Gun safes- please school me

[slickracer]

Gentlemen, I've decided that it's time to purchase a gun safe. Could you provide any pointers such as brands to avoid, features that are nice to have, etc. Also, how difficult is it to arrange delivery to a basement? I do have good access via concrete steps. Any information would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[HPaugh]

American Security is an excellent safe.It provides the security and piece of mind one needs. I think they have an excellent warranty also.It's worth a google and some research. Watch some you tube videos,they provide some evidence of what to and what not to buy.Have the company you buy it from from deliver it. They should have a good electronic safe dolly. I currently have a centurion and I like it. My buddy has a real nice Am. Sec. and I'm trying to get him to sell it to me and then that will become my main safe.I'm hoping to get it for around 500.00

 

[ColbyBruce]

Rule #1 when safe shopping

Buy a safe twice as large as you think you need. Scoped rifles take up lots of room, as do bolt action rifles. Other valuables wind up residing there. We bought our son a Winchester brand safe from Tractor Supply Co. for Christmas last year. Not as nice as my National Security safe, but he was in no hurry to purchase one for himself.

I prefer a manual dial to a push pad, but the Wnchester came with the electronic lock. This is a 500# safe, empty weight. It was on sale for $600.00 last fall. Due to the mass panic last fall, there were none of these available in metro Atlanta, GA. We drove to Franklin, NC for this safe.

 

[kudzu3]

Whatever size you think you need...double it. I would not get an electric lock again, too much can go wrong. There are many good safes out there, get the best you can afford.

 

[rojodiablo]

For the safe, truly get a bigger one as Colby stated.
Liberty Lincoln is a decent unit, good size and a good value.
While fancy locks are great and all, they will keep a lock picker busy all night.......... the guy with a torch is simply going to OPEN the safe, and not pick it.
I recommend looking up videos on gun safes. And, go to a couple Lock& Safe companies. Do NOT go to a gun store to look for a safe, expecting the safe they sell to really be the best unit.

Now, consider what you are locking up. What is the real value? If you have the original AR 10 made by Stoner himself, then buy the baddest safe on the block. If you have an average collection of rifles, and their value is not really significant? Why get a $10k safe to lock up $3k in equipment?
All safes only keep out the honest people. Tommy Lee and Pam Anderson had their safe ripped out of a socket hole in their garage that the safe was set into- so no dolly nor forklift could get under it.
When a safe is wanted, it will get taken. PERIOD.

Another thing to consider, and I do recommend this to folks when I am doing a remodel for them: A safe that screams "Guns and jewelry inside!!" will draw attention. A nondescript box looking thing will be much, much more sedate and mundane. I try to hide them for customers. Certain safe manufacturers will have units that accommodate false panels and skins more than others.
We installed one into a garage where there was 3 big SS freezer/ refers. Well, 2 were freezers. One was a safe. You would never know, as the temp gauge was on the front and it said the meat inside was 31degrees. It just..... would not open, so you could not steal a steak!
My collection is not the stuff of a safe like that, so I use a simple unit masked by some simple cabinets.

 

[Dueeast]

I agree with the others....... get one bigger than you think you need. Also, if you can afford it, get one that's fire rated.

 

[DesertFox]

Good advice so far. Basement is not best location if flooding is ever a concern. Basement will take a beating in a fire as the rest of the inferno collapses in so a higher fire rating may be prudent. Bolt it to the floor. In a corner with the opening against the wall for max pry-proof. Try to buy American but lots of the less expensive safes are Chinese. Tumbler only for me. The "digital" or push button are by no means safe.

Not only will you need one twice your anticipated size since you'll fill it quickly but the only way you'd get close to 30 guns in a "30 gun safe" is if none had scopes, none had pistol grips and nothing was hanging off the side or bottom of any.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I have sold, serviced, and repaired safes for over twenty years. So in my professional opinion, stay far away from anything made overseas. Safes like Sentry, First Alert, Mesa, or Stackon should be avoided. Even some of the best well known safe manufactures have an economy line made overseas. They are much better quality than anything made by Sentry but I would still avoid then.

