gun safes?

[slickfist]

any suggestions on a good gun safe? im looking at the liberty safes pretty hard but dont know anyone that has one. im looking for a safe with a good quality interior and a fairly large capacity. i need a safe that has a large long gun capacity but also has room for several handguns without having to jam them in to close to each other. i also have a few 50 bmg rifles that are a little long for some set ups.

 

[netsecurity]

You need a big safe! Three BMG's? I feel better about all the money I waste on guns now though, thank you...

 

[other dave]

You might want to consider Johnson Safe. Jeff is a great guy, an INGO sponsor, and builds a mighty fine safe.

Johnson Safe
8750 East 200 South
Zionsville, IN 46077

(800) 969-7993
(317) 769-6337

 

[slickfist]

glad i could help! if you look at the price of some higher end 1911s a decent 50 really isnt that bad. until you buy the ammo that is!

 

[williamsburg]

I would suggest something that does not have external hinges. It makes it a little harder for someone if they were to try to get in it (break-in). I would also stay away from straight touch pad. If you go touch pad make sure there is some over ride system. If the pad fails you cannot access anything. Just my opinion.

 

[wsenefeld]

Depending on how soon you need it, there were some awesome safe sales last black Friday. I just didn't have the extra cash with the long list the wife already had... If you need something sooner, big r has the fat boy and fat boy jr.

 

[bman1903]

If you can wait a little while check Craigslist for a Frontier safe, used to be made in Fort Wayne, I see them from time to time, best safe for the money IMHO, 1/2" solid steel door 3/8" solid body, no hollow crap that looks thick but really isn't, that's the biggest thing to look for with a quality safe.

 

[ludlow]

+1 On Johnson safes. Jeff is a great guy and will build anything you want and you can customize the paint, inside, etc. The quality of the construction is first rate. His prices are very good as well.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

I passed on all the deals with electronic locks. I just wanted a rotary combination lock. As an electronics engineer and tech geek, so I know how likely the electronic ones are to fail. The manufacturers do too; as they put a key lock in as well. I consider that a vulnerability too; either there's a key somewhere to be found, or it can be picked. The external hinges aren't so much of an issue when you have bolts on all four sides of the door.

 

[Liberty Sanders]

Slick, the answer is to evaluate your needs and then SHOP!

There are qualifications other than capacity, such as resistance to flooding and fire. You need to get out there and look at the things. I looked at a good many before making my selection.

And do it now...I just took a vacation to Wyoming and while we were gone we got a call from the cat-sitter that we'd been broken into. Our front door was kicked open in broad daylight.

The bad guy got a TV and a few inconsequential items of costume jewelry. He got NO guns and none of Momma's good stuff...it was in the safe.

 

[Libertarian01]

To Slickfist (et alia),

A while back I decided to purchase a gun safe. I did a LOT of research and found that you can spend a crapton of $$$ to feel good and not really be protected when the safe is put to a real challenge.

No matter what you go with make certain it is Underwriters Laboratory (UL) tested! This means that a group of folks who don't give a damn about sales test it objectively. EVERYTHING else is sales propaganda! There is nothing wrong with sales propaganda, we wouldn't sell things if it didn't exist. However, because you are wanting true protection for your valuables it is best to know that the hard earned money you are spending to protect valuables you want protected will really do the job.

If you just want to stop a "smash and grab" attack then about anything heavy and solid will do fine. This is, by the way, most of the the non UL tested safes on the market! If, on the other hand, you are wanting real protection against semiprofessional thieves (not just smash & grab) then you will want to ratchet up the quality of the safe accordingly! This will mean spending more money than you probably are initially intending to spend.

Here are a few links for your perusal:

Gun Safe Buying Tips - Buying Guide to Weapon Safes - Brown Safe Mfg.
(I know this ^^^ is a link to a specific company with sales propaganda, but they also have some good generic information to read)

rec.guns FAQ: XIII.B.1.b. High End Gun Safes

UL | Safe-Testing Program

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhOjWHbD6M

A lot of the companies will sell "UL rated locks." If you are paying attention this does NOT mean the safe was UL tested, which means that the manufacturer used whatever bloated hype test they wanted to just to impress ya'll. Don't fall for it.

When I finally bought the safe that I did I went about $1,100 over my initial targeted budget. I believe it was worth it because I know that my safe has been tested against attack and fire by people (UL) who do not care if it sells or not, they only believe in maintaining their standards.

There are probably some very good products on the market that are not UL tested, and certainly some protection is better than none.

The question is: are you willing to spend a LOT of money just to feel good OR do you want to spend a LOT of money to know the protection has truly been tested in a consistent and systematic manner?

In the end you should do a lot of google searches and learn about gun safes.

If possible you should save up and spend a few hundred dollars more for a bigger safe than you currently need. Your gunsafe WILL be used for stuff other than just guns! Important paperwork, family heirlooms, valuables and so on.

If your safe goes through a fire do not forget that it does NOT stay cool in the safe! The internal temperature can rise to 350 degrees, so make certain that no ammunition is stored in there. Also, no plastic as it will melt onto whatever you have it on or over. If you live in a city with good fire response then the max temperature should reach 1,200 degrees for less than an hour (this from a personal interview with a fireman.) However, if you are out in the country where the fire could grow then you will want to think about greater fire protection from the safe.

I have seen a special, small container by Liberty safes that will keep things under 120 degrees IIRC. This is cool enough to put digital storage devices in and keep protected.

Hope this helps.

If you have any questions for additional links feel free to contact me.

Regards,

Doug

 

[Titanium Man]

This video is what made me ditch my two liberty safes, and invest in "real" huge safes, where I have true peace of mind.

 

[Quad]

Whatever safe you buy, make sure you BOLT IT DOWN!

It's much easier for a thief to pry on it after they knock it down on it's back.

 

[atvdave]

Whatever safe you buy, make sure you BOLT IT DOWN!

It's much easier for a thief to pry on it after they knock it down on it's back.

and make sure it's butted against a wall on the open side so they can't get the leverage with a pry bar.. It makes it a LOT more difacult...

Take them videos with a grain of salt... their job is to try to sale you a safe.. There are some very cheep, and easy to break into safes out there, but you don't have to mortgage your house to get a good quality safe..


Also I forgot to add... look into fire rating hours... more people lose firearms in safes from house fires than someone prying the safes door open..

 

[d012]

I got a good one from Dick's Field and Stream. Decent fire rating, easy combination(smooth turning) and solid construction. Avoid gun cabinets all together, from what I seen and read a bad guys dream. Only mistake I made was size, should have got a larger one.

 

[Ridgeway]

I would suggest something that does not have external hinges. It makes it a little harder for someone if they were to try to get in it (break-in). I would also stay away from straight touch pad. If you go touch pad make sure there is some over ride system. If the pad fails you cannot access anything. Just my opinion.

I would suggest the reverse.
External hinges are not a security flaw as long as the door has bolts on at least 2 sides. You can cut the bolts off but that won't help you get it open.
Moreover, with external hinges the door has a much wider range of motion, which is nice. You also have the option of removing the door to aid in moving it.
Internal hinges are mostly a cosmetic issue for a cleaner look, imo. I have one of each. Internal looks better, but external is much more functional.