Gun Safe

[Smitty357]

I feel sorry for the thief who comes in my house and thinks he can get into mine. I'll just go ahead and say. He better bring a lunch and his own case of beer. Because i be damned if he's going to eat my food and drink my beer while he's trying to get into my safe.

Even with the proper tools and equipment on hand. It still would take me an average of 3-4hrs to do the job. And thats knowing exactly how and where to attack the safe. A person with the proper tools and no knowledge of the safe would be all day or longer trying to get into the safe. And thats assuming they dont fire the relockers, LMAO........I wish them luck.

 

[Kanewpadle]

IMO for what its worth. And since i deal with these on a regular basis. As im a certified locksmith whom delivers and sets up gun safes for various companies in our area. As well as im also a certified technician for numerous safe companies. So when something fails i'm the one they send out in my area to fix the problem.

Never buy what u "think" u may need. Always buy something a little bigger or perhaps the one that u think is a little too big, lol. I know this sounds stupid but its true. I know MANY people who bought what they thought was just the right size. 6 months later they realize they dont have any room left in their safe. Space fills up fast when u realize u know how something thats big enough to fit most of ur valuables in......Too much room is always better than "oh no, i dont have any room anymore".

Keep in mind, the prices of gun safes are steadily going up year after year. The material to build them is going up, so the manufacture ends up going up on their prices. So next year the safe u buy tomorrow will probably cost a few hundred more if not another 500 more.

Buy something with some weight to it. Take ur fist and knock on the "side" of the safe, see what it sounds like. Does it sound solid? Or does it sound like ur knocking on a beer can? Dont buy the one that sounds like a beer can. The door is always the most secure part of the safe (so dont knock on the door). If u knock on the side and it sounds solid, i can promise u the door is way more solid.

Fire proof, do u need it? Or do u need just burglar? Yes there is a difference between them and there is also a price difference. A BF (burglar fire) rated safe cost a considerable amount more than just a Fire rated safe.

American Security (AMSEC), Browning, Liberty would be my top 3 picks and in that order.

For what its worth, if u are a first time buyer and dont want to spend a ton on a descent safe. I'd look into a Liberty and u will get a good bang for ur buck. They make a great safe at a very reasonable price. And i very rarely have a customer that has a problem with theirs. Ur average criminal will "may" get lucky enough to beat the lock off the front of the safe. But lets face it, he just made his job 10x's harder than it was to start with.

To add to Mr Smitty's post, I am also a certified locksmith. Please stay far away from anything made in Taiwan/China which leaves out everything Walmart sells.

It's an investment. Invest wisely.

 

[gdnagle]

I don't know why everyone here always says to buy a much bigger safe than you think you need. I say buy what you think you need then if the collection grows, buy another safe. There is no law that says you can only own one, and two safes are twice as hard to steal or cut open.

It's cheaper to pay say $400 more for a safe that holds 24 long guns then buy two 12 gun safes for $1800 each. One big safe weighs lots more then a 12 gun safe so you add the weight and it makes it a little harder for easy times crook to steal. Mister pro will take it no matter what you have.

One thing I didn't mention is the bigger safe you the heaver it is going to be. You need to figure out how you will get it where you want it. Even with the door of it will still be heavy. That would be a reason to get a smaller safe.

 

[sipowicz]

Just don't get a safe that is so fancy that you need to put it inside another safe.

 

[JM4151]

Safes

I have a large Heritage safe, that I am pleased with. It has the Sargent & Greenleaf keypad digital lock, that is easy to open, if you have the combination. I had a safe with the old dial and if you were off one line, you had to start over again. Very frustrating. The Heritage is made in the USA.
Cannon has a free booklet called Seven Tips for purchasing a safe. Call them at 800 242 1055 for a copy.
If you keep income tax records in your safe it can be written off on your income tax. Check with your tax professional.

 

[Smitty357]

To add to Mr Smitty's post, I am also a certified locksmith. Please stay far away from anything made in Taiwan/China which leaves out everything Walmart sells.

It's an investment. Invest wisely.

Amen brother, thats what i try to tell em all. Look at it as in investment not just a gun safe. And I recommend the American made ones because IF u ever need parts, they can be sent over night and replaced tomorrow morning. No waiting a week or 2 for parts to come in from China.

Another reason mine was made in Fontana, Ca.

 

[Marine Corps Air]

Safes

Chris,

I'm with all of the other forum members who prefer Liberty safes. I did a lot of research before I purchased mine, and IMHO, Liberty safes (with their life time warranty and being made in the U S A) are the "gold standard" for gun safes. I would go to their website (Liberty Safe Lincoln Series - #1 Rated Safe in America! ) and read about their safes, then use that information to evaluate your possible choices.

