Looking for suggestions on an entry level gun safe. Space and budget are limited......approx 36 inches wide max, and not more than $1,000. Thanks

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Costco has one on sale now, $900 delivered after $500 off. I am thinking about getting it.
Costco - BIGHORN Classic 36ECB Safe

Let me preface this by saying that, I do not own this safe, but my next safe will be from these folks.

Steelwater Gun Safes

watch all of the videos.
I was particularly impressed by the abuse that they inflict on this safe, and the crowbar attack.
Now, I am sure that an accomplished and well prepared thief could open any safe, but for your basic smash & grab kind of thug, I don't think they would be able to get into it.

They are a short drive from me, so, several weeks ago, the wife and I drove down to see them. The guy in the video, I forget his name, is the owner. He spent about 1 1/2 hours with us. The very safe in the video is in the showroom. He has many sizes, 2 brands, and options.

Also, he had many "scratch & dent" safes with significant discounts. All were scratch problems, some on the side, some on the back, but none on the doors, and you could not see any of the scratches. He had some with paint splatter....but like I said....at significant discounts....big safe for < 1K. When I do pick up another safe...that is what I will buy.

Now...just to find someone who can move an 800lb safe....I'll buy the beer...

With safes one important issue is how long they will keep the contents safe in a fire. I have a Cannon 42 gun safe I bought at TSC. It will only protect the contents for a ½ hour. i put it in the basement with a damp chaser inside. One issue I have is taking all my guns down to the safe. If they're not in the safe they are not protected. I have 3 guns out of it right now, my carry piece, my Mossberg house gun, and a handgun I keep in the living room by the front door.

My advice is buy the biggest one you can afford and have room for. I was also advised to not get the electronic combination model, but that is what I have. Mine is bolted to a concrete floor. If it were upstairs and there was a fire, it could fall through the floor.

I have a Liberty I am happy with. Get as big one as you can!

To answer questions you may not ever think to ask;
Gun Safe Buyers' Guide

I have a Fort Knox safe that I'm really happy with. Unfortunately, however, it cost a bit more than your thousand dollar budget...

Ditto what max said

Regardless of the brand, find a safe that fits the number of your guns, and DOUBLE IT.

I've posted the same opinion (advise) many times here and don't know if anyone has ever taken it or learned from my personal safe buying experiences, but I will post it here once again.

"GUN SAFES" are usually of two different types.

1) The cheap or economy models are usually nothing more than reinforced Gym lockers and are more for keeping the guns away from your kids and house guests. They are never much of a deterrent to any thief worth his salt.

2) Then there are the higher priced ones that are usually laden with fancy high gloss paint jobs, gold or chrome plated wheels and locks, and maybe some pin striping. These Safes are heavier, stronger, sometimes water proof, have re-lockers, usually very heavy, and the better ones (even more expensive) have burglar ratings as well as fire ratings. They usually come with rifle racks, adjustable shelves, and pretty linings inside. The Bolts are usually chrome plated and look large and very impressive, but when the cover inside the door is removed to expose the mechanism, you will witness a more vulnerable construction than you would think just from looking at the outside.

OK, so here is my advise:
Don't buy a "GUN SAFE"!

Look around at your local Safe Dealers, going out of business sales for Jewelry Stores (lots of them these days), Coin and Stamp Shops, and high end businesses that would require a Jewelry (Burglar Rated ) safe. Those safes are 10 times stronger, heavier, and better built than any Gun Safe I have ever seen. They will not have the fancy high gloss paint job or the pin striping, but you will have a REAL SAFE! You will also have to construct your own rifle racks, but that is not a big deal. The best part is that you can buy them for a fraction of their original price and probably even less than a mediocre gun safe.

When I bought my gun safe 16 years ago I purchased a Liberty Presidential model, and while it is one of the better "Gun Safes" on the market (I paid over $3,000 - 16 years ago) and I have had no problems with it, I would NOT but another "GUN SAFE". I would get a used Jewelry Safe as I have suggested. Unfortunately back then I fell into the same trap most gun owners do - they want a purty lookin' one! Well I fudged up too!

Hopefully someone here will read this and be more prudent than I was. Again, the Liberty President is a descent safe, but nowhere close to as secure as a burglar rated jewelry safe is!

Chief38

I saw the ultimate set up as you describe in having a SAFE.

Back in the mid 1970s in my city a gun dealer that did a good business specializing in the "better" guns had to move from his long time location. A couple blocks up the street he found a nice building for his business. It was a fur salon and came with 5 very large walk in double door safes. He got the place at a good price because of the large/heavy safes that no one wanted.

He put up racks and shelves and put his best stuff in the safes.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

That would be my advice also. They're never big enough.

OH...........
I forgot to mention other important items.

When we have our gun safes in place, we also tend to start putting other items of value in them as well, so you're not just protecting your guns.

The second thing I forgot is I would suggest putting your safe INSIDE a LOCKED and SEPARATELY ALARMED CLOSET (to Central Station with an individual alarm code not used for the rest of the house). Out of sight is out of mind. remember you do get visitors like Plumbers, Electricians, Meter Readers, repairmen etc.

BOLT it down to the concrete or floor.

By the way...... NO ONE has the combo to my safe......... Not even my wife or kids ( I could never get them to close things, lock doors, set alarms consistently). When I die they know where to find the combo and how to read the code the combo is written in along with the alarm codes.

AND YES, I DO KNOW I AM OCD!!!

Chief38

Visalia Safes

Excellent video on safes:
GUN SAFES "THE TRUTH" weaponseducation - YouTube

You said entry level... does that mean a safe you can have on the first floor of your home? Are you looking for burglar protection? Fire protection? To keep away from curious house guests and children? Do you need quick access to the contents? Are you protecting any irreplaceable items?

My theory on fire protection is that you're better off making sure any items you plan on keeping in your <$1000 safe has replacement insurance instead of trying to get one that claims some sort of fire coverage. Fire ratings are not standard and universal.

A quick google search to back up my point, I found this:

http://www.ok.gov/health/documents/house_fires.pdf
The Costco Bighorn 36ECB is rated at "45 minute/1200 degree fire protection". Just make sure that when your house is burning down, that the safe doesn't reach anywhere near 1200 degress for anywhere close to 45 minutes. You may have to take into consideration the response time of a full structure fire assignment from the fire department to reach your house, house size, house materials, proximity to working fire hydrants, safe placement in the house, etc.

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-Scott James