Lets talk safes. Need suggestions.

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ladyT

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Well I've out grown the one I have which isn't hard. My local gun shop has some Browning Safes which may do the job.

What method is best for opening the safe? Do I go with combination, bio-metric, key, electronic or combination. Your suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks.
 
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When I bought my last Fort Knox safe I was going to go for a dial combo lock but the locksmith I bought it from convinced me to go with the keyboard electronic lock. As he stated, it is possible to crack a dial lock but with the electronic keyboard lock you are locked out for a period of time after 3 failed attempts to open it. He also told me that he has far more calls to repair dial locks than for the electronic locks.
 
Makes some sense but electronic locks have batteries which is a weakness as I see it. Again this is why I'm looking for input. While I'm old fashioned and may be biased toward combination locks I do have a tendency to forget things like passwords and combinations.


Opps. The sky just turned black. Looks lile a big storm is heading my wau. Blasted wind is beating on the front windows. Better put dome shoes on in case the windows get blown out.
 
EQGuy said:
When I bought my last Fort Knox safe I was going to go for a dial combo lock but the locksmith I bought it from convinced me to go with the keyboard electronic lock. As he stated, it is possible to crack a dial lock but with the electronic keyboard lock you are locked out for a period of time after 3 failed attempts to open it. He also told me that he has far more calls to repair dial locks than for the electronic locks.
Click to expand...

He misled you. Or he didn't know what he was talking about. Sorry, but I do this stuff everyday.

The dial combination is very difficult to "crack". Doing so takes a lot of time and very few know how to do it. In twenty years of locksmithing, I've never learned how but I understand the process .

And manufacturers push the electronic type because they are less expensive to make and they charge more than double what a dial type does.

The dial combination will far outlast any electronic combination. I've replaced many of the electronic units. The manufacturer normally sends out a replacement at no charge. But they do not cover the labor. I can only recommend the electronic units to the elderly because they often forget the dialing sequence of a traditional dial combination.

Yes the electronic is quicker to open. But the trade off isn't worth it. And I don't rely on my gunsafe for quick access anyway.

Biometrics are a waste of money. True, reliable biometrics are extremely expensive. Many of the biometric locks found on gunsafes and pistol boxes are made overseas to keep costs down.

I've seen traditional dial combinations last for decades with periodic maintenance.

There are many good gunsafes being built. Too many to list but here are a few.

Amsec
Liberty
Cannon
Fort Knox
National Security
 
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Most of the "safes" listed are not really "safes" at all. They are residential security containers.
A true safe is quite a bit different in quality and price.
Sometimes the cost might outweigh what you actually need. An RSC is a lot better than a wooden cabinet with glass doors.
Look at Graffunder. It is expensive but it is a very good safe.

Wingmaster
 
Wingmaster said:
Most of the "safes" listed are not really "safes" at all. They are residential security containers.
A true safe is quite a bit different in quality and price.
Sometimes the cost might outweigh what you actually need. An RSC is a lot better than a wooden cabinet with glass doors.
Look at Graffunder. It is expensive but it is a very good safe.

Wingmaster
Click to expand...

True. But most people call them safes. When I refer to them as RSC, I get a dumb look.

But in all truthfullness, they are quite secure providing you buy a good one. Ninety nine percent of the thieves that try to break into a safe don't know what they are doing. So in most cases an RSC is more than enough.
 
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Mine is the biggest liberty safe they make. It has an electronic combination lock (I'm obviously elderly). My wife made me get it. (to be completely honest, she went to cabellas, picked it out paid for it and had it delivered). She actually used a sale, 25% off, gift certificate, free delivery and I think donuts (I know I ate some donuts) and I believe they owed her money. ( she's tough)

Look at size, fire rating and those things. I'm told it's important.
 
I have a Liberty Lincoln 50. While expensive, it was money well spent. Remember, how much would you pay to secure your collection?
 
One thing to remember, I have seen guns that have gone through fires in fire lined gun safes. Many of them were damaged beyond repair. Evidently the temperature inside the safe was quite high.

So definately check the fire rating. I'm not an expert on gun safe fire ratings but I do know that some gun safes are better than others. Also check their warranties. Liberty has a great warranty.

Also, keep your guns in these. They supposedy protect your guns even better from fire damage.Sack-Ups
 
I've owned a Browning safe with the dial combination for nearly 20 years and I've never had a problem with it. The dealer sold them to 4 of us at the same time and I've never heard the others mention any problems with theirs either. If I needed to buy another safe l would buy nothing other than a dial combo based on that experience.

I've never heard what happens after a fire where an electronic lock melts. I figure that one with a mechanical lock would at least be easier to open. Maybe someone with knowledge on this can comment.
 
mtelkhntr said:
I've owned a Browning safe with the dial combination for nearly 20 years and I've never had a problem with it. The dealer sold them to 4 of us at the same time and I've never heard the others mention any problems with theirs either. If I needed to buy another safe l would buy nothing other than a dial combo based on that experience.

I've never heard what happens after a fire where an electronic lock melts. I figure that one with a mechanical lock would at least be easier to open. Maybe someone with knowledge on this can comment.
Click to expand...

