When do you buy a gun safe?

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Bruenor

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At what point do you get a gun safe? I now have six rifles and two handguns, all bought within the last year, but with a baby coming in December, I've probably bought my last gun for a long time. Mostly are military surplus, and I think I averaged $125 - $150 per gun. If I bought a good, quality safe, I'd have more money in the safe than in the guns.

So at what point do you get a safe? I've thought about storing all of them in a closet, and putting a dead-bolt on it. Or I could get one of those cheaper gun cases, the kind that you find at Gander for $200. Maybe a combination of the two. I don't really have the money right now to drop several hundred dollars on a safe, but I want to be responsible with my firearms.

So what do you think? Thanks in advance for the responses.
 
You should buy a safe right now. A good fire safe will protect your valuables from fire, burglary, moisture, and keeps children safe. It will also last a lifetime as long as yo don't out grow it.
 
I had a gun cabinet until my daughter started walking around good. At the point she could even remotely have handled or reached any of the weapons should the glass have been broken out I went and bought a safe. I wasn't taking any chances.
 
A cheap gunsafe is better than no gunsafe. I have the set up you describe, guns in what amounts to a lock box from Wal-Mart bolted to the wall in a closet W/ a lock on the door.

It won't protect my guns if someone shows up looking for them ( which is why I don't advertise) but your basic smash and grab guy won't mess w/them.

The value of my entire "collection" combined is less than 3000.00$,but, like you I couldn't afford to replace them. So I bought the safe I could afford and when I graduate and am able to get a few more I'll upgrade.

Key point: If you can't afford new ones you can't replace the old ones protect them
 
Make sure whatever you buy is bolted down. Just because it's pretty damn heavy doesn't mean it's impossible to steal--after all, it had to get transported into your house in the first place.

A poor man's safe can be made by taking a closet and replacing the lock with a deadbolt. Then, take three large screws and run them into the edge of the door opposite the side the lock is on. Swing the door shut and mark where the screws contact the door frame. Drill holes in the door frame to allow the door to close. This will prevent someone from taking the door off the hinges.

Granted, neither a $97 safe nor the closet method will deter the most determined of thieves. It will, however, make a difference if the average 17-year old crackhead breaks into your house--it's much more profitable to steal things already lying around and split than to fool with locked doors and safes.
 
A closet would work well, provided you meet 2 conditions:
It's walls are not thin drywall (which is conducive to being smashed in by a burglar)
It's doorframe and door are very sturdy, so as to resist kicking/smashing.

However, closets are not fire/water proof. At this point, you may as well get a safe and a Goldenrod to go with it.
 
I did not have a lot of spare cash when I decided I needed to get a decent safe.
After almost a year of looking one of the local SG stores ran a xmas special of 12 months no interest on all purchases over X amount of $. I think it ended up being like $39 a month. It wasnt a top of the line model but its made to hold 30 long guns , is fire rated and has enough room to hold pictures and paperwork that cant be replaced.
 
Thanks for the responses so far. Here's what I've found so far.
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2033186

I could afford the $150 right now. I figure that if I put it in a closet with a deadbolt, then I'd have an added layer of protection. I know that it's not fire safe, but honestly I can't afford that kind of protection right now.

Also, with this case, I could use it in my garage for tools when I graduate up to a better safe. Any thoughts?
 
You need to think about where you're living and where in that area you're going to stick this sucker, and how long that arrangement is going to last. If you're there forever, it's a different problem from what you're looking at if you're not, and if you're going to buy again it will be different from if you want to build. For $150, you're probably better protected from theft by having it loaded in your hands when you're home than by anything you could buy.
 
Get the best safe you can afford, ASAP. Gun safes are essential for storage of guns. They're also a great organizational tool, heh.
 
A gun owner should buy a gun safe with their first gun and should budget accordingly. A gun owner should have a means to completely enclose their gun in a safe, even if they don't use the safe all the time. Trigger locks are no substitute for a safe. Sometimes, the gun needs to be completely secured out of sight and out of reach.

Fire protection may be a waste of money if you go half-ass. Most fire resistant safes cannot survive the type of fire that engulfs a home. You may have to spend thousands to get fire protection that will withstand a real fire. Even then, it's a gamble.

A relatively inexpensive Stack-On safe with a manual combination should suit you perfectly:

http://www.stack-on.com/securityplus/gun_safes/index.html
 
It wasn't long after my first child started walking that I noticed he could climb too. That's what finally persuaded me to "bite the bullet" and fork over the cash for a good gun safe. Prior to that, every time I managed to save up a chunk of money that would have gone far toward the purchase of a safe, I came across another great gun deal. When I saw my son climbing, I went right out and bought a safe on one of those "six months same as cash" deals one of the local vendors was advertising. We lived in an apartment then, so modifying a closet or other part of the structure was out of the question. That safe was a real pain to move when we later bought a house, but I've never regretted the investment. While even a good gun safe isn't a guarantee against theft, it is a guarantee against unauthorized handling by my children or their friends. And it would take more skill and determination than the average burglar in my area posesses to get to my guns now. Great peace of mind concerning chld safety and when the house is empty.
 
