Fun With Gunsafes

[dinosaur]

This is just a rant sigh and I`ll get it straightened out but if you`ve been thinking about buying your first safe, you might want to press on.

I have a Liberty pistol safe. It`s short and won`t accomodate rifles. Fairly big and would hold probably 30-35 pistols in boxes.

Anyway, I`ve noticed a couple of times the door wouldn`t lock. Close the door and the handle wouldn`t turn to slide the bolts. It happened about a week ago but straightened itself out. Yesterday though I couldn`t get it to work. I wound up taking the inside panel of the door off and lo and behold a piece of the door insulation (looks like ordinary wallboard but thicker) had fallen between the horizontal bar that holds the locking pins and the door. This prevented the bar from moving the pins to the closed position.

The problem was the piece was too big to just remove without removing the bar. It`s held in place by two carriage bolts and nuts. There isn`t a lot of room between the bolt heads and the door so they lock into the bar.

I remove the bar and get out the piece. I reinstall the bar with some difficulty, tight fit, measure to see that all the bolts are sticking out the same and tighten it up. Alignment was difficult because it would bind so I had to move the mechanism around to make sure it worked.

While I`m doing this the safe locks in the closed position. Now the door is open so that`s ok but now the electric keypad won`t work! Grrr. When you you press in the #s the light flashes and you get the normal beep but instead of the whirring sound of the lock releasing, I get a slight noise and no movement. I changed the battery JIK but no joy. Otherwise I didn`t fool with the electric mechanism at all.

The safe is under warrantee and I don`t think I`ll have a problem getting it fixed but this is annoying. I`d like to change out to a dial lock like on my rifle safe. The guns are ok as I just moved them over with the rifles for now.

On a more fun note, I did pick up 2 S&W N frames at the gunshow. Probably overpaid, oh well, but hey, it`s only money. Check the revolver forum later as I`ll try to post a pic.

 

[Preacherman]

In their current state of development, cheap electronic locks (like those found on consumer-level gun "safes" - which aren't really "safes", according to industry classifications) are a snare and a delusion. They malfunction far too often for my peace of mind. My gunsafes have the good old-fashioned combination dial-and-keylock system. It may take a few seconds longer to get into them, but it's much more reliable - and (as anyone should do) a gun or guns for instant access is always available outside the safe.

 

[dinosaur]

I don`t know if this particular safe comes with a dial also. The only thing about the electric is it can be programmed easily enough so I have both safe combinations the same. Otherwise I agree with you.

I`ll be calling Liberty service later on today. The gun dealer I got the safe from is closed today.

Around here you can leave your doors unlocked and no one will bother you. I don`t do that anyway nor do I want my guns lying about so these safes are good for what I want.

 

[0007]

Trust me, the $800 electronic locks aren't that much more reliable. Best story I can tell is putting an $800 on a vault and going back exactly 7 days later to drill the door open because the lock had failed... Replaced it with an old fashioned mechanical one. Try to get an 8400 series S&G. It'll probably cost more but worth it.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Dial any day.

 

[dinosaur]

Well, I called the Liberty service dep`t. The guy actually listened to the lock over the phone and said it was defective.

He verified my info from my warrantee card and said someone would be in touch. About 2 hours later I got a call from Sargent & Greenleaf, the lock company. The guy faxed me a verification form to sign and fax back. He told me he was sending me out a new dial lock at my request and a locksmith would be in touch within a couple of days max. Good service so far anyway.

 

[Skibane]

Can't open an electronic lock after a fire – just a little bit of heat will fry the keypad.

IMO, best arrangement is a dial lock with a secondary key-operated lock. Use the key lock for quick access while you're around the house, and use the dial lock for maximum security whenever you're away.

 

[280PLUS]

dino said,,,

"The guy actually listened to the lock over the phone and said it was defective. "

sounds to me like they've had issues with this style lock before,,,

 

[MrPink]

When I bought my first safe, my dealer said the most service calls he gets are for electronic locks. He recommended a traditional dial S&G. The convenience and speed of the electronic lock have been outweighed by the years of trouble free operation (2 more safes later!).