Gun Safe Recommendations

Bucher33

Bucher33

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I'm looking to purchase a gun safe soon and would like some comments and feedback on real world conditions. Thought 1,000 range would do it. But 14 gauge steel and made in China is not going to work. Thinking 10 gauge, Made in the USA, Fire rating around an hour, good old mechanical dial lock(S&G or comparable) Standard size holding 25-30 long guns. Price range around 2,000. I know there are dozens of safes meeting these requirements. Liberty, Fort Knox, Browning, Winchester, 2nd Amendment to name a few. As stated looking for opinions of real world owners good or bad. Pro and Con. Thanks for any input.
 
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I have been looking into these as well. It seems they are not "fire" safes. Secret papers and such would not be protected for very long. Ask lots of questions.
 
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I have a 1984 Browning Half shelves Half long guns. It says 14 long guns, Removing scopes and bolt handles I have gotten 32 in there. (24"Dx30"Wx60"T, 700 pounds, no fire proofing!) Depending on your age and buying habits, I say a half & half works well, you will have important papers and jewelry that needs locked up also. If you immediately need more room buy a second safe (all long gun).

AS to fire proof. Read their rating carefully!! there is a huge difference between one hour at 750 degrees F and one hour at 1200 degrees F. Dad and I watched a sales video of Century's top of the line 1/4" wall, 5/16" door and jamb area, rated 1 hr./1200 *F, The one in the film was in an airport hanger office. A plane crashed into the fuel tank farm and that office was in burning Aviation Fuel for 9 hours. The safe in the office had the log books for 12 aircraft and 4 or 5 Weatherby rifles in it. The outside of the safe was burnt to bare steel, the dial was burnt off! Inside none of the paper work was scorched! Not one crack or check in the Weatherbys' high gloss finish and until they opened the safe there was no smoke smell! My dad had closed his business and needed the store 40 years of important papers, So he ordered the biggest safe for household use. It weighs around 1800 pounds (plus what's inside!) 30" deep by 80" or 88" tall and 46" wide (IT IS HUGE!) Dad's is set up with all shelves set for rows of briefcases. (about 48 or 50 of them).

If you buy one that is just a fancy High School Locker, that is how secure your gun and papers and cash and jewelry are. At my HS, I could get in any locker in about 20 seconds (no padlocks allowed), The office had everyone's combination and it took them 45 seconds or longer! If you lose your combination to one of the beasts, they have to be drilled to get in, or destroyed by cutting the back off (easier than the front!) DO NOT GET A 9V ELECTRONIC LOCK! You will be drilling it sooner than you think!

Ivan
 
The more you learn while doing your research, the more you will be compelled to spend (to get a good one). My advice is do the research, and do not skimp. Most of these storage devices are really not a "safe", but some come a lot closer than others. Construction is very important with respect to thickness of the skin, amount and type of insulation (keep in mind most house fires burn around 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit) , securing points for the door, and location of hinges (for good, better, or best security). Importantly, think about what size you will need and then multiply by a factor of about 2. I ended up getting a Champion safe with a decent fire rating, mechanical S&G, and have been happy with it. Doing it again, I would get a larger one and have lights professionally installed. I lucked out and found a Champion 'outlet' nearby and got one at about 1/2 price (it had a paint chip) which allowed me to get the features I really wanted.
 
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Safes seem to be like grips that do ~ or do NOT ~ fit your hands. One size and/or one style of gun safe does NOT fit all.

I can highly recommend the two I own. Have been completely satisfied with them even though (thank God) I've never had a fire or attempted break-in.

1. Liberty, D35 is the model I think. It's probably 15 or so years old. Has the old school style "dial" lock on the front.

2. New in 2018, Kodiak brand. I think these are USA Made and Veteran owned and made in Idaho. From their web site: Kodiak K5940EX | 59"H x 40"W x 23"D | 52 Long Gun | 60 Min. I think Rhino Metals is the official company name. This has a "swing out" for long guns that is very nice.

Good luck with your search.
 
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Add to your list Cannon, and American Security.

I lean towards Liberty because their service after the sale is excellent.

Several factors need to be considered. Do you have an alarm system? How far do you live from the nearest fire station? Will it fit where you want it?

If you live close to a fire station, a half hour fire rating is enough unless you live in an area where wild fires can happen.

Definitely go with a traditional lock made by S&G or Amsec (American Security). Digital locks are quicker but nowhere near as reliable.

Buy bigger than you think you need. Keep in mind that computer media will not survive a fire inside a gun safe. If you put your media in a fire box and then inside the safe, they will survive.

Use silicone treated gun socks for all of your guns inside the safe. If your house burns down, the fire department will hose everything quite literally. The fire seal on the door of most gun safes will expand when it reaches a certain temperature. When it cools it will contract possibly allowing moisture to enter the safe. And since the fire department won’t let you retrieve your guns for a few days, they will rust. I’ve seen this several times.

Have the safe delivered and installed. It’s worth the money.

Most American made gun safes are well made and more than adequate to deter the common criminal. The same cannot be said for any safe made in China.

Peruse local gun shops and locksmiths as well as the larger sporting goods stores.
 
On my KODIAK safe I could add the S&G dial for $99.00.

S&G came standard on my Liberty.
I would have bought another Liberty but local stores quit selling them.
I could buy the KODIAK from a locally owned farm store.
 
I have a Pendleton safe on order now. I realize that it is not fireproof, but I was really looking for an elegant solution for storage and security, which I think this safe accomplishes. You could have a look at them, but they are pricey depending upon which you choose. There is a line named Revolution that uses Pendleton's interior technology and they are about half the price. The nice thing about them is no digging through 20 guns to get the one you want. I just decided to bite the bullet and order one. You only live once, so I am waiting for it to be built. Good luck to you.
 
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I have 5 Champion safes. They all come from the top 2 tiers of its products. They all have the S&G dial locks. I've heard too many stories about the electronic locks failing. As you go up through the product lines you will find a difference in bolt number and size, steel thickness and fire resistance.

As a point of information, the fire rating sets out how long at a fire of a certain temperature it takes for the temperature of the interior to reach the temperature at which paper will char, which I think is 345 degrees Fahrenheit.

The pictures are of my biggest and newest safe, with one of my smaller safes in the background. It is rated for 40 guns and it almost filled up in nothing flat. Go as big as you can in both size and quantity. Good luck in finding what you need and what you want.
 

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What ever safe you get, make sure it is the largest model they make. One runs out of inside safe space rapidly because other items are put it in there, i.e. wife's jewelry, important tax, bank, investment papers, birth certificates, etc. and other valuable items. As time goes by, space will be needed for more guns, so bigger is ALWAYS better.
 
Lot of good advice here.

I would say, as someone who had a safe drilled, get the dial lock.
Electronics are quicker to get into but if, no, when it fails, drilling may be the only option.
And get one larger than you think you need.
 
If you insure your guns, make certain your safe weighs enough for your insurer. Insurance companies have their own criteria. Mount it properly or just build a room with a vault door, put the safe in there, and weld it to something. There is a lot of difference in feeling safe and being safe. Good luck.
 
Had my Liberty for 6 years. No problems. Wish I had bought the next size up. Keep my ammo in there also as well as household valuables and papers (birth certificates, car titles, passports, wills, etc.).
 
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Thanks for all the input. Some great observations and comments. I'm gonna have to spend more than I thought but it'll be worth it in the long run.
Thanks all again.
 
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