Also, I know that some safes can run upwards of a couple thousand bucks. What do some of you use? How much did you spend? Right now I have.....let's see....7 long guns and no pistols. (Now that's a crying shame I can't list any handguns) I don't think I will need a huge safe, but I will have more guns as time goes on (and we keep our right to buy more).

What do all of you think about this?

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Monyhunter

There are a bunch of options to consider, however, above anything else, select a safe that is twice as big as you think you will ever need and then go one size bigger. Unlike a gun cabinet, you cannot increase the size of your safe. It is also a good idea to make sure it is fire rated - it costs a little more, but offers great protection.

Most of the high end safes are manufactured by the same company. This is the reason why they all look similar. The handles are little different and the interior options are a little different, however, they all offer the same level of protection. Shop around a lot. You can find some good deals from time to time.

On the other hand, even the cheap key-operated varieties like Homak or Sentinal that are sold though the discount houses provide security against small, curious hands (and more particularly, the little friends who come to visit them). Those cheap safes also will deter the vast majority of homebreakers who get in and get out in 90 seconds or less and only take what they can pick up and run with.

My advice is to spend a hundred bucks or so RIGHT NOW for one of the cheapies, bolt it to your closet floor and/or wall, had achieve a significant level of safety and security immediately. Later, as you acquire more and higher-priced guns, hopefully you will have the time and money to select an install a larger, more secure vault (which is also fire-lined).

I think you could wait a while, my daughter is 5, and I have no problem whatsoever in keeping here away from them. My long guns are all in cases in the closet, and my one loaded handgun is on the shelf in my closet. I think if you had a boy, it would already be time for a safe. From what I've seen, little girls are less curious than little boys, and stay out of things better that they are told to stay away from. My nephew is 2, and is into everything. My brother has to lock everything up that he doesn't want him getting into. He even caught him with a screwdriver in his little hand trying to take the locking latch off of a cabinet door! Amazing for a 2 yr old. From my days hawking safes, I think bang for the buck you cannot beat the American Security safes. If you get the fire insulated, low luster finish model, (I forget the name of the series) you have as good a safe as made by anyone, only far less money, and no name brand pizzazz to pay for. Of course no safe is going to keep out a determined professional thief with the time and tools to get into it. But, if you lag bolt the safe to the floor an amateur thief will not be able to get it out the door. A professional thief won't waste their time on a residential robbery, for the same risk and questionable returns (goodies taken) as a retail gun store or jewelry store. How is a professional thief going to know what you have is worth his time/risk of being shot/arrested? It's the amateur thief or thief of opportunity that you need to guard against. I would say that the Homak type safes are only marginally better than nothing. They will keep out your own kids, but even a poor excuse for a thief can open one with a large screwdriver.

Now go buy a pistol with the money you saved.

The story scared the bejabbers out of me. I had been kidding myself that my grandkids were too little to find my guns.

My guns are now in an inexpensive locked cabinet. It won't stop a determined thief for more than a minute or two, but it does keep curious little hands out of trouble.

In addition to the excellent advice already given, if your rifles are all bolt action, you can get an steel (non-fire type) electronic combination safe at Harbor Frieght for $80. All your bolts, plus some handguns and ammo will fit in it.

But, to the gun safes, if you can possibly afford it, get one of the larger safes as mentioned above. Fire rated is better but more expensive. You will be surprised how much stuff besides guns "needs" to be protected.

I also thought about doing that a while ago, now I have a Fort Knox so it isn't necessary but if I did it I would do a couple of things-

First, drywall gets some of its fire resistance from the fact that the gypsum in it holds moisture, and the cooking off of this moisture helps the fire rating. So I would put plastic sheeting on both sides of it to keep it from drying out and also rusting the guns. I would also use 3/8" drywall instead and use 2 or more layers rather than a sheet of thicker stuff. Remember to line the front and door too, on the door I would glue it using panelling adhesive. I don't think it needs to be taped and mudded.

I would base the amount of protection on how big a building I lived in, how far I was from the fire station, and what it was built out of.

For what it's worth, My house got broken into 4 years ago by the 90 second type crook. They took the one gun I had out working on (didn't get the bolt or trigger) and didn't touch the Homark steel boxes bolted to the studs in the closet that held several other guns.

One nice thing about them is that you can upgrade quite easily by just buying another. Then the potential theif has to break into the first one (I'd like to see someone do it with a large screwdriver in less than 20 minutes) get that stuff, then break into the next one, then the next one.... . Very, very few burglars would even bother going into the first.

