Opinions on gun "safes"

[Starfire]

Hi folks,

It is time for me to consider a safe to store my weapons in and was wondering your opinions on best brands, sizes, etc.

I would want a floor safe approximately 60" high, 30" wide and 24" deep which should hold up to 20 rifles/shotguns, pistols on the door and ammo inside.

I have looked at Browning (the 6030 model) in person and Mutual brand Safes through the internet. Forty-five to 1 hour burn rates, how thick on the sides and door, pin diameters, re-arming, weight, bolted to the floor, humidity uissues, replacement warranty, etc....

I have a great spot for it in a heated attached garage just not sure who to go with.

Any opinions? :confused:

Thanks,
Starfire

[jocko]

lots of good safes out there, your decis9on is going to have to be based on how much you want to spend. Browning safes are good stuff, they don't make um, so expect to pay more for a Browning safe because of the name behind it...

[wyntrout]

Wherever you put it, don't leave it where it's going to be exposed to "public" view -- through open garage door or from the front door or through windows, etc. I'm sure you know this, but when you said garage, that's going to be opened(I guess) and even briefly someone could check your garage out. A safe just says you have something worth stealing... and some people love challenges... or are just "curious". A significant portion of gun thefts are from the owners' children's "guests" or "friends".
Wynn:)

[getsome]

Good point Wyn, Also, many house fires start in the garage, (mine did) and another point is that it would be better off say in your bedroom so you could get to it fast if necessary....good luck with yours...

[Bawanna]

I agree with Jocko again. I have a Browning and I like it alot but having become acquanted with the local locksmith he said the same thing. Over priced because of the name.
Also a couple more things to consider, you should get a goldenrod to fend off moisture, especially in a fire proof safe. You don't need to keep it warm, just consistent. The temp up and down is what makes the moisture happen.
Also the biggest thing is safes are like garages and motorcycles, they are just never ever big enough. Get the biggest one you can afford.
I have a room set aside for my guns etc, sadly it's on the opposite end of the house as my bedroom but secure. Actually gun rooms fall into the same category mentioned above too, never big enough. My carry guns stay nearby so I can fight my way to the big stuff if needed.
Keep us posted on your quest. No pictures, big brother might be watching.:confused:

[swampman]

Hi folks,

It is time for me to consider a safe to store my weapons in and was wondering your opinions on best brands, sizes, etc.

I would want a floor safe approximately 60" high, 30" wide and 24" deep which should hold up to 20 rifles/shotguns, pistols on the door and ammo inside.

I have looked at Browning (the 6030 model) in person and Mutual brand Safes through the internet. Forty-five to 1 hour burn rates, how thick on the sides and door, pin diameters, re-arming, weight, bolted to the floor, humidity uissues, replacement warranty, etc....

I have a great spot for it in a heated attached garage just not sure who to go with.

Any opinions? :confused:

Thanks,
Starfire
if you are a member of sam's club,they sometimes have good deals on safes. :D

[PETE14]

Another suggestion would be to see what value your home insurance will cover for guns. I just recently took mine from $2500 to $5000 for $9 a year. I ended up just getting a gun safe that is not fire rated because the $5000 will cover everything I have but I am close.

[wyntrout]

Costco is another place and sometimes Gander mountain advertises sales on those... Dicks, too.
I might have to look into a safe someday. The bed is getting pretty lumpy and I still have more purchases... hopefully... to make.

Wynn:D

Also... one word... GOOGLE!

http://www.google.com/search?q=Gun+safe&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

[Bawanna]

Another suggestion would be to see what value your home insurance will cover for guns. I just recently took mine from $2500 to $5000 for $9 a year. I ended up just getting a gun safe that is not fire rated because the $5000 will cover everything I have but I am close.

Good idea here too. I need to recheck my coverage also. My Browning is not fire proof either. In looking for a larger safe the locksmith said he had concerns about moisture in fire proof safes. He was more concerned losing them to rust than fire. Not sure theres any truth to that or not. I'm seriously considering a vault door on my gun room and baring the window and turning the whole room into a safe. It's sad that beautiful guns have to be stored in a safe and banged around to look at and fondle and caress and hug, and bond with did I mention caress? But this is the world we live in. I prioritize, I have more that don't fit in the safe in cabinets and out lose than are in the safe but not enough room and the beds still lumpy too. Am I a lucky boy or what?:)

[Starfire]

You gotta love this site, you guys are too funny!

You have all brought up several great points that I need to consider.

I'll let you know what we end up with as the wife says..."you have to get a safe for all those guns and ammo" which is great by me!

The only downside is that's about a thousand dollars worth of guns I could have bought!


Decisions, decisions...

Starfire

[In-Yo-Grill]

When I finally broke down and bought a safe I was surprised at how fast I filled it up...and I bought a big one.

[PETE14]

The only downside is that's about a thousand dollars worth of guns I could have bought!

You don't need a safe buy the guns!

Sincerely,
The thief that is going to steal your guns;)

[Bawanna]

You gotta love this site, you guys are too funny!

You have all brought up several great points that I need to consider.

I'll let you know what we end up with as the wife says..."you have to get a safe for all those guns and ammo" which is great by me!

The only downside is that's about a thousand dollars worth of guns I could have bought!


Decisions, decisions...

