gun safes

[Harry]

Not about cast boolits, but I need to get a gun safe. I have been reading reviews but I would like some input from people I trust, so I'm looking here. I read that 10 ga. should be the min steel thickness. I realize there are a number of quality grades of safes. I would like to stay around $1500 to $2000. I only need a 10-12 long gun capacity. If this thread is out of place, I apologize.

[AZ-Stew]

Harry,

If you're under the age of 50, you need at least twice as much capacity as you think you do. Things accumulate. Buy as big a safe as you can afford. 15 years ago I bought the biggest safe Liberty makes. Now I need another one so I can offload my camera equipment, other accessories and personal papers to make room for more long guns. It's impossible to buy a safe that's too big.

See if you can get one with a thinner door to save money you can then put into other features. The 1 inch thick doors that are the rage now are, in my opinion, a waste of steel and trucking charges. Mine's 3/8 thick. Way too thick to crow-bar, and it's recessed below the surface of the safe front, so you can't get a good prying fulcrum on it, anyway. In addition, the safe walls are quite thin with respect to the door. Where's the best attack point? Certainly not the door, regardless of thickness.

Research the safe companies, make some calls and find out what you can get made for you. I think most companies will do custom jobs for you. Make a list of questions from the responses you get here and then make your calls.

Regards,

Stew

[winelover]

Look at Liberty Safes, lot of features for the money. Recommend the Electronic Keypad Option. Dial is too slow and hard to see #'s when you age.

Winelover

[Dframe]

I started with a fort knox. Good safe but it kept shrinking. Sold it to a friend and bought a much larger Liberty. Now it's too small. You see the pattern here I presume. A-Z Stew is right on the money about buying twice as big as you think you need now. All of the major brands are good quality. I recommend you pay special attention to fireproofing.

[Longrange]

Just something else for you to think about.

If two men brought it into your house or garage then two men can carry it out. Make sure you get a solid, quality built, safe that weight in the neighborhood of at least one half ton. Then bolt it to a solid concrete floor with large concrete lag bolts.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Not sure if they are still in business but take a look at Tread safes- big bang for the buck.

[BruceB]

One thing I'm contemplating right now is a rotary gun rack. Such a rack will fit right into a safe, and save all the beating and scratching that is needed to extract a rifle from the back of a safe.

They're not cheap, at over $300 for a BIG one, but rifles and safes aren't cheap either. A 30-inch-diameter rack can hold up to 22 long guns. It also may be possible to buy a safe without all the shelves, racks, upholstery, etc., and thus save at least part of the cost of a rotary rack.

Take a look at this site:

www.gun-racks.com

for a considerable variety of sizes and features.

It may be a sizable price-tag, but once you have it, you HAVE it....just like the safe. I think my rifles will thank me...

[HABCAN]

Why not spend most of the money available for just the door and build a DIY concrete block room to mount it on? Fill the blocks with concrete as you proceed.

[BarryinIN]

If you can possibly find a big safe from a business, get it. They put "gun safes" to shame.
The trouble is finding one.

I have a friend whose dad tinkers with old safes as a hobby. He somehow sniffs out a few each year. Anytime a building is being torn down or remodeled, he asks if there are any safes inside. Sometimes, he gets one. They are usually left from some business that operated in the building 50 years ago or longer and was just a forgotten obstacle in the corner ever since.
I'd guess that maybe half the ones he gets, he gets for the taking. They let him have it just to get the thing out of the way finally. He runs a gas company in that area, so he has access to boom lift trucks, and can pick them up with little trouble.

He found me a safe that came from a Wynn-Dixie about 700 miles away from him. Being bigger than what he usually plays with, he called me up and offered it to me. Of course, he had already brought it home, as he seldom passes up any safe.
I was about to buy a "gun safe" so I was glad he found that one when he did. It is typical gun safe size, but made of MUCH thicker metal. I don't think there is a piece on it under 3/4" and most of it is thicker. There are a couple of tamper-safe re-locking systems that are kinda neat too. It's UL rated at TL30, which imporessed him, so I take that to be pretty good.

I have seen similar type/sizes of safes in the local ad paper, under the "Business Furniture & Equipment" section. They are usually priced about the same as a gun safe or less. But when I was checking regularly, I might see one listed every other month and maybe less.
I think it pays to keep checking, though.
The selection is much more limited and they probably won't be carpeted inside and have duckies painted on the door, but they are a lot more secure.

[Rockydog]

Here is a safe thread on another forum I participate in. The original poster CB900F is a locksmith and safe dealer. His take on this is, of course, based upon what he sells but never the less good knowledge. RD

http://www.baitshopboyz.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=14125&PN=1

[runfiverun]

;ool at heritage safes they'll build you what you want and are a small business.
their owner is a cast boolit shooter also.
they are located in grace idaho.
i would bet money every employee is a gun owner too.

[Storydude]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhOjWHbD6M

Starts getting good at 2.30


Buy a SAFE. not a Residential Security Container.

[DLCTEX]

We have a Fort Knpx and a John Deere here. The Ft. Knox has an electronic lock and holds guns we may need in a hurry. The other guns go in the John Deere, which has the combination dial lock. The Ft. Knox is much heavier and has a better fire rating. The difference in retail price is not great.

[Bret4207]

Why not spend most of the money available for just the door and build a DIY concrete block room to mount it on? Fill the blocks with concrete as you proceed.

For the money they get for these things, I have to agree the Habcan.You could build a small room or build a permanent "closet" right into you home for less money than a big safe costs. In our old home I had one built into a basement partition 4x4" wall, rerod running through it and all tied together with all thread rod and glue. Looked like a support structure, most would not even see it.

[alamogunr]

++ to all the comments about buying bigger. I bought larger than I thought I would ever need but now am considering a second smaller safe just for handguns. That would allow me to remove all the partial shelves and leave full width for long guns.

My safe is in an unattached shop behind my house. I have neighbors close by so thieves would not have much privacy to do their evil deed. I also store several hundred pounds of lead ingots in the bottom. I don't know that this accomplishes anything but it makes me feel like I have added some security from physical removal of the safe.

While my safe is technically a "Residential Security Container", I feel it is adequate for my location. If I lived in a secluded area where thieves would have time to "crack" or remove my safe, I would invest in a real "safe".

John
W.TN