Suggestions for safes---strictly for multiple handguns

[rjm6120]

The time has come for me to invest in a handgun safe, since by tomorrow evening I am going have 8 (yes, a fairly modest number) handguns. Right now 5 of them (my defense guns) are residing in one of those dual-level plastic cases under the bed, and the other 2 "strictly range guns" are in my little basement gun cleaning/ammo storage room in a small combination lock box bolted to my gun cleaning storage cabinet.

I have no interest, at the moment at least, in rifles or shotguns and safes designed around accommodating primarily long guns. I would appreciate suggestions on a nice, solid safe that can sit in the corner of our bedroom by our bed---something with room for at least 10-12 handguns.

The one option I have looked at so far is one of those under-the-bed gun safes that certainly has the capacity I'm looking for. It bolts to the bedframe, is about 5-ish feet long and has a large single drawer that pulls out after a combination code is entered on a keypad. That one is $495.

What does everyone else use for their handgun security?

Ray

 

[CATI1835]

Just because a gun safe is designed for or will accommodate long guns, does not mean you have to use it for that. I find my "48 gun capacity" safe very handy for storing other things like important papers, cash, collectibles, ammo, anything you don't want intruders or prying eyes to have access to. I deliberately bought one over sized for that reason.

 

[srsmyth]

I would love to have an answer to your question but it is complicated. Are you ever going to buy more guns? Do you have the space ? etc.. There are tons of threads on this forum about your question because I asked the same one when I joined the forum. I'm sure you will get plenty of answers but in your spare time search the old threads, they contain tons of opinions from people with different knowledge and needs, etc.
Steve

 

[Biker Bill]

If you are only looking for a handgun safe I would suggest a Stack-On Shooters Safe. I have one and have been very happy with it!

Here is a link to the Stack-On site:

https://www.stack-on.com/categories/elite-safes/products/300

Bill

 

[Rastoff]

If you are only looking for a handgun safe I would suggest a Stack-On Shooters Safe. I have one and have been very happy with it!

Has anyone ever tried to break into it and been successfully rejected? If not, how can you say you're happy with it? I'm not attacking you, just trying to put things in perspective. I'm happy with my safe too, but it has not been tested. I can only talk about its security by this...

I've posted this pic and story many times and will continue to do so:

On Thanksgiving day, 2011, the owner of this safe was away for a nice diner with family. When he came home, he found this safe in this condition with several broken tools next to it. He figures they had about 3 hours to work on it. Even so, they never got in.

I took that pic at a Liberty store the day they brought that safe in. While I was looking over some of their models, that same day, another fellow came in who was steaming mad. The day after Thanksgiving, his house was broken into. The thieves took his safe (a Stack-On) out to his driveway where they pried it open and stole all his guns. He not only lost some nice guns, but heirlooms as well.

There are two lessons to learn here:

• First, always bolt your safe down. Safes may be heavy, but they can be taken. Then the thief can work on it in comfort. Had the second guy bolted his safe down, they might not have got in.
• Secondly, buy a quality safe. I'm not going to say Stack-On residential security containers are garbage, but they are certainly the bargain basement. Do you really want to store over $4K worth of guns in a $200 box? If you're OK with that so am I.

The other benefit of a quality safe is what happens when a break in is attempted. The safe pictured above, the lowest level model Liberty sold at the time, was replaced with a brand new one for free. The other guy just had a broken metal box and had to buy a new safe himself.

This is not a plug for Liberty safes. They do make good ones, but there are many other companies that also make good safes. Still, I'm not only happy with my Liberty, I know it will survive at least one method of break in.

OK, now for the tired old statement, whatever you buy, get one that is twice as large as you need. I don't know a single gun owner that stopped at one (or 6 or whatever number you choose) gun. I've never heard anyone say, "Man, that safe I bought is just too big. I'll sell it and get a smaller one." I've heard plenty say, "I wish I had bought the larger one."

So, it's not a stretch to get a safe big enough for a long gun or two. They will all hold your handguns nicely and one day you'll likely get a long gun.

 

[DGT]

I like and have a Liberty safe but the best advice I can give is to look at safes that are at least 50% bigger than you think you would ever need, and then get the next bigger model.

