[Gideon]

This spring I'll be getting a bonus and I'm considering buying a safe. That's something I've been remiss about! I've loaded up a cheap wooden gun cabinet until it's absolutely stuffed. I currently have 8 handguns and about 16 long rifles. I don't think I'll have too many more handguns, probably three more max. I need to get a decent safe that's just a real good value. I've seen some pictures of some of your safes so I'm thinking you might be able to give me some advise on a good "value" packed safe.

Thanks for the inputs!

Gideon

 

[Euclidean]

What are you hoping to accomplish?

There is a safe, and then there's a Residential Storage Unit. A safe costs thousands upon thousands of dollars and will actually keep something secure, and is really most viable when you are building a home so you can integrate it into the home's design.

A Residential Storage Unit is something to stick your guns it that will keep an honest man honest. Even the most expensive one in the gunstore will be defeated within minutes by a plasma cutter or a locksmith who knows that he is doing. It will keep out a complete fool perhaps, like the ones who tried to get into Betty's safe.

However, the way I look at it, if I am victimized by such a professional theif who is so skilled, then he would truly be wasting his time. He could do much better than my little pile.

I thought and thought about it, and realized that all I really needed was a locking box to put them in, and that's what I got for myself, except mine has the convenience of a combination lock and is just heavy enough that a simple grab and run by a quick theif would not be viable.

I of course have a sprinkler system in case of a fire, and will probably get a better, larger storage unit if I ever move to a bigger pad.

How many guns do you want to hold, and do you need fire proofing?

 

[Bud White]

Cannon gunsafes are good its what i have fire rated etc etc

Euc right with enough time someone can get into anything one thing that discourges movement of safes like what i have is the weight at either 525 or 625 i dont remeber unloaded its pretty hard to move..

If some guy happens to break in too my house and has a plasma cutter well sure hes gonna get into it but how often is that gonna happen ..

Also the cannon safes espically the ones with electronic locks give the lock smiths hard times

i picked mine up at cabelas for 599 hold 28 guns i think it is with creative stacking you can get up there a bit higher

 

[P95Carry]

I think Bud and I have similar - tho mine has ''Safari'' name on it.

It was a deal offer thru Sportsmansguide - probably around same price as Buds - I forget exact.

It supposedly has a full 30 minute fire rating and as for total security well - nothing is impenetrable to the skilled person.

It should tho do OK for most occasions and anyways - I spend so much time out here - no point trying a robbery then and at night - security deal is switch on. I have no schedule anyone can reliably track.

Distance to building from bedroom is an easy shot! LOL! Oh and my truck is in the way too of any vehicular access !

 

[Betty]

Your house may never burn down and you may never be burglarized.

You can find a decent, fire-resistant gun safe for under $1000. I did. Mine was a discounted display model. Start Googling and you'll find a safe.

Some burglars attempted to break into my Cannon safe before Christmas last year. They pounded all the knobs and the combo dial off and pounded a crater in the top, but they could not get in. Either they gave up or something scared them off. Cannon's warranty meant I got free repairs. If I had one of those cheap, metal, locker-style "residential storage units," they would've broken in it within minutes. Fireproof safes like my Cannon aren't completely burglarproof, but they're the better option.

My S.W.A.T. editor's house in AZ burned down months ago, and he lost his firearms (and almost his life), including heirloom pieces. The house went up incredibly fast, in minutes. He was able to restore some of them, but others are lost forever.

And whether your guns are "junk" or worth thousands of dollars, knowing they're not tucked in a thug's waistband is priceless.

 

[Euclidean]

Oh don't get me wrong. A Cannon or even a Sentry or whatever that weighs more than a 10 pound locker is going to be a better choice, have no doubt, but all "safes" are Residential Storage Units. If it's not part of your house, it's not a safe however, and as such all of these units are vulnerable to people who know how to exploit them.

You should get the heaviest, stoutest one you can, and if you don't have anything else that addresses the possibility of a fire, you need a fireproof unit as well. Me personally, I have the luxury of knowing that in the event of a fire my worldy possessions will all be ruined in a magnificent spray of water in short order.

The only thing these units really accomplish is keeping honest people honest, and impeding the path of least resistance. If someone defeats it, they were professional scum who knew what they were doing.

Basically all you can really do is not enable theft. Don't make it easy for them. Stopping or preventing theft costs a lot of money. People go to universities to get degrees in that sort of thing.

It's the same reason you lock your front door even though it can just be picked or broken down, it's the same reason people use the Club on their cars: do not create the path of least resistance.

The way I look at it, next to my "safe" are some expensive electronics which are much lighter, easier to trasnsport, unsecured, and probably slightly more valuable. What's getting stolen?

One thing I am bad about is that I have too many ammo cans and whatnot in a magnificent stack that almost runs to the ceiling. It's like a big sign that says "Guns stored here!".

 

[Betty]

A safe costs thousands upon thousands of dollars and will actually keep something secure, and is really most viable when you are building a home so you can integrate it into the home's design....If it's not part of your house, it's not a safe however, and as such all of these units are vulnerable to people who know how to exploit them.

You can't point at my 600 pound fire-resistant Cannon with combination and key lock and not call it a safe. You can't make up your own definitions and expect everyone else to abide by them. There is no inpenetrable safe, even if it's "part of the house", even the ones at the banks.

If you're picky, you can make it part of your house by bolting it to the floor, or doing what my dad did: encase all the sides (except for the door) in cinderblocks filled with rebar and concrete. The thing looks like a crypt.

Stopping or preventing theft costs a lot of money.

In my case, around $700 bucks (the price of one good gun) well spent.

Euc, it's a bit perplexing that you're telling us all you need is a locking box, then tell us to get the heaviest, stoutest safe we can, and then poo-poo the heavy gun safes, rambling on and on about them not being inpenetrable, and then discussing not giving burglars the path of least resistance. We know they're not inpenetrable. Move on.

