Gun Safes - Recommendations?

[josywales]

Something else to think about. Lone Star Guns posted a picture years ago, when their store caught fired. It burned for 15 minutes and every gun in the shop, safes, etc., was ruined by surface rust. The heat, plus the water, ruined their entire inventory.

A friend had over $400,000 collection and when his wife called to say the roof was on fire, he yelled, "no water, no water. Foam, tell them foam only!"

At minimum, try to keep the safe on a floor where water won't "rain down", at they try to put the fire out.

 

[josywales]

Every time the topic of safes come up the electronic lock bashing starts. I don't get it. I've had mine almost 20 yrs and never had a problem. I've replaced the 9v battery probably 3 times !!!! There is also a key backup. So what's the problem? Everything in our life is electronic nowadays.

Perhaps no downside to electronic, but what's the upside? Not arguing, but other than a biometric, I see the electronic almost as cumbersome as tumbler and as another member mentioned, one key entry has me a bit concerned as well.

 

[TXBryan]

Depends, of course

I have a Liberty I'm very happy with - all mechanical. Had a previous Liberty that did not survive a fire. Kinda all depends on how hot it gets for how long. Nothing inside survived. So a safe for fire protection, which is considerably more likely to be needed than theft deterrence statistically, seemed a little less appealing to me after my experience. Insurance is for fire.

I live in a pretty rural area where crime is not a particular problem but if we're gone for a day or two it seems determined thieves would have plenty of time to get in virtually any safe an average homeowner might possess. Watch the you tube videos and none of them seem particularly difficult to breech with the right tools and sufficient time.

I decided not to invest in any more safes but go the gun cabinet route for further capacity. I have four "safes" that aren't safes but would likely take almost as much time to get into as my large Liberty. Pretty easy to upgrade the locks, locking mechanisms, and using room placement, wall and floor mounting, they can all be made harder to get into.

Mostly it was to keep curious kids from touching a firearm without permission or supervision. Luckily my son never bothered things that weren't his and his friends were/are respectful as well.

I read recently that the average thief spends between eight to 10 minutes in your house. They'd have to be pretty doggone talented to get into any of my firearm storage cabinets in that amount of time.

 

[Bald1]

Perhaps no downside to electronic, but what's the upside? Not arguing, but other than a biometric, I see the electronic almost as cumbersome as tumbler and as another member mentioned, one key entry has me a bit concerned as well.

The upside is you can change your code and access your safe if lock malfunctions or you simply can't remember combination. Think elderly person with cognitive impairment or the spouse trying to access safe……..at the end of the day if someone wants in your safe they are getting in. As mentioned earlier a basic 4" grinder will put you inside in no time. As a side note I don't care much about fireproof qualities either. What are the chances? I know it happens but the odds are you'll live to 100 and never have a house fire. I think a safe is just another deterrent and a last stand against thief.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

YODA, how easy was it to open with a pry bar? Did it open easily because of fire damage?

As I recollect it was pretty easy. And yes, fire damage did somehow change the door such that it was not at all difficult to force open.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

What are the chances? I know it happens but the odds are you'll live to 100 and never have a house fire. I think a safe is just another deterrent and a last stand against thief.

Excellent! I think I'm good then.

FYI, that burned safe was a main piece of furniture in my living room. Twas a smallish house. The Phoenix, to wit, the new house, is twice as large and has a "safe room" in the center of the house. Technically, it was supposed to be for storm safety but with a large safe and three cabinets of varying sizes IT IS TIGHT in there.

That door is alarmed and double locked. It's not a room for the average sneak thief..........I hope!!!

 

[ridewv]

I always suggest the used route where you'll often find a better safe for less money than the 12 and 10 gauge cabinets being sold as safes now. One of mine came from a jewelry store that went out of business the other from a bank that remodeled.

Look on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace too. Larger safes seem to bring less money because more people are looking for smaller, lighter safes. The down side is they're more difficult/expensive to move and many movers shy away from heavy safes. But no one's carrying one off either.

For large heavy safes I found that towing companies have the best equipment to winch/lift them on to tilt beds or boom it on to your porch or garage.

 

[jsfricks]

Liberty safes use the S&G locks and S&G has been making locks for a long time. I've never had a problem with mine. Keep in mind where you live. What's the Fire Department's response time. If it's awhile get a safe with a long fire protection (this info will be on the door). The more you spend the more locking bars and fire protection you'll get. Liberty's also have Palusol heat-activated door seals that expands to protect against smoke and heat. The more locking bars the longer it'll take the thief to get in. Any safe can be broken into if given enough time. But the better built the longer it'll take them. I have a Blink motion activated camera above mine so when I'm not home I can activate it and know if someone is in front of it. It's like everything else, the more you spend the better the protection.