 

[Kanewpadle]

The time has come for me to invest in a handgun safe, since by tomorrow evening I am going have 8 (yes, a fairly modest number) handguns. Right now 5 of them (my defense guns) are residing in one of those dual-level plastic cases under the bed, and the other 2 "strictly range guns" are in my little basement gun cleaning/ammo storage room in a small combination lock box bolted to my gun cleaning storage cabinet.

I have no interest, at the moment at least, in rifles or shotguns and safes designed around accommodating primarily long guns. I would appreciate suggestions on a nice, solid safe that can sit in the corner of our bedroom by our bed---something with room for at least 10-12 handguns.

The one option I have looked at so far is one of those under-the-bed gun safes that certainly has the capacity I'm looking for. It bolts to the bedframe, is about 5-ish feet long and has a large single drawer that pulls out after a combination code is entered on a keypad. That one is $495.

What does everyone else use for their handgun security?

Ray

Ask yourself this, how comfortable do you WANT to feel when away from home for any extended period of time?

Is your safe adequate? Do you FEEL it's adequate? Are you worried about it when you're away?


Take the advice posted above. Buy bigger than you think you need. Buy a good one. Buy it for life. It's an investment.

Thankfully I bought bigger. When we went on vacation my wife and daughter found several more items to put in it such as jewelry, laptop, tablets etc......

I have helped more people than I can remember get into their sub standard safe that they bought at Walmart or other big box store. I can tell you from first hand experience that it was easy, too easy to get into them.

Dollar for dollar Liberty is hard to beat for not too much more than the under the bed model you mentioned.

Have it delivered and installed.

 

[deadin]

You might try the gun "hangers" to maximize the safe's capacity......

Here's 40 + handguns in a medium sized safe.. (and some other stuff..)

 

[Skeet 028]

If you are sure you want a smaller one..fine..buy what you think you need...but still lag it down. Browning makes a nice smaller safe that is supposed to fit on top of a larger safe. I had one I got locally from an estate sale. I had the combo changed cause lots of people got to open it before I bought it. It was ok but didn't hold all my handguns I had then..much less now. I now have 2 Liberty's and 2 Brownings.. Stack on safes are ...well.....kinda junky. When I was in the Fire Dept we opened more than one safe that was in a fire. The cheap ones we just opened with an air chisel down the back. Speaking of fires and safes...get one with a GOOD fire rating. You don't want to lose any combustibles in a cheap safe. I quite often keep a fair amount of cash in my best most fireproof safe. It is also in the least likely place to have a fire. Another caveat on safes.. If you have a house fire..you may not want the safe in your basement. No safe I am aware of is waterproof.. All water sprayed in a house fire usually ends up in..yep...the basement. I have seen 4 or 5 ft of water in a basement. Again..bolt that sucker down if possible. If you have any serious collectibles...consider renting space in a bank for them. I have 6 guns in a bank..one is worth north of $60,000 and insurance is just too expensive otherwise...and bank vaults are usually climate controlled. Another plus. Also... You will have to find a bank that understands. And all the posters previous to me were right when they said..get one larger than you think necessary. Remember even the loss of a 500 dollar gun is a hard thing to take. And since the world is such a different place than what we grew up in..if someone gains access to one of your guns and does something unthinkable with it...You may come to be held accountable. Lock 'em up!! I had one gun stolen from me..and it was probably by a family member. Still haunts me. It was a Dan Wesson 22 Vent Heavy pistol Pack. Never fired. Darn.. with an m

 

[Kanewpadle]