Starfire

I truly feel your pain. Everytime I put tires on a car or buy a washing machine, it's money directly out of my toy fund. I firmly believe houses were invented by anti gunners to keep us poor so we can't buy enough of what we love. A safe is a good thing, your wife is right, you need one. She'll probably be like mine and want to store jewelry in it too (another item that reduces guns and ammo budget). Good for paperwork too, like gun reciepts, pictures of your guns, catalogs of the guns on your want list, goes on and on. Get a big one.:cool:

[Longitude Zero]

As an aside ALWAYS have you property list stored off-site also. A recent string of burglaries in my city they were taking the gun safe and all it contents. You would be surprised at the number of buffons that buy a great gun safe and DO NOT secure it to the concrete foundation.

[Bawanna]

Or do like I did and build the room around the safe. Won't fit thru the door, of course I did this before I ended up in a wheelchair, not a good thing, both ending up in a chair and fitting thru narrow doors. All the more reason to open the wall back up and install a vault door, easier for me to fit thru and secure to boot. Have to make sure there's an inside release (gotta be) in case my lovely wife decides to detain me for past sins. Another bad thing.
I keep my inventory, serial numbers and such on a couple thumb drives. One I keep with me (has pictures also) and the other I keep at work. KInd of nice in the middle of the day when your missing your cherished possessions, you can pop in the thumbdrive and at least look at the reason that your working in the first place. That and food I guess.:typing:

[ltxi]

As an aside ALWAYS have you property list stored off-site also. A recent string of burglaries in my city they were taking the gun safe and all it contents. You would be surprised at the number of buffons that buy a great gun safe and DO NOT secure it to the concrete foundation.

Mine's bolted directly to my basement floor and wall......although that was probably paranoid overkill since just getting it into the basement was kinda like, really hard.

[swampman]

You gotta love this site, you guys are too funny!

You have all brought up several great points that I need to consider.

I'll let you know what we end up with as the wife says..."you have to get a safe for all those guns and ammo" which is great by me!

The only downside is that's about a thousand dollars worth of guns I could have bought!


Decisions, decisions...

Starfire
getting a safe removed some stress from my life,knowing my property was safe from the average thief,money well spent. :D

[Steve-$]

I have been using these for moisture control for years and have not had any problems.
Hydrosorbent Silica Gel Desiccant 750 Gram (Protects 57 Cubic Feet) Aluminum Canister - MidwayUSA (http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=623716)
If you decide to buy a used safe make sure to get the combination changed!
:)

[gj47]

I got a Cannon c35 from AG English safes. Excellent service and warranty. I am very happy with it. I would also suggest a electronic lock.

[swampman]

I got a Cannon c35 from AG English safes. Excellent service and warranty. I am very happy with it. I would also suggest a electronic lock.
mine is not electronic,I wish it was. :D

[peterj]

Look into Superior Safe's Superior Safe Co. (http://www.superiorgunsafes.com/)

They make a size that you're looking for that weighs about 925 lbs. with a 1 hr. 1500 fire rating.

[Longitude Zero]

mine is not electronic,I wish it was. :D

Really!!! What happens when your power goes out??? Always get something that has a manual backup aka KEY.

[swampman]

Really!!! What happens when your power goes out??? Always get something that has a manual backup aka KEY.
they work with alkaline batteries and keys.

[Longitude Zero]

Thankfully they work with keys as batteries are no more reliable than the electiric power grid. I have a basic distrust of anything that operates on electicity. Mechanical backups are the only way to go.

Mine is a combination lock and keys.

[Bawanna]

Mine is just a combination also, not even a key. Have enough batteries in my life with hearing aid, electric chair and all the electrical junk on my van. I looked at one recently that had a combination and a key. The guy said if you wanted someone else to have access you could dial in the combo and the visitor could then just use a key. Once you didn't want them visiting anymore you just spin the dial and they are out.
Didn't have to use the key, heck I can't remember how it worked now but it was kind of cool. I assume it would only be for like your spouse or kid or someone who might need access once in awhile?????

[zena]

This is a great thread. I am also safe shopping as I have outgrown my smaller and rather crummy safe. I get the message that bigger is better but I'm kind of pinched for room. It'll be in my gym/reloading room in the basement and can't part with any of THAT equipment. The ceiling is kinda high.....maybe put the leg press machine on top of the safe?.....and I used to think that trying to decide which black shoes to wear was difficult! :rolleyes:

[Bawanna]

Ms.Zena, Perhaps one of those big double doored 100+rifle safes would be the ticket. You could use half for a closet storage area until you fill it. There's tons of room on top to store reloading dies, powder, black shoes. Or you could probably put a mat up there and work out too.
Only concern I have is getting the monster downstairs.
I almost got one a few years ago but the doors were so huge (I think they were over 3ft each) that I needed to keep half my room clear to swing the doors. It was sure cavernous (that means like huge dude) inside.
Maybe my vault door option would work for ya. They actually sell them like a safe. If you don't have alot of windows or other entry points might be a solution. :music:

[CHLChris]

I know you're looking at the full-size variety, but I am really quite happy with my GunVault 1000DLX for right under my bed. I unlock it each night before I go to bed and lock my bed gun up each morning when I leave the house. Just a 4-button safe so you don't need to worry about keys and such.