gun safe recommendations on brands, prices, dealers

[MrFreeze]

Hi (again) all! Long time between posts - but when I recently started my search for a gun safe, THR came to mind as the best place for recommendations!

CB900F and a1abdj keep popping up as experts so any input from them is greatly appreciated!

Looking for a safe able to hold approx 10 long guns and 10 handguns. Would like to also get some fire protection out of it as well. Won't be storing docs, papers, etc. Will likely bolt this thing to my concrete floor using recommendations from this thread.

Suggestions on brands, prices, dealers, or places to look? Not concerned with "brand names" or UL ratings. New or used doesn't matter. I'm in Tampa FL and possibly willing to pick it up within a couple hundred miles.

AMSEC and the Diamond series at http://www.zykansafe.com/gunsafes.html seem like nice choices, although the Diamond is probably closer to my budget (~$1,000).

EDIT: after reading a few more posts (including one from 2006 on TFL) I added a little more info.

Thanks a ton!

Travis

 

[Guns and more]

I'm in Tampa also and recently purchased a safe. I got it from the place on Causeway Blvd. Something like "Tampa Safe". (look in the phone book. It's a little west of 301 on Causeway.) I would recommend you buy locally since moving it is a major job. After I saw them move mine into place, I'm glad I let them do it. They have the tools and the technique. (Things like teflon rails that they lay on the floor and glide it in. They leveled it and put it exactly where I wanted it.) Anyway, I went to all the safe places (?) in Tampa, and those people were great. They have a large inventory including some used safes.
I started off to buy a simple safe. I wanted to spend $700 and get something in the 500# range. I could have done that. But, I ended up with a larger safe that cost more. (They didn't talk me into it, as a matter of fact, I left three times.) But, you'll see, the paint looks better, you start thinking of other things to put in, better fire protection. I wanted an electronic lock. I have no regrets. They even made me an additional shelf using the same material and they didn't charge me. Very nice people, no pressure.
The best part? I don't worry about my stuff when I leave the house now, it's a great feeling. My brand is Champion, but they have several brands in various sizes and quality.

 

[scrat]

cabelas have some good safes. My only and best advice i can give you. Get the biggest safe you can. Price make it not an option. get the biggest you can. what really sucks is when 10 years of your life goes by and you find out you need another safe. For some of us its even shorter than that. Now you will have a problem on where to put it and or how to get rid of the other safe.