Best Safe for the $$$$

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Howdy all,

Have outgrown my current safe, so looking for options to protect without breaking the Bank.

Thanks,

Sam :D

[shooterg]

AMSEC(American Security) is what I got - spent some time looking at Liberty safes too. Choice may depend on shipping cost . I've seen good deals on some large older safes at local security places that take 'em on exchange, might try if you have locals in the biz.

[Artful]

I have several - and have found some things that seem to take sting out.
1) always buy bigger than you think you'll need
2) local safe purchase instead of having shipped in if possible, If buying from private party thing half price of what stores sell it for as your on your own.
3) If a trade or gunshow is going on the salesrep on the last day may be inclined to move
stock for better price and instead of dropping it off at his store can just swing by your place
4) Get help moving a large heavy object - and preplan all movement of it from truck to final resting place (this is critical) even go so far as to mock up the object in cardboard and do a trial run.
5) put it out of sight so that everyone coming over for dinner doesn't see your shiny toy box and talk about it with all their friends - etc.
6) pick a name brand with UL listing and fire lining and secure it - Safes discourage the poor/untrained theif but if they can move it to be able to use tools (you did lock up your torch/saw and pry bars right) even they can get into it PDQ. But it must protect against FIRE as that is the most common hazard that happens to peoples possessions (unless you live in a midwest flood plain evidently).

[Tom-ADC]

I have a AMSEC also and like it, but best advice I can give for a safe is figure out what size you need then but the next size bigger...

[DanM]

You might try calling some local locksmiths. They often have them used at a very good price.

[Jal5]

I bought a Liberty Centurion safe couple of years ago, to store 24 long guns and assorted handguns...wish I had bought the next bigger size. But not a bad deal for the $$$

[Tom-ADC]

I'd been thinking I'd need another safe but after reading this I took another look at mine and just swapped the interior around. I now have room for at least 5 more rifles.:)

[parrott1969]

Liberty Fat boy. Its a 48 gun safe with a 45 minute Omega fire rating. You can buy this safe for around $1100. It weighs 750 pounds but you can easily move it with a furniture dolly ( four wheeler type buy it at lowes for $29) this allows maximum manuverabilty to get into tight spots. Makes installing the safe a one man operation.

[markinalpine]

A couple of companies make safes that you assemble in place:
SnapSafe (http://www.snapsafe.com/index.php)
and
Zanotti (http://www.zanottiarmor.com/index.html)
Mark :coffeecom

[skeet1]

I know they are not cheap but I have a Fort Knox that I have had for a number of years that has been very good. Would I buy another one? Yes!

Ken

[August]

I, too, have a Fort Knox. It's my second one. I think they offer the most protection for the money. Their quality is surpassed by no other manufacturer.

If you find a real, old-time safe dealer who carries Fort Knox, they can make amazing things happen with respect to price.

[Gunload Master]

I've been looking into getting a patriot safe: http://www.patriotsafe.com/

I havent really heard much about them, but from the looks they seem alright.. A bit costly, but so are guns if you loose them :)

[alamogunr]

I bought a Heritage safe about 7 or 8 years ago. Now I'm looking for a smaller safe to put my handguns into. Then I can remove the lower shelves and dedicate it to long guns.

One thing, don't buy into the concealed hinge baloney. I did and it uses up some valuable room. If the locking bolts are on all 4 sides of the door, defeating the hinges will not open the door.

Look here for guidance:

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunsafes.html

http://tinyurl.com/3h44wce

John
W.TN

[Three44s]

I would not call this an economy outfit:

http://www.graffundersafes.com/index.html

We don't own one of his products but if you want one heck of a safe ......... Graffunder does it!


Three 44s

[Bad Water Bill]

Sure would be nice if more of these folks told us their prices.

[bob208]

you can not spend too much. a safe is cheaper then ins.

i got a liberty franklin model 54 gun. fire lining. paid $1000 for it had a breakin 10 years after they could not get into it. they broke the tumbelrt off pried on the door beat on it with a hammer. now weigh that 1000 aginst the loss of the 40 winchesters and 03's that they did not get to.

