Need a Gun Safe

[Echo]

I remember seeing some comments about a build-it-yourself gun safe, but can't remember the name, except it started with a 'Z'. I did a cursory Search, with no joy. I sent our piano to my son & DIL, for use for their new young 'un (the lovely & talented Vivi, blue-eyed strawberry blond, and future Nobel, Oscar, 2600, and President winner)and finally have the room for the safe. Can someone point me in the right direction?

[lbaize3]

I have a big Fort Know and a medium size Cannon. The Fort Know is excellent and I would recommend one if you can afford it.

[Tom-ADC]

I have two (noticed I said two) American Security safes like them both, but how did I end up with two? Simple I didn't follow safe rule number one, "Figure out what size you need then buy the next size up"

[Ickisrulz]

I remember seeing some comments about a build-it-yourself gun safe, but can't remember the name, except it started with a 'Z'. I did a cursory Search, with no joy. I sent our piano to my son & DIL, for use for their new young 'un (the lovely & talented Vivi, blue-eyed strawberry blond, and future Nobel, Oscar, 2600, and President winner)and finally have the room for the safe. Can someone point me in the right direction?

Zanotti makes safes you can take apart.

http://www.zanottiarmor.com/

[stillkickn]

Wow I'm glad I saw this. I would need to assemble the safe in my house. Does anyone know if the Zanotti's are good safes?

[TXGunNut]

I bought a Bear safe many years ago. Thought it was way too big and would never fill it up. Finally filled it up a few years back and added a Knaack jobsite toolbox. They come in many sizes so I bought a huge one. Good for storing important papers, small collectables, bulk lead and ammo and mebbe a few leverguns and handguns. Also a good place to store tools that could be used to defeat your safe.

[williamwaco]

One word about Safes.

If you have bolt action scoped rifles, they will hold about one third to one fourth what they are actually rated for.

If you have sleek little lever action rifes with no scopes or auto or pump shotguns they will hold about three fourths what they are rated for.


Don't buy too small.

.

[HangFireW8]

What williamwaco said- safes only hold their capacity in slim little 22's... with every other one upside down.

I've found removing the bolts helps a lot, both in getting more in, and avoiding dings.

HF

[Uncle Jimbo]

I have a National Security safe and and I have no problem with the scopes and bolt actions. My guess, just designed different. And I agree with all who say, get a big one. I would have never thought that I would fill it up. But I have and then some.

[winelover]

I currently have a 30" Liberty with a 9 gun interior. It holds 8 rifles plus 2 rimfires with scopes, a leather "leg of mutton" take down gun case and a hard cue case. None are upside down and one of them is a AR-10 with Reflex site and 10 round magazine installed. Four have the bolts removed and three of them have QD mounts. It's all about efficient packing.

Winelover

[DLCTEX]

I have and like a John Deere safe. I would opt for a digital lock as the combination manual is slow to operate.

[bob208]

liberty safes for me i had a breakin they worked on that safe for a long time. did not get it open. it cost me $400 to get it opened and repaired. but all the rifles in side were still mine.

[JIMinPHX]

I recently looked into safes from http://www.zanottiarmor.com/. They are not nearly as heavy duty as I had remembered them to be in the past. The same goes for safes from American Security that I looked at recently. The rush to go to thinner steel seems to be getting led by the low priced stuff that you find in Harbor Freight, Home Depot & Bass Pro Shops, but many of the formerly better names in safe building are following suit. I recently got a lock for a safe that was supposed to be S&G brand. It turned out to be a cheap Chinese knock off that came with a dial that had the American Security logo on it. I have been having problems with the clutches in that lock slipping. I have never had that problem with a real S&G lock & I've been using those for more than 30 years. Slipping clutches = the combination changes by itself without you knowing about it. That's a problem.

I recently went to a gun show in Florida & stumbled upon these guys - http://cesafes.com/. They had some safes that were made in the USA by Superior. http://cesafes.com/gun-valuable-safes/superior-safes/ Those safes looked like good value for the money. The doors had at least a 3/8" plate that was backed up by something with a little more meat than is the average these days. A very large safe was under $3k. Something that would hold maybe 20 guns, with some other stuff, was under $2k. I realize that you are not in Florida, but I would assume that Superior must have distribution somewhere in the AZ area too.

If you want something under $1k, there are a few at Bass Pro that are better than the sheet metal junk from Homak, but they are not something that a skilled thief would take long to get into.

Better safes have a class "c" burglary rating (think, like 3/4" steel door). These are not cheap when bought new. Really good ones have a TL-15 (or higher) bank vault rating. These are far from cheap when bought new.

