I wasn't sure where to post this, but the gunsmithing forum seems appropriate.

I find myself in need of a new gun safe. I would like to stay under $1,500. It does not need to be huge, but it should hold around 20 long guns (some with scopes), along with half a dozen or so handguns. I also want decent fire protection.

What safe is the best value? Can someone point me in the right direction?

Thank you.

Buy one bigger then you think you need your young yet.

quote:

Buy one bigger then you think you need your young yet.

+1

I know I'm young, but I will hopefully be building a house within the next few years and I will be building an entire "safe room". This is just to hold me over until then.

I have had a Liberty Safe for years. Hunk-a-Steel!

Mine is a Champion Trophy series. Wish I had bought bigger. Now I need a second one.

If you plan on holding 20 long guns, plus some hand guns, I think you'll need a safe rated for at least 30 guns. Unless all your guns are without a scope and you don't mind them tightly packed, the rating that gun safe manufacturers use is optimistic.

I'd get a safe at least 66" high and 37" wide and 27" deep. I'd stick with a Liberty or Ft. Knox. They are more expensive, but if you ever do build that safe room and want to sell the safe, those two brands might be easier to sell.

Come up to Huntsville or call Able Ammo and price a safe there. Call Randy Wright and tell him I refered you. Worth a try.
A safe will never hold as many long guns as they claim unless they are single shot shotguns stacked on top of each other.
936-295-5786
I just finished building their new rifle,pistol, skeet and sporting clays ranges.
They are fixing to start a new retail store located on the range property.
Mike Cockcroft

www.sturdysafe.com they do not use sheetrock for fire lining and offer a good value.

BigB

Remember, the thing has to be CRF.

Stephen

My Liberty safe...second story down

I still have my Liberty safe $800 never spent better!!!

Whichever one you get bolt it to the floor in a corner, so that the latch side is toward the corner. Weld a d-ring to the side and attach a large Rottweiler on a short chain. Train him to eat testicles. Maybe you'll get the scum that took all my Mod 70's and the little Win Mod 61 .22WMR my Dad bought me for XMAS in the late 50's.

Canon. They offer several grades. Good safes.

Another recomendation for Sturdy Safe.

I've owned several over the years, and my favorite is the Champion. TY-50 http://www.championsafe.com/trophy.html

Try Drake Safe company in Roxsboro NC. They make a really nice safe out of 1/4 plate and will custom make them to any size you want.

quote:

Originally posted by A7drvr:
Whichever one you get bolt it to the floor in a corner, so that the latch side is toward the corner. Weld a d-ring to the side and attach a large Rottweiler on a short chain. Train him to eat testicles. Maybe you'll get the scum that took all my Mod 70's and the little Win Mod 61 .22WMR my Dad bought me for XMAS in the late 50's.

My sincere condolences, I lost a lot of VERY costly and emotionally valuable mountain gear in a burglary one afternoon in 1999, just before Christmas. I have a lot of relatively highend guns, bought by working two jobs and going for sometimes months without a day off, so, I know how you feel.

As it happened, I had a Liberty safe and the vermin tried to get into it and even move it, no luck. Within a couple of weeks, since I have had Rottweilers before, a fine purebred gentleman joined our home, then, his massive brother was given to me by the breeders and a high chainlink fence was built around our small, old house.

Now, those two have gone to Heaven to my great sorrow and I have both a large, very obedient and highly agressive male and a champion female who loves the neighbourhood kids, but, has a snarl and fangs that intimidate the local dirtbags....we have not had any further problems, although my next door neighbour was burgled two weekends ago at about 9:00 PM, while she was napping.....

Rottweilers rule and they DO THE JOB!

You might look at Security Products safe.
I decided on their safe due to superior fire protection. They are made in Elm Mott Texas.
Don't be so concerned about the door. I can saw a hole big enough to crawl thru in about five or ten minutes. Make the sides as hard as possible to get at. Kenny

A real safe has TL rating from UL.

Gun safes are generally just labeled RSC (residential security container). They are usually more for fire protection and keeping honest people honest. A determined theif can break into them in a manner of minutes.

The problem is most TL rated safes cost lots. The used one in my store was $2300 delivered and it wouldn't hold the number of guns you are talking about. You can often find TL rated safes cheap at stores that are going out of business, especially jewelry stores. Nobody wants to move a 2000lb+ safe and they will usually sell them for less than $1000 rather than let them go with the building. I got a big one for free with a fire and T-20 rating and another for $750.

Get one bigger than you think you need. Check the fire protection rating. A lot of what you need depends on where you live and where you are putting the safe. If you live in a rural area and someone could have all weekend to break into the safe or load it up and haul it off, you had better bolt it down and it better have a good (S&G) lock.
Same with fire protection. A safe on a concrete slab against an exterior wall is not going to see near the heat that one in your bedroom on the second story will get if your house burns down.
You get what you pay for but it will be one of the better investments that you will ever make.

