Fact or Fiction? Any Gun Safe Is Better Than No Gun Safe

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KansasTrapper77

KansasTrapper77

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I am considering buying a bottom rung Liberty Safe on sale at Scheels this weekend.

So my question is:
Is a budget safe better than no safe? Or is it a one stop shop for the criminals?

A bit of background:
I am young, dumb, and broke. I live in a rental house, but have plans to move in a few years. I live in a respectably sized city. I am the proud new member of the local gun club and plan on some light local competitions. To do so, I will remove some of my “fun-er” guns from my fathers nice safe in a rural area and be bringing them to reside with me in urban-land.

My thoughts:
One day I plan on buying a large expensive safe that gets placed, bolted down, and never moved again. I don’t really want to spend alot of money on a hold-over safe. But. If you spend the money might as well get something worth buying. Is a Liberty Centurion 24 worth buying? In all honesty I probably could get away with a smaller safe but….the insides of guns safes always seem to shrink and the 24 gun bumps the fire rating up an extra 10 minutes. I have plans to hide this safe away from the few guests I have and more importantly away from areas the handyman will ever be in. But to do so requires me to go up 2 flights of stairs. (Split levels are satan’s work) So an entry level safe is small enough and “light” enough for me to manhandle up some stairs on a good dolly. Being a rental I can’t bolt this safe down. It will be free standing.

Is an entry level safe like this worth having? Or is it just a convenient place to put all your goodies so the thief’s don’t have to rummage through your house?

Thanks for the feedback.
 
I have the steel locker type. They are not fire proof. But they are not that easy to break into. I lost my keys to some of them. It took some time to drill out the lock to replace it. Later i did find the keys. I also have it where it's hard to get my gun room. Reversed solid doors are hard to kick in. And also bolt down the cheap safes too. If they can't be tipped over. It's harder to break into with a pry bar and hammer.
 
I went for many years without a safe or even steel cabinet, but after having them I'd recommend at least the steel locker type (such as a Stack-on or similar) to keep the honest and/or innocent people out if nothing else. I'd say the odds are high that the Centurion safe you mentioned will serve your basic security need as well as a higher end model. Even if you have a burglary in your house, it's more likely to be perpetrated by a smash-and-grab type who isn't going to devote the time to attempt to breach a locker or lower-end safe instead of someone with a torch, side grinder, crow bar, skill and determination.

One of my own concerns is that I have tools on the property that I could use to breach most safes given a bit of time. I guess I just hope a thief with the knowledge to locate, identify, and use the tools, and willing to spend the time to breach a safe doesn't strike. These days, most people don't even know how to check the engine oil in their car, so maybe they will just rummage through my dresser drawers and quickly give up on the safes and lockers. :)
 
I was burglarized many years ago and all I had was a stack-on el-cheapo gun cabinet screwed to the wall in a closet. The creeps took a bunch of stuff, from a vcr to a new pair of Sorel snow boots, but left the guns alone.

I have also taken lots of burglary reports and been involved in lots more prosecutions of home and car burglaries. Most (not all) are crimes of opportunity where the crook(s) break in, ransack the same places (beds, nightstands, closets, dressers) looking for guns, money, jewelry, then split asap. (Car burglary is pretty much the same, glove box, consoles, then split.) Easy-to-sell stuff, or cash, is a primary goal.

Most crooks don’t want to spend the time to pry or cut open a safe, nor did they bring a crew and truck to take the whole thing to dismantle later.

Again, that’s most crooks. So a hardened box like a gun safe is a fair deterrent should a burglar break in. Add in Ring doorbells or internet cameras, dogs, nosy neighbors or a home alarm and you made the fortress a bit less enticing to break into. Plus, you may increase the “rush factor” that gets thieves in and out quickly. (Less likely to take the time to work on a safe.)

Now a targeted burglary looking for your guns? That is a different story. They will bring tools or a crew to either boost the whole safe or force it open because that is their goal. In cases like these hardening the fortress, inside and out, is the best bet.

Another plus to having even a lower end safe is keeping inquisitive kids away from them should visitors come over for a visit. We read about these tragedies almost every week. :(

Inexpensive safes are only good for “Keeping honest people honest” has a ring of truth to it, but they can keep dishonest (or unauthorized) people from accessing your firearms, too. Having one is certainly better than keeping them in gun cases leaning against the wall in a closet, under the bed or even in the attic.

Nothing is absolute, and these are just generalities, but my 31.5 years in LE has shown the above to be very common patterns.

Good luck, may you never need to find out how well it works. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
KansasTrapper77 said:
member of the local gun club
Click to expand...

Does your club have onsite secure storage that would provide better protection than a cheap Residential Security Container (that's what you're actually getting)? Even if they rent storage instead of including it in the membership does it come out the same or only slightly higher over time as buying this "safe"?