I have attached a buyer's guide which should provide some excellent information on the criteria to be used. I have the Lincoln model, and just like the other members, I wish that I had bought one much larger. The best ones are somewhat expensive, and it's not something that you want to try to sell on E-bay or Craig's List. I also looked at the ones at the big box stores and they're just steel boxes that don't meet the best standards.

Safe real estate is valuable. I use Stack On metal cabinets (about $80.00 from Amazon) for my ammunition. They are well built and have key locks.

I also want to ensure that no one has access to my firearms other than me. There are no small children in our home. I believe in CA the owner is responsible for the unauthorized use of a firearm. I'm sure that NJ will soon pass a similar law.

 

[hittman77]

Here's my two cents:

Buy the largest safe you can afford cuz you will be amazed at all the important stuff that 'migrates' into it.

This guy nailed it.

And ..... spend more than you originally planned. You'll never regret it. Mine is a Liberty .... best on the market as far as I can tell and, made in America.

My safe holds guns, ammo, car titles, family photos back 3 or 4 generations, jewelry, spare keys, junk that means something only to me, hunting knives, etc.

 

[NJ Diver]

Thanks for all the information guys.

 

[SmokeStack Lightning]

Also,

If you want a safe w/quick, no hassle access you should look into getting a bio-metric model.

I own 4 safes, 1 floor model w/combination lock, 1 long gun safe w/digital push-button lock, and two pistol safes both w/bio-metric locks.

The floor safe w/combination lock has to have a light source to see the dial.

My long gun safe w/digital push button opens quickly w/no light source needed.

The bio-metric pistol safes can be accessed and opened in 2 seconds w/no light source.

One of the pistol safes is next to my bed for quick access if needed, the other is in my F-150 cabled to a seat strut. It's been in my truck for 3 years now and I've yet had to replace the batteries.

The next long gun safe I buy will be bio-metric also.

No combo to remember, no key to lose (which I do, often).

Both bio-metrics DO come with a key in case the batteries go dead, but both have low battery warning systems and in 3 years of use, I've not encountered a problem.

Edit: Another good feature of a bio-metric safe is that as many as 30 different fingerprints can be entered into it's memory. That way you can program more than one print for yourself (I did 4 of mine) and anyone else you allow into your safes w/o giving a key or combination.
No un-authorized users allowed!! (Unless they break into it)

 

[zzzippper]

Guesstimate how many guns you might collect and then double that. Go up one more size in the manufacturer's line and you have a starting point. Then figure how much fire protection you can afford in that size.

Here's my two cents:

Buy the largest safe you can afford cuz you will be amazed at all the important stuff that 'migrates' into it.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I'm no pro on this, so maybe you should check with your fire department, or maybe someone else's fire department if you don't want to attract attention, but I think that a safe is not a good place to store a LOT of ammo. A dozen or so boxes? Why not? But if a real quantity, like many thousand rounds, were in a serious fire, I think that the safe would become a bomb. Maybe not. Maybe it wouldn't get hot enough. But if it did, like at Ray's on Rte 22 in NJ, it could be serious. At Ray's, everything was properly stored, and there was no problem.

I keep only a little ammo in the safe, for convenience. The rest is in military ammo boxes, and a locking file cabinet that is weak enough to vent without an explosion.

YMMV. JMO; it would really be best to check with the pros. With luck, we have some on this forum who will post.

 

[rolomac]

A word about Liberty safes -
I bought one in February and have been happy with it except that about a month ago it started to be difficult to open. Took two or tree tries with the combination to finally open. Then last Friday it got REALLY bad - I spent about an hour with it doing everything in the troubleshooter portion of the owners manual and couldn't get it to open at all. Finally it unexpectedly did open and I left it open over the weekend - afraid to close it and not be able to get in again. Monday morning I called the company and got a customer service rep who was super. He was very concerned with my problem and talked me through disassembly of the inner door and diagnosis of the problem. He finally said that I need a new lock assembly. Full warranty on parts and labor ! On the spot he located the nearest certified locksmith and told me he'd forward a new lock to them and they would be in touch. Today the locksmith came and did a super job of changing the lock and adjusting the whole mechanism. The new lock feels very different - something must have been wrong with the original one from the beginning. Everything works great now and I'm very happy with the safe, the warranty and the service. Nice company to deal with.

rolomac

 

[snake803]

Check out Liberty Safes - best value in gun safes IMO.

As mentioned earlier - buy the biggest you can afford, and be sure you bolt it to the floor.

+1
JIM...............