroom, easily defendable and serves as concealment and cover. AAANNDD it is now full, We opted for the dial with a cute little red light that goes over the dial. It has a 90 minute fire rating IIRC and is made by Champion. The folks at Lone Star Safes were great to deal with, and installed it in a tough spot (many doors and corners to get around).

Is it my favorite accessory in my bedroom? No, but the peace of mind that my firearms are stowed safely, ready to go quickly if need be, and cover and concealment are close at hand as well is worth it. It is a handsome safe, and I am pleased that I have practiced the combination a lot and feel confident in getting in quickly - however, at night and when we are home the safe is latched not locked, so a turn of the wheel and we are in.

Never thought we would fill that puppy up, but now are discussing the possibility of a second safe in another room in the future.

Do you have a sister?

[troglodyte]

Scratch and Dent is a great way to get a good safe for hundreds off...if you don't mind the scratch and dents. Mine is in my closet so it doesn't matter what it looks like.

I agree you need to get the biggest you can. Many safes are split into right and left halves. Mine is a "28" gun safe. Practically one side is for your handguns, maybe ammo, passports, wife's jewelry, etc. We keep a small Sentry document safe in the bottom with important documents like titles, flash drives, policies, and passports. Double layer approach to fire. The other side has the long guns. Realistically you can only use the slots (7 in my case) on one side and you may have to skip a slot between some guns. With 7 long guns you've just filled it up. You may be able to put some shorter long guns on each side but it didn't work for me. The shelf needed for the hand gun rack made the side too short. Now some safes have pouches on the door for handguns. I've never tried one so I don't know how well it works and what kind of space it clears up. It looks promising.

My safe was plenty big when I bought it, now it is too small and I have to get very creative when getting long guns in and out...and I still don't have a big collection compared to many. Like your closets, house, garage, and shed a safe will fill up.

Fire ratings are subjective to me. Mine has a 45 minute rating. In all practicality the house will be burned to the ground in 45 minutes. I figure the document safe at least doubles that time/temp rating and really, I don't have much that can't be replaced.

Heavy safes are not that hard to move. Some PVC pipe or dowel rods under it and it will roll with little effort. Because of this make sure you bolt it down.

I personally like dials vs. electronic keypads. Each have their strengths and weaknesses. Dials are simple mechanical devices that have been used for a long time but they tend to be slow and may be hard to read the numbers as the eyes get weaker. Keypads require batteries that can fail. Most have some kind of backup like a key. Keypads seem to be faster to operate which may be a factor if you desire or have to keep your home defense gun locked up. They also can be operated by touch memory, not requiring you actually having to see the buttons. Either do the job, it's just a matter of what works best for you.

Whatever you chose get the best you can, you can always upgrade later if you need to. I started with a Stack-on "safe" from Walmart. Stamped steel and a cam lock. Anyone with a screwdriver (or Bic Round Stic) could get into it fairly quickly. It was all a newly married couple with a baby could afford so it was what I had and it really functioned for what I intended, to keep the kid away from the guns and to, sort of, slow down the thief. A few years later I could afford a bigger and better safe. Now I'm looking to add a second safe. I don't particularly need one any better, just need more space.

Good luck.

[10Shooter]

I recommend to ALWAYS buy bigger than you think you need!
Also fire ratings do matter, It kinda depends on where you you live, and type of fire department you have, paid vs volunteers, response times for you neighborhood etc.

[XinTX]

We bought a Liberty safe as well. I'll add another +1 to buying bigger than you think you need. The advertised capacity of any safe you'll see is highly optimistic to say the least. And whatever you get, BOLT IT DOWN TO THE FLOOR. Look at all the online videos where safe companies show how easy it is to break open a competitors safe. First thing they do is lay it down on the floor to gain leverage. Barring that, they could simply load it up and take it somewhere they can break into it at their own pace.

But a cheap safe is better than NO safe. Met a guy when I was looking at safes. He was at a local safe company in the process of buying a top shelf safe that was big enough to camp in. He told me when he was younger and couldn't afford a nice one, he had his guns in a cheapo unit. Some 'smash and grab' burgulars broke in and took a few things. But he could tell they didn't even attempt to get in the safe. IOW, most break ins willl be by druggies looking for something they can grab quick and get out. But if they think they have time, a cheap safe (with say 14 gauge steel) can be breached with an axe.

We didn't get top of the line protection as we live less than a mile from the PD (and one of our local LEO lives in our neighborhood). Figured that between the safe and the alarm, odds that our guns end up in the hands of a BG are pretty low. And that was our objective. We can replace what we have. I'd just hate to have an armed BG using one of my guns.

[anygunanywhere]

One day I was sitting at the table eating breakfast. The safe was delivered while Mrs. Anygunanywhere was at work on night shift. Mrs. Anygunanywhere arrived home as I was finishing my eggs. I tells her "The safe was delivered last night. They put it in the bedroom."

Mrs Anygunanywhere goes in the bedroom, comes out after a minute and says "It is bigger than the ones we looked at at Academy".

I replied " I know. The guns are multiplying at a feverish pace. I can't stop them".

Says she, "Who is the adult in the relationship??"

Go big early.

Anygunanywhere

[flechero]

As mentioned, you will want something much larger than you think you want now... as it will fill up fast and you will end up keeping lots of other valuables in it... jewelery, documents, etc..

As for features, the only complaint I have is no lights... now you can get the LED rope lights which are on my to do list. A dehumidifying device is mandatory... be it a goldenrod, desiccant (sp?) or other.

In the case of a gun safe, bigger really is better!!

[SigM4]

I'll echo what others have said in that any safe is better than no safe.

Having said that I ordered an AMSEC from http://www.thesafeplace.com which was shipped to my door. At just over 1000 lbs. it wasn't too hard for 3 guys to move into the house, and on into the bedroom. Even at that weight it slides pretty easily once you get it onto carpet. The one thing that really impressed me with the AMSECs was the available options (colors, locks, finishes, etc.) as well as the fit and finish of the exterior as well as the interior. Their included door organizer system is very nice in comparison to some of the others out there.

[RPBrown]

One day I was sitting at the table eating breakfast. The safe was delivered while Mrs. Anygunanywhere was at work on night shift. Mrs. Anygunanywhere arrived home as I was finishing my eggs. I tells her "The safe was delivered last night. They put it in the bedroom."

Mrs Anygunanywhere goes in the bedroom, comes out after a minute and says "It is bigger than the ones we looked at at Academy".

I replied " I know. The guns are multiplying at a feverish pace. I can't stop them".

Says she, "Who is the adult in the relationship??"

Go big early.

Anygunanywhere