Remember that you won't get fire protection with an RSC so even though you're renting could you put a false back wall in a closet with enough room to hold the few guns you're bringing? Some other way to hide them effectively against a thorough search instead of a rushed burglary?

Get all the facts and think outside the box before deciding.
 
hso said:
Does your club have onsite secure storage that would provide better protection.
Click to expand...

If we’re being honest calling it a gun glub makes me chuckle a little because its more of a Range Membership that often hosts competitions. So no cigar there.

And the thinking outside the box is a little limited by it being a rental. My thinking outside the box, is not putting the safe in the garage or basement. :confused:
 
CoalCrackerAl said:
If people don't know what you have. The less of a chance they will be prepared to breach a safe. One time a stranger walking by while i was loading my gear in the car. Asked me what kind of gun do i have. I use cases to transport them. I told him were going to a paint ball challenge. He said oh. And continued on down the road.
Click to expand...

I’m with you there, I’m an outgoing gun owner but like to be selective of who I tell.
 
An inexpensive safe is not necessarily all one needs but my own experiences as a close observer as an employee at a sporting goods store which was a Liberty dealer told me a cheaper safe may be your best bet financially. (Note this is just financially speaking. It does not take into account sentimental value or intrinsically priceless heirlooms).

The safes that I saw that took fire damage had about a 90% destruction rate. The fire got hot enough to destroy the safe and the contents. What little could be saved usually needed full overhaul. (Refinishing for sure and maybe some minor mechanical repairs). IOW, the safe “saved the firearms” but not 100%.

As to burglary, if they are looking for things innsafes they will have the tools and knowledge to breach a safe quickly. Thick steel is the only thing that stops physical attacks on safes. Most RSCs, which includes nearly all the major brands, are not built to withstand physical attack, usually only fire. Overall weight makes up the rest of a typical RSCs security features.

All that said, the number 1 problem by far encountered with residential safes are electronic locks malfunctioning or needing a battery. I highly suggest getting a dial lock either installed or purchased with any safe/RSC.

My general advice on this topic, which has been by and large, greatly unpopular is to buy an inexpensive safe from a reputable manufacturer and source that is sized to your needs with a dial lock either included or installed soon after purchase.

Oddly, electronic locks seem to be very popular on the more inexpensive safes as well. I suspect because they are less expensive than dials at the point of manufacture.

The very best safe is insurance unfortunately.

My own security is having a small collection of firearms. Easily replaceable things in general, and good insurance that is remarkably inexpensive if you don’t have a bunch of expensive stuff you are trying to protect.
 
I guess it depends on your goals. Given enough time a determined thief can get into even the best safe. My primary goal was to keep my guns away from kids and grandkids. And hopefully slow down a thief long enough that they would look for an easier target.

None of my guns are high dollar so I've been fine with a less expensive safe. Actually 2 of them. I could probably combine all of my guns into one safe at this point. But I have other items, important documents etc., in them too.
 
I suggest a steel cabinet. They're a lot easier to move when you move. I like my Stack-On brand, but there is nothing special about it. I got the 18-gun model at Tractor Supply for $140 around 2019. I built out the interior myself with some maple plywood, Akro louvered panel, and Akro bins. The 18-gun cabinet will hold 6 long guns with optics and at least that many pistols.
 
Inexpensive/or moveable safes are indeed better than nothing, however if your intent is to stymie the casual lightfinger or smash and grab creeper, consider this:
Replace the residential knob on an interior closet door with a keyed entry lockset. Voila! your linen closet is now lockable and a fine place for out-of-sight, out-of-mind storage. For 20 bucks, it is now about as secure as a metal cabinet-type safe. Another idea is a dead refrigerator or freezer with a padlock. Most bad guys won't bother to spend time breaking in for Swanson TV Dinners.
 
Liberty makes solid stuff for the money with pretty good fire protection. If you’re considering one of those versus a cheap sheet metal locker it’s no contest. IMO a quality RSC from a reputable brand is a good investment no matter how poor and transient you are.
 
KansasTrapper77 said:
limited by it being a rental
Click to expand...


If you check out the Gear & Storage section here you'll find a lot of discussions about storing guns "outside the box"...especially in rentals. Putting up a panel in the back of a closet is a trivial modification that takes very little effort to put up and remove when you move.
 
Go to Loew's and get your self a big Job Site Gang Box. 2 huge Master Key locks and weigh it down with some scrap cracked engine heads from 455 cu in something. It will hold all your valuables. Set it in the living room and put a rug on top with a TV. Bingo. I'v used one for years for my overflow shooters and ammo out in the garage. Got some lead from a hospital about 1000lbs nobody will be able to lift it. Put a sign on it "Paint Locker" My friends don't even know what's in it. Keep it private and in your case (not mine) have no gun related stuff lying around an apartment in the city. Good Luck. When I was young in the city I had my Grandfathers shotgun and rifle burgled from me. They were cased and leaning behind a door. Might have well put a "Steal Me" sign with em.
 
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