[cajun shooter]

I bought my very nice Liberty safe off the show room floor at Sears as it had scratch damage. Saved over $700 which is not bad for some paint chips missing. The price you pay is well worth the feeling you receive when you leave home and know your items are there. They also house things like Insurance papers, wife's jewelry, spare cash and heirloom family photo's. Those things that no matter what may be replaced by a check.

[alamogunr]

I would not call this an economy outfit:

http://www.graffundersafes.com/index.html

We don't own one of his products but if you want one heck of a safe ......... Graffunder does it!


Three 44s

If I had a lot of very valuable guns and a solid concrete floor to set it on, I would seriously consider one of these safes. No prices were given but I suspect that they would cost 3 to 4 times what I paid for mine. Those things empty weigh more than mine does full of guns with 400-500 lbs of lead in the bottom. Using the original specs and estimating the weight of the contents, I'm guessing that mine weighs almost a ton(and I do have it sitting on a concrete floor).

John
W.TN

[mold maker]

I bought what I could afford, used, many years ago. Since then I've had to buy 2 more. I've got too much stuff that has none replacable value.
Best advice is no matter what brand, buy at least twice what you expect to need. It will fill up fast.

[cbrick]

Many years ago I bought a safe from Sun Welding, a local mfg. It’s a decent size, quite heavy and solid but it’s not a fire safe.

Sun Welding has a showroom at the factory but not open to the public, it’s by appointment only. A couple of years ago I thought I should have a fire safe so I called them and asked if they would take my current safe (One of theirs remember) in as trade against the cost of a comparable size fire safe. Of course they said. I asked what I could expect for my current safe, it’s perfectly clean and not a scratch on it. They said that it could be worth $100.00.

Hhmmm . . . A hundred bucks huh? Then they asked if I would like to make an appointment to visit the showroom? No, says I, I don't think that will be necessary. They asked if I want the fire safe. Yes, I do but not a Sun Welding safe. Why not they ask? Well, you just told me that your stuff isn't worth squat; it’s not even worth scrap metal prices by the pound, why would I buy another one?

Several years ago I moved and the safe was empty for the move. When I was settled in the new place and went to put the guns and other stuff in the safe it refused to open. I played around with it for two years and couldn’t get it open. I even called Sergeant & Greenleaf and asked them how to open it & all they could offer was that I forgot the combination. No, I didn’t forget the combination, the numbers were how old my dad was when he died, the year my daughter was born and how old I was when she was born. I did not forget these numbers. I called a local safe mover - safe cracker guy and he came over and while drinking a cup of coffee and chatting with me he had it open in 10 minutes. Simply amazing how simple it was. A drill motor and a bore scope and it was open. He tried the combination I gave him with the bore scope in the hole and said that one of the tumblers wasn’t dropping & that’s why it wouldn’t unlock.

I had him install an electronic lock on it, best money I ever spent. Still no fire safe though.

Rick

[alamogunr]

If I could afford the best, I would have to consider either the Graffunder or Brown. I think that either would answer those that post on similar threads that the only acceptable safe is an old bank vault.

John
W.TN

[Bad Water Bill]

About 20 years ago I saw one of the best gunroom/safes I have ever seen. The front porch extended the full length of the house. You guessed it. 12 inch thick concrete walls, floor and ceiling and a real bank vault door. By the way the log cabin was on a hill and the gun room part was in the hill.

[deltaenterprizes]

Forget about the door thickness. If the door is 1'' thick and the sides are 1/8'' thick the weak spot is the sides!
Most "gun safes" are "residential security cabinets", a true "safe" will have a UL tag.
Mostly you are trying to stop crackheads and young burglars. If you have one million dollars in gold and cash a professional will come prepared and be able to defeat the best safe made.
Be sure to bolt it to a wall or the floor, there is a video on Youtube showing a guy getting into a "gun safe" in TEN Minutes with a 6' pry bar. Do a search and check it out.

After Katrina I had to crack my Liberty "safe" and it only took half an hour with a drill and a 1/4'' punch and hammer. My Fort Knox would not have taken much longer.

A friend cut through the top of his with a reciprocating saw in about 20 minutes!

[Bad Water Bill]

Most safes are there to intimidate the amateurs. These are the ones we can stop.

If a REAL pro wants the contents they WILL get them.

[deltaenterprizes]

Most safes are there to intimidate the amateurs. These are the ones we can stop.

If a REAL pro wants the contents they WILL get them.