If you are sure you want a smaller one..fine..buy what you think you need...but still lag it down. Browning makes a nice smaller safe that is supposed to fit on top of a larger safe. I had one I got locally from an estate sale. I had the combo changed cause lots of people got to open it before I bought it. It was ok but didn't hold all my handguns I had then..much less now. I now have 2 Liberty's and 2 Brownings.. Stack on safes are ...well.....kinda junky. When I was in the Fire Dept we opened more than one safe that was in a fire. The cheap ones we just opened with an air chisel down the back. Speaking of fires and safes...get one with a GOOD fire rating. You don't want to lose any combustibles in a cheap safe. I quite often keep a fair amount of cash in my best most fireproof safe. It is also in the least likely place to have a fire. Another caveat on safes.. If you have a house fire..you may not want the safe in your basement. No safe I am aware of is waterproof.. All water sprayed in a house fire usually ends up in..yep...the basement. I have seen 4 or 5 ft of water in a basement. Again..bolt that sucker down if possible. If you have any serious collectibles...consider renting space in a bank for them. I have 6 guns in a bank..one is worth north of $60,000 and insurance is just too expensive otherwise...and bank vaults are usually climate controlled. Another plus. Also... You will have to find a bank that understands. And all the posters previous to me were right when they said..get one larger than you think necessary. Remember even the loss of a 500 dollar gun is a hard thing to take. And since the world is such a different place than what we grew up in..if someone gains access to one of your guns and does something unthinkable with it...You may come to be held accountable. Lock 'em up!! I had one gun stolen from me..and it was probably by a family member. Still haunts me. It was a Dan Wesson 22 Vent Heavy pistol Pack. Never fired. Darn.. with an m

If the fire requires a good hosing, a safe on the second floor will probably fall through to the first floor anyway.

The best insurance against rust after a fire is gun socks.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

I'm not going to say Stack-On residential security containers are garbage, but they are certainly the bargain basement. Do you really want to store over $4K worth of guns in a $200 box? If you're OK with that so am I.

Would your answer be no?

Most homeowners insurance covers up to $2-3K of guns, and you can usually bump it up with a rider for just a few bucks. NRA members get $2,500 gun insurance too.

Do you really want to pay $2k for a Liberty safe to protect against the financial loss of $4k worth of guns that are already covered via insurance? Or even a $1000 safe. That's still a 25% premium to help protect against loss for that which is already insured.

A lot of folks aren't much interested in more than keeping the kids out. One of those $200 storage lockers will work for that.

Of course there may be sentimental, moral or societal obligation each person may or may not consider that enters into the equation. But protecting against the financial loss of a modest gun collection doesn't require much beyond what folks already have with insurance.

 

[NYlakesider]

Would your answer be no?

Most homeowners insurance covers up to $2-3K of guns, and you can usually bump it up with a rider for just a few bucks. NRA members get $2,500 gun insurance too.

Do you really want to pay $2k for a Liberty safe to protect against the financial loss of $4k worth of guns that are already covered via insurance? Or even a $1000 safe. That's still a 25% premium against loss. Pretty hefty.

A lot of folks aren't much interested in more than keeping the kids out. One of those $200 storage lockers will work for that.

Of course there's a moral or societal obligation each person may or may not consider that enters into the equation. But protecting against the loss of a modest gun collection doesn't require much beyond what folks already have with insurance.

Monetary value is just one part of a equation. There is also in many areas a LEGAL issue if guns you owned(used to own) are stolen or otherwise get used in crimes.

Getting some green for your missing guns how does that help when the gun your great grand father used and has been passed down for decades gets stolen?

I have 3 guns in my accumulation that are worth more than mere money.

Any safe/cabinet/locker/ETC at the minimum should be well bolted down. What you spend and what you get in return is a decision between you and you wallet.

My safe weights 1500 dry and as a construction worker it is extremely well bolted down to concrete floor and wall. Some one might get in the house (hard) and then get in the safe but they are most certainly going to work at it.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Getting some green for your missing guns how does that help when the gun your great grand father used and has been passed down for decades gets stolen?

Funny. I had just finished editing my post to include sentimental then I came back and read your post.

 

[Skeet 028]

Of course there may be sentimental, moral or societal obligation each person may or may not consider that enters into the equation. But protecting against the financial loss of a modest gun collection doesn't require much beyond what folks already have with insurance.

Good luck collecting on the insurance..Ins Companies are a lot of hassle. Riders are not cheap(as in a few bucks) and the money spent is gone. The cost of a safe is possibly high..but once spent is amortized over years..Insurance keeps costing every year and the cost continues to rise. Keeping the guns in the bank like I do is also a continuing expense. Check what ins on your guns will cost per year versus the one time cost of a GOOD safe and it comes out very much in favor of a safe. Guys(and gals) we buy S&Ws hopefully. 4 decent handguns is more than 4 grand. Heck the replacement on my skeet gun is almost 35 grand. No I didn't pay that but still to get another gun just to replace it is that high. Heck the Dockweiller wood is 10 grand. Yeah..sounds crazy... So at even 2.00 per 100 in insurance..Well figure it out. And ins will be higher than 2 bucks a hundred. And the insurance Co wants serial numbers on all of them over 1000 in value. to keep in a database....