You might be surprised what you can find used if you look in the want ads & on craig's list for a few months. Good stuff does pop up now & then for a song. A lot of big old safes end up going cheap because they are hard to move & some people don't want to be bothered with them. Usually local locksmiths try to snatch them up ASAP, but sometimes you can beat them to it if you keep on top of things.

Also, if you find yourself up in Phoenix, stop in at a place called "the safe store" on Indian School Road, just off of I-17. When you get done looking at the shiny pretty junk that he has in the show room, ask him what he has in back that is not as pretty, but has more steel in it. If you can find something made out of real plate steel that is big enough for you, start talking cash in hand prices & see how the conversation goes. Don't forget to ask about delivery too. They have good moving equipment, but Tucson ain't exactly right next door to them.

[JeffinNZ]

This is what I use:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/IMG_0022.jpg

Guess who I used to work for.

[firefly1957]

I bought a cannon safe got the widest one it is to small! I am adding extra fire protection by building it in a drywall closet. I looked at the Harbor freight safe and was very disappointed I think I could open it with a pry bar, I may be wrong just how it appeared when I took a close look. Did have one major disappointment with the cannon safe it say USA and California on it but when I removed the box at home I discovered it is made in Mexico! I think Dakota safes can be assembled in place also http://www.dakotasafe.com/

[bruce drake]

This is what I use:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/IMG_0022.jpg

Guess who I used to work for.

Pepsi?:bigsmyl2:

[wilit]

This is what I use:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/IMG_0022.jpg

Guess who I used to work for.

So when you press the Fanta button, what gun comes out?

[DCM]

Orange and purple ammo! :bigsmyl2: Or maybe purple.....

[DCM]

One word about Safes.

If you have bolt action scoped rifles, they will hold about one third to one fourth what they are actually rated for.

If you have sleek little lever action rifes with no scopes or auto or pump shotguns they will hold about three fourths what they are rated for.


Don't buy too small.

.

I used to help deliver and install safes. I would highly recommend that you thoroughly think your choices through. On more than one occasion we ended up putting the safe in the customers garage as it would not go where they wanted it to and the woman of the house would not allow it as a piece of living room furniture. Bigger isn't always better.

I know of many people that actually have multiple smaller safes for this reason.
If you get the right ones you can get the combinations made all the same.

Also electronic locks were very problematic for my friend.
He sold a lot of safes and always tried to talk customers out of them, but you gotta give em what they think they want.

[BoolitSchuuter]

This is what I use:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/IMG_0022.jpg

Guess who I used to work for.

I'd like to see how you did the interior if you aren't pulling our leg with this. I kinda like the idea. Think about it, a safe disguised as a soda machine in a garage. If I was a burglar, I'd walk right past that and not give it a second look.:drinks:

[41 mag fan]

I'd like to see how you did the interior if you aren't pulling our leg with this. I kinda like the idea. Think about it, a safe disguised as a soda machine in a garage. If I was a burglar, I'd walk right past that and not give it a second look.:drinks:

Unless you was a thirsty burglar....you pop in the $1, push the Coke button and out pops a colt.

[Jal5]

I bought the Centurion safe by Liberty a couple of years ago. Not bad for the money. But I didn't follow the buy the next size bigger rule and wish I had now. You never think you will fill that safe up...but you will! Joe

[Reload3006]

The problem with gun safes is you fill them up. I have 2 and really need another Bummer shooting reloading is the addiction that doesnt get you chemically high but its just as addictive

[shdwlkr]

agree with buying as big a one as you can afford they tend to get full real fast.
If I had the funds it would be a liberty with no second thoughts have seen one that went through a bad fire. Owner thought they had lost everything of value as it was in the safe, guess what when they opened it not even the paper, pictures showed any sign of being in a very hot fire for longer than the safe was fire rated.
Were they just lucky could be or the fire was not as hot as it looked like it had to have been.
The one I have now is ok does the job but one day I will have a Liberty and be done with it.

[Longwood]

Safes are a deterant, nothing more.
Even the best gun safes can be opened fairly easily by someone that knows how.
I used to build them at Star, then American Security Products, now AMSEC..
Make sure to put in a burglar alarm that is not easily defeated.
Even a cheap one that is installed well is better than none.
There is nothing a safe cracker hates more than a very loud siren blaring away while he is trying to work.
They laugh about the ones that only have a siren inside the home.
Don't bother with the cheap security camera's that anyone can pick up the signal from.
My camera's are the D-Link DSC-900W. They send a signal to a, well hidden, laptop and my cell phone instead of the neighbors and people that happen to drive by with a backup camera in their vehicle.