Amen,:drinks: brother!

[Ole]

I bought my Liberty safe from Sam's club.

The price was competitive to other stores, but I picked it up from the store and didn't have to pay for shipping to my house. Saved about $300 that way.

[azcruiser]

Important they only work if you remember to lock the door when you leave . Hard lesson to learn for me . Second think about getting something to disguise you safe or keep it out of plain sight .Hall closet works build a shelve right on top of the safe so it can't be tilted to slide a dolly under is a good idea.
Cheap way to go is buy an old upright freezer gut it fill the bottom with concrete put in two eye bolts run a rod across the bottom and cable lock the guns to it . Most crooks don't bother with a freezer in the garage .

[alamogunr]

My safe is in a back corner of my shop. I draped an old tablecloth over the front and anchored it on top with one of those dormitory refrigerators the sons used when in college. It doesn't cover the bottom 18" of the safe but hopefully enough to not catch the eye of someone outside the shop. If nothing else the refrigerator is convenient.

John
W.TN

[BD]

I'm a fan of Champion Safes. Mine came from a gunshop in Columbia, SC and was just under $2,000 4 years ago. When you buy any safe in this price range, what you are buying is a safe door on a sheet steel cabinet. The "fire rating" typically comes from layers of FR drywall inside of the cabinet, behind the interior lining. It's up to you to locate the safe correctly and protect the back, sides and top from attack. The door needs to have a lock shield and active bolts on all four sides. Unfortunately, today anyone with a little bit of knowledge can buy the tools needed to go through the side, or top, of a gun safe in 60 seconds for less than $150.

I've also installed a few "real" safes in homes I've built. We use equipment for to do this. These generally start around $4,500 or so and go up from there. One of these sized similar to a medium sized gun safe would start around $6,000 and weigh around 2,000 lbs. They get set into poured reinforced concrete niches, or welded into steel structure during construction in such a way that it would take heavy equipment to remove them.

The thing that saves us is from the kind of guys who've got the skills and tools to quickly and quietly get through a good door is that they are not generally interested in stealing guns from the likes of us. They're not even turning their heads when they drive by my house. They're using those skills to go after stuff like jewelry, diamonds and gold bars. The guys my safe is protecting me from are typically drunk, or drug addled, and equipped with stuff like prybars, jacks and sledgehammers. A good door will keep them out if they can't get at the sides, back or top.

BD

[JIMinPHX]

Scour the local papers. The really heavy old safes often go for a song because they are such a bear to move. I answered an ad for a free safe in Morristown NJ one time about 25 years ago. It ended up being the old safe from the Madison post office. I was told that it had been constructed to keep billy the kid out. The stepped sides were well over a foot thick. I tried to take it, but the forklift that was small enough to enter the room would not move it & I could not get a toe jack under it to get it up on Hillman skates. Something about half that good would be perfect in my opinion.

[JIMinPHX]

Most safes are there to intimidate the amateurs. These are the ones we can stop.

If a REAL pro wants the contents they WILL get them.

Unless you booby trap it. Unfortunately, the legal system in this country frowns upon that sort of thing.

[PatMarlin]

Have you guys seen these?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX6jIutRA-I

[Bad Water Bill]

WOW Thanks Pat. I like it.:drinks:

[PatMarlin]

Scour the local papers. The really heavy old safes often go for a song because they are such a bear to move. I answered an ad for a free safe in Morristown NJ one time about 25 years ago. It ended up being the old safe from the Madison post office. I was told that it had been constructed to keep billy the kid out. The stepped sides were well over a foot thick. I tried to take it, but the forklift that was small enough to enter the room would not move it & I could not get a toe jack under it to get it up on Hillman skates. Something about half that good would be perfect in my opinion.

That's a great tip. Scour Craigs list as well.

[Jal5]

I don't mean to hijack this thread but to expand your room for handgun storage in the safe has anyone tried these "handgun hangers"?
http://www.uniquetek.com/site/696296/product/T1328

I could totally rearrange my safe to fit the rifles better without using the right side with small shelves as I currently do, if I had space for the handguns hanging from the topshelf.