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Good luck collecting on the insurance..Ins Companies are a lot of hassle. Riders are not cheap(as in a few bucks) and the money spent is gone. The cost of a safe is possibly high..but once spent is amortized over years..Insurance keeps costing every year and the cost continues to rise. Keeping the guns in the bank like I do is also a continuing expense. Check what ins on your guns will cost per year versus the one time cost of a GOOD safe and it comes out very much in favor of a safe. Guys(and gals) we buy S&Ws hopefully. 4 decent handguns is more than 4 grand. Heck the replacement on my skeet gun is almost 35 grand. No I didn't pay that but still to get another gun just to replace it is that high. Heck the Dockweiller wood is 10 grand. Yeah..sounds crazy... So at even 2.00 per 100 in insurance..Well figure it out. And ins will be higher than 2 bucks a hundred. And the insurance Co wants serial numbers on all of them over 1000 in value. to keep in a database....

Depends on what you're talking about. What I was talking about was a modest $4k worth of guns as posted by another. If you want to talk about $35k guns each that's entirely different.

Ok, I'll figure it out. I was talking about increasing coverage from $3k to $4k. At $2/100 that would be $20/yr. Compared to a $2000 safe a person would never catch up, ever. Even if the $2k was put into a CD at 1% that's $20/year which would cover the rider.

Then there are some things that aren't of sentimental value nor rare but replacement cost doesn't necessarily replace well. For example my NFA stuff. A safe that costs much more than the cost to replace NFA items might make a lot of sense. Context helps a lot.

My point was that a $200 gun cabinet might make sense for folks with $4k of guns.

 

[glowe]

You are only planning on buying two more guns the rest of your life? Any safe small enough to hold a dozen guns is simply something that makes it easier for the thief to get all the guns out of your house in a nice box. Stack-on safes are great for keeping honest people honest, but offer no protection to a true thief or thieves. Again, they will simply pick them up and walk out the door with everything inside.

Here is one of my safes, set up for ammunition and handguns only with shelving and Midway USA racks. You can easily get 50 plus handguns in a 30" wide safe and at 600 plus pounds it is pretty hard to carry off, especially if it is in your basement.

Also, you have a safe place for your ammunition, guns in boxes or cases, holsters, important papers, etc.

 

[Skeet 028]

Then there are some things that replacement cost doesn't necessarily replace well. For example my NFA stuff.

Context helps a lot.

Yep context sure does help. Insurance companies Want you to have a safe too. Ever had a gun stolen? A good friend who travels with firearms extensively had a 18 gr O/U stolen. His insurance company(homeowners did not want to cover the loss as he was not anywhere near home..but he had one of the NRA type companies with the gun insured. 18,000 replacement and they tried to deduct depreciation and a deductible. And they hassled him as the gun wasn't locked up(traveling??). Then you use the 4000 dollar figure. 2500 is covered by Homeowners..and they get pissie because you don't have a safe and it wasn't locked up. They will also try to deduct depreciation(but you can beat that if you have replacement cost insurance...mo money)... and 4000 dollars is not many guns anymore . Heck a decent 870 now is 600 bucks. And a bit of peace of mind cause you have a safe is irreplaceable. Every time I see one of those glass fronted gun cabinets I cringe..cause they all want to show off their expensive guns. As far as NFA guns your homeowners may not insure them anyway..You know how insurance is!? You will have to have a gun insurance company insure them..One Thompson is 15 grand or more LOL! And with NFA guns..I'll bet any company will require a safe. Not arguing. Just pointing out it ain't all dollars and cents. You aren't an insurance seller are ya?? Another surprising thing is..any good safe continues to appreciate in value... just like the guns..so it is not a dead loss to purchase one.

 

[DR505]

I have a couple of safes now...got one like this Fort Knox (but standard, non-electric lock) first for about $800. Lasted for years. Weighs 350 pounds.

