Safe

[Blammer]

I am looking for an inexpensive metal storage cabinet/safe for a few (2-3 guns)

Most I see have very poor reviews and are a "put it together" type.

What do you guys see out there you'd recommend that's under $250?

[JimB..]

Job box

[Blammer]

yea, inside the house would not be pretty... :)

[Ramguy]

I too, was going to say a jobber box. I made a safe out of a nice yellow one with the double locks. I stood it on end and made some rifle holders I think I can put 14 long guns in it with no trouble. $125......

[Winger Ed.]

Check around the for sale adds in Green Sheet, Craig's List, or local community facebook sites.

Used ones come up regularily.
Normally, they're real cheap for what they are, since most people are intimidated about moving one.
With a 2 wheel dolly and a couple guys you can move one up to about 400 pounds in & out of a pick up (almost) easily.

If you go that route, PM me and I can walk ya through servicing the lock, or changing the combination.

[Bazoo]

Safari by cannon has a small safe for right around 300 at academy. I was eyeing them myself.

[Harter66]

Check out Tractor Supply Co . The Cannon safes are a good buy from them . The 64 gun model is under $900 delivered . They have several smaller units as well .
The little ones just don't offer much beyond keeping the honest honest .
There are several store brands that would fit your needs but names are escaping me at the moment , Eagle maybe . Out west Cal Ranch carries a full line like TSC . I think Sam's carries several also .

[JimB..]

yea, inside the house would not be pretty... :)
Not my fault the specs were incomplete :-)

Growing up we used what was once a hope chest. Wouldn’t have stopped a crook, but kept the kids out.

[RED BEAR]

Stack on boxes off ebay hold 8 guns + shelf can be bolted to wall and floor. They go together easy and work great. They are no safe but will keep your guns secure. I liked them enough i bought 3 at different times and plan to get one more. Amazon also has them but a little more bout $120.

[Ozark mike]

Safes are expensive none under 250 that I'm aware of. but a steel cabinet at a yard sale might do

[firefly1957]

I have seen coupons for these as low as $279 in the past there was also a thread here about turning a old refrigerator or freezer into gun safe.
https://www.harborfreight.com/10-gun-electronic-security-safe-64008.html

[Petrol & Powder]

A sheet metal cabinet is FAR from being a safe. It might keep children away from the contents for short periods of time but that's about it.

Some of the cabinets that recess inside an interior wall between the studs are a little better, mostly due to concealment.

For under $250 you're not going to get much unless you find an old safe and can change the lock (and stay within budget).

Occasionally you can find an old used metal cabinet that is made from heavy gauge sheet metal. That is still a long way from a safe but with the right locks and secured to the floor and two walls; it will be better than some cheaply made new cabinet.

[daloper]

I purchased the Stack On from Dunhams Sports. It's not fire rated but it hold my rifles and I put the storage shelves on the side for my hand guns. It replaced my old Stack on because I ran out of room for new guns. They don't show up on their web site but they are in store. You can see them on the Walmart web site and order it from Walmart and have it delivered to your local store for you to pick up.

[pmer]

Here's something that will hold a couple guns.

https://www.safeandvaultstore.com/collections/under-bed-gun-safes/products/amsec-dv652-defense-vault-under-the-bed-gun-safe-dv652

And if you want to get a little sneaky..

https://www.safeandvaultstore.com/collections/wall-safes/amsec-safes

[jsizemore]

Homak 8 gun security cabinet. Keeps the little ones away. You can mount it in the end of a closet. 21"x56"x10". 1 shelf, door storage bins. Easy to bolt or screw to the wall. Usually less then $200. Walmart, Lowes, TruValue,etc.

For sure not the last word in home security but keeps the honest folks out. My key is mounted in a cabinet 4' away. 5 seconds to entry.

[Blammer]

I suppose safe was the wrong word. Just looking for something to secure a few guns from kids and to keep honest people honest. Hidden in a closet or similar obscure place is the plan.

[Texas by God]

Homak 8 gun security cabinet. Keeps the little ones away. You can mount it in the end of a closet. 21"x56"x10". 1 shelf, door storage bins. Easy to bolt or screw to the wall. Usually less then $200. Walmart, Lowes, TruValue,etc.

For sure not the last word in home security but keeps the honest folks out. My key is mounted in a cabinet 4' away. 5 seconds to entry.I have two of these and they work as intended. A locking storage cabinet rather than a safe.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[JimB..]

Try “safe” in Charlotte on Craigslist, lots to scroll through but a couple things that look like they might fit.

