New new safes.

I would purchase several high quality safes to install in different areas, if possible, for several reasons. A theft takes some time if the safes are properly installed, so the time aspect could mean loosing only part of a collection; another reason is fire/flood, again only part of your collection is lost. Yet another is protection from seizure, the items that are not available to confiscate will remain yours for the time being. I am sure there are many others in addition.

It's much more cost-effective to get one large one.

I like what splithoof said. Just don't care for the idea of having all my eggs in one basket.

3 now

I have 3 now and 2 are bolted to each other,one is a high end Browning.

The other is the 'upstairs' safe that is bolted down and still a non cheapo metal cabinet model.

I am NOT a fan of the thin metal easy to pry open models,better than nothing and MUST be bolted to the wall AND the floor with heavy [ 3/8 minimal ] bolts.

Then I did mount one in a closet so it was impossible to get a pry bar or chisel and hammer swing at it [ that was a few years ago in different location].

I also have high end alarm system as well as camera system on them as well as house.

But I would avoid the cheapo safe,unless your going with alarm etc.

GreySmoke2 said:

I'm moving to Texas and have outgrown my steel cabinets and want to move up to safes. Should I get one vary large safe or two medium safes one for rifles and one for handguns. What do those who have a large collection do?
Also any good places to buy safes at the best possible price near Dallas?

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These sort of questions generally fare much better in this section of the forums. Additionally a forum search should yield at least a dozen threads on the subject, including advice from a few members who sell these things.

My take and only my take is shopping for a gun safe or RSC (Residential Security Container) is one of those things where you need to look at your budget followed by your needs. What I have and use works for me based on my needs. Your needs may vary from those I have.

Ideally it is nice to find a large distributor with a showroom where you can look at different makes and models. Get real acquainted with terms and ratings as they pertain. Remember what works for many of the members here may not work for you and your situation. A simple observation is when they say a 36 gun safe in reality it holds about 1/2 that. I like a door with front pockets for my handguns, only becau8se it works for me.

Ron

Teachu2,
If you are ever looking for something really well built, check out Sun Welding down in Simi Valley. They have a good showroom with several competing models (and some of their own) that have been attacked, burned, etc. The owner and staff are very helpful.

splithoof said:

Teachu2,
If you are ever looking for something really well built, check out Sun Welding down in Simi Valley. They have a good showroom with several competing models (and some of their own) that have been attacked, burned, etc. The owner and staff are very helpful.

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My very first safe was a Sun Welding. I still have it, and it still works like new. Just repainted it (it was pretty banged up from several moves and being in the way on occasion) and put it in my workshop for cutting tools.

I bought a Summit Denali 60 in December.

If you can afford it look into Ft. Knox Safes. They are very high quality.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

Greysmoke;

Your cost per protected cubic inch of space ratio goes very steeply down, the larger the unit you buy. The other side of that is, of course, that it goes very steeply up when you buy two smaller safes.

At some point you'll have to determine what cost/benefit ratio suits you best. However, once you can see a true safe as opposed to an RSC, I believe you'l be less hesitant about having everything in one unit. There is a Graffunder safe dealer in Garland Texas, they are: The Safe Company, 614 Easy Street, Garland (972)272-9788. Keep in mind that even the Fort Knox is an RSC. U.L. rated safes are entirely another proposition. The cost of them is more than RSC's for good reason, but is frequently less than what people are lead to believe. If you do think you might want to investigate getting a proper safe, please feel free to PM me here.

900F

One safe would be more convenient.

Two safes would be marginally more secure.

Personally, I'd get one good large safe and save yourself the hassle of dealing with two combinations and two safes.

theblaze said:

One safe would be more convenient.

Two safes would be marginally more secure.

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True - if the safes are of equal quality. The larger models often are more substantially built, but not always.

Look at a $1500 20cf RSC, then look at a $4500 60cf one. Same cost per cubic foot, but the large one probably is much thicker steel - as well as more versatile in configuration.

Using more than one 'safe' may better fit in some dwellings, too. It can be a lot easier to move one with a 30" clear dimension than a 36" one.

The 'what sort" of dwelling matters, too. Getting one 3/4 ton unit into an upstairs apartment could be a problem, but, two 6-700# units, less so--maybe.

Further, starting with two smaller also allows for starting out with a not-so-dear RSC, then move up to a UL-listed safe.

Welcome to the crazy which is DFW by the way. If you wind up in a house, note that there are several older neighborhoods where the houses are not slab-on-grad, but have wooden floors over pier-and-beam crawlspaces. No basements to speak of, though.

there is a company in Waco that builds great safes 1/4 thick body and door quoted me 4000 for a 36 inch wide safe..i think the name of the company is security products.

there is a company in Waco that builds great safes 1/4 thick body and door quoted me 4000 for a 36 inch wide safe..i think the name of the company is security products.

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That's it. http://www.securityproducts1.com I've toured their production facility. Great company! A large portion of their business is building steel enclosures for outdoor ATMs at places such as Walmart parking lots.

Hide the safe so it cannot be seen.