Time to buy a safe. Help me decide what is right for me.

Magic, I don't have a lot of knowledge or experience with stack ons. Sorry. Again, talk to your local locksmith people. If it doesn't have to be a piece of furniture or a work of art, you can save big. And they know who makes good stuff.

I don' t know if you have them in your area, but Farm and Family is a good source too.

Function over form

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There will be little difference between the quality of safes in that price range. I would lean towards something using a UL rated lock. All of them will provide 5 minutes of protection against a hammer and big screwdriver, and a little less against larger tools, with somebody who's halfway motivated to get in. Since most smash and grab burglars do not even touch the safe, you have the odds on your side.

Go to costco website and search 'safe'. They have some good ones on sale with free shipping to your driveway. Worth a look.


http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc..._Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

This one sounds great for you, $600 shipped to you.

ALL THE above are not safes, they are tin cans (and that casting tin cans in a bad light)

there are SOME better quality, and MANY cheap safes that a knowledgeable person can defeat with minimal effort.

a1a, you're telling me that all the safes I linked have pretty much useless locks?

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I didn't look at the safes in the links, but the majority of the brand name safes should in fact be using UL rated locks. Some of the Liberty Centurions do not, and I know that most of the Stack On and Sentry safes do not. Since everything else is going to be pretty much equal, just make sure that the lock is decent.

S&G (Sargent & Greenleaf), LaGard, Kaba, Ilco, LockOne (Big Red Lock), are all brand name, UL listed locks that I have seen used on gun safes.

Get a big one, but understand you have to 'live' around it. Lowe's has one for $400, it's UL listed, about 200 lbs., easy to get upstairs, and wont break the floor boards.

Majic man, Frank (a1abdj), a professional gunsmith offered you advice,

Go with a UL lock, cheap eletronic locks crap out
that leaves you with breaking in yourself, or hiring a locksmith to do it for you
then you have to replace the lock, a quality lock will cost about 100 dollars, but here's the point.

Why would you spend the money for a UL or ISO (out side tested lock) when you can just slap a cheapy, to get the RSC past 5 minutes being hit with a small hammer and large screwdriver.

UL listed electronic/mechanical lock type

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From the description of the Ranger 19

Magic_Man said:

TXdefender, the Colonial 23 is $1,300 that is not in my listed range.

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Sorry bro, my safe is actually a "Timber Ridge" from Gander Mountain. You'll find it IS a Liberty Colonial 23 and regularly goes on sale for $899.00. It's one of the ones you listed.

Magic, sorry, they go under the name Tractor Supply Company now. They have good safes, good prices.

I know I am repeating myself, but talking directly to a local locksmith will give you the best info. They know their business.

a1a, you're telling me that all the safes I linked have pretty much useless locks?

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I'm going to be brutally honest. Not only are the locks useless but so are the safes. I have the Timber Ridge you linked to and if I knew then what I know now I would not have bought it, I would have saved my money for something better. Now I use it for ammo and other things while my other, better safe, holds anything of value.

I know I am repeating myself, but talking directly to a local locksmith will give you the best info. They know their business.

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There are plenty of "local locksmiths" who know next to nothing about safes. There are others who will just try to sell you what ever it is they carry.

Bottom line, as in any profession, there are good and bad so educate yourself first.