Eventually, my income got better and my bills got smaller, so my hobby could be pursued. I now have added this 750# monster (no, that is not a "hashtag") and am running out of room again. Mostly handguns.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Buy one bigger than you think you need.
Then bolt it down to a concrete slab.

 

[Ranger17]

i too am like the OP, looking at handgun safes as I own no long guns. But the more i do my research, the more i feel myself swaying to one that can handle both. Someday i may find myself picking up something else for fun and games then i'm stuck looking for a 2nd safe option.
I figure better to plan a little for the potential future, worst case i'd have a decent sized one that i can hold my pistols and ammo, plus docs and other items i want to have some protection against fire and theft.

btw good info in the thread here!

 

[Rastoff]

Let me start with a definition:
Residential Security Container (RSC)

This is what we're talking about. A safe is far more secure and costs lots more money.

A lot of folks aren't much interested in more than keeping the kids out. One of those $200 storage lockers will work for that.

Absolutely. If that is your goal, a wooden box with a Master lock on it will work just fine. Everyone has to gauge their own level of comfort.

I'm just saying that it's unrealistic to buy a $200 RSC and expect the same security as a $1,000 unit. In fact, even the Billy Bob's Big Box store special on sale for $9.99 is better than leaving the guns unlocked. Heck it will even discourage most of the smash and grab guys because they aren't prepared to deal with a locked boxed inside the house.

I didn't want to spend the big money on a "safe" until my wife pointed out the money I have invested in guns. My insurance will cover significantly more that what you suggested. That's still significantly less than I have invested.

It's not really a good standard to weigh the cost of the RSC against the cost of the stuff. Does a $2K RSC protect $1K better than a $1K RSC? See, it's not a reasonable comparison. It's like when people say to spend twice the price of the gun on optics. The goal of that statement isn't that you have to spend twice. It's to get the shooter to understand the value of the component and buy accordingly. The same goes for the RSC.

The OP has already told us that he's actively buying. This is a good thing. Today his collection might be worth X, but tomorrow it will be worth more. My thought is this; if you buy a $200 RSC now, is that just putting you $200 further from an RSC you really want/need? I say spend a little more now so you don't have to spend more in the future.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Let me start with a definition:
Residential Security Container (RSC)

This is what we're talking about. A safe is far more secure and costs lots more money.

Absolutely. If that is your goal, a wooden box with a Master lock on it will work just fine. Everyone has to gauge their own level of comfort.

I'm just saying that it's unrealistic to buy a $200 RSC and expect the same security as a $1,000 unit. In fact, even the Billy Bob's Big Box store special on sale for $9.99 is better than leaving the guns unlocked. Heck it will even discourage most of the smash and grab guys because they aren't prepared to deal with a locked boxed inside the house.

I didn't want to spend the big money on a "safe" until my wife pointed out the money I have invested in guns. My insurance will cover significantly more that what you suggested. That's still significantly less than I have invested.

It's not really a good standard to weigh the cost of the RSC against the cost of the stuff. Does a $2K RSC protect $1K better than a $1K RSC? See, it's not a reasonable comparison. It's like when people say to spend twice the price of the gun on optics. The goal of that statement isn't that you have to spend twice. It's to get the shooter to understand the value of the component and buy accordingly. The same goes for the RSC.

The OP has already told us that he's actively buying. This is a good thing. Today his collection might be worth X, but tomorrow it will be worth more. My thought is this; if you buy a $200 RSC now, is that just putting you $200 further from an RSC you really want/need? I say spend a little more now so you don't have to spend more in the future.

That may be, but you are the one who posed the question. Do you really want to store over $4K worth of guns in a $200 box?

That's a financial question. The financial answer is that there is little financial risk with such a modest collection that merits an expensive safe when you consider homeowners insurance that folks already have. Heck, I got over $4k in just electronics that a thief could carry off in his arms in one trip. They aren't locked up in a "RSC".

Sure, you can reword the question-- Do you want to store $4k of guns in a safe that doesn't well protect from a determined thief. The financial answer is the same.

If I'm reading your post correctly, you didn't think it worthwhile to have a safe that would provide superior protection against a determined thief until your wife added up the value of all your guns. Once again, your decision up to that point was financial. I didn't want to spend the big money on a "safe" until my wife pointed out the money I have invested in guns.

