Gun Safe

[NJ Diver]

I am interested in information pertaining to gun safes. My wife and I are in the market for our first gun purchases. Most likely It will be a total of 2 hand guns and possibly two (most likely one) shotgun. While there is certainly the potential for these numbers to grow, at first I am thinking of starting out with something small.

What recommendations do you have for what I've identified above? I read a lot of info that the safes offered at places like Dick's Sporting Goods aren't very good. Is that true?

Thanks for any information you can provide.

Chris

 

[diamonback68]

It all depends on how well you want to secure them. The more secure and the more fire safe, the higher the price. Safes can run any where from $300 to $5000.
How secure is your area is another consideration.

 

[SmokeStack Lightning]

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.

 

[DGT]

Most folks that have bought safes will tell you the same thing, buy one bigger than you think you'll ever need. Don't worry about unused space in the safe, you'll find they are great for jewelry, important papers and other valuables.

 

[Hack]

Safe's can vary in price, and you really do 'get what ya pay for'.

Personally, with only a couple pistols and perhaps a scattergun, I'd just get a small gun cabinet for under $200. This is all dependent on information you haven't posted. As in, children in the house (your's or other's), crime rate, home alarm system, where you intend on storing the guns. And a whole lot more.

I have no small children in the house. My grandson is the only small visitor to my house. I keep all my guns locked up in the basement (with the exception of SHTF pieces), in two gun cabinets I got from Dunham's and Dick's. I have a whole house alarm.

Works for me.

 

[NJ Diver]

Wow.. quick responses! Thanks.

Hack - Fortunatly, I live in a very safe neighborhood and safe town overall. Currently no children of my own at this moment, but I did take that into account as there may be in the future, plus my wofe and I do have small nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends kids. My initial thought is to have the safe in our master bedroom, perhaps in one of the closets if it is a small enough one.

No whole home alarm at the moment either, but we do have a large rather intimidating German Shepherd.

Sorry if this is a silly follow-up question, is there any reason no not store the ammo in the gun safe (assuming room in the safe isn't an issue)?

 

[16thVACav]

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.

 

[427mach1]

Another vote for Liberty. Great safe, great price... See if there is an authorized dealer near you and check their prices against the internet price. I got mine delivered from a local dealer for less than the internet price....

 

[shamuscull]

I own a Browning so far so good. Good customer service and cool door storage features.

 

[kozmic]

This is one of those "bigger is better" moments you hear about. You will fill your safe with all manner of stuff.

Quality will vary from glorified gym locker to full blown bank vault. You need something in between (leaning towards the later). I would stick to the major manufactures. There are fairly good sales periodically through the year. I would never buy a safe for the MSR price.

Remember to include some sort of dehumidification. Things will show rust and pitting in a no time if conditions are too "wet"!

Make sure you consider shipping and delivery in your price comparisons!

FYI, I've seen some good values on our local craig's list if that route is of interest to you.

I have no reservation about storing ammo and guns in the same safe.

BTW, if you go to the bottom of any thread you'll see similar forum threads listed in yellow. Or you can do a forum search if you click the search button on the top of the page. This has been a popular topic and you might find some additional info in this or other topics at both locations.

 

[gdnagle]

Sorry if this is a silly follow-up question, is there any reason no not store the ammo in the gun safe (assuming room in the safe isn't an issue)?

You can store anything you like in a safe including ammo. Most of us have too much ammo to put in a safe and there is really no reason except to keep it out of hands you don't want it in like kids. Remember it's a safe put whatever you like to keep safe in it. Buy bigger then you need and can afford.

I like Patriot Gun Safes they also give military-leo-discount, (Anyone who has ever served!).

 

[Hack]

...is there any reason no not store the ammo in the gun safe (assuming room in the safe isn't an issue)?

Not that I can think of. I've got lots of ammunition stored inside one of the two cabinets. The rest is all on a shelf, but should be in a cabinet. Just haven't found one I like.

Here's the Stack-On I got at Dick's for $160 (already at capacity):


I didn't install the shelf, as I only intend to put long guns in there.

The other cabinet I've got is a two door Homak which I acquired a good fifteen years ago. It's got mostly pistols/revolvers inside, and a few long guns. I use the shelves on the smaller side to store ammo, and a few handguns. Here's a generic photo:


I have also run out of room, and will need to get another cabinet before the end of this year. Surprising how fast they fill up....

 

[diamonback68]

I got a Sentry safe for about $340 from Wally World several years back. Don't have long guns, so I put in a couple extra selves for handguns. We don't have a break in problem in this town. I mainly use it to comply with Florida law that all guns must be locked up whenever a child under 18 is in the house. Works when the great grand and grand kids come down.

 

[Smitty357]

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.

 

[Farmer17]

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.

 

[rwsmith]

I got the combination lock

The combination lock on my Stack-on ($350) suits my needs just fine. +1 on everybody saying get one bigger because usually they are made to stack rifles on top of each other and they are hard to get to. The safe is plenty sturdy, my only concern is that the lock mechanism holds out over the years.

 

[Jessie]

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.

You can do it that way but its cheaper to get one large one instead of two smaller ones( given same make ) plus one big one is much harder to haul off.
JMO

 

[feralmerril]

I wont get into whats best, I think there seems to be safe manufacturers
that build and sell locally. You cant overbuy in the long run. Even if you never have a attempted robbery they are worth every penney for the peace of mind. I was single for many years and not home much, my job was my address due to OT. Besides not being home much if Ie ver did get two days off together I didn t spend it at home. When I came home after being gone a couple days I would be holding my breath. Once I got a good safe it was peace of mind and worth the investment just from that standpoint.

 

[jaykellogg]

Regarding theft, pretty much any safe will work for that assuming it is bolted down. If you get a determined thief, nothing will keep him out.

Regarding fire, longer is better and as others have said it is a good secure place to store insurance policies, wills, car titles, and real estate titles.

 

[Rangerpat]

My son just bought a small Liberty gun safe for $400 at Lowe's, it fits in his closet and is bolted down to the floor. He is just starting out like you, two handguns and two rifles. It also has a shelf for ammo, jewelry, etc.
You get what you pay for so buy the best you can afford, think ahead a few years and do it right the first time.