Help Me Buy a Good Gun Safe

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Kirk_Ferentz

Joined
Feb 16, 2010
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589
I need to get a good sized gun safe, and get one fairly fast, and I am a complete novice. I'd like some rough and ready advice as to what I should be looking for, and where to buy it.

The point will be to have something very heavy and secure that can be bolted down and will be passed over as too much work for burglars. That being said, I will probably be moving in the next year and I tend to move every few years, so I'd like to avoid overkill.

I will store probably as many as 10 long guns, and also want some decent space to put small/midsized valuables like camera equipment, cash, jewelry, etc. in there. I'd like it to be fire proof.

I am seeing what looks to be some good deals on craigslist. In addition to lower price, also no sales tax. Maybe it is just a matter of get a big heavy safe, they all do about the same thing. Or maybe you think I should be looking at such and such brands. Let me know.

Where to buy would also help. I initially thought that I would have to buy local (and that means high prices here in California), but I have seen some things online that say free shipping.

Also, how do you all move these things? I'm guessing a standard truck cart will not do the job ... do you need to get a special sort of cart with two dudes? More dudes needed? Maybe buying something new is something to consider if I can get a good deal on installation.

Thanks!
 
LIberty Safes are very good. Look for locking bars on all four sides of the door and an S&G lock. Digitals are VERY nice.

The cheaper Centurions from Liberty are good values but, not as durable (i.e. hard to break into) as the Liberty safes.

For moving, a lot of them can be moved with an appliance dolly, though the 2,000lbs empty ones like mine need a pallet jack and fork lift. It easily gets to 3,000lbs when loaded.

Look for thicker plate steel (1/4" is hard to find but, a good choice), welded gussets in all corners and along seams with internal hinges on the door.
 
Thanks. One of the brands I am seeing a lot of on Craigslist is Canon. Not sure if they are any good.

What is the lowest weight that you want to go if you want to make it difficult to carry out? I would think you would want it big enough to resist the dolly but that means I can't get it in with a dolly. I don't have a pallet jack and fork lift, so is there something in between?
 
are sturdy safes out your direction? also look at graffunder. Check those out online. 1/4" plate is what I would recomend. As a last resort, at least stay with 10ga. at a minimum. Be carefull of gimmicks. 1/4" plate door at a minimum. Not composite, unless you would be looking at a tl rated safe. Then composite with those is a different story. buy as big and as sturdy as you can. You will regret buying a lesser model as you look more into what makes a good safe.
 
oh yea, check out american security also known as Amsec. Their mid to higher stuff looks formidable.
 
notos&w said:
Ft Knox
http://www.ftknox.com/

Best in the business.
Click to expand...

How do you define best? Mine won't char paper when the house burns to the ground. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation couldn't get into a Liberty like mine they seized without totally destroying everything inside. IF someone steals my safe, I don't want them to profit or benefit from anything it contains. If my house burns to the ground, I want it to save my family pictures, papers, and other things PLUS my firearms.
 
Kirk_Ferentz said:
Thanks. One of the brands I am seeing a lot of on Craigslist is Canon. Not sure if they are any good.
Click to expand...

Canon, Amsec, and similar brands (price points generally) are great for kids in a "smash and grab" but, won't turn away some moderately determined thieves. Also watch out for the country of manufacture. China makes a lot of cheap safes but, you get what you pay for.

Liberty Safes make several different levels of protection. All of them are very good value for money. At my local Gander Mountain, I can see, feel, and play with each of them. They start at ~$900 at entry level, mid thousand range for mid-range models, and up for the ones with drill plates and other features.

The big box sporting goods stores that carry Browning safes in the ~$800 range are pretty good values. Winchesters are cheaper and made in China. Remington are hard to find but, were pretty good when I look at them a couple of years ago.

In terms of moving them in and out, think about moving a refrigerator. Size, weight, and difficulty are about the same for a safe in the mid-range size. You will need an appliance dolly to move it around. A pickup will let you tilt into and out of the bed with a couple of friends.
 
This is a little bit of a blowhard high dollar sales pitch, but you do pick up some good info.
Price and quality are related.

If you want fire proof, there are very few gunsafes that are fire proof- nothing you buy in a chain store will be fire proof.
Tradational document safes are full of powdered plaster- they protect paper by releasing moisture into the inside, the opposite of what you want in firearms.
The good ones use a double or multiple layered liner of steels with insulation in the middle. that gets expensive and not everyone is willig to pay.

Internal or external hinges don't matter since a hinge is just a hinge
I consider an internal hinge to be inferior.
An external hinge allows you to remove the door for easier moving and also lets you shim the hinge to account for wear - it can last for hundreds of years.
There should be locking pin bolts on the hinge side and the best ones have Live Pins, ones that move.

Do what you can to hide it, build a closet around it inside the house, not right there in the garage where everyone can see it and back a pickup truck to it.
Do it so a person can only access the front door, the sides of cheaper safes are build weaker than the fronts.

Lock it.
How many safes are out there right now are unlocked because they are a pain to open and close
Digital locks make it simpler to open and may mean you keep it closed more.

Get a light
get a de humidifier.


Learn about the rating systems
The fire ratings are for different times.
The burglary ratings are for different times and different tools, hand tools, power tools, explosives.


Fort Knox is high dollar stuff - look at them to see what's possible
I agree take a look at Liberty -good value - you will still end up paying 3 to 6 thousand for a nice safe.

[video=youtube;ltK-bDbADa8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltK-bDbADa8[/video]
 
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I have purchase an great gun safe last moth. You should make sure which size of the gun safe do you need. You know, the gun safe can be devieded into the small one and big one. The small is suitable for storing the handgun. What's more, the big one is suitable for storing the long hunting gun. And the gun can be devied into the biomatric and non-biomatric types. You had better choose the suitable one according to your requirement and budget.
 
There is a make that is a 'take down' design. You then can easily move the parts up stairs etc then assemble. Make sure the floor will support the safe you choose .
 
Liberty is probably the best for the money. Great value. Unless you live in an arid climate, install either a golden rod or a 40 watt bulb to take care of the humidity you lock inside.

I'd stay away from fireproof safes for guns (or knives or watches, etc.). Most cause rust problems.
 
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I've shopped around a lot for a good biometric gunsafe and the best one that I've found is The GunBox Biometric + RF gun safe. Not only can I program all 10 of my fingerprints but I can program my husband's as well. It holds about 200 fingerprints. It also comes with a RFID label and wristband. They also offer some sweet RFID rings as well. The RFID is totally optional. No fumbling with keys or codes if there's an emergency. It holds my gun plus a magazine. I've even seen pictures of people that can fit 2 smaller guns in it. You can bolt it down, upside down to a wall etc. You have access to your guns in about 3 seconds. This gun safe exceeded my expectations and blows GunVault out of the water. Gunvault is cheap and feels like those till boxes they use in retail. Their videos are impressive too. They have videos where the GunBox is put through a "torture test" not only by the company but by other companies as well. These gun safes are not only child proof but have an alarm so if it is moved it will go off (sounds like a fire alarm).
 
Technically not a safe, but definitely more wife friendly:
[video=youtube_share;1pYqquG27pg]http://youtu.be/1pYqquG27pg[/video]
[video=youtube_share;ziAHhTRTfpM]http://youtu.be/ziAHhTRTfpM[/video]
[video=youtube_share;0Acqfs-Q0ds]http://youtu.be/0Acqfs-Q0ds[/video]
 
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