[RogerDat]

The difference between the security provided by a sheet metal gun cabinet and a gun "safe" (which most are not, safe has a specific legal requirement) is not much. Neither one can stand up to an assault with tools for more than a few minutes. Check out YouTube even a fairly expensive safe tipped on its back and attacked with two pry bars is open in 5 minutes.

A safe or metal cabinet has to be mounted securely to a floor and located in a space that makes attacking it with tools difficult. In a closet. In a corner or nook. The metal cabinets need floor and wall mounting. Even then it takes a good quality of actual "safe" to provide security. As I recall those start in the $900 and up range.

A well secured job box mounted to the floor and secured to some wall studs is by far better than most budget so called safes. They are designed to withstand determined thieves on job site trying to steal valuable tools. The metal is heavy, as are the hinges, the overlap makes prying ineffective, the good padlock you provide is protected from assault using tools by heavy metal shielding.

Inexpensive safe is to keep honest people from being tempted to fondle your firearms. Or if fire rated to provide some fire protection. It may slow a thief down and either reduce the chance of you coming in on a thief armed with your guns, or by keeping them there longer increase the chance of you or someone in your family coming home while the thief is still there. It might get you a break on your homeowners insurance but they may require it be rated as a safe for that.

You should read up on how most fire rated safe will sweat condensation, you have to provide moisture control or you are making a rust chamber for firearms. Those fire proof strong boxes for papers are notorious for sweating moisture and destroying the papers inside. One other thing to remember, most retail safes are intended to look good to you in the store, a thief, especially one that may have targeted you for firearm theft will know a good from bad one. Never forget the $100 little office safe for sale at big box and office supply stores is plastic filled with chalky fire protection cement. One can cut them in half with a circular skill saw in a couple of minutes (see YouTube) so manufactures will make utter garbage and sell it to the uninformed buyer. Do your research and expect to spend more.

Job box is best budget solution, otherwise a good location to secure a $500 safe "might" be worthwhile. After that it is over $1000 and some of those are junk, some are good. Places that do locks and sell safes will sometimes have used ones that can save you some money and are unlikely to take junk in as trade.

[Petrol & Powder]

I suppose safe was the wrong word. Just looking for something to secure a few guns from kids and to keep honest people honest. Hidden in a closet or similar obscure place is the plan.

In that case, just get a Stack-On or Homak 8 gun cabinet and bolt it to the wall in a closet. And it will only keep the REALLY honest people honest but as long as you know that, it will meet your expectations.

[daloper]

Got home and checked. My old one is a Homak and I liked the double lock on it better than the single lock on the Stack On. I know that I had to assemble the Stack On but not sure of the Homak.

[georgerkahn]

A friend has a couple of lockers from a public school at his camp. I believe he paid between fifty and sixty dollars for the pair, and has them bolted to an outer wall. In addition to the pad-lock "to keep kids out" while he is at camp, he has maybe five or six large eye-bolts on either side of it, through which he threads steel cable -- secured with a monster American brand lock -- when away. His thoughts -- which have worked quite fine -- are that a would-be thief would probably need either work too hard, or say with a torch destroy contents (guns) -- to get in it. He has wood paneling contact cemented to the left side, with another piece hinged, to cover/conceal unit. I'd guess, including paneling, glue, hinges, cable, hardware, and lock -- the total price would well be in your ball-park! I attached a photo of a similar one sold new at Wal*Mart, so you get an idea of the locker type I'm referring to. Good luck!
240505

[jsizemore]

Blammer, There's a couple small gun safe (cabinets) for sale on craigslist in Asheville for $75 and $50. Single key. Should work for what you want. The pics of the cheaper one looks good.

[Blammer]

jsizemore, thanks! just went and got it today!

[Dieselhorses]

I implore anyone in the market to buy a gun safe to watch this video! >>>> "GUN SAFES-THE TRUTH" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltK-bDbADa8) I am in no way affiliated with this company nor the publisher of the video! You basically get what you pay for! One of my safes is a Sentry 8 rifle safe plus some. The bolts on it I can literally start to bend with one hand (and no I'm not on steroids and YES it's being replaced SOON). Our guns are "investments" and rarely loose any value so guard with the utmost security.

[Petrol & Powder]

When you buy a safe you are buying time.

If you want the person(s) attacking the safe to spend more time to defeat the safe then you must spend more money on the safe.

That's all there is to it.

A thief may be able to breach a $1500 safe in 5 minutes and a $4000 safe in 25 minutes. In that hypothetical example that additional $2500 bought you an additional 20 minutes.

Same holds true for fire. You are not buying protection from fire, you are buying TIME.