Gun safe recommendations

[Caleb]

Wondering if there's a gun safe you guys recommend for $1500 or less that can hold couple rifles, couple pistols, and ammo/magazines....and can't be carried off.

 

[K_W]

Johnson Safe, Zionsville IN.

 

[Caleb]

What size and weight?

 

[K_W]

Johnson Safe Price List

I have the JS-530, it was $16xx delivered and set in place.

The only problem with Johnson is the wait time. They are built to order.

 

[Caleb]

Johnson Safe Price List

Let me rephrase that...I see the sizes and prices, I don't know how many guns those sizes holds. I also don't know the minimum weight recommended to keep somebody from making off with your safe.

 

[K_W]

Let me rephrase that...I see the sizes and prices, I don't know how many guns those sizes holds. I also don't know the minimum weight recommended to keep somebody from making off with your safe.

There are no such gun holding numbers. Major brands exaggerate their numbers.

Talk to Mr. Johnson, he will build it to hold whatever, however you want it to.

Also, there is no such weight as you ask. You bolt the safe down... then they can't carry it.

Here's my safe...
https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/johnson-safe/368269-its-here-another-ingo-johnson-safe.html

 

[Caleb]

Running an ethernet and power in affect the fireproof ratings of the safe? What deminsions safe did you end up with?

 

[Caleb]

Disregard the deminsions, I saw where you posted that on your page.

 

[K_W]

Running an ethernet and power in affect the fireproof ratings of the safe? What deminsions safe did you end up with?

Quality Ethernet and power cable is fire retardant.

 

[Bfish]

He's got you going in a good direction. I'll go ahead and say if that doesn't float your boat checking out a liberty certainly wouldn't be a mistake.

 

[K_W]

He's got you going in a good direction. I'll go ahead and say if that doesn't float your boat checking out a liberty certainly wouldn't be a mistake.

Liberty is about the best mass production residential security container maker in that price range, Cannon is ok but their steel is thinner.

Brands to AVOID
Stack-on
Winchester
Sentry Safe
Sentinal
Field & Stream

 

[Jeepinjeff]

I don't have a huge collection, yet, and just bought the Liberty 12 gun safe from Gander Mtn. I'm pretty happy with it. It has 10 locking points and is secure enough for what I have. Mine is more to keep the small hands out of it and at least slow down the casual thief. I've got it lag bolted to the floor inside a closet so it would take some doing to get it out. I'd have to agree with the person above about the StackOn brand. Every one of those I've seen looks like you could get in with either a small screwdriver or some tin snips.

 

[Sniper 79]

Better than nothing I guess. I wasn't happy with anything until they hit the 3800 dollar mark and above.

I regret not getting two smaller size safes. One big job is next to impossible to move. I had to hire a few guys and get a powered dolly and a truck with a lift gate to move. Something to think about if a move is in your future, value of firearms and belongings in safe etc etc.

 

[tripwire96]

For what it's worth, I am a big fan of Browning's line with the in door storage and the adjustable shelves (Prosteel out of Utah). I spent more than I wanted for a larger one than I needed and I'm glad I did. Indiana Gun Club in Fortville is a Browning dealer and has some on display. They did work with me on the price and it was custom built and delivered inside of a month.

I don't think I could own a safe without the in door storage for scoped and straight arms.

 

[frenchiectfd2203]

I just bought a new cannon. Wasn't quit what I wanted but it holds 64 with the door organizer and couldn't beat the price. Only reason I Black Friday shop.

 

[ArmyADub]

I had a great experience purchasing a Liberty from Don's Safes. Picked one up right after I moved to the state.

Don's Liberty Safe - Home Page

The lady that sold it to me made a great 1st Hoosier impression on me as I had very recently moved to Indiana, so that helped. Honestly, she could not have been more accommodating; answered all of my questions and showed me on various models what she was talking about, and made arrangements to help me pick it up.

 

[Crbn79]

500 lbs is usually the magic number when looking at a safe's weight. You'll want to bolt it down still. A light weight bolted down safe is short work for a sawzall. 500lbs is a 2 or more person job.

 

[Libertarian01]

When I went to investigate a good gun safe I found a lot of good information after many, many hours of searching and reading.

Safes are nearly as "safe" as we like to think of them. A true professional that knows you have a valuable collection can be in most safes in less time than it takes you to go to the store for a gallon of milk and return. Sad but true.

All safe manufacturers will tell you how great their product is. They are supposed to. This is called marketing. It is NEVER objective! They make lots of awesome videos that don't really test their products the way a good safecracker would, so you end up feeling secure but when the rubber meets the road you are out you precious contents.

To make certain that you aren't just being sold on hype make certain that your gunsafe, no matter which manufacturer sells it, is UL rated and tested. This goes for both fire and theft.

What it boils down to is this, "Do you want to FEEL safe or do you want to BE safe???" If you really want to BE safe you cannot scrimp on the $$$. I found that overall both Liberty and American Security make good, UL tested safes. There is also a manufacturer called Brown (NOT Browning) that makes an excellent product, but theirs was out of my price range. There are other excellent manufacturers out there that have been UL tested and approved, I just don't remember them.

Remember that the true test of a gunsafe only occurs when it is actually attacked, and then it works or it doesn't. Many safes can provide basic protection against a "smash and grab" attack, but beyond that are worthless. So what do you want to protect against? What do you have to protect? These are questions only you can answer.

Also remember that the #1 risk is probably fire and not theft, so make certain that the safe has been fully tested against fire. The more in the sticks you live the more protection you need. I spent an hour or more talking to a fireman that was also a gun enthusiast when doing research. He explained that an out of control home fire can get damn hot damned fast! So the testing is really necessary as UL throws the safe right into really hot very quickly. The point of where you live is response time for the FD. In the city fire protection doesn't need to be for as long - normally. But if you live in the boondocks the FD may take a good while just to get the call, so your fire protection needs to be ramped up to a higher level.

Also remember that security for valuables comes in layers. With a good home alarm system even a professional may feel pressured with the home alarm going off. Can he crack the safe before PD arrives? No home alarm and he has a good comfort level. A home alarm greatly reduces the professionals comfort level and may well protect your valuables.

It is also true that what they say they will hold and what they really hold are two (2) different beasts. Even in my AmSec I collect olde C&R's. My very tall rifles such as an M91s and SVT-40 have a limited space, given the need for some shelf room at the top. Lots of fat guns with tacticool gear and big scopes will take up a lot more room than the skinny little .22 rifles that may be in there. What do you have?

Finally, I love the door attachment with all the little pockets and places for pistols and a two (2) rifles. That was well worth it my mind for helping. It doesn't solve all the problems but it does help.

Regards,

Doug

 

[bman1903]

^ above post has great info, as do the others. If you are not in a huge hurry, watch craigslist for used tl15 or tl30 safes. Almost all gun "safes" are actually rated as RSC (residential security container) they can't actually have the label "safe" because they are easy to break in to. Only issue with tl15 and tl30 is weight and finding one the right size for long guns. I have seen 4k lb safes moved with ease......bolt it down, with the right tools or time anything can be moved. The only reason it is difficult for most people to get large gun safes in their home is becuase they dont want to damage the home, a thief won't care about that.

 

[bman1903]

I will also add if tl15 or tl30 is too much price or weight for you Frontier safes made a nice RSC. They no longer are in business becuase they were selling them too cheaply and actually lost money on every safe they sent out. If you can find a used one, they are usually a great deal. Most had 3/8" solid plate door and at least 10g body and fire rating, and I think some had 1/4 body. Here is one on craigslist "somewhat" close to you:
frontier 32 gun safe