Gun Safe

[getsome]

Hello everyone, Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving....I need to ask a question and get some opinions if I may...

It's time to get a gun safe and I don't have a lot of money to spend on a really nice one but I did find one that would work at Lowes...It's a Liberty Centurion model CN12-BKT for $349.00...It is US made and nice enough for my use for 4 long guns and 5 handguns....I know it isn't the greatest but since I'm kinda on a budget I was wondering if anyone has one of these or something similar and if so what do you think of it?

It is very basic with a combination lock and not electronic but in my price range it would work and be much better than nothing which is what I now have...The 4 inside locking bars look pretty sturdy and the door seems to lock up nice and tight... What do you folks think about an inexpensive safe like this and do you think it would be adequate to secure firearms from your average burglar?... I would appreciate any advice you might be willing to share about the best way to mount the thing to an upstairs bedroom carpeted floor....

As always, thanks to all for your suggestions and opinions....:yo:

[Bawanna]

For what it worth I much prefer a standard dial combination over a digital or anything that runs on a battery etc.

I don't have one but I think I've seen one, I always look at safes, not sure why, but if it's the style I saw it looked like a decent value. Like you said it's far better than what you got now.

I'd find the floor joist in your house and install some lag screws thru the bottom and into the joist. Even into the flooring is a plus but not as solid as a joist.
If you ever move it to a different location, it will be far less obtrusive than lagging into a wall stud but that's an option too.

How many does the model your looking at hold?

[houdini]

will you out grow it.

[jocko]

For what it worth I much prefer a standard dial combination over a digital or anything that runs on a battery etc.

I don't have one but I think I've seen one, I always look at safes, not sure why, but if it's the style I saw it looked like a decent value. Like you said it's far better than what you got now.

I'd find the floor joist in your house and install some lag screws thru the bottom and into the joist. Even into the flooring is a plus but not as solid as a joist.
If you ever move it to a different location, it will be far less obtrusive than lagging into a wall stud but that's an option too.

How many does the model your looking at hold?

don't those digital safes also have a manul way like a key to open if a batt runs dead... Just asking as I have never really ever looked into one either. I do'thave alot of guns anymore and what I d have is spread out around the home LOADED.:popcorn:

[swampman]

don't those digital safes also have a manul way like a key to open if a batt runs dead... Just asking as I have never really ever looked into one either. I do'thave alot of guns anymore and what I d have is spread out around the home LOADED.:popcorn:
some digital safes have a key to get in some dont,some have digital and combonation way to get in:)

[yqtszhj]

That sounds like a good deal and like bawanna said just bolt it to something (wall or floor joist.)

I may go look at the local lowes cause I can use another something small too.

On the electronic locks, the firesafe I have for documents (it's about 2ft. x 2ft.) has an electronic lock and a key. If the key part is locked you have to have the passcode and the key. If the battery goes dead you use a paperclip to pop off the hidden battery cover and replace the battery.

The combination and the key both block/lock the handle you turn to unlock the door.

[RRP]

Getsome,

If you've seen the safe, and the limited width works for you, buy one. You will appreciate having a secure place to store your toys.

I'm not familiar with the model you're looking at, but I've noticed other small safes and gun storage cabinets have provisions to bolt them into place. It may be easy to bolt through the floor, or lag to wall studs.

[glock19er]

I just bought a Liberty Colonial. It was hell to get into the house. If anyone is looking for a gun accessorie holder, I have a brand new one for sale. $75.00 shipped with delivery confirmation. It's the one that holds 6 handguns.
http://www.libertysafe.com/accessory-accessory-door-panel-ps-15-pg-53.html

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

[jocko]

I would suspect battery life is at least a year plus. Mountain out of a molehill IMO.

[Bawanna]

I would suspect battery life is at least a year plus. Mountain out of a molehill IMO.

Probably much longer than that. I have 3 small safes in my cubicle with digital combo's and batteries, I know they have gone at least 5 years. In fact do to this thread I found myself wondering if I still had the keys someplace in case the batteries died.
Easily solved when I decided they are dept related so I don't really give a rats backside, they can have a safe ******* open em.

[AJBert]

c.r.a.c.k.e.r is a no-no on here?

[Bawanna]

I didn't catch that. Ain't that strange.

[mr surveyor]

the grammer nanny on this site is ridiculous.

[Deano]

I looked around a long time for a good quality safe that wouldn't break the bank. The best one I found was a Winchester safe they were selling at Costco for $490. Heavier, larger, and sturdier than most of the other "discount" safes I looked at. We had to rent a special dolly to get it up the stairs, and even with the help of two strong young men, we barely made it. It was a ball buster for sure.

[Popeye]

In my mind, and the way the house is layed out and constructed buying a less expensive lighter safe and bolting it to the floor and walls in a room on the second floor and alarming the hell out of the entire house made more sense. I had to come from a different angle to keep my guns safe. :cool:

I have to admit I feel a little better knowing the whole house is safer 24/7/365 and not just the guns.:D

These newer wireless units are friekin unbelieveable,it's limitations and what it can do with the right acessories is almost endless. Its like a Lego alarm system. Plus it's a little extra selling feature should I ever decide to sell the place.

