Gun safes are not cheap. But then again, in the last 12 months I've added about $2,200 worth of handguns to the family collection in the form of two purchases. And this doesn't include the cost of ammunition and other accessories, either, which (given the quantites of two new calibers of ammunition I purchased initially) adds up to about $3,000.
Though I do agree that, in principle, there is a point where one can say that purchasing a four-figure safe for just a couple firearms just doesn't make sense...at some point down the line enough purchases start adding up to values that make the cost of a safe fractionally insignificant overall.
We currently have 7 long guns and 5 handguns. In the next year or so, I anticipate adding another long gun and handgun to the collection.
So I'm personally in the market for a decent safe in the next year or two and I'm going to budget $2,000 as a baseline for it.
I suppose there are people out there who will say "Gee, it's nice that you have two grand to budget for a safe, but I don't."
Well, right now I DON'T have two grand...I said I'd budget two grand, which means I have a long term goal to put that financial resource aside by some means. Might be overtime, might be cutting back elsewhere, might be something psychological (like every time I buy a box of ammo, I'll put an equal amount aside in the safe fund).
The point is to give myself a working fund that I can base my shopping around, which can be adjusted up or down at the time I finally make my purchase.
@ CB900F:
Given a working budget of $2,000, what would you recommend? I'd be shopping for a 24-30 gun safe, preferably with an electronic lock. I've read several of your postings on safes and, while a make and model recommendation would be nice, I'd really appreciate an insight into what positive and negative characteristics to look for in this price range when I'm shopping.
Keep in mind, once I've reached my budget goal I won't have a problem upping the final price somewhat if necessary.
And here's another question: suppose I find a pretty good deal on a safe with the size and physical qualities I am looking for. What kind of expense would I be looking at should I decide I wanted to change/upgrade the electronic lock?