I need another safe.

[wallenba]

My thirty year old Browning Pro-steel is full, and I'd like to make a little room inside so the rifles aren't touching each other. The newer safes I see in Dunham's and Gander Mountain don't seem to be as heavily constructed as mine. Is that the norm today? Also, do the big box stores deliver to your door? And who there (driver, sales people) have the combo and your address? Will they deliver just to the door? Or will they take it inside for you. My back can't take a lot of that. I can shuffle it into position once it is stood up.

I also have concerns about the electronic locks, eventually electronic stuff goes bad.
I found this outfit on the internet http://www.snapsafe.com/safe-features These come in kit form. The door seems tuff, but the rest is just bolted together sheet metal. Opinions?

I want a 'safe', not a security cabinet too. In Michigan, safe cracking carries up to life in prison. Savvy burglars might not want to risk it if they aren't sure what's in it.

I just need a small one to take the overflow from my main one. Should have capacity for at least fifteen long guns, a combination lock preferred, and around $500. Any recommendations?

[jcameron996]

Speaking from painful experience, stay a way from the electronic locks. I had to pay to have one drilled and a new lock installed after stupidly changing the battery with the door closed. My father had one replaced after changing the battery luckily with the door open after my experience. I have heard of an outfit locally(Kansas City area) that will pick up your safe at whatever store you buy it from and deliver it to your house and install it where you want it for a fee. Seems like it was about $300. Not cheap, but after moving several and nearly smashing my hand the last time it doesn't sound so bad.

[MaryB]

I looked at Snap Safes, some of the reviews were not so good. Then someone in town was giving away a security cabinet for free so i grabbed it. All 300 pounds of it, took 4 people to get it in the door and stood up.

[Ehaver]

Most places have the option for delivery to your home, on the main floor. (Dicks sporting, Sports Authority and bass pro had display signs stating so) IF you move it yourself, take the door off. That alone cuts down the weight significantly. Most just slide off the hinges, in an upward manner. I was looking at safes the other day, the place didn’t have batteries in them, they had long keys that can open the safe by taking off the digital panel. The sales person said that the safe came with a key... dunno if it’s true, but something to look at if you go digital.

[Dhammer]

Company called Pendelton looks to have some pretty sweet safes. Im still doing my research so won't say yes or no as to weather I want one yet or will go another route.

[NavyVet1959]

There are some safes that have both a digital and dial combination. That way, if the battery goes out, you have a manual backup. A digital safe is quicker to get into in an emergency than a dial one.

Go with a Sargent and Greenleaf lock at the very least.

If you don't have any steps, even a 1500 lb safe is not that difficult for a single person to move as long as you take it slow. Screw up though and you can have some seriously mashed fingers. Pipe for rollers or golf balls underneath the bottom of the safe and you can move a safe around fairly easily. When you get it to where you want it, bolt it to the floor though. If you can put it in a closet so that a thief won't have room to attack it, that will help also. If you are really concerned about theft, look at what the jewelry companies use and consider something made by one of those manufacturers.

In the end, the best safe is one that no one knows you have and no one can find if they are searching for it.

[Dhammer]

I always heard grade 5 bolts into concrete floor, big metal bracket behind into studs and concrete wall with about 50lbs of gun powder will be a big deterrent if they try cutting into safe after all esle fails. may or may not know someone that crazy.

[shoot-n-lead]

If you don't have any steps, even a 1500 lb safe is not that difficult for a single person to move as long as you take it slow. Screw up though and you can have some seriously mashed fingers. Pipe for rollers or golf balls underneath the bottom of the safe and you can move a safe around fairly easily.

It is pretty apparent that you have never worked in a business that required you move these things around. Pipes and golf balls on carpet are a PROBLEM...negotiating doors and corners...don't even mention it. It is one thing to move heavy objects around in a business...and quite something else to move them around in a typical residence. And, it is very easy for you to say that a 1500 safe is easy for one person to move... Yeah, right.

Anything can be stolen by prepared thieves...but how many gun safes do you hear of being stolen? Before you come up with all of the times it has been done...let's just acknowledge the fact that it is RARE.

[CastingFool]

I see you live in S.E. Michigan, Wallenba, have you checked with Hoogerhyde's in Grand Rapids?

[NavyVet1959]

It is pretty apparent that you have never worked in a business that required you move these things around. Pipes and golf balls on carpet are a PROBLEM...negotiating doors and corners...don't even mention it. It is one thing to move heavy objects around in a business...and quite something else to move them around in a typical residence. And, it is very easy for you to say that a 1500 safe is easy for one person to move... Yeah, right.

Anything can be stolen by prepared thieves...but how many gun safes do you hear of being stolen? Before you come up with all of the times it has been done...let's just acknowledge the fact that it is RARE.

