Safe Recommendation?

[.45Cole]

I did a search and was surprised to find that nobody has asked about good/better gun safes. I am after a "for now" safe to keep my property mine. I'm in a sleepy little town where there probably isn't a safe cracker. I was thinking under $1000 and about 500lbs. Browning has a sportsman line and for right at a grand, they seem ok. Nobody in the area has Summit or Liberty so I can't check them out. Any recommendations, I am not overly worried about the fire ratings, and I need one about the "20 gun" size?

[bob208]

I can say liberty I have one . they tried to break into it beat the tumbler off tried to pry the door open even tried to set it on fire. the guns are safe and still mine safe is repaired. the lock company that cam out and opened it said it was one of the best makes.

get one bigger then you think you need. the bigger the better makes the whole safe harder to move. you can also keep papers titles deeds and like in it.

[Artful]

OK, my standard recommendations
- Get UL approved, avoid the electronic lock unless you have a manual way of openning it as well, Get the fire liner or make your own but your odds of seeing a fire are way higher than your odds of a safe cracker. Most are attacked by younger drug using idiots.

Don't give the idiots your tools to break into your safe.

MAKE SURE you BOLT it in PLACE.

ALWAYS GET THE BIGGEST SAFE YOU CAN AFFORD.
For some reason you put two guns in a safe and after a gestation period there is another one in there.

If you have large chain store around (Bass Pro, Cabelas, Dick's, etc) they will have pretty good sales on them. Check for reviews of any model your interested in. Check that you have clear and properly sized path to get from outside to where you want it. Best to have it in a place where it can't be seen by people you don't want to know - especially looking into windows.

Buy a separate fire box for inside your safe for your important papers.

[Vann]

I looked at a lot of safes before I bought my liberty. We have a few local stores that sell the Winchester brand safes, they do not impress me at all. The more expensive safes that I have seen at Bass Pro seem fairly decent. As posted above if I had to buy another safe it would be a liberty and what ever you do buy the biggest one you can afford, they fill up fast.

[pjames32]

Buy big, bolt it to a concrete floor. Mine is not fireproof, but survived a house fire. I had to remove a door and door jamb to get it into my basement. It will stay with the house if we leave!
PJ

[runfiverun]

Heritage is worth taking a look at too.
they are made here in S.E Idaho and are good quality.
if they paid more I'd work there, the owner is a shooter and gun owner and it's his only business.

[Plate plinker]

Second on buy bigger than you think you need they do fill up rather quick.

[Petrol & Powder]

From Artful,
"ALWAYS GET THE BIGGEST SAFE YOU CAN AFFORD.
For some reason you put two guns in a safe and after a gestation period there is another one in there. "
This is true and they seem to be able to breed across all makes and models, it's uncanny.


All jokes aside, pretty good info above: Bigger is good for future expansion of collection and harder to move. Bolt it down. Hide it. Think about fire protection, fire is probably a bigger threat in the long run. A document safe (firebox) inside the fire rated safe itself, is probably a good idea. Don't leave your acetylene torch or plasma cutter next to it .

Liberty is a good make but there are plenty of others on the market.

[wordsmith]

OK, my standard recommendations
- Get UL approved, avoid the electronic lock unless you have a manual way of openning it as well, Get the fire liner or make your own but your odds of seeing a fire are way higher than your odds of a safe cracker. Most are attacked by younger drug using idiots.

Don't give the idiots your tools to break into your safe.

MAKE SURE you BOLT it in PLACE.

ALWAYS GET THE BIGGEST SAFE YOU CAN AFFORD.
For some reason you put two guns in a safe and after a gestation period there is another one in there.

If you have large chain store around (Bass Pro, Cabelas, Dick's, etc) they will have pretty good sales on them. Check for reviews of any model your interested in. Check that you have clear and properly sized path to get from outside to where you want it. Best to have it in a place where it can't be seen by people you don't want to know - especially looking into windows.

Buy a separate fire box for inside your safe for your important papers.

Nailed it. Also, I always recommend Sturdy Safe, but they are outside of your listed price range.

[dragon813gt]

Under $1k is going to buy you a pretty thin light residential security container. I won't get into the misnomer of calling them a safe. Liberty is one of the few brands that gives you a decent steel gauge and a mechanical lock in that price range. You can get a Cabela's branded Woodsman series for right around $1k depending on size. The fire protection is drywall so is almost worthless. That being said I have one of these safes for firearms of lesser value. You won't find a better value at the moment. The valuable ones are stored in a large Sturdy safe w/ a host of upgrades.