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:
Get one bigger than you think you need. .

I know I will need one bigger shortly, but like I said earlier, I am going to build an entire safe room (probably 8'x12') in my next house. As of right now, I have 12 long guns (7 with scopes) and 3 handguns. I just need something that will "hold me over" for the next 2-3 years.

Thank you for all the replies.

quote:

Originally posted by Eland Slayer:

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:
Get one bigger than you think you need. .

I know I will need one bigger shortly, but like I said earlier, I am going to build an entire safe room (probably 8'x12') in my next house. As of right now, I have 12 long guns (7 with scopes) and 3 handguns. I just need something that will "hold me over" for the next 2-3 years.

Thank you for all the replies.

If you need to hold 12 long guns, get an 18 or 24 gun safe. The ratings are that far off.

Haveing two safes or more is not bad idea take twice as long to get into two 3 times as long to get into 3 ect ect.

Will not lose all of ones stuff at on time them

quote:

Originally posted by Rub Line:

quote:

Originally posted by Eland Slayer:

quote:

Originally posted by Blacktailer:
Get one bigger than you think you need. .

I know I will need one bigger shortly, but like I said earlier, I am going to build an entire safe room (probably 8'x12') in my next house. As of right now, I have 12 long guns (7 with scopes) and 3 handguns. I just need something that will "hold me over" for the next 2-3 years.

Thank you for all the replies.

If you need to hold 12 long guns, get an 18 or 24 gun safe. The ratings are that far off.

.....hence the reason I am looking for a 20-30 gun safe.

I think shooters/hunters often overlook other sources of safes. A friend of mine has bought several amazing safes at factory equipment auctions for relatively little money. They aren't necessarily pretty and shiny, but some document safes are built to higher standards than gun safes and are selling for a song as businesses (unfortunately) have to liquidate them.

My friend is up on these factory liquidation sales so I'm not sure how he finds them (and I know its been a huge hassle to ship them), but I've seen a few of them and they were impressive. Steel and concrete doors/sides 6"-8" thick, a serious locking bolt system and the big ones (6' wide, 7' tall, 3' deep) weigh over 4,000 lbs (I believe these safes are well over $10K new). He has gotten a few at auctions for $2,000 to $3,000 each. I don't know if he has any available now, but if someone wants to PM me I can check with him.

Being that big and heavy - they aren't for everyone, but someone with the right situation could get an amazing safe for not much more than a standard higher end gun safe. They might need paint and of course you have to build an interior suitable for guns, but I've never seen any "gun safes" built as seriously as these.

How is a "Gun room' constructed?. They a lot
of battery powered drills ect.
Just curious.

I love my Iron Man triangular safe with lazy Susan. It fits a closet and allows door swing to let me get at 'em. You have to plot / draw plan to fit scoped rifles together. The numbers / spots are for unscoped..,

I did a bit of research before I got my safe. More than a few times I read that no matter how good the fire rating on a safe is, in a major fire you're screwed. It may not get hot enough to let the stocks catch fire or ruin the heat treating but the finishes, both metal and wood, are going to be ruined. Then you have to fight with the insurance company to get your guns refinished and you are going to end up with refinished guns. I'd rather they burn up completely and I get to replace them.

Also, my safe is down in the basement. That's where the water collects when the fire department does their work. Again, they may make it but you have a lot of rust prevention ahead of you.

To me a safe is for security and even though I have no kids and the entire house is alarmed, it's peace of mind when they are all in one place and locked up.

So I went with the biggest I could afford and get down to the basement, I found a Cannon on sale at Tractor Supply for $999, 72H x 36w x 24d. Listed for 36 guns and two shelves. I left it on the shipping pallet to keep it off the concrete floor. Currently holding 45 long guns and 18 handguns... I have another safe on the way. Go bigger than you'll need.

Recoil Rob

Yikes! I hope you safe is shark proof!

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:
Recoil Rob

Yikes! I hope you safe is shark proof!

Forgot that made it into the shot. Got it at a tag sale for $5. Some guy got caught cheating on his wife and after she kicked him out she was selling off his stuff in the driveway!. Guards the door to the safe...

I have a chance to get a schwab 4068CTS media safe Dirt cheep the problem is it weighs a ton... No it actually weighs 2100 lbs???

Any takers Local pick up only

quote:

Originally posted by kcstott:
I have a chance to get a schwab 4068CTS media safe Dirt cheep the problem is it weighs a ton... No it actually weighs 2100 lbs???

Any takers Local pick up only

Stott, I'm down the street from you, e-mail me some info about that safe por favor!

For a limited budget, I would look at "Tractor Supply" at their Cannon line of safes.

Just run over to Conroe, to take a look.

Keith