Well, my safe is around 1500 lbs and I can move it around with pipe and golf balls. I moved it into the house via the back door and that was the most difficult part since there were a few inches that I needed to raise it. A few concrete blocks of varying thicknesses so that the slope was gradual and various diameter pieces of PVC and steel pipe so that I could work it up the mini-steps of the blocks and eventually I got it done. Sure, it helps if you have another person to lay the pipe in front of your direction of travel and pick up the pieces that are behind you, but it's not absolutely necessary. You just take it a few inches at a time. My house is a single story and other than small tile area in the kitchen / breakfast area where the back door is located, the house is carpeted on a concrete slab foundation. The golf balls make it very easy to negotiate corners. Using pipes as rollers, it takes a bit more effort to do it, but it's not something that you need a tremendous amount of strength to do. It's all about technique.

Now, the commercial safe movers have motorized stair climbing hand trucks that allow them to do it with even less effort.

If you have the safe in the back of your pickup, it would be quite a bit more difficult to get it down to ground level with just a single person. I moved mine the last time on a utility trailer and with the height of my truck, it caused the rear of the trailer to be fairly low to the ground, which I combined with backing the rear wheels of my truck onto some concrete pavers to make the rear of the trailer even lower. This combined with some blocks on the concrete allowed me to have a gradual slope to get the safe off the trailer and not have to be that concerned with the safe falling over on me.

[texaswoodworker]

about 50lbs of gun powder will be a big deterrent if they try cutting into safe after all esle fails. may or may not know someone that crazy.

The only problem with that I see is that should your home ever catch fire, you now have a very large, very powerful bomb that threatens not only your family's life, but also the lives of all the first responders and people in the immediate area.

[freebullet]

Last I checked Browning still sold very nice heavy safes. Find a dealer and get one to match your current safe.

I would stay away from the s&g keypad lock. I've been disappointed with mine from day one. If I did it again I'd go combo. It's a time tested & proven reliable system that don't need a battery.

[Plate plinker]

I see you live in S.E. Michigan, Wallenba, have you checked with Hoogerhyde's in Grand Rapids?

Also On Target in Kalamazoo they have a yearly scratch and dent safe sale or at least used to have one.

I'm due for another safe too and will be checking out their stash.

[NavyVet1959]

Also On Target in Kalamazoo they have a yearly scratch and dent safe sale or at least used to have one.

In my opinion, if a safe can get dented from just being moved around a store, then the metal is probably too thin to be a safe.

Scratches, on the other hand, well, that just means that you made the mistake of hiring a commercial moving company who thought that they could manhandle the safe instead of moving it properly. I've got scratched on the side of my safe because the idiots at the moving company refused to believe me when I told them that they would need a lift gate on the back of the truck to move it from the ground to the back of the truck. They chose to get a bunch of guys and lift it into the truck and slide it on its side instead. My experience with those idiots convinced me that it is better to move things yourself instead of paying someone else to damage your stuff.

[Plate plinker]

Liberty safes and I think national and maybe browning. Not really dented just advertising slang they use here for not perfect.
They used to stock 2-3dozen large safes if I recall correctly years ago so they are bound to get some damaged units. It's a very busy gun shop. Probably stocks +500 firearms.

[crazy mark]

Most of the electronic locks have flash memory so if the batteries go dead you can change them and the combo doesn't change. The good ones do.

[Johnch]

Look up Smith Security Safes
I have one

He is located just outside Boweling Green Ohio

He makes them to what YOU want

I know he will bring them into your house for you

Not a real cheap safe ....But I went with one of his bigest safes and added hard plate to the door
My door weighs almost 500 lb alone

So far I only have good things to say about that safe

John

[Dhammer]

Not me so not my concern in explaining to the authorities if someone had done that to their safe.

I also forgot places like Home Depot, Lowes and a few other carry American made gun safes or used to at least. Usally tucked away somewhere in the store out of sight. When the safe models change the old model can be had at pretty steep discount. The trick is finding out which safe is discontinued and what store has them. Once you can find a model number there is a way to search HD and Lowes actual stores in ones area for that model. If they only have the display and there are scratches anywhere even if they will buff out, not visible or whateber the manager will usally knock some more of the price. That's how I got my first big safe. I knew someone who literally cleaned out the northwest suburbs they got such a great deal. All except one. That's the one I got after they told me about it.

Two buddies moved mine into basement at old house since I was injured.

Also a lot of the bigger safes the door comes off. That makes a big diffence at times for moving it.

[therealhitman]

The coolest safes I've seen lately, maybe ever, have been from a company called Rhino Ironworks. They had some displayed by retailers at several gun shows in the NW in recent months. Styled like an old west bank safe, pre-distressed and worn (no dent/scratch discount though) with unground welds and saddle leather interiors. I almost bought one just on principle. Probably would have if SWMBO wasn't with me.

[Ickisrulz]

http://www.zanottiarmor.com/safes.htm

More than $500, but easy to move.