[scrapcan]

do a search for mtgrs737. He is a safe dealer and has given sound advice in the past. There are also a few others that posted good info in the threads that he posted in.

[jblee10]

I'm going thru the process of getting another safe right now. Spent hours Saturday shopping and comparing. I'll probably end up buying a Fort Knox.

[ErikO]

Poop! I never thought of a vending machine and I had access to 'scrap' ones at my last jobsite...

[alamogunr]

Don't buy into the "hidden hinge" pitch. If the safe you want has them, OK, but they will restrict what you can put behind the hinge side of the door. If you stop and think about it, defeating the hinges won't open the door. I'm speaking from experience. I could have put one more gun in my safe if those hinge brackets didn't interfere.

[Longwood]

Make sure your safes are bolted to the floor or wall.
If you can get it in the house, burlars can get it out.

[shdwlkr]

The safe I have weights close to a ton and you are not going to move it easily or quickly and not get noticed. One of the reasons I got in and where it is would take a good 6 hours to move everything in the way to get it out of where it is.

Do I think a determined thief could get in of course they could nothing is safe from every possible way of getting in. Not even bank vaults are 100% safe.

[alamogunr]

When a friend built his new house, he had a large safe lowered into the basement safe room with a crane. It won't even go thru the door to get it out of the safe room. That room is not like the ones you see on TV but it is quite secure. He had it built as a tornado shelter mostly. Not only won't it go thru the door but it won't fit in the stairwell either. At least based on my one observation, I don't think it will.

[Longwood]

A friend bought a house with a flor safe under the carpet in the master bedroom.
He has never openned it and has no idea if it has contents or not.
Can you imagine buying a house with a huge safe in the basement that you could not open?

[alamogunr]

A friend bought a house with a flor safe under the carpet in the master bedroom.
He has never openned it and has no idea if it has contents or not.
Can you imagine buying a house with a huge safe in the basement that you could not open?

Are you referring to your friend or mine?

[largom]

I built my own safe in my basement. It's a walk in 5ft. wide X 12ft. long. I bought a safe/vault door from a place in Ohio. The door is concreted into the concret safe walls. Only problem is I can't take it with me if I sell my house.

Larry

[palmettosunshine]

Sales 101 question. What are you going to use the safe for?

Yes I know its for the storage of firearms, but why? Is it because you want to keep thieves from taking your weapons in the event of a break-in or are you protecting your kids (grandkids) from themselves?

[Echo]

Sales 101 question. What are you going to use the safe for?

Yes I know its for the storage of firearms, but why? Is it because you want to keep thieves from taking your weapons in the event of a break-in or are you protecting your kids (grandkids) from themselves?

Good question. I'm not afraid of kids, or grand-kids, playing with the guns, or running off with them. I just need a place to store them. I have a cabinet - have had it for maybe 40 years - but it is full, and I have rifles behind half the doors in the house!
And I live in a low-crime area, and really don't think I need maximum security. I will get the largest I can afford, though.

[Valley Forge]

I really like the fit and finish of both AMSEC safes I've purchased. Significant improvement over my first safe, a CEMCO I bought back in 1980 that lacked any fire resistance beyond the steel plate. And you guys are right that they never hold as much as we are led to believe.

[ilcop22]

NRA gives member discounts on Liberty safes (possible another brand as well). You might want to check their prices, too.
https://www.nramemberservices.org/Default.asp

[palmettosunshine]

"I'm not afraid of kids, or grand-kids, playing with the guns, or running off with them. I just need a place to store them."

The only place to store them is under lock and key.

I know, I know, "my kids, grandkids, my whatever have been taught to respect them and they won't ever touch them without me there...."

My Dad went over all the rules with my brother and I from the time we were old enough to pick one up. Did we respect them? Yes. Did we ever handle them when he wasn't around. YEP! We just didn't get caught and thank god no one ever got hurt but it's madness to assume that your little angels will be so lucky.

This was all brought home to me a couple of nights ago when I walked into my bedroom. My 5 yr old had conked out on our bed while watching a movie. On the nightstand was my (thankfully unloaded) LCP out of the holster. Did I freak out? You better believe it. Did I yell at my son? Not a chance. It was my fault for leaving it out where he could get to it. We had a chat again about gun safety the next morning and I reminded him about never touching a gun. His reply? "Dad I thought it was a toy, its so small."