And stay away from any safe sold at Walmart or any big box store such as Costco. I have yet to see one that would hold up against an attack. Many of them have American names and look good, but they aren't.

A gun safe in an investment. Make the right choice and save yourself some aggravation later.

American Security, Liberty, Cannon, Fort Know, Guardall, and several others will last a lifetime and then some.

Yes, buy one size bigger. You WILL find more to put in it. Also, gun safes will NOT protect your computer media. They need to be double insulated. So buy a Sentry fire box and put the media inside then put that box in your gun safe. So you may need more room in your safe.

Use a dehumidifier or desiccant. Keep the temperature constant. Constant highs and lows will create condensation. And use gun socks to protect your guns. If you have a fire the fire department will hose down your entire house if they have to. And most gun safes are not waterproof. The silicone treated gun sock will protect and prevent rust until the fire department allows you to go back and get them.

Bolt the safe down and get one with a tradition combination. Not electronic. The traditional combination will last a lifetime. The electronic will not. I replace them often for customers and it's expensive. I understand that the electronic is easier and convenient but it's not worth the trouble. And gun safes are not made for quick access. For older folks who sometimes forget the dialing sequence on a traditional combination the electronic makes more sense as long as they are aware of the potential problems and get in repaired immediately.

Have it delivered by professionals and pay them to bolt it down if you don't know how. Good luck!

 

[Smitty357]

Well lets back up a little bit. This of course is my profession (LockSmith). So lets look at a few things here.

Do u want something that protects from fire, burglars, or both. Most people want Both and with both u always pay a little more. In that case u want a BF safe (Burglar Fire). Therefore it has a layer of sheetrock between the steel that acts as insolation during fire. Note here American Security uses their own "in house" isolation between the steel plates. They use some flame retardent material that they have invented.

Next up, most people say they want a safe to hold say 12 guns. Safes are rated with long guns (12 gun safe, means 12 long guns). So they dont consider your pistols (keep this in mind). So if u wanted a 12 gun safe. It would be best for you to look for say a 24 gun safe. DOUBLE the size of what u intended. Buy a safe to grow into, not one to grow out of. Once u realize how great a safe is, u will be cramming many things in it and the room gets taken up pretty fast. So do urself a favor and buy BIGGER.

Locks........Back in the day, i'd say go with a dial combo. Because they were always more reliable than the digital. Now days in age, i'll have a digital (which i do) before i have a dial. Digital is built 10's better than it was years ago when it first came out. Plus i'd rather have a safe i can get into in a hurry when i need to. They both have their down falls and i'd be writing a book if i told ya all the problems with them. But as i said this is my profession and i still have a digital lock on mine. So that shows how much i trust them.

As for brands......American Security, Liberty, Browning (higher end browning). Those are the 3 and in the order in which i'd chose.

 

[rwsmith]

When they say x-gun safe.

However many guns they say they will hold what they mean is usually totally clean profile guns with no scopes or bolts. They also mean that the guns will be stacked all in front of each other so you have to dig through them to get one gun.

 

[Freeway]

What are the issues with electronic locks? Is it merely that the battery dies, and then the safe cannot be opened?

 

[jaykellogg]

As others have said, figure out the biggest safe you can afford and double it. Mine is rated at 48 guns. I have nowhere near that figure, but If I buy many more I am going to have to get another safe. Most of the more affordable ones are rated at a ½ hour in a fire. That is what mine is. More is better. It is a great place to store valuables when you go away, your car titles, will, etc.

Bolt it down for sure. Like a wise man said, "locks keep the honest people honest" a pro is going to get in there, what you are buying is protection for children and neighborhood druggies looking for a quick buck.

 

[NYlakesider]

What are the issues with electronic locks? Is it merely that the battery dies, and then the safe cannot be opened?

On mine if the battery dies the set combination is held for like 5 months in a separate memory. Get a new battery and open her up. My E. Lock is an S&G and they are a real old company with a good reputation. They beep when the battery get low and it's a minuet job to change, mine uses 2 -9V batteries

My first 3 safes had the dial combination but when I ordered this safe in 04 I specked out the electronic lock. I got the biggest size Fort Knox they made with a dry weight of close to 1400#. It is well bolted into a concrete floor and basement wall.

