Talk to me about safes...

wht06rado · February 19th, 2008, 01:01 PM

Well, I have finally decided that I absolutely need a safe ASAP and I had a few questions.

1. I want to have my safe in my bedroom so that I can keep my HD shotgun close by and be able to get to it quickly. We are moving soon and our bedroom may be on the second floor of a townhouse. So my question is, how heavy is too heavy to have up stairs?

2. What do I need to do to set up my safe. Do I need to build a platform for it to sit on? I can't drill holes in the floor, but I may be able to drill into some studs to mount it to the wall.

3. Dehumidifier? Is the golden rod the best way to go?

The safe that I am looking at is the Gun Vault 5900. (Gun Vault - San Bernardino, CA) GunVault - Gun Safe 5900

I was also looking at this one as well:Sam's Club - SentrySafe 14 gun G4311-1 Electronic Safe

So what do you guys think? Suggestions? Comments?

Ram Rod · February 19th, 2008, 01:11 PM

My Sentry safe weighs a bit over 300lbs. It's movable for me with a two-wheeler--barely. I don't know what fun it would be to put upstairs. You will want something for a base like plywood especially for carpeted floors. You would alos do well to anchor it to the wall if nothing else because the door on mine is pretty heavy as well, and when it opens, the whole caboodle will want to come forward and crush you. Mine's anchored to the floor and wall and it's been moved three times. The floor anchors won't leave a trace on carpeted floors once removed--trust me. If they do, you can trim the frayed ends and cover up any evidence easily enough. $400 or less on a safe will get you a good one with manual combination and six locking lugs with no exposed hinges just like I have. IMO--no need in Fort Knox here, and fire rated also. Good luck.

wht06rado · February 19th, 2008, 01:17 PM

Is the only concern about putting a safe upstairs getting it up there? I am just afraid of a safe coming through the floor. lol. Unfortunately there's no carpet to help cover up the holes, it's all hardwood.

Pitmaster · February 19th, 2008, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wht06rado

Is the only concern about putting a safe upstairs getting it up there? I am just afraid of a safe coming through the floor. lol. Unfortunately there's no carpet to help cover up the holes, it's all hardwood.

I doubt if a safe could go through the floor of a townhouse. It would take a lot more force than a stationary safe to break the boards in the ceiling. The main thing is to spread/distribute the weight on the floor. You could do this by putting 2'x4', 1" plywood sheet that extends beyond the sides to help distribute the weight.

In addition to the safe weight don't forget the the gun and ammo weight.

Ram Rod · February 19th, 2008, 03:22 PM

Two guys and a fridge dolly should be not much of a problem. One step at a time. 16" OC framing should be good enough for a few hundred pounds as a 24" wide safe minimum would span two joists easily, and since it would be backed against a wall, all the better for support. Should be no problems. An 800 pounder might be questionable but would likely span more joists. Don't see getting that upstairs very easily though. Since you've got hardwood floors, the safe would be easily slid around on a piece of cardboard.

wht06rado · February 20th, 2008, 10:39 AM

So I am thinking that I should just get the safe that I really want and just put it downstairs. I could just get a small 'gun locker' to keep my shotgun in and just put it in the safe downstairs when we leave town. That would leave me access to at least one or two handguns and my shotgun in the bedroom.

Now I'm thinking about getting this one from Bass Pro Shops:
RedHead Theftguard 12/24 Fire Safe

I can pick it up locally and save about $200 on the shipping.

What do you guys think about this safe?

ccw9mm · February 20th, 2008, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wht06rado

Well, I have finally decided that I absolutely need a safe ASAP and I had a few questions.

Questions:

1. Do you want it safe and immovable, or do you merely want to briefly withstand a beating on the box? Not all boxes can do this. Not all are really "safes."

2. Are you willing to have a large, proper safe for the valuables, and a smaller, well-anchored unit for night-time storage of your defensive pistol(s)?

3. Does it need to guard against fire? Are you willing to bet your home's fire will be merely average, or would you want beyond-average resistance to damage in a fire?

Whatever you do, anchor the safe well, to the foundation if you're able.

IMO, a box doesn't become safe until it surpasses 1/4" steel plate on all sides, at minimum, and thr construction using that material is very important. It's movable if it's anything less than 1000 lbs and not anchored to something immovable. But that's just me.

Consider American Security (AMSEC). They've got units of varying strength, though all are of good quality. They've got various sizes, so you can stick with the one mfr. on both the secure safe and the quick-access unit for pistols.

MR D · February 20th, 2008, 10:56 AM

if you are going to have a separate "safe" downstairs (as in more professional - harder to break into) then I would recommend something like a stack-on 8 gun cabinet - I did the same kind of thing - big safe in another area -

this allows me to keep HD shotgun, AR and a handgun and ready ammo (loaded mags etc) close at hand - and when leaving securing firearms move them to the real safe...

I keep the stack on bolted to floor and two walls in a closet and installed a "golden rod for humidity control....

BigEFan · February 20th, 2008, 02:02 PM

Stack-On and Sentry are not great security safes. They will keep the kids away from the guns and might deter a teenager who breaks into your house but a crook with a prybar will get in and it will take less than 15 minutes.

For the size you are looking at, I would go with this cannon from Bud's, that includes delivery. Cannon is a pretty good safe and Betty, one of the Admin has had an attempted break in. The Bad Guys could not get in and Cannon eventually repaired the damage they did to her safe.

