mikeb3185
Member
i am looking to purchase a new gun safe. i curently own an $80 stack-on. what am i looking for as far specs (fire, securtiy, ect). i want 16+ gun with extra room for valuables, around the 1K mark. thanks for the help in advance
gun safe
- Thread starter mikeb3185
- Start date
- Status
Liberty seems to be the best deal. You should easily get a 16+ gun for under $1k depending on finsih. Fort Knox sure is nice too.
Now everyone jump on and say you are screwed with a safe anyway because all your guns will melt in a fire and a petty thief can break in anyway.
Now everyone jump on and say you are screwed with a safe anyway because all your guns will melt in a fire and a petty thief can break in anyway.
You do have to look at the fire rating. Lots of people think they are getting a fire proof safe and it is not the case. They have fire ratings, or how long they will keep out the heat. For about 1K it will not have a very good rating, so in a house fire there would be a good chance your guns will suffer some damage.
It would take a determined thief to break into a safe, so you guns would be safe from the casual hit and run thief as long as you have it anchored down. Again we are talking about only a 1k safe.
With all that being said, A safe is a good idea and will keep your guns safer. Decide what features you need(higher fire rating vs better lock, etc), place you want to put it(always a good idea to hide it), etc and then get the best one you can affort.
It would take a determined thief to break into a safe, so you guns would be safe from the casual hit and run thief as long as you have it anchored down. Again we are talking about only a 1k safe.
With all that being said, A safe is a good idea and will keep your guns safer. Decide what features you need(higher fire rating vs better lock, etc), place you want to put it(always a good idea to hide it), etc and then get the best one you can affort.
from my experience...
One more point...
All fire ratings are not the same. The ones Liberty, Knox and I think Remington use employ the "ramp up" system. So they heat up the safe to 1200 degrees, THEN start the clock. So a 60 minute rating starts when the temp hits 1200. I know the "Mustang" safes include the ramp up time in the rating.
I live a bit out of town away from the fire department so I got a 60 minute safe. Since it's out of sight, I got the matte finish. For under $2k I got the largest Liberty available. But that was over a year ago and I got some discounts at Gander Mountain.
I'd suggest finding the safe you want first, then finding a deal. There's some good info by doing a Google search and American Rifleman had a pretty good artice about it a few months back.
Oh, and buy one step bigger than you think you'll need. My safe is filling up much quicker than I thought.
One more point...
All fire ratings are not the same. The ones Liberty, Knox and I think Remington use employ the "ramp up" system. So they heat up the safe to 1200 degrees, THEN start the clock. So a 60 minute rating starts when the temp hits 1200. I know the "Mustang" safes include the ramp up time in the rating.
I live a bit out of town away from the fire department so I got a 60 minute safe. Since it's out of sight, I got the matte finish. For under $2k I got the largest Liberty available. But that was over a year ago and I got some discounts at Gander Mountain.
I'd suggest finding the safe you want first, then finding a deal. There's some good info by doing a Google search and American Rifleman had a pretty good artice about it a few months back.
Oh, and buy one step bigger than you think you'll need. My safe is filling up much quicker than I thought.
Seventhsword
Member
Another thing to consider is the warranty. I own a Cannon and if the safe has a problem and can't be fixed in my home they pay shipping to the factory for repair and back to me. 
EYESOFTEXAS
Member
I've been looking at safes in $800-1000 range. I've settled on Granite Security, made in Fort Worth, Texas. I've heard good buzz on them.
M-Rex
member
a1abdj
Member
Well....so many things to comment on, but I'll just stick to some of the basics.
Everybody who makes safes has them tested differently. If a safe is 12 ga. steel, and has 2 layers of 5/8" gypsum board, it's going to keep the fire out the same as any other safe of the same construction. One safe may have a 45 min. rating, and one may have a 60, but don't think that the 60 minute safe is better just because it has a sticker that says so.
Liberty, Pro-Steel (Browning), and many of the other safe companies are importing their lower lines ($1,000 and less) from China. Why pay for the name when you can buy the same safes, from the same factories, with a different name for less money?
Gun safes by their very design must be large enough to hold firearms, yet light enough to go into a house. As such, the steel used in them is usually pretty thin. The imports typically use thicker steel than the American made counterparts. The thicker the steel, the more security. The more fireboard, the more fire resistant. Get as much of the two as you can afford.
If you want an American made safe in that price range, Granite Security makes an ok safe, as does AMSEC. Fort Knox which somebody mentioned makes good safes, but are much more expensive.
If you don't mind having an imported safe I have some Diamond Back's listed on my website. I choose the Diamond backs because they use 1/8" (10 ga) steel bodies, and 1/4" plate in the doors. They do not add any fluff (additional relockers, hardplate, fancy paint), but upgrade the essentials (steel thickness, bolts on all 4 sides of door, gear driven boltwork). They have 6 models, most of which can be had for under $1,000.
As far as a warranty......this is why you should buy safes from a safe company, and not a gun shop or a big box store. When somebody I sell a safe to has a problem, I go out and fix it. I don't tell them that I don't have a clue and give them a 800 number to call, or instruct them to bring it back to the store for an exchange. Guys like me are also able to inspect the safe prior to delivery to make sure everything is in working order.
As far as the fire, theft, and flood replacement warranties.....that's what your homeowner's or renter's policy is for.
Everybody who makes safes has them tested differently. If a safe is 12 ga. steel, and has 2 layers of 5/8" gypsum board, it's going to keep the fire out the same as any other safe of the same construction. One safe may have a 45 min. rating, and one may have a 60, but don't think that the 60 minute safe is better just because it has a sticker that says so.
Liberty, Pro-Steel (Browning), and many of the other safe companies are importing their lower lines ($1,000 and less) from China. Why pay for the name when you can buy the same safes, from the same factories, with a different name for less money?
Gun safes by their very design must be large enough to hold firearms, yet light enough to go into a house. As such, the steel used in them is usually pretty thin. The imports typically use thicker steel than the American made counterparts. The thicker the steel, the more security. The more fireboard, the more fire resistant. Get as much of the two as you can afford.
If you want an American made safe in that price range, Granite Security makes an ok safe, as does AMSEC. Fort Knox which somebody mentioned makes good safes, but are much more expensive.
If you don't mind having an imported safe I have some Diamond Back's listed on my website. I choose the Diamond backs because they use 1/8" (10 ga) steel bodies, and 1/4" plate in the doors. They do not add any fluff (additional relockers, hardplate, fancy paint), but upgrade the essentials (steel thickness, bolts on all 4 sides of door, gear driven boltwork). They have 6 models, most of which can be had for under $1,000.
As far as a warranty......this is why you should buy safes from a safe company, and not a gun shop or a big box store. When somebody I sell a safe to has a problem, I go out and fix it. I don't tell them that I don't have a clue and give them a 800 number to call, or instruct them to bring it back to the store for an exchange. Guys like me are also able to inspect the safe prior to delivery to make sure everything is in working order.
As far as the fire, theft, and flood replacement warranties.....that's what your homeowner's or renter's policy is for.
I'd only add that in addition to a full-size safe, a smaller lockbox-type deal with silent push-button entry is a worthwile investment. I found one that can be locked down or bolted to the floor/wall. I have one bolted to the floor under my bed, and another bolted to the inside wall of the fronthall closet. (I don't carry at home, and this lockbox provides convenient/quick access to a gun answering the door. (I'm not always armed when answering