 

[Scott]

I have the Cannon T27 that weighs about 785lbs. I have a second one on order. It says it holds 27 guns. I could possibly find a way to do that but as it is mine doesn't do that today. The Cannon has one of the best warranties in the business as Betty can attest.

-Scott-

 

[Euclidean]

Fair enough Betty, I just want people to do the homework like I did and realize what they're really investing in. The thing is, honest people are often shocked when they see, learn, or hear about the things that not honest people are capable of. One of the most common problems we discuss on the forum is that social predators have their own mindset.

FWIW your story is what prompted me to step it up a notch and drop a few hundred bucks to get a slightly used vault to store mine in. As much as I decry its capabilities it is far better than its predecessor.

 

[David III]

To the original question -- the best deal I could find several years ago was the gun safes that Sam's Club gets every year right around now. It's got a big Winchester logo on it, I can't remember the real maker, it might be a Cannon -- has an S&G lock, weighs 600+ pounds and has a fire rating of 30 minutes. Sam's had the best deal because they averaged freight, so I didn't have some extra big freight charge. I think it's a 16 or 18 gun size. Fireproofing was the big importance - besides keeping petty thieves out -- because we have some items, not just guns, that have a lot of sentimental value. So, a good buy for us.
The second option that we also use is one of those contractor's storage boxes that is made to be moved with a forklift. About 4 feet wide, it was on sale at Home Depot for under $200. It's locked with two padlocks. Yes, a torch could cut right through it or a grinder. No, it's not fireproof. But, it's at the other end of the house and is full of ammo and odds and ends that we could replace...
Personally, if I wanted to steal a gun safe, I'd just back a wrecker up to the house, run the cable through a window and around the safe, and drag the safe through the wall. A guy near here actually did that but couldn't get the safe open and it was found later. He was also found rather quickly since he dragged the safe down a rather large street here....

 

[CLASS3NH]

For what I have, in weapons, I have a walk-in type.
The Fort Knox, Cannon, and similar are great safes. With enough time, ANYBODY can defeat the combo, electronic tumbles, etc. and get your stuff.
I'd say, a Cannon, due to their warranty, coupled with a permimiter security system might be your best bet. Just my input here
I'm had the Fort Knox, and Browning. TheFort knox seemed better.
Active bolts all the way around, and hidden hindges along with a small sign that states: "CAUTION! NO SMOKING! EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS WITHIN" might also do the trick

 

[RSSZ]

Browning Pro Steel Silver Series..... That is the cheep one. They come with NO interrior which is the way that I wanted them so as to be able to custom finish them for the weapons that I own. I needed a safe with a limited number of shelves but more room to store long guns,so that's what interior I built. I have 3 of the safes,two for long guns and one for pistol's,revo's,and various other expensive stuff(watchs,knives,binos,etc.). The interiors are very easily changed as needed. My opinion and reccommendation is that you need a safe. The $200 ones are "lockable gun cabinates" That's all. The bigger safes(I can get inside mine and close the door and I'm a big guy)will defeat all but the most determined and well equipped thief. The thief that is certin that they have unlimited time in your house. Think about it.... SAME AS A BANK. My safes are bolted to the wall studs. Fully loaded the safes weigh ??? a hellove allot. You can also,as I did,use your imagineation to set up other little surprises for the would be thief. BUY A SAFE,put your valuables in it. Then leave home knowing that you've done all you can to protect you valuable guns. ---------

 

[ExSoldier]

I sort of built my own safe in our current home by installing a sheet of metal on the inside of the door and covering THAT with felt thru which I drilled the "J" hooks on which I hang my handguns. Long guns nestle in the corners. I also installed two key locking deadbolts and take those keys with me whenever we leave the house. The system is "ON" and then there are the two newfoundland dogs....

The next home, we're going to build from the ground....DOWN.

http://www.formworksbuilding.com/

http://www.daviscaves.com

My wife has promised me that we'll install an entire gunsafe and valuables ROOM with a real honest to god VAULT door by Fort Knox. These earth sheltered homes are all rebar reinforced concrete anyway....can't get much more secure.

If I had my way, I'd buy this home or build it in my own area:

http://www.ultimatesecurehome.com Surf around the site and check out all it's features. Man it appeals to the paranoid in me...

 

[Bud White]

http://www.ultimatesecurehome.com Surf around the site and check out all it's features. Man it appeals to the paranoid in me...

That place is awesome i could dig living there

 

[HotGuns]

ANY safe,residential storage unit, lockable guncabinet or whatever the heck you call it is better than NOTHING.

FWIW, Ive seen 3 of the elcheapo safes that Wlamart sells drug behind two trucks and one dropped off a 70 foot bluff without either one of them opening. The crooks just gave up. They were small enough that they could be manhandled, but the were stout enough to resist prybars amd being dropped on rocks. The one that was dropped off of a bluff had a seriously warped frame and the door was tweaked, but not enough to get a gun out off.

When I was on the city Fire Dept. over 25 years ago I fought many fully involved housefires with some of the being total losses and many of them being gutted. I remember seeing one safe in the corner of a what used to be a house and it had the paint burnt off. The owner opened up the safe and the contents in it were still cool to the touch.

Most fire proof safes are rated for 30 minutes at 1200 degrees. I have never seen a fully involved structure last more than 10 minutes before it was burnt to the ground.

Its true that a RKI could breach a safe. Those people are few and far between.They are so few that they are not a danger to the average person. What we are really looking to do is keep your neighbors kids, the crackhead down the street and the gangbangers looking for loot out of your stuff and even the cheapest safes will do that reasonably well.

The peace of mind of having your stuff secure is well worth whatever price you decide to pay...