Joe

[bobthenailer]

For me every one wanted to sell a safe but no one wanted to deliver !
I bought a American Securty form a lock smith instead of a gun shop! i bought the plane jane finish with chrome plated hardware no show piece but who sees it anyhow ! its whats insde that counts, fire protection , strength & size are the most important issues.
i ended up getting a larger safe with better fire protection & strength, for a little less money than the gun shops wanted for there safes & no delivery. and they were at my house installing the gun safe in my house 1 hour after i left the store . Since the were lock smiths and safe specialest they had the right equipment to transport and a special dolly to move the safe ,they had it installed in 15 minutes with only 2 men. Mabe the stars were all aligned ? but I was impressed !

[mroliver77]

One of the member here has an uncle that lived in a rural setting. He had three safes. He was gone one night and came back to a smouldering mess where his house had been. The dirtbags had pried open one safe, pulled a second through the wall and carted it off. The third was still there battered and burned. The guns were lost. They even took his riding mower!

The police know who did it. A few of the guns were recovered a few states west of here. Not enough evidence to make an arrest and the police are very tight lipped about who they suspect.

I have looked at safes and am not impressed. Like has been said, steel boxes with wannabe safe doors. Drywall for fire protection.I could be in most of them in minutes! A local safe builder does offer custom doors for doing safe rooms etc. He told me if I want to go this route he has lots of good((in his mind) ideas and would work with me. I am an experienced home/commercial builder, welder fabricator with some experience in concrete work and masonry.

I want a safe that if my house burns and the local yokels do not get there for 1/2 hour before even getting started that my possessions will be safe inside. The only way I see this happening is with a built in done by me (and a couple close buddies).

[largom]

All of the gun safes I looked at were to small and cost to much. I decided to build my own by purchaseing a "safe door" from an outfit in Ohio. I took one end of my loading room which already had 3 concrete walls and built the 4th wall with concrete blocks poured full of concrete. The safe door was built into this 4th wall. I also put concrete board in the ceiling. I now have a "walk-in safe" that measures 6ft. wide by 12ft. long and 7ft. high. My total cost 6 years ago was under $1200.

Larry

[Artful]

All of the gun safes I looked at were to small and cost to much. I decided to build my own by purchaseing a "safe door" from an outfit in Ohio. I took one end of my loading room which already had 3 concrete walls and built the 4th wall with concrete blocks poured full of concrete. The safe door was built into this 4th wall. I also put concrete board in the ceiling. I now have a "walk-in safe" that measures 6ft. wide by 12ft. long and 7ft. high. My total cost 6 years ago was under $1200.

Larry

That is one good solution :drinks:
, but tough to take if you move :(

[mold maker]

Move first.

He He
I couldn't help it.
I've lived in the same home for 48 years, and now I'm gonna move. BIG Dumpster and Giant Yard Sales involved.
Where did I get all that stuff????????

[RugerFan]

Hard to beat the prices on gun safes here: http://www.unitedmerchandising.com/Safes/index.html

I bought the Pioneer WF25 (28 gun $898.00) three years ago and now am thinking about getting another (thanks to my C&R license). His prices are about $100 cheaper on eBay (seller: marc17522). Free shipping to many states. These safes come with dial locks, but he has digital locks for purchase that are easy to install (I did this).

[DCM]

Liberty makes a VERY GOOD SOLID safe I have had 2 for a number of years now and I am VERY happy with them especialy my Lincoln series. Every thing works as smooooooth as the day I bought it on the Lincoln. The other is one of their small priceline safes, it works well but it is quite apparent it is not built as well.
A friend has a Zanotti that he assembled in his closet so they would have to do structural damage to the house to remove it, I like that Idea but they are not fire resistant.
DO NOT place your safe DIRECTLY on a concrete floor! You will regret it! Both the safe and firearms WILL RUST!
I would anchor the safe to the structure if possible and or build a wall around it after it is in place. another option if building a wall around it is to build some type of "false structure" in front of the door so it is out of sight.
The best thing is to start with getting a good safe.
A funny story about a Bachelor friend of mine that lives in a rural area. There was a rash of break ins by him. His house was broken in to. He called the sheriff to report the break in, they arrived to investigate and apologized for the mess the thieves had made of his house. He admitted that the mess was his own and said they didn't take anything that he knew of. The deputies said between the mess and the large safe they probably figured that anything of value was not going to be easy to get and left. He had bought the safe less than a month before and was very glad he did.