[Sasquatch-1]

I have watch a couple of videos on youtube about defeating safes. You may want to watch them before you buy. Some of the safes that are out there can be defeated almost as easily as the Stack-on metal cabinets.

[Freeandcold]

A lot of good, consistent info above. Consider Liberty - they can be shipped. Also, if you are more concerned with theft than fire, take a look at sturdy safes (sturdysafe). Very, ...well... sturdy safes. Fire protection can be added, but the price goes up. Call them and they will likely give prices better than on web site. I ended up with a Liberty Fat Boy Jr - good balance between features, price and size. Browning and Sturdy were close seconds.

Also, regarding fire rating... No industry standard on ratings so, take with a chunk of salt... Check with your home owners insurance. Mine covers loss due to fire... Not theft. For added protection look into "Historic Firearms Insurance". For not too much you can get covered.

Remember, the safes you are likely looking at are (at best) residential security lockers that have been dressed up to look intimidating. Most can be defeated in a very short time (minutes). They are great for responsible gun ownership (keep away from kids or uninformed) and to deter snatch and grab thieves. Not knocking them (I have one), just understand the true limits... If you are really concerned look into a security system (monitored) and/or insurance. And hide the safe...

Safes can be purchased on line and delivered...

[Beagle333]

Whatever you buy, bolt it down and good! Most of the gun safe burglaries around here involve the taking of the whole safe by 3-4 druggies.... usually ex-boyfriends of your daughter, or one of your nephews who have been ogling your safe for a few months.
But still...... they take the whole thing. At least make em hang around long enough to actually have to break into it to get anything.

[rancher1913]

don't ever take your safe boating, I had to learn the hard way and lost my entire collection of guns when the safe decided to jump overboard.

[Freeandcold]

Boating??? What? Story?

[osteodoc08]

Not to get into semantics, but you're looking for a Residential Security Container (RSC) with some fireproofing to satisfy your needs.

Whichever brand you buy, bolt it down to concrete, preferably on 3 sides. I have one bolted down at the bottom, back and right hand side. If you just bolt the bottom, use huge anchors as they can be rocked back and forth with enough force to pull the anchors out of the concrete or through the metal on the bottom.

Be sure to have a plan to combat moisture whether it be with a GoldenRod, VCI, or Silica dessicant.

Something is better than nothing. Tractor Supply will often have sales on their Winchester brand of RSC's and are better than nothing.

I'd recommend a high line Heritage or Liberty RSC if you can afford it.

[mold maker]

Was it the same cruse ship mine fell overboard from. "SS Disaster". The trip was a promo for a gun ins co.


A better than nothing "safe" may be, just better than nothing, but that's all 99.9% need. It's exactly like buying ins. You can always find coverage you don't have, but do you really need it? You already have a very low likelihood of theft, or you need to move. How many homes in your area sustain a fire? That is the piece of mind most are after.

Yes I have safes, that propose to have fire protection, but the fire dept is what I depend on.
No sales floor safe will protect it's contents in a total house fire, regardless of the claims. The "Sheetrock" used is common to most all, and has a specific fire rating that was part of it's original use design. While much better than nothing, it has definite limits.

Having a place, out of view of prying eyes, and secure from curious fingers, is enough to meet most needs.

A serious thief can/will steel anything, given time and oportunity. Making it seriously inconvenient, and time consuming, is about all you can do.

If you need piece of mind, buy the biggest "safe" you can afford, place it (bolted down) in as inconspicuous a place as you can. Ins its contents, and furnish the ins co with a pix/description of the safe.

[matrixcs]

Let me add my 2 cents. Use my advise if it makes sense to you. I like the Liberty safes I have one looking to add another. They come with electronic or combination locks. I chose and will continue to choose manual combination locks because they are the only way into the safe if ( and that is a big if ) there is an EMP to hit your safe. I am concerned other things can affect electronics like simple circuit failure, welding and ligntning strikes.. Maybe I am too paranoid but I am buying a safe after all....

[Kent Fowler]

Good rule of thumb is to buy a safe that has, at least, 1/4 inch sides. I bought a Browning safe back in the '90's and thought I had something, until a friend of mine who had a gun shop told me the thieves were getting into them by chopping the sides out with an axe.

[.45Cole]

Thanks, it sounds like I'll be in the marker for a Browning or Liberty. In this sleepy town, I'm looking to deter smash-and-grabs. I figure someone will kick in the door and go after easy pickings. Maybe try to smash a safe, but will lose interest and keep moving. I'll hang a cheap .22 out to give 'em something for their hard work. Right now I can only spare about a grand, down the road I'll prob grab a Summit as my obligations get off my back.