Gun safe or more guns?

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I'm right there with ya. Especially now, today, with this administration. I'm in a relative buying frenzy as I'm trying to obtain the things that I think will be stripped from our list of freedoms. Safes will remain readily available after the next AWB, so it can wait.

Although, I just purchased a new safe this week because it was a screaming deal that I couldn't pass by. I did not use my gun money for it though!!!
 
Maybe get a cheap one for now with the plan to upgrade later.... you can always use the cheap one later for ammo or other stuff.
 
Coupla things to remember....do you wanna meet YOUR gun comin' out the door in the hands of a criminal?

There was a proposal a coupla years back ta make safes tax deductible. I don't know what came of that movement. What I _do_ know is that a place where you store things like TAX RECORDS and BUSINESS records is TAX DEDUCTIBLE.

My accountant like to have died laughing - but he agreed that it was 100% legitimate.
 
I see no good reason to buy a cheap junk metal locking box for 300 bucks..

I see these in walley world and wouldn't want one in the first place.

They have 0 insulation so temps go up and down with the whim of weather.
They don't seal any humidity out either, so if you install a golden rod all it will do is work over time.

A cabinet like that will breath, which is good, but it will collect dampness, and never get rid of it.

These are light steel I can rip apart in a few moments time and if i can so can a thief. If you buy one you still need to hide it. So what good is the fancy black or green paint? You can't install it with out bolting it down either.

Most dead old refers can be chopped up to get rid of anything other than the insulation and the box. A little tinkering can make a pretty hard hasp.

The hasp must be rugged.. A cheap hasp is a thiefs delite. Like is typical on enclosed trailers. I know and I found out the hard way. A vise grip clipped to the top of the hasp of this type takes 3 bends before the hasp fails.

This leaves the lower hasp in place and the lock too, still locked! But the trailer doors are easy to open after that takes place.

Converting a refer is cake.. The costs come in the little carpet if you can't get a scrap for free.

If you are handy you can make up a hidden button release from the back side too.

I shoot some flinters which are often taller than a modern rifle and that means a modern cabinet can be just a few inches too short for my guns, and to me this makes the refer look like a much better option.

I don't plan to test fire ability, but some insulatin has to be better than no insulation.

Either way store bought carpeted cabinets and the refer are going to melt carpet in a fire, which will make a mess..

To me the refer is hiding the gun cabinet in plain sight... labeling it as paint and solvents to a thief means he won't bother with it, and if it is plugged in because you have a golden rod and maybe a lamp, just looks normal for a fridge anyway and I bet would not be questioned.

Make a lable saying isocryinates and most anyone with any sence will stay away..
 
The peace of mind that comes with a good safe is rewarding. You can also keep other things inside like legal papers and certificates. I vote for the safe! Security of ones weapons is paramount, if not for the liability aspect, then for the preparedness aspect. "In these times.." remember, there are only a couple (at most) guns you would grab and go with, treat them with utmost respect. Extras are for collecting or buddies :) :)

As for thief proofing; hide hide hide, bolt into studs and/or floor, and put in tight space where high leverage crowbars are hard to use and moving isnt easy.

ps - and always put a few pounds of Blue Dot inside with a note on outside warning of powder storage....if they were going to be stolen anyway decorate your collection with the thief!
So what good is the fancy black or green paint?
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better than the fancy pink paint, but I wanted mine to match my pants...
 
I agree a good safe is best, but the guy said he was poor, and a good safe isn't a 300 dollar box you buy at walley world.

I am not exactly floatin in a pond of dollars either, but I got guns..

A tale: Once I went to a fur trapper event backed up to a French and Indian War event far from home. between these 2 events i sold $1,000.00 in silver at the Harvest Moon event.

That morning I headed to Lak du St Sacrement, you guys call lake george, for 10 days.

Now that lake has places more than 200 feet deep, and not a good place to loose that kinda dough if your me.

I had no choice but to hide it since what I call a pick up truck isn't what you might call a pick up truck, and so I decided to even leave the doors unlocked, and the cash in the truck.

Yup a grand sat on the floor in that truck in almost plain site over a week, with the doors unlocked too.

I stopped on the way to the lake and got a chocolate shake, and when I was done I wrapped the dollars in a bunch of napkins, and stuffed them in the cup making the napkins all sticky. Then I dumped the ash tray contents on top, sealed the lid on the cup and tossed it on the floor in plain sight.

Went off to fight the Yangquize all the week long and never even wondered if that cash was safe.
 