I know folks who started out with a modest collection (most do) and a inexpensive locker. When the value of their collection increased, they bought a good safe and kept their less expensive guns like 10-22s and such in the locker. Worked out well.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I for one would NOT rely on home owners insurance to protect my guns.

I have heard too many horror stories from customers after a burglary that had to fight with their insurance company over the value of their guns. Many of them settled for less to get it over and done with.

 

[Rastoff]

I'm not sure that we see things all that differently Phil. I guess I can chalk it up to the vagaries of the written word and my lack of skill in it.

I use the dollar value to spark thought in a way some might not have thought without it. That's all. Yes, it most certainly is a financial question. Maybe insurance will replace all your stolen goods, but they can't prevent the theft. I guess the next question is, do you want to prevent the theft? The follow up question is, if you do want to prevent the theft, how much effort do you want to put into that prevention? If the answer is, $200 worth of effort, then that will dictate what kind of lock you want to store your stuff behind.

Phil does make another good point. Why do we spend so much time and effort looking for and purchasing a RSC when we put almost nothing into protecting our most valuable assets; home and family? Many think nothing of buying a $5K safe for their guns and have a $5 lock on the front door. Or they put a $500 lock on a $50 door. Will that lock really prevent entrance? Or how about the guy who gets a really solid door with a fantastic lock, but leaves a window open?

Security of ourselves and our possessions is a lot more than a box. There is a delicate balance between being secure and freedom of movement; between living in a home and living in a prison. People have made fortunes on this subject. We're still trying to build a better mouse trap.

I guess for me it all boils down to quality. Buy the best you can afford. Think to the future, but don't paralyze yourself by over analyzing. Any locked container is better than none. Some containers are better than others. None have any theft value if they can be picked up and carried off.

 

[ultra45]

If you are only looking for a handgun safe I would suggest a Stack-On Shooters Safe. I have one and have been very happy with it!

Here is a link to the Stack-On site:

https://www.stack-on.com/categories/elite-safes/products/300

Bill

Stack On is nothing but a cabinet with a lock on it. If you buy a Stack On make sure you remove the Can Opener from the kitchen. With a 10 or 11 gauge residential safe, you stand a far better chance at securing your valuables. Unless a theif comes prepared, they will be scratching their heads once they see the safe. If they come prepared to hat will get in if given enough time. Just sayin...

Also, always go BIGGER.

 

[RSanch111]

Buy a smaller safe than what you think you'll need, then when you have to buy a bigger one you can use the first one for ammo. Or a decoy. At my old house, I had my fairly cheap safe built into a wall with a book case on brackets on the wall so it was flush with the wall. House was broken into but they never found the safe. Got a bunch of other stuff but not a single gun.

 

[rjm6120]

Thanks very much for all the input! Obviously I have a lot of options to weigh. There are a couple specialty lock/safe stores in the Cincinnati area that claim on line to have a large in-stock selection. I'll continue my research there. I want to actually see what I am going to buy with something like this.

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

I have to agree with Rastoff on pretty much every point (well said).
One thing I would add is that safes are useful for stroring more than guns and ammo. Things like identification documents, the kid's Christmas money, the extra gun money you're hiding from you wife (I'd never do that personally...just saying ), the good silver and prescription drugs (easy to have a thousand dollars in prescription drugs once you get to a certain age). Yes, I wish I bought a bigger one that what I have now. So go big if you can. Good luck!

 

[NYlakesider]

I have to agree with Rastoff on pretty much every point (well said).
One thing I would add is that safes are useful for stroring more than guns and ammo. Things like identification documents, the kid's Christmas money, the extra gun money you're hiding from you wife (I'd never do that personally...just saying ), the good silver and prescription drugs (easy to have a thousand dollars in prescription drugs once you get to a certain age). Yes, I wish I bought a bigger one that what I have now. So go big if you can. Good luck!

There are 3 things that life has shown me can never be too big. In no particular order they are garages, safes, basements.

Yes there are other things also but the ones above are major players!

 

[FAS1]

I would appreciate suggestions on a nice, solid safe that can sit in the corner of our bedroom by our bed---something with room for at least 10-12 handguns.
Ray

Maybe something like this anchored to the floor would be fine for what you want.

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