Buying a safe

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spartanpride

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Well, the time has come to buy a safe. I have 5 long guns and 2 pistols as of now. I don't have much room so a compact model would be good. Also I don't want a piece of crap that only weighs 100 lbs and made of sheet metal. Most importantly It needs to keep out thiefs. I'm on a budget so the cheaper the better (you get what you pay for, I know, but there is quality with a good price- right? ;)). I don't really care about looks, a good fire rating is also wanted.
What would be some good models to fit this order?
Sorry if it sounds like I'm demanding something, I just need some advice!
Thanks!
 
Look at Dick's Sporting Goods. They usually have something in stock that'll fit your bill.
If you want me to recommend a company, I'm going to say Drake's... but you said you were on a budget.
 
What you want and what you want to spend are diametrically opposed.
Quality costs - you need to decide if you merely want a metal storage locker or if you want a decent Residential Security Container or a true "safe". Most decent "safes" are actually called RSC's and are not considered to be a safe.

You're in NE NV and worried about break-ins? Elko? Carlin? Pretty good folks in that area.
 
I bought this a Harbor Freight tools, while i don't think much of there tools
(i always bring them back) i found this to be a good solid buy. Check out there web site its a great safe for someone on a budget, its not fire rated ,but it should keep the average creep from carrying it away. I got it on sale for $299 + tax and it weights about 250 lbs.
Ive seen some others on sale but they average about $450.
 
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The big box home stores have cheap RSCs that are probably the best you'll do for the money you're looking to spend. Be sure to bolt them down for some additional protection. Don't expect that they would slow a professional thief by more than 10 minutes or so.
 
Thanks for the replies, I'll check out those stores. And although I am in Elko, its better to be safe than sorry! Also, I would like to stay around the $600 mark.
 
Edit- Looks like my budget changed, I was looking at some Liberty safes that fits my bill and they were about $2k.
So I would be willing to spend (sigh) $2k.
 
The mistake I made was in not buying a big enough safe. Sure you buy for your guns, but what about the high dollar spotting scopes, binocs, wife jewelry. My 24 gun safe was not enough when my wife got through putting her things in, get the biggest you can than go bigger.
 
Edit- Looks like my budget changed, I was looking at some Liberty safes that fits my bill and they were about $2k.
So I would be willing to spend (sigh) $2k.
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AMSEC BF, or Sturdy. They will beat any Liberty, Browning, Champion, Cannon, Fort Knox, etc... sold in the same price range, hands down.
 
2K is a small investment for the piece of mind it will give you. What's 2K anyway... really... it's not that much in the grand scheme, especially for a safe that is nearly guaranteed to outlive you and your childrens children, barring a catastrophe. It'll easily provide over a 100 years of service, maybe 500 years!

I agree that you should go twice the size you think you need, but keep in mind you have to move it. Large heavy safes are hard to move; that's a double edged sword. Great for theft deterrance, but they present challenges to move into place too.
 
You can get a decent safe from Costco for well under $1000. If you are spending $2000, take your time and get what you want. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not get a safe with 10gauge outer layer. MY GOD safe builders tell you how well 10gauge protects youor property. Sure form a 6th grader.

Go onto Youtube and look for safes.

For starters, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhOjWHbD6M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uI48y-h8kA&feature=related

Get one bigger than you think you need. Trust me. Good luck.
 
I will second, third, and fourth those who say get bigger than you think you need... I received a 10 gun for christmas a little while back and what do you know... now i have to separate the MOST valuables from the LESS valuables and get creative. Will be getting a new MUCH larger soon. BUT seeing as I only want to move the thing once.
 
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not get a safe with 10gauge outer layer. MY GOD safe builders tell you how well 10gauge protects youor property. Sure form a 6th grader.
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I sell commercial bank vault doors that have a 10 gauge outer layer. There's a bit more to it than that, which is why you want to do your homework. A lot of that has been discussed here on the forum.
 
Get one that is bigger than what you initially have in mind. Twice as big, is a good rule of thumb. Also, most all residential security containers like the Liberty you saw, use "sheet metal", and it isn't all that bad. It isn't the best either.