Junedog: I just had the same problem, well it wasn't a problem but... Well.

I fugured keeping 7-$10,000 dollars of guns was way more worth it that losing all that time, money, skill and sweat because some slinker came and stole my guns. Just a thought.

I have a job, if you do: take out a loan! A few bux a month can save you time in the end, not to mention money and explaining to the cops why your shooters weren't locked up

-FL
 
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Thanks for all the advice. I've been thinking I might need a safe, but you've convinced me I really do need one. Since my local dealer said he would give me a 5% discount on any safe in his store, I think I'll take him up on it this week.
 
I know the urge. Just repeat to yourself "I need a safe" every time you go near where you buy your guns.
 
I said before that you could buy a cheap one for now and a more pricey one later...

I will add that you should buy guns and ammo now while you still can - they'll never outlaw safes. Can't say the same about certain guns and ammo.
 
I had the same problem, but between the iffy people in my apartment building, and periodic trips to Apartheid Chicago, I decided that not having the guns I currently have, stolen, was a higher priority than more guns.
 
Junedog;

Do a search here on THR for the term "RSC". You'll get a thousand hits. Or, do it for A1abdj or myself, CB900F. Both of us are professional safe guys. What I'm suggesting is to do some research before you buy. Then, you'll have a better idea of what you'll get for a buck spent.

I sell a line of true safes that are excellent protection, but are also much more expensive than what you've probably been seeing. I'm not saying "buy mine", I'm saying more information is better than less information.

900F
 
Good point CB - even for a Honda man... ;)
In most cases, even a basic safe will stop all but the most determined thief. However, you need to understand their methods before you buy. While I'm in NO way a safe-smart guy, I did a lotta research before purchasing, and asked a lot of questions. Talked to a lot of cops/safe shops that mentioned how many folks buy quality safes, only to locate them next to outside walls. Bad guys come in, smash holes through walls, toss a chain/cable around the safe, and yank it clean out of the house. Oh, yeah - they usually do it with a stolen tow truck.
Another guy had someone use his own torch to punch the safe. Needless to say, my plasma cutter tip resides in the safe when not in use. My safe weighs in at 1700 lbs (prox). There's another 500 lbs of lead in the base, and the safe itself is bolted to the foundation with (6) 1/2" anchors. Can they still get it? Yeah - but by the time they do, it won't be worth the cops that'll be swarmin' all over 'em - so they'll go find someone/place easier - like YOUR place.
If the safe sounds "tinny", they're dang well gonna try to punch it. You'd be sick to know how many of 'em are easy to defeat.
It'd be great if we could get a string going on safe selection/considerations and then get the mods to trim the string to the specifics and make it a locked topic w/a sticky to keep it on top.
 
I have been looking at a Champion Safe, since they are the closest to my home. What good or bad have have you heard about them? The one I am looking at weighs 1150lbs. It may not be big enough but I will have to make do. The price is around $1300.00. Good price or no?
 
What I _do_ know is that a place where you store things like TAX RECORDS and BUSINESS records is TAX DEDUCTIBLE.
Click to expand...

And the best part of that, is that I don't think it's prudent to store all my tax records in one safe. It's better to spread them out and keep guns in them as well to be prepared to defend those records if needed.
 
And the best part of that, is that I don't think it's prudent to store all my tax records in one safe. It's better to spread them out and keep guns in them as well to be prepared to defend those records if needed.
Click to expand...

A feller after mah own heart...
 
Junedog;

Yes, I've heard of Champion. It's an RSC, which is not a bad thing, if it meets your needs. But in order to determine if it is what meets your needs at the lowest cost, you need to do the research.

900F
 
Champion looks like a good safe. Don't forget the fire protection. Electronic keypads are a nice feature also if you plan on accessing the safe frequently. The peace of mind it will give you will be worth the cost of a gun or two.


One thing to remember now is to buy a bigger safe now then you think you will need for a few dollars more. You can outgrow its size quickly. I think many safe owners would agree.

Pat
 
The average gun owner (1-5 guns of no particular value, middle class, suburban, etc) does not need a safe for their guns. They may want one for personal papers or other valuables (family photos, jewelry, cameras, whatever) and choose to get something that holds the guns too but the guns are probably among the least valuable (certainly by weight) items in the safe.

Not that they aren't wise, but... be honest with yourself. $800-$3000 to protect $500-$2000 worth of easily replaced guns doesn't compute. If they can't be replaced or the numbers are much higher you should know that and wouldn't be asking the question.
 
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