[rholmes69]

Just a heads up on the safe you are looking at, I don't think that one is made in the USA. I am not knocking it all, I didn't want there to be buyers remorse at some point. 99% of Liberty safes are American made, but they do have a very small few made overseas in order to fit a market share they wanted to get in. $349 isn't a small chunk of change to throw out at a safe if you are looking to secure them, and I would just encourage you to really nail down you priority with it (preventing smash and grab theives, protecting valuables in the event of a fire, keeping kids from getting to them, etc). Most safes really offer the best protection from thieves when they have bolts on all four ends. I think for protection from smash and grab BG's, keeping out of kids hands, etc, the cannon safes are great and would fit your bill. Tractor Supply makes one that is about twice the size, offers better fire protection and can be gotten on sale for around $400 (http://www.tractorsupply.com/cannon-ts6026e-challenger-gun-safe-24-gun-capacity-1027670). Just something to think about... and I don't have a stake in this and I don't own a cannon safe either.

[cobrasjp]

Just a heads up on the safe you are looking at, I don't think that one is made in the USA. I am not knocking it all, I didn't want there to be buyers remorse at some point. 99% of Liberty safes are American made, but they do have a very small few made overseas in order to fit a market share they wanted to get in.

Liberty was making their cheaper Centurion line of safes overseas. I have the 20 cubic foot Centurion model that I bought at Lowes for a good price. It's made overseas, but has excellent quality.

I heard someone from Liberty Safe on Guntalk recently and he said they have expanded their plant and are now making all the safes in the US. So the latest Centurion models at Lowes may be US-made.

SJP

[AJBert]

I finally got the wife to agree that we need a bigger, better safe. Fortunately, we have the funds to get one that should cover all of my concerns with the exception of possibly outgrowing it in time. It won't be inexpensive but I'll be saving quite a bit over the retail price.

There is a list somewhere from Liberty that if you answer it honestly will help you determine what level of safe you really need rather than the one you want. Pretty much along the lines of what you plan on putting in the safe (firearms, jewelry, important documents, coins, etc), the value of such items, proximity to the local fire house, and a few others. As the fire rating increases, thus does the price. The more bolts locking the door, the price increases...and so on.

Fire rating is pretty high on my list as I live in a rural area with a VFD down the road a few miles. Being as it is a VFD means you never know how long before a truck shows up nor how many folks show up. I'll be putting more than firearms in the safe and want them protected from fire, which of course they aren't, for the most part, right now. I'll sleep better once we get the safe but it'll be a couple of months as we'll be putting it on lay away.

[O'Dell]

Any safe is better than none as long as it cannot be easily moved. The one I bought is 66x36x30 inches and not something I'm going to outgrow, especially since I have only one long gun. It also weighs 700 pounds empty and almost a thousand with my valuables, guns, and ammo in it. I have it bolted down but it's probably unnecessary. It has a lighted electronic key pad which is much faster than a combination, and the battery is good after two years. Anyway, it only takes 10 seconds to replace it and I have one handy. Speed isn't really a factor since my ready guns are not in the safe.

[jocko]

good point O'dell. I kinda figured that battry life was well over a year. And at the weight of ur safe, It ain't gonna go anywhere bolted down or not..

[gunmut]

You will be better off with the mechanical lock. Some safe sellers charge extra for it.

[MERCTECH]

If you have a gander mountain check them out. They are a liberty dealer. Thats where I bought mine. Also what was great is they have a layaway for them. I got there revere safe. 22 gun capacity with standard dial for a little under 800.00 out the door. With me and one friend and a dolly it was handled easily. Now for his franklin it took five of us and was still a beast.

[DKD]

like many of the other old farts on this forum prefere the dial style lock mechanism. I have had a "Liberty" Licoln35 safe for over 18 years now and they are top draw. It weighs in at about 800# lbs empty...my best guess is that loaded is well over 1200# lbs which isn't easily moved even by Arnold Swartzenager. These safes are a life time envestment and are very difficult to get into especially with the glass relockers behind the dial which lock out the safe if broken. It takes a specialty drill, bit and specific location to drill on the safe to get back in to the safe to reset the combination. The location is different on every safe. The factory has the exaxt location for each safe at the factory.
I have spoken with a lock smith that deals with these safes and said it took him all day to crack one using the tumbler dial lock. He said drilling one takes special tools, bits and the location to drill well lets just say the normal thief just isn't getting in any time soon, much less move one. Liberty will replace your safe if they manage to get into the safe or if it survives a fire...can't ask for much more than that.

[wyntrout]

You can re-purpose an old fridge:

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/c0.54.319.319/p403x403/64629_499587680073428_1222488428_n.jpg

Just add a good hasp and lock.

From http://www.facebook.com/tacticalgearcom

Wynn:D

[LorenzoB]

That picture would have been more funny with a gallon of milk in there next to the long guns!

[muggsy]

For what it worth I much prefer a standard dial combination over a digital or anything that runs on a battery etc.