BTW, the RedHead I believe is made by the same company that makes the Browning Safes. The TheftGuard Line are pretty decent safes.

wht06rado · February 21st, 2008, 05:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccw9mm

Questions:

1. Do you want it safe and immovable, or do you merely want to briefly withstand a beating on the box? Not all boxes can do this. Not all are really "safes."

2. Are you willing to have a large, proper safe for the valuables, and a smaller, well-anchored unit for night-time storage of your defensive pistol(s)?

3. Does it need to guard against fire? Are you willing to bet your home's fire will be merely average, or would you want beyond-average resistance to damage in a fire?

1. I want something immovable, but at the same time I am military and I do move around a lot. So, nothing over about 500lbs I think.

2. Yes, that is exactly what I am thinking.

3. Yes, but budget is still a consideration. $900 is my limit.

February 19th, 2008, 01:01 PM	#1
wht06rado Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 759	Talk to me about safes... Well, I have finally decided that I absolutely need a safe ASAP and I had a few questions. 1. I want to have my safe in my bedroom so that I can keep my HD shotgun close by and be able to get to it quickly. We are moving soon and our bedroom may be on the second floor of a townhouse. So my question is, how heavy is too heavy to have up stairs? 2. What do I need to do to set up my safe. Do I need to build a platform for it to sit on? I can't drill holes in the floor, but I may be able to drill into some studs to mount it to the wall. 3. Dehumidifier? Is the golden rod the best way to go? The safe that I am looking at is the Gun Vault 5900. (Gun Vault - San Bernardino, CA) GunVault - Gun Safe 5900 I was also looking at this one as well:Sam's Club - SentrySafe 14 gun G4311-1 Electronic Safe So what do you guys think? Suggestions? Comments? __________________ “They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security” Benjamin Franklin I'm not pro gun, I'm pro rights. What are you? NRA Member ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

February 19th, 2008, 01:11 PM	#2
Ram Rod VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: crawford county, arkansas Posts: 5,134	My Sentry safe weighs a bit over 300lbs. It's movable for me with a two-wheeler--barely. I don't know what fun it would be to put upstairs. You will want something for a base like plywood especially for carpeted floors. You would alos do well to anchor it to the wall if nothing else because the door on mine is pretty heavy as well, and when it opens, the whole caboodle will want to come forward and crush you. Mine's anchored to the floor and wall and it's been moved three times. The floor anchors won't leave a trace on carpeted floors once removed--trust me. If they do, you can trim the frayed ends and cover up any evidence easily enough. $400 or less on a safe will get you a good one with manual combination and six locking lugs with no exposed hinges just like I have. IMO--no need in Fort Knox here, and fire rated also. Good luck. __________________ RamRod-----sans remords

February 19th, 2008, 01:17 PM	#3
wht06rado Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 759	Is the only concern about putting a safe upstairs getting it up there? I am just afraid of a safe coming through the floor. lol. Unfortunately there's no carpet to help cover up the holes, it's all hardwood. __________________ “They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security” Benjamin Franklin I'm not pro gun, I'm pro rights. What are you? NRA Member ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

February 19th, 2008, 03:22 PM	#5
Ram Rod VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: crawford county, arkansas Posts: 5,134	Two guys and a fridge dolly should be not much of a problem. One step at a time. 16" OC framing should be good enough for a few hundred pounds as a 24" wide safe minimum would span two joists easily, and since it would be backed against a wall, all the better for support. Should be no problems. An 800 pounder might be questionable but would likely span more joists. Don't see getting that upstairs very easily though. Since you've got hardwood floors, the safe would be easily slid around on a piece of cardboard. __________________ RamRod-----sans remords

February 20th, 2008, 10:39 AM	#6
wht06rado Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 759	So I am thinking that I should just get the safe that I really want and just put it downstairs. I could just get a small 'gun locker' to keep my shotgun in and just put it in the safe downstairs when we leave town. That would leave me access to at least one or two handguns and my shotgun in the bedroom. Now I'm thinking about getting this one from Bass Pro Shops: RedHead Theftguard 12/24 Fire Safe I can pick it up locally and save about $200 on the shipping. What do you guys think about this safe? __________________ “They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security” Benjamin Franklin I'm not pro gun, I'm pro rights. What are you? NRA Member ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

February 20th, 2008, 10:56 AM	#8
MR D Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 737	if you are going to have a separate "safe" downstairs (as in more professional - harder to break into) then I would recommend something like a stack-on 8 gun cabinet - I did the same kind of thing - big safe in another area - this allows me to keep HD shotgun, AR and a handgun and ready ammo (loaded mags etc) close at hand - and when leaving securing firearms move them to the real safe... I keep the stack on bolted to floor and two walls in a closet and installed a "golden rod for humidity control....

February 20th, 2008, 02:02 PM	#9
BigEFan VIP Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Central California Posts: 2,034	Stack-On and Sentry are not great security safes. They will keep the kids away from the guns and might deter a teenager who breaks into your house but a crook with a prybar will get in and it will take less than 15 minutes. For the size you are looking at, I would go with this cannon from Bud's, that includes delivery. Cannon is a pretty good safe and Betty, one of the Admin has had an attempted break in. The Bad Guys could not get in and Cannon eventually repaired the damage they did to her safe. BTW, the RedHead I believe is made by the same company that makes the Browning Safes. The TheftGuard Line are pretty decent safes. __________________ *Lex et Libertas — Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis!* "Not only do the people who put their lives on the line to protect the rest of us deserve better, we all deserve better than to have our own security undermined by those who undermine law enforcement." -Thomas Sowell

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