Higher fire ratings are a bit overrated IMO, ymmv. A house fire would have to be one bad fire to destroy all the contents of your basic fire rated "safe". I know this is highly disputed, but you have to realize that the fire would have to burn at length, and get the area immediately around the safe to a very high temperature, with no negation by the FD, for you to lose everything inside. In that event, anyway, your homeowner's insurance or NRA insurance would be the option; heirlooms/rare collectibles excluded. What are the chances of that? Like I said, ymmv.
 
A few more points to buy a safe, and again I recommend Sturdy - an American company employing Americans to build American safes. I just bought a second one.

They are an investment. Mine has increased in value over the last few years.

Secondly, if you buy non-locally you avoid sales taxes in many states. My sales tax locally is 10%, but since I bought from a company in California over the phone, I saved over $200.

Thirdly, buy from an American owned and operated company that employs Americans and buys American materials. Sturdy is such a company. Many cheaper safes are from China.
 
Best advice I could give is figure out what size you think you need and then buy the next size up!
I own two safes because I didn't do that.
 
Before buying brand new - check with local locksmiths who sell safes - many times they have a trade-in from someone who upgraded. You can get some pretty good deals that way.
 
Be sure to read the recent thread "Gun Safes Any Secrets". There are a few safe dealers talking that will help your knowledge base considerably. I needed customer service (badly) at Liberty and they were excellent. I'm happy with the safe too. And that's the extent of my safe knowledge!
 
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I own two safes because I didn't do that.
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There are a number of advantages to having two smaller safes over a single larger safe. Don't feel bad.

Before buying brand new - check with local locksmiths who sell safes - many times they have a trade-in from someone who upgraded. You can get some pretty good deals that way.
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This certainly wouldn't hurt, but it's not as common as one would think. Gun safes are the "unicorns" of the safe world. We might see 5 to 10 used gun safes a year, and we deal with a lot of safes.

Be sure to read the recent thread "Any secrets to safes". There are a few safe dealers talking that will help your knowledge base considerably.
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There have been a number of prior threads as well if you want to invest the time in tracking them all down.

There are a few safe dealers talking that will help your knowledge base considerably. I needed customer service (badly) at Liberty and they were excellent.
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I have friends in the safe business that sell the Liberty line. There is also a local Liberty dealership that I'm very familiar with. If you spoke with both, they would both sound like they knew what they were talking about, but the information would probably be different.

The reason I'm familiar with the local Liberty store is because we do all of their deliveries, fix most of their mistakes when they install electronic locks, and do the majority of the warranty work. Their safe knowledge comes directly from Liberty's literature and a yearly tour of their facility.

I guess my point is to make sure that your knowlege is coming from a source of truth and experience. You don't want to walk away comfortable with your decision, when your decision was based on suspect information the entire time.
 
Last time I got involved in a gun safe thread, it got locked by the administrator of this forum. Not sure why, but it did. Maybe as a new guy I stepped on the toes of some older members. That wasn't my intention, but there was bad information being given on that thread.

If you want to speak with someone who has been selling national brands of gun safes for over 30 years, give me a call. The number is on my website link in my signature. If I can't save you some money on a direct sale basis, I can certainly point you in the right direction in terms of making a good choice.

BTW, the Stack On "safes" you'll find at Dick's are junk.
 
If you want to speak with someone who has been selling national brands of gun safes for over 30 years, give me a call. The number is on my website link in my signature. If I can't save you some money on a direct sale basis, I can certainly point you in the right direction in terms of making a good choice
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This is why the last thread got locked.

You're on here to sell safes. Instead of providing any legitimate information, you're hitting on some basics, and then advertising for people to call you.

You've been selling safes for over 30 years. That's great. Walmart has been selling safe for 30 years too. What makes you any more knowledgeable than Walmart? If you are in fact more knowledgeable, then why don't you share your credentials about your expertise, then use that expertise to provide some useful information so that everybody here can learn something?

There wasn't much bad information in that last thread. Just some information that would be bad for your business.
 
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