Gun Safe

[hawkeye1]

Was thinking about getting a bigger gun safe, another Cannon. I don't really care for the electronic lock. Is it possible or cost effective to have that changed to a regular dial combination type.

[Randy Bohannon]

Not hard to do, I did a C30 safe with American Security mechanical lock it was about $140.00 for the lock.My local gun pusher sold them in their store as a alternative to the digital locks.
Also Liberty offers the Sergeant/Greenleaf mechanical locks on their safes. The quality of the S/G is not as good as the American Security,however the Liberty safe is a better safe.

[Edward]

Please look at Steel Water ,they put those safes to shame, IMO/Ed

[gpidaho]

I much prefer the mechanical locks. My Heritage safe (out of production) came with a Sergeant/Greenleaf lock and it has given me no problems in fifteen-twenty years. Gp

[stubert]

I just changed the lock on my safe, My door is removable, brought the door to a locksmith and put in an S&G. cost $200.00 parts & labor.

[Moleman-]

I've been looking at safes now for the last couple years. So far it seems they've gotten much lighter since I got my last one 20 years ago. The front plate on the door on mine is around 1/4" thick and doesn't move if you put your knee on the door and try to pull the lock handle in/out. Most of the ones I've tried seem like the door is very thin steel not much thicker than a file cabinet. They also weigh half of what mine does for a similar size. I suppose they'll only keep someone who's not real motivated to get into them from defeating them. Who's safes are built heavier?

[alamogunr]

I much prefer the mechanical locks. My Heritage safe (out of production) came with a Sergeant/Greenleaf lock and it has given me no problems in fifteen-twenty years. Gp

I too, have a Heritage. I didn't know they were "out of production". Does that mean out of business. If so, I guess I could throw away my contact information.

Mine has the S&G lock also. Sometimes it gets stuck in the open position and I have to fiddle with it to get it to rotate to lock. Doesn't really help to manipulate the bolts open and closed. Not sure what to do other than get a locksmith who is knowledgeable of this type of lock.

None of this helps the OP with his question. Sorry about the thread hi-jack.

[gpidaho]

alamogunr: Six months ago they still had a site and an office girl but had shut down production. Another good Idaho business lost to the recession. Gp

[alamogunr]

I've been looking at safes now for the last couple years. So far it seems they've gotten much lighter since I got my last one 20 years ago. The front plate on the door on mine is around 1/4" thick and doesn't move if you put your knee on the door and try to pull the lock handle in/out. Most of the ones I've tried seem like the door is very thin steel not much thicker than a file cabinet. They also weigh half of what mine does for a similar size. I suppose they'll only keep someone who's not real motivated to get into them from defeating them. Who's safes are built heavier?

Moleman: Go here:

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

You will find links for everything from those you described to those that the sky is the limit.

[Char-Gar]

I've been looking at safes now for the last couple years. So far it seems they've gotten much lighter since I got my last one 20 years ago. The front plate on the door on mine is around 1/4" thick and doesn't move if you put your knee on the door and try to pull the lock handle in/out. Most of the ones I've tried seem like the door is very thin steel not much thicker than a file cabinet. They also weigh half of what mine does for a similar size. I suppose they'll only keep someone who's not real motivated to get into them from defeating them. Who's safes are built heavier?

Both of my safes are welded plate steel. Both are well over 20 years old. You can still get them, but what is sold in most stores is just sheet metal with some dry wall filler. They look like safes but are just lockable gun cabinets to keep the kids out. Any thief can get into one of them in mere minutes. They are a waste of money.

[Walter Laich]

I have a digital lock mostly because the wife has claimed the top two shelves for her jewelry.

My only problem with it is trying to reclaim some of the shelving back

lock has worked like a charm for over 25 years.

[alamogunr]

My "gun safe" has the S&G mechanical combination lock. I have another safe that I got from my pharmacist son when they relocated their business to a new building. It is smaller and was specifically intended for delivery men to be able to deposit collected funds when returning from their routes. There is a slot at front top just big enough to slip in checks or currency in a reasonable size envelope. This safe has a digital lock. Has worked for me for about 5-6 years. I replace the battery(9v) about every 2-3years.

This safe has 2 shelves behind the combination lock and another section below with key lock doors. I keep most of my handguns on the two shelves and magazines in the lower section. For all I know, this safe is as secure as the big gun safe but I keep the custom handguns in the big safe.

If I could afford it I might get one of these:
http://www.graffundersafes.com/products/safes-weapon.html
https://www.sturdysafe.com/collections/gun-safes/products/model-4227-6

http://www.heritagesafe.com/pdfs/Heritage-Safe-Company-Brochure-Centennial-Series.pdf
Although gpidaho posted that Heritage was no longer "in production"(and being from Idaho, he ought to know), they still have a website. The link I gave above shows the nearest thing to the safe I have. Apparently, they moved to external hinges. A good move since that would be one of the hardest things to attack. Mine has internal hinges and I have to watch what I put behind the hinges since they take up a certain amount of space at the hinged corner.

I'm surprised that no one has posted that anything less than a bank vault with a 2 ton door is inadequate. Most other threads of this type usually have several of those posts.

[McFred]

Who's safes are built heavier?

Amsec BF series. .5" plate door and HEAVY; thick skin with refractory cement innerds instead of gyp-board.

As for the topic at hand. By the time you get to the "BIG" safes, the cost/value benefits might start leaning toward what a local fab shop can put together with plate steel and welding. Otherwise look at built-in closets and hidey-holes in the house that do not advertise themselves as gun safes.

[dubber123]

Boss locked himself out of a Remington branded safe last week, a set screw had loosened and prevented the wheel from retracting the bolts. Much to my surprise, the bolts weren't hardened, and they cut through all of them using the same Sawzall blade. Not impressed. If it's a safe you are buying for real security, I suggest doing your homework.

[smokeywolf]

If I had the money, I'd buy one of the higher line Graffunder safes. Not many have $10,000+ that they can allocate for that. Still, don't fool yourself into thinking that any safe that weighs less than a thousand pounds is anything more than a heavy duty gun cabinet. A Cannon is certainly better than nothing, but it's not likely to buy you more than an extra 20 minutes against break-in, over a gun cabinet.

If you can manage it, I'd be looking at Superior Safe. They look to offer the greatest bang for the buck.

[alamogunr]

Just looking at their web site, the Superior safes look pretty good. Like you the Graffunder safe looks very attractive to me. Even though I've got more than $10K invested in my guns, I can take them out and shoot them or just look at them. A safe just sits there and if no one tries to break in, you don't know if it was a good investment or not. Sort of like the lottery.