Gun safe purchase advice?

TDC

TDC

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I find myself in need of a new gun safe.... I'm sure others seeking additional security are interested in hearing opinions from collectors and end users... I believe most collectors would be interested in the 25 to 50 gun models....

I've been bombarded with varied opinions from safe sales people. I believe end-users here will be the best resource...

I'm interested in all opinions concerning brand, size, weight considerations, dimensions, security, lock types, special features, and last but not least, the one which members believe gives "the best bang for the buck.."

Tell us what you bought, what you'd buy differently today, and what options you'd buy (or not buy) -- lighting, humidity control devices, etc.)

Thanks!!
 
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Always, always buy one bigger than you need, you will not be sorry. Bigger is always better when it comes to safes. Fire proof is, in my opinion, a joke as the steam and smoke from a real bad fire will damage the contents most likely beyond use. Best advice to keep theft to a minimum is to lag the safe to the floor and on the top put a full bottle of Jack Daniels with two or three new 100 dollar bills under the bottle. Most crooks will grab the money and whiskey and take off. Just my two cents.
 
There is a gun safe company here in Las Vegas, NV. that really
emphasizes the fact that their staff all have background checks.
Don't just let anybody into your home to case your stuff. Can't
be too careful.

This company is owned by a retired metro cop.;)
 
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I've decided on Liberty.

A Presendential 40 for my guns (~$5K). Due to annual cost I've decided not to insure the guns. I'll amortize the cost of the safe in three years. Fitting the available space is key and it will go into the house.

A Colonial 50 for my ammo (~$2K). Volume is the big thing here. It will go in the garage.

The strength of construction and the fire rating are what convinced me.

Keith
 
Do NOT get an electronic lock When it dies you will be looking at a MAJOR expense to get your safe opened. Get a Sgt. and Greenleaf combo lock. I have two Cannon safes. They are kind of the Chevrolet of the safe world. They are not high end of done in a fancy paint job, but they are adequate for my purpose. As noted above, buy one at least one notch bigger than you think you will need. Be sure to bolt that sucker down.
 
Gun safe

Took my bride safe shopping & she picked a safe 2X the size I selected.
( Liberty Fat Boy 64 followed us home ). The salesman was almost as happy as me.
 
I have two safes with digital locks and have never had a problem with these locks. A previous mechanical safe required many attempts to - up to 30 so I prefer the digital. I've never met anyone with FIRST hand difficulty with a digital.
Pay the small additional amount and get a 6 foot tall safe. And, if you have a color choice, get white or ivory. People will think it is a refrigerator.

My Wife has the top shelf of one of the safes. Women love safes and she in there a couple times a week. That access has made my gun hobby more acceptable to her.
 
Good advice, everyone...

I've been giving some thought to purchasing two more safes instead of one large one. Moving 2 safes that weigh 4 to 500 pounds around would be much easier to handle than one 6 to 800 pounder. I have a large one in a climate controlled garage and this (these) will be in the house..

Another big plus would be thieves would need to open or move two safes instead of one. Certainly a deterrent for time conscious thieves....

I've done searches on many different brands including Liberty, Browning, Cannon -- and many others. When I read user opinions all kinds of conflicting opinions emerge....

Just thinkin'.....:)
 
Terry,

I spoke with several people before I bought mine and used the attached guide to evaluate several. I've concluded that the Liberty Safe Company has the best products, warranty, and customer service.

Here is the link: Liberty Safe Lincoln Series - #1 Rated Safe in America!

I have also attached the buyer’s guide that I used to evaluate all of the safes that I was seriously considering. I looked at Academy, my gun range, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Costco, Sam’s etc They are all just steel boxes and don’t meet the high standards that Liberty has already set.

I also went to the local dealer and chose the Lincoln 25. Among the features that I like are the internal hinges, electrical outlet already installed (to connect the golden rod heating bar that is included), the fire rating, lifetime warranty, etc I chose the mechanical S&G lock (which also has a key) as that’s what we used in the Marine Corps to protect our crypto equipment. Electronic locks are good, but they do fail. I also have the jewelry box to pander to my wife, which has smoothed things over somewhat on the price of the safe. As you will determine, once you load it up with guns or whatever it’s really difficult to see what’s inside. The big box stores are well lighted so it’s not possible to determine this problem in the store. The Lincoln has the wand light kit which senses motion and illuminates when you walk up to the safe with the door open. This is standard with Lincoln and many other models. However, the standard LED lights begin around 3 o’clock and go around the safe door to 9 o’clock. Therefore, the top area is dark. I called Liberty CS and described my problem. They sent me a wand light kit to connect to my existing lights (which will cover the entrance from 9:00-3:00, which is about $149.99 without S&H, but there was NO charge to me!