Hey, you're ready for one...for all of the reasons stated above...It's not just the age of the baby that's on the way. Get something...the best you can get right now. I know it's probably tight with the little one coming, but I saw a 16 gun safe, one of those heavy duty types, (not one of those you can open with a can opener) for about $350.00 at Dicks Sporting Goods. May seem like a lot, but you can also put important papers, jewelry, etc., in there. I'm sure you can probably beat that price if you really shop. I've heard of scratch and dent sales on those things, too...Good luck...:)
 
I think, if I were in your situation, I'd do the deadbolt/closet thing, and use the $150 you were going to use <cough waste cough> on the Dick's cabinet (which is no more secure than a high school locker) to start saving for a decent safe.
 
I had paid enough in safe deposit box fees to have bought a safe.

Then I got the safe. It's not only for weapons, ANYTHING you will really, really need document wise should go into it.

Safes are kind of like storage sheds, workshops, and garages.

Buy big the first time, 'cause you will be surprized how quickly it fills up!
 
you have a baby coming, it is time. it is that simple. but in reality, anybody who works, and has more that IMO, 2 firearms, needs a safe. buy a big enough one that you will not have to replace it when you unexpectedly run across a couple of deals to good to turn down. the harder we make it for criminals to get weapons, the better it is for scociety as a whole. if you can not afford a really good safe, even a stack on will keep the kids out. just bolt it to the floor, and a couple of wall studs so theives cant just walk off with the safe and all. anything is better than nothing, but a stack on will not stop a theif. but you can at least make him work for his living, instead of just handing it to him! you can always update when money is better. but i will tell you this. as a father of 2 kids, having kids is like turning on a money faucet, and breaking the handle off. there is a continuous flow of money down the drain that you can never stop. but, kids will bring you more happiness than you have ever known as well. along with many new frustrations. congratulations on being a dad. kids are a lot of fun, and you will experience love you have never known. now, quit reading this and start shopping for that safe!
 
When your bedroom floor begins too look like a pawn shop :D:D:D~!

Seriously, usually as we grow older so does our firearms collection. In todays society,
nothing is safe from intruders; even with the best of security present. We could write
chapters and fill volumes with "whats best" from a security stand-point.

You know your area better than I, so you need too be the one too make the that
judgemental call. For me, I beefed up security in '96; too an elaborate status that
I don't care too discuss on an open forum~!

Sometimes, a RSC is not the only thing needed too protect your investment~!
Nothing is better than a nosey neighbor, or a few "land sharks" on property; to help
thwart any attempted break-in of your home.



McCain-Palin On Nov. 4th~!
 
Last edited:
I think, if I were in your situation, I'd do the deadbolt/closet thing, and use the $150 you were going to use <cough waste cough> on the Dick's cabinet (which is no more secure than a high school locker) to start saving for a decent safe.
Click to expand...

this is good advise IF you can get your wife to relinquish the closet space. Mine wouldn't care if I had an underground bank vault built to rival Ft. Knox, but I'll pay dearly for even one cubic foot of closet space in this house.
 
i purchased my first safe about 6 months ago before my son was born. My wife was running around buying cribs and changing table and all teh nonsense "for the baby" so i told her i needed a safe "for the baby" its true...... got to keep them safe.

I went with http://www.stack-on.com/securityplus/gun_safes/gsg-710.html. I think it ran me just over $300 at sports authority and though it is only 160# ; when loaded it is more like 220# and it is bolted to the concrete floor inside a closet. I didnt have alot of money to spend but i couldnt go with a rsc after feeling how flimsy they were at the big box stores.
 
Depends on many factors involving the security of your home. Our concerns are:

1. Theft
2. Fire, and
3. Children/guest access

right?

Assuming you've got a handle on #3 - either no children, or well-taught children, and/or ammo locked up away, etc., that leaves fire and theft. So the factors that come into play are:

1. Do you have any insurance on them? Does your homeowners/renters policy have an exclusion or limitation? If so, did you pick up a rider? The less insurance, the more the safe is called for.

2. How old is hour house? Do you smoke? And other questions that would help determine your fire risk....

3. What's the crime level in your neighborhood? How many worker's and guests come into your home such that envy and evil plans to burgle might ensue? Do you have locks, deadbolts, bars, etc.? Do you have dogs, security lights, gated community? Do you have methhead neighbors who sit on their porch and stare at you as you load up for the range? Etc.

Also, what's the value of the guns themselves? Only you can weigh out all those factors, but for me, one I've got about $1,000-$1,500 or more into guns, I want to spend the $600 on a Sam's safe to offer at least *some* level of protection.

If you want a poor man's "safe" until you get one, you can do this in a house or rented house or apartment: Take an angle iron of some sort which has a ring on it, and secure it to the 2x4s in your walls in a corner of your house or a closet, with 4 or more large, long screws. Take a bicycle cable lock and run it through the ring on the angle iron. Run the cable through all of your trigger guards and lock up. That's what I did in an apartment back when all I had was an SKS, an AK, a 10/22, and Winchester 1300.

Good luck.
 
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