I don't have one but I think I've seen one, I always look at safes, not sure why, but if it's the style I saw it looked like a decent value. Like you said it's far better than what you got now.

I'd find the floor joist in your house and install some lag screws thru the bottom and into the joist. Even into the flooring is a plus but not as solid as a joist.
If you ever move it to a different location, it will be far less obtrusive than lagging into a wall stud but that's an option too.

How many does the model your looking at hold?

You'll have to forgive Bawanna. He still has a hand crank on his telephone. He lives in the woods. :)

[muggsy]

A safe will keep a kid or an honest man out. A good safe will keep a criminal out. Any safe is better than no safe at all. A good insurance policy will supplement a good safe. Record all of your gun serial numbers and store that information separately.

[Geobob]

I also have a 2.3 ft3 safe for my handguns that is electronic (with a manual key should that be needed). I find it very convenient and haven't had a problem with it.

Does your safe have a fire rating? That's one feature I felt was important.

My safe couldn't be bolted to a joist because it has no internal holes (it is also waterproof). I solved this by installing it in a closet, placing steel straps over it and angle iron on open side and front - all installed with several carriage bolts installed through the floor into the crawl space below, where the nuts are fastened with lock washers....ergo, not easily removable.

[Rotorflyr]

Any safe can be opened given the proper tools and time to do it.

If you can do as Geobob did and put it in a closet (or other tight space) to limit access and leverage room, you've increased the value and "strength" of the safe no matter the brand.
Also as mentioned, run lag bolts into joists or studs (or if in the basement, into the concrete floor) to help secure it in place.

[getsome]

Well I bit the bullet yesterday and bought the safe I first looked at which is a Liberty Centurion 12 gun safe from Lowe's...It was $369 and change with tax out the door...It is made in the USA and seems to be very well constructed with a pretty nice finish inside for an entry level gun safe...

It's pretty heavy but not too bad, like 250 lbs or so but Getsome Jr. and I got it up 2 flights of stairs with an appliance hand truck without too much trouble and mounted it to the floor with lag bolts...

I was easily able to store 4 long guns and 6 handguns and a little ammo in the bottom for each with a little room left over...I know this isn't the Holy Mac Daddy Safe some of you have but it will serve me well enough to keep children or the average break in punk away from the guns...A burglar could possibly uproot the thing and roll it away but it would take at least two people and a lot of effort, noise and time to do it and they would still have to get the thing opened up so hopefully it will foil any scum bag thief if God Forbid I was the victim of a break in...

If anyone is looking for an inexpensive but very well made in the USA small to medium size safe I would feel comfortable recommending it: Liberty # CN12-BKT... Lowe's item 387166...It has a 20 minute fire rating and a mechanical combination dial for a lock and is very sturdy with 5 locking bolts when closed...It's not the greatest in the world but for the money I don't think you could beat this one and I feel so much better knowing my firearms are now under lock and key...
If you are in the market a decent gun safe that won't break the bank you should check this one out for sure....

[Pyranha]

A safe will keep a kid or an honest man out. A good safe will keep a criminal out. Any safe is better than no safe at all. A good insurance policy will supplement a good safe. Record all of your gun serial numbers and store that information separately.

Really well said.



Any safe can be opened given the proper tools and time to do it.

If you can do as Geobob did and put it in a closet (or other tight space) to limit access and leverage room, you've increased the value and "strength" of the safe no matter the brand.
Also as mentioned, run lag bolts into joists or studs (or if in the basement, into the concrete floor) to help secure it in place.

Absolutely correct, and dead on about securing the safe and limiting pry bar maneuvering being a major boost to the causality of any safe. Even a 'cheap' safe can provide some smash and grab protection if you do those two things.

[jocko]

I always wondered also about the pry bar thing. as most safes bolt from the bottom and into a wood joice or what ever might be good but it can be done. Probably more than anything a 500# safe is the way to go. Most smash and grab deals they don't know what u have in ur home either, Not likethey came in the da bbefore and analyzed what tools they would need, so againprobalby any safe be it bolted or just sitting there, would be safe. I guess if u had a crawlspace u could really bolt it down so no pry bar could do jack sh!t either....

[Pyranha]

I always wondered also about the pry bar thing.

It's pretty shocking how many safes can be popped open with a 4-5' pry bar in a matter of minutes, with just a little know how and room for leverage. There's some decent videos on YouTube on a number of the $1-3k safes commonly sold at sporting good stores. There's also an unbelievable seminar from Defcon a few years ago that basically went into how easy it is to hack safes, with only the most basic of tools and knowledge.

[Rotorflyr]

It's pretty shocking how many safes can be popped open with a 4-5' pry bar in a matter of minutes, with just a little know how and room for leverage. There's some decent videos on YouTube

Yep, and that's why a lot of people will also tell you to lock up your tools (power types and manual) as well, so a smash and grab can't use them against your safe.

[les strat]

Put the safe in a left corner and it will prevent any leverage from prying.

No matter what anyone tells you, bolt it down. They are not to heavy to whisk away.