The electronic lock will melt. They are almost entirely plastic. Dial combinations are mostly metal although some have plastic parts. Either way a professional safe man can get it open and repair it.
 
The only thing I don't like about dial safes is that some dial safes don't typically give the ability to select the combination without paying someone to change it for you.

As an example, I have a 30+ year old Meilink portable safe sitting in my garage that's been unopened in probably 12 years. Why? Because dummy number one (aka me!) forgot the combination and lost the little sheet of paper with the combination written on it...

My best guess is that the safe is empty so I'd really hate paying a significant fee for a locksmith to open that safe... and since there is no serial number on the outside of that safe, there's no way for me to try to get the manufacturer to send me the default combination.
 
Cannon-NOT !,junk locks. A typical residential fire will get noticed fairly early because of smoke detectors,pets and just someone being around.
Which means the Fire Dept. will be responding and the fire extinguished.The safe will have endured enough heat over a short enough time to protect the contents of a RSC aka "safe",but only if the door is in it's locked position.If the door is not in it's locked position no safe or RSC is going to protect it's contents.No warranties will be honored from any manufacture.It is not difficult to prove wether or not a door was open, closed or in it's locked or unlocked position.
 
There was a good discussion on this at the home improvement forum, WoodNet.net .

One of the better suggestions was to look for a commercial office safe on Craigslist. The poster found a 1950s vintage safe for $500.00 (listed price). It probably weighed 500 pounds so a professional mover is a good idea. But that safe would be impregnable to any street thief.
 
Packard said:
There was a good discussion on this at the home improvement forum, WoodNet.net .

One of the better suggestions was to look for a commercial office safe on Craigslist. The poster found a 1950s vintage safe for $500.00 (listed price). It probably weighed 500 pounds so a professional mover is a good idea. But that safe would be impregnable to any street thief.
Click to expand...



While a good commercial safe is a good idea, to me something only weighing 500 pounds is not that heavy. (OR HARD TO MOVE). A hand cart, dolly or even a throw rug and 1 big or a couple guys can move it with ease.

I have a big Ft Knox (72 x 41 x27) good fire rating and it weights close to 1300 lbs dry. This is my fourth safe and I specked out an electronic lock for this one. It has a decent fire rating is in a much protected spot by an inside corner and it is well attached to wall and flour.

Any heavy object (safe) on anything but the lowest level stands a good chance of crashing through a floor/s in a decent fire. IF possible put your box as low in your building that is practical!
While nothing is totally safe IMHO a bigger heavier safe is the way to go.
 
You're buying time, as far as fire rating. How close is your house to the nearest fire department? If it is down the street, you won't necessarily need 90 minutes of burn time.

Placement is everything. Low invites water so that isn't necessarily the best. Garage is where a lot of fires start. And if it isn't bolted to the floor, it CAN be hauled off no matter how heavy. Pry bars, golf balls, roll bars, pallet jack...

I try to place mine on ground floor level, exterior wall with as little "house" above such spots as possible.
 
Kanewpadle said:
He misled you. Or he didn't know what he was talking about. Sorry, but I do this stuff everyday.

The dial combination is very difficult to "crack". Doing so takes a lot of time and very few know how to do it. In twenty years of locksmithing, I've never learned how but I understand the process .

And manufacturers push the electronic type because they are less expensive to make and they charge more than double what a dial type does.

The dial combination will far outlast any electronic combination. I've replaced many of the electronic units. The manufacturer normally sends out a replacement at no charge. But they do not cover the labor. I can only recommend the electronic units to the elderly because they often forget the dialing sequence of a traditional dial combination.

Yes the electronic is quicker to open. But the trade off isn't worth it. And I don't rely on my gunsafe for quick access anyway.

Biometrics are a waste of money. True, reliable biometrics are extremely expensive. Many of the biometric locks found on gunsafes and pistol boxes are made overseas to keep costs down.

I've seen traditional dial combinations last for decades with periodic maintenance.

There are many good gunsafes being built. Too many to list but here are a few.

Amsec
Liberty
Cannon
Fort Knox
National Security
Click to expand...

I am surprised to hear this as I bought the safe form an authorized Fort Knox dealer in the SF Bay area. I have another Fort Knox with the dial combination and I have had a minor issue with it. I have never had any issues with the keyboard lock as of yet. Since I am officially considered elderly I guess it is a good thing that I have both types. Thanks for you response as it is good to hear other takes. By the way Fort Knox offers as an option of up to three extra steel liners in their safes and the last safe I bought I opted to have all three installed and it took four workers to move it into my "man cave". That is one heavy sucker with close to 3/4" steel walls.
 
I have a Liberty safe. I like the key board lock (guess I'm old too). I had guns all over the place and wife forced me into getting the safe.

Can't believe the peace of mind for having something I didn't think I needed. It's worth twice the price just for the peace of mind.

Main thing I can add is picking a safe, figure out what you need and get one twice the size. I didn't now I have to re-arrange everything when I get a gun out. Gonna have to get a second one the same size but it will be worth it.

Two laws of Safes:

One, a 48 gun safe will not hold 48 guns.
Two, the gun you decide to use today, will be in the very back row.
 
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