Now every single gun in my house is in the safe. Period.

[Echo]

My grandkids are 25, 20 - and 9 months! No problems w/kids/grandkids, or other house apes. Just need a place to put them out of the way. sorta securely. Looking @ Zanotti & Dakota - inexpensive, and build on site.

[palmettosunshine]

Echo,

I guess you really don't have to worry about kids anymore or grands for quite some time! Best of luck in your search for the right safe.

[KaliforniaRebel]

At first I was apprehensive about a gun safe until I realized I could grab a key, open mine and have a loaded gun (safety on!) in my hand in less then half the time it would take to get the gun, get my keys, remove the key lock, insert the mag, and chamber a round. The cheapest one I found out there to keep little fingers out was a $200 sentry safe. Nothing amazing, but it does the job.

[Storydude]

My current safe is nothing more than a sentry "locker" style lockbox.

It;s more for a minimum of fire protection than anything else.

the 2 large dogs are the security system.

[koehn,jim]

Stack on makes an assemble yourself safe that is really more of a heavy security cabinet, but they can be shipped cheaply and are fairly secure. Walmart sells them starting at about 150.00 up ship to the nearest store and no shipping charges.

[Iowa Fox]

The Zanotti safes are good and I have been thru the shop in Waterloo several times. Mark is top notch fellow and will give you a tour from raw bent steel, the paint room, to final shipping. I have the biggest one he makes as do many of the folks around here. We all like them.

[JeffinNZ]

I'd like to see how you did the interior if you aren't pulling our leg with this. I kinda like the idea. Think about it, a safe disguised as a soda machine in a garage. If I was a burglar, I'd walk right past that and not give it a second look.:drinks:

Viola!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/DSCN2961.jpg

Do ya believe Jeff now?

[gmsharps]

An interesting gun safe is I think a pendelton safe that has a rotary rack and would eleminate the can't get the guns in the back issue. I have only seen pictures of them thought. Good concept though.


gmsharps

[JIMinPHX]

The Zanotti safes are good and I have been thru the shop in Waterloo several times.

When you were there, did you see any safes that looked fairly heavy duty? If so, how long ago was that? I had looked into what they listed on the Internet a few months ago & all I could find was lite duty sheet metal. I didn't see any real serious plate steel being offered.

[Longwood]

Most gun safes are very flimzy 'Lock Boxes'.
If you want a good safe, made strongly, look at the Brownings safes.
They have the best locking setup out there and the safe is too heavy to pack off.

[zspook43]

I have a Champion Safe, 42"W 72"H 26"D weight 1200 lbs 10 1" steel locking bars w/combnation. All guns and paperwork goes in the safe, fire protection for 45 minutes. I talked to personel on Dallas Police Dept before I bought the safe and they said most home break-ins are by teen agers or dopers the don't have the time or the tools to open a good safe. Mostly just snatch and grab. The safe on display had been in a fire that had totally burned down the house it was in and no damages to contents of safe. Kind of costly but well worth the money and peace of mind.

[alamogunr]

For those that can afford them, these safes offer much more security than your run of the mill gun safe:

http://www.amsecusa.com/gun-safes.htm

http://www.brownsafe.com/categories/estate_gun_safes/estate_gun_safes.html

I think I'm like most here in that I would rather spend $5K-15K on guns, lead, powder, etc. Not that I've got that much to spend anyway.

[DCM]

An interesting gun safe is I think a pendelton safe that has a rotary rack and would eleminate the can't get the guns in the back issue. I have only seen pictures of them thought. Good concept though.


gmsharps

I bought a rotary rack that will fit in my safe. The problem with it is that it greatly reduces the capacity of the safe and some scoped long-gun combinations do not play well on it. ( the same ones that don't play well in the regular rack either).

[DCM]

Seeing Jeffs' setup reminded me of another item that I would recommend for safe, a golden rod type dehumidifier.

BTW I like your safe Jeff. I think most people would just pass by it, thinking you just collect Coke memorabilia.

[wilit]

I'm okay posting this now since I no longer own this house, but I built this door to keep my safe out of sight. It makes it hard to break into or steal if you don't even know its there.

http://www.wilit.com/firearms/secret.gif

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

[BoolitSchuuter]

Viola!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/DSCN2961.jpg

Do ya believe Jeff now?

I believe!!!
I believe I might try that myself! Thats just COOL (pun intended). [smilie=s:

[bearcove]

My problem is the gun I want to play with is always in the back so I have to remove the ones in front to get it without dinging them.