A freind told me a funny story about a fellow who had one of these and a few guns. He sold the guns, and used the safe for a paint locker in his garage. A local misfit saw it when the garage door was open, and decided to burgle the place when the fellow was gone for the weekend. After considerable effort, he was able to pry back the upper corner of the door. Awkwardly reaching in, he manage to trap his arm on the jagged metal. He ended up in that position until the fellow got back at the end of the weekend. After the police came, the fellow opened the safe to release the malcontent.

The funny part is that the thief was really upset that it was only paint in the safe!

I have two. They cost about $500 and cost about the same again for a rigger to get them into place. The lined "gun" safes are like toys compared to these.

These suckers are about the size of a refrigerator, they weigh in at about 2000 pounds and offer burglary/fire ratings several notches higher than the top of the line Fort Knox, etc. costing in that $3000 to $6000 range. Price? $1200 delivered.

Admittedly this is in St. Louis with millions of people within a one hour drive but you may have options even in Idaho. For anybody near a metro area you'd be foolish not to look into this option.

Lastly, it did require some work on my part to build a shelving system conducive to gun storage but that was a small price to pay for the savings.

Finally, if you do have this sort of second hand company as an option be sure to ask about prices to help move the safe if and when you move. They are heavy enough that it will most likely cause trouble for the weekend warriors. My company would charge about $150 to come out and get it on the moving truck.

There, I hope that helps.

Reed

quote:

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Originally posted by monyhunter:
I was thinking today about the need to get a gun safe. I have a little girl that is going to be 3 in December. I was wondering how soon I should be needing to get a safe? For those of you that have kids a little older, how much more time do I have before I get real nervous about guns being in the home with my little girl?

Also, I know that some safes can run upwards of a couple thousand bucks. What do some of you use? How much did you spend? Right now I have.....let's see....7 long guns and no pistols. (Now that's a crying shame I can't list any handguns) I don't think I will need a huge safe, but I will have more guns as time goes on (and we keep our right to buy more).

What do all of you think about this?

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no matter how much you spend on a gun safe it's cheap! how much is one life worth? how about ten lives? i never worried about my girls messing with our guns. but i do worried about someone stealing the guns and using them to commit a crime or kill someone.
do not buy a tin foil box buy a real safe!
vary few fires reach 1200* the heat comes from hot coals and ash piled up around the safe when the flames are gone. get the longest heat soak time you can find. buy the largest safe you can fit in your home.
i started out with a Liberty 15 gun safe. now i have it and 3 Fort Knox 28 rifle safes. next spring when our new house is compleat i'll add 2 more in a safe room that will have a Liberty safe door.
i sleep well at night

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born on a mountain, raised in a cave, hunting and fishing is all i crave!

Guns can always be replaced, yes there may be cost involved. But a child never.
Kids are curious, their friends are also..There was a thread on this forum about stupid things we did as kids... Do we really think that our kids won't try the same..
It should be a golden rule of gun safety IMHO.
Keep em locked up.

"One nice thing about them is that you can upgrade quite easily by just buying another. Then the potential theif has to break into the first one (I'd like to see someone do it with a large screwdriver in less than 20 minutes) get that stuff, then break into the next one, then the next one.... . Very, very few burglars would even bother going into the first."

Not to be contentious, but I used to sell gunsafes, I GUARRANTEE YOU I could break into a standard Homak type safe with a crowbar or large (I do mean large, prybar really) screwdriver in less than 10 min. It even makes it easier if it is bolted down, then I can really use leverage on it. Make noise? You bet, I'm not saying it would be easy (but one average size guy could do it), but it would be fast. You can also rip the bolt heads (if bolted to floor and wall) through the sheetmetal side walls of the "safe", and remove the whole safe, unless you are using large washers to spread the load to a larger area (or a piece of plate steel on the inside). Homaks just aren't intended to keep out determined thieves. How do I know? Some of my best customers were robbery victims with Homak type safes. They already accepted that they needed a safe when they bought the Homak (so the mindset was there), then when they got robbed, they realized they need a REAL safe. Like I said, Homak type safes are to keep out kids, honest poeple, and curious fingers (and for that they DO work), not thieves. Ask an insurance agent. Just my experiences and opinions, do what you want.

One of my co-workers is rabidly anti-gun. The interesting thing is her reason: She used to be an insurance investigator. In gun accident cases, time and time again, she heard, "I thought my children [grandchildren] [nieces/nephews] were too young to find my gun and get into trouble with it."

I don't agree with her anti-gun stance, but she has the experience, and a reason for feeling that way.