 

[pownal55]

I have a Liberty and am very happy with it, except, as noted turned out to be too small. I gave my son six rifles and shotguns as guns began to accumulate which made him happy. Pendleton would be my first choice with turn table type rack if price was not a consideration.

 

[Kanewpadle]

What are the issues with electronic locks? Is it merely that the battery dies, and then the safe cannot be opened?

On the safes I worked on the solenoid or circuit board went bad. And if I remember correctly, S&G and AMSEC digital locks are made in China. Some of these safes were ten years or older and some were a few years old.

If the solenoid or circuit board fails, they only way in is to drill.

Sorry gents, but from my experience I will never own a digital.

 

[JohnK]

Have always wanted one, but disliked having to take out several long guns, to remove one.

A good friend of mine, just purchased a Pendelton safe. It appears to be very high end (around $ 7500) beautifully powder coated, and the top models have a rotary, electrically turned, gun rack.

This particular model was configured to handle a bunch of handguns, horizontally stored, on the top layers, and those racks rotate with the long gun rotary rack.

Quite impressive workmanship. Comes with some type of auto climate control as well. LED strip lights up the interior when opened.

They do have less expensive models, that simply manually rotate.

This sucker weighed 1200 pounds. The manufacturer wasn't clear about delivery.

It was dropped at the blasted curb, and he had to hire a moving outfit, to put it in his house, for over $ 600 in charges.

Google will get the site.

 

[Freeway]

On the safes I worked on the solenoid or circuit board went bad. And if I remember correctly, S&G and AMSEC digital locks are made in China. Some of these safes were ten years or older and some were a few years old.

If the solenoid or circuit board fails, they only way in is to drill.

Sorry gents, but from my experience I will never own a digital.

Thank you, that was exactly what I was trying to understand!

 

[ladder13]

And stay away from any safe sold at Walmart or any big box store such as Costco. I have yet to see one that would hold up against an attack. Many of them have American names and look good, but they aren't.
.........................................................

American Security, Liberty, Cannon, Fort Know, Guardall, and several others will last a lifetime and then some.

Are the Cannon safes sold by Costco and Tractor supply deficient in some manner? Lower quality?

 

[gdnagle]

On the safes I worked on the solenoid or circuit board went bad. And if I remember correctly, S&G and AMSEC digital locks are made in China. Some of these safes were ten years or older and some were a few years old.

If the solenoid or circuit board fails, they only way in is to drill.

Sorry gents, but from my experience I will never own a digital.

I like Patriot Safes good prices give LEO and military discounts fire resistant for up to 2 hrs, and as noted I was told that basement was a good location for a safe with proper humidity control in the safe, reason being I was told was that during a fire water would flow into the basement and give added protection for the safe. I would rather deal with a water soaked firearm then one scorched I can take apart a wet firearm and clean and oil but with a scorched one not so easy if you can restore at all.

From Patriot Safe site about their warenty, which may be the same for all the major safe companies.

"""What happens if something goes wrong with my safe?"

In the case of fire:

Patriot Safes will replace your safe for free. You will provide a police and fire report and we will ship you your safe replacement.

In the case of Attempted Break-In:

Patriot Safes will repair your safe on your property for free. You will provide a timely police report and three quotes from local locksmiths.

In the case of Problems with locks, bolt work or handle:

Patriot Safes will repair your safe on your property for free. If we cannot fix it we will ship you a safe replacement.

This warranty is a lifetime warranty that covers you as long as you own the safe and can provide a copy of your original invoice. This warranty covers every aspect of this product and is non- transferable."


And BTW if you are a prepper fearing the end of the world I think Winchester is the only safe you can get that is protected from a EMP, that I am aware of, all electronic safe's would be effected by this so manual would be your best option. Remember these are heavy items so make sure you can get it where you want it and have a alternate location available and as others have stated get one bigger then you need.

 

[df06]

I have multiple American Security safes and think they are very high quality.