The dealer here in the north Atlanta area also delivers and installs the units. My safe weighs almost 900#. They had to use a pallet jack and ¾” plywood decking to put under the pallet jack to move it from the curb through my back yard and in to my workshop.
 

Attachments

I have a Liberty Lincoln model, but mine did not come with any de-humidifier, only the plug socket. Mine also came with two halogen lights at the top at the front, and they light it up pretty well, even when there are no other lights on in the room. I can clearly see anything in the safe, and it is the largest one made in the n Lincoln line, which is the second model down from the top of their lines of safes. Mine has handgun holsters mounted on the front door, a fire/heat resistant pocket on the door for important docs, as well as many other pockets and areas for choke tubes etc all on the door. It has the dial lock and key lock set up and I wouldn't want it any other way. The quality is top notch, and if/when I buy another it will no doubt be a Liberty.
 
I just bought a Liberty Fatboy from Gander Mountain with free in home delivery.It is a nice sturdy safe with a dial lock and will be bolted to the floor.The Fatboy is the middle of the road safe and I figure I can upgrade it at my own pace with things like LED lights,Goldenrod,etc.
 
I bought a AMSEC, American security…….very good quality, you can buy several different grades…..I am very happy with mine.

Semper Fi!
 
I like Patriot Gun Safes, 2 hour fire rating at 1880 degrees, money back guarantee return policy, free shipping curb side delivery, which most give, free lift gate delivery, and they give LEO, military discounts.
39 gun safe going for about $2476 now. They also sell Scratch or a Dent safes with their lifetime warranty but I don't know how cheap they are if you don't mind a small dent or scratch. They even have 36 financing if your into that.

Weight they will be heavy, you need help moving it unless you pay extra to have them place it, then usually only first floor.

As for weight don't forget the weight of the safe plus the contents.

It would be cheaper to just buy the large safe then two smaller ones.

Remember when you "read user opinions all kinds of conflicting opinions emerge...." most people only complain about a product and don't give good reviews.
 
I went with the Liberty - Lincoln 50 I think. 1200# monster, going nowhere. Lights, electricity in the safe. Bigger is better, though TDC has an interesting point, maybe in 30 years. On the Liberty Safes they have quarterly specials, ask them what is coming up, if they are legit they will tell you. Mine took me in the breakroom and it was up on the wall. Ok, I'll wait 3 months, get some cash and we will do this, saved a few bucks. Likewise if they are a big dealer and move a lot of units they get preference for the scratch and dent units - if that does not bother you some deals can be had there too. However, you will need to have a relationship, be ready to move and not as picky. They hit the door and are gone.


Oh, and if you run the numbers on insuring it all, vs buying a safe, you can't afford not to buy a good one and take your chances "self-insured". Seems like it was around 3% of the value of the guns. $10,000 would be $300/year, 3 years down the road you are basically down $1,000 - I can' afford to sign up for those kind of deals. Check with NRA and your agent for best price. If you have the cash - great. Know folks that had them insured and stolen and they did not get nearly the value and you don't get the original one back anyway. Nobody gets Dad's saddle rifle! It's priceless and that is they way I treat it - despite, bluing loss, a few rust patches, dinged stock...
 
RubEric said:
I have two safes with digital locks and have never had a problem with these locks. A previous mechanical safe required many attempts to - up to 30 so I prefer the digital. I've never met anyone with FIRST hand difficulty with a digital.

My Wife has the top shelf of one of the safes. Women love safes and she in there a couple times a week. That access has made my gun hobby more acceptable to her.
Click to expand...

+1

I've never had a problem with the electronic locks on either of my safes. I thought the first one I bought would be big enough but 12 years later I had to buy another one (now that one is full too). I have a safe in my shop but here's a pic of the safe inside the house (wife uses the top shelf for her stuff). The rest of the "stuff" is mine.

2ivmayt.jpg


vdlc1y.jpg


I just wish mine had some pistol "hangers" on the door. I don't mean the pockets hangers that can be attached, but the rubber coated metal hangers that are affixed to the panel of the door.

My brother-in-law has one that has the hangers and some metal storage bins. His was made by Security Products in Elm Mott, Tx.

Best Gun Safes : Gun Cabinets : Gun Safe Sales : Gun Safes for Sale : SecurityProducts1.com

Here's a link to what the inside looks like:

http://www.securityproducts1.com/images/safe/FAT BOY Safe open.jpg

I bought two of them for the PD I worked at to store weapons in for the Police Academy. If I already didn't own two other safes, I would have bought two for me also. They are great safes.

Also, get a golden rod, light kit, and a dessicant can for it.

Think big....... but buy BIGGER!!!!!!!!!
 
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