 

[UNCLE PAULY]

Sturdy Safe co. Family owned in California.
Serious HD steel safes made to order.
Check out their videos on their website.
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– Sturdy Gun Safe

 

[Valmet]

I prefer the classic manual/tumbler lock as opposed to digital. My safes are all either Treadlok (which I believe is defunct) and Champion. To me guns safes are gun safes and as long as the golden rods work, I don't pay much attention to the particulars.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Let's clear the air here for a moment.

I posted my PROFESSIONAL opinion based on over 30 years of experience. Three factory tours and numerous encounters with folks that unfortunately experienced a house fire or burglary.

Most if not all digital safe locks are made in China/Taiwan. Yes, some of them last a long time. But the odds are against you.

And if you have a key override to get into your safe, you have what professionals consider to be a substandard safe. The key lock is much easier to bypass than the lock itself. I've done it and pissed off a few customers.

Also, many if not most name brand safes sold at big box stores and such are quite often made overseas. They simply pay royalties to put a famous name on a safe.

Several years ago a local safe company bought a Winchester gun safe from Costco. They posted a video about it. They opened the safe in less than a minute with a five pound sledge hammer. Two whacks and the top of the safe came off.

What I really don't understand is people that pay over a thousand dollars for a gun but then cheap out on a safe.

A good safe is an investment. Choose wisely.

If you don't value my profession opinion, that's okay. I'm only here to help. Not deal with people that get butthurt.

 

[Kanewpadle]

As an example.

I currently work for the DoD on a military installation.

We have Arms Rooms. Secure storage. Open storage. All highly secure depending on who you ask.

Most of them use a digital lock. The lock is a thousand dollars and only available to the government.

Want me to guess at how many fail? And they are made in the US.

Just say no to digital locks.

 

[marinevet]

Once again.........a RSC is not a safe...........yes, your guns and valuables are safe...........until they aren't...........theft or fire.........

 

[Kanewpadle]

Once again.........a RSC is not a safe...........yes, your guns and valuables are safe...........until they aren't...........theft or fire.........

Well, you would be partially correct. Nobody , I mean nobody walks around calling them residential security containers.

And it is a SAFE. The SAFE CLASSIFICATION is RESIDENTIAL SECURITY CONTAINER.

Which is not by the way the lowest classification. Top of the line safes are torch and explosive resistant.

Bottom of the line safe? Think of anything made by Sentry.

 

[BE Mike]

Perhaps no downside to electronic, but what's the upside? Not arguing, but other than a biometric, I see the electronic almost as cumbersome as tumbler and as another member mentioned, one key entry has me a bit concerned as well.

One upside, besides quicker access, is that when you close a safe with an e-lock, it locks, so there is less chance of leaving it unlocked unintentionally.

 

[BE Mike]

As an example.

I currently work for the DoD on a military installation.

We have Arms Rooms. Secure storage. Open storage. All highly secure depending on who you ask.

Most of them use a digital lock. The lock is a thousand dollars and only available to the government.

Want me to guess at how many fail? And they are made in the US.

Just say no to digital locks.

I imagine that home gun safe locks don't get a fraction of the use that a military arms room does. Of course there's that thing about military personnel being able to break an anvil!

 

[djohns6]

Why are people so hung up on definitions ? Safe , locker , container , etc. Every safe thread is the same old tired rhetoric ...

 

[steelslaver]

Liberty safes use the S&G locks and S&G has been making locks for a long time. I've never had a problem with mine. Keep in mind where you live. What's the Fire Department's response time. If it's awhile get a safe with a long fire protection (this info will be on the door). The more you spend the more locking bars and fire protection you'll get. Liberty's also have Palusol heat-activated door seals that expands to protect against smoke and heat. The more locking bars the longer it'll take the thief to get in. Any safe can be broken into if given enough time. But the better built the longer it'll take them. I have a Blink motion activated camera above mine so when I'm not home I can activate it and know if someone is in front of it. It's like everything else, the more you spend the better the protection.

In a nut shell the price of a safe is really about time. Now long does it take to penetrate and how long will it protect the contents from heat. A good metal guy can get into any steel gun safe in under an hour. Something made with steel reinforced concrete with a door made with steel and layers of kaowool or cement would take some serious time.

Weight. If a 4'x3'x5' safe was build from 1/4" plate it would weigh real close to 1000# before they added an interior, and lock mechanism. I could cut a 18" square out of the face on with 6" slitter disk in less than 30 minutes and be attacking the rotation device. With my easy to carry 110/220 plasma cutter it would be way faster and quieter. Plasma cutters can now be had for under $200 that will chop right through 1/2" steel. You can easily carry one with one hand and a aluminum cylinder with 2500psi of compressed air and a regulator in the other. Steel, aluminum titanium, cobalt, a plasma cutter don't care it just cuts

If a good thief wants in they will get in a steel enclosure. My point is that past a certain point how heavy your safe is don't really mater. The amateurs are gonna stop at thin easy to pry open.

Spend some money on cameras because none of them want to be in the movies

 

[gunbarrel]

Something to keep in mind depending where you live...

Hurricane Helene flooded rifles rust removal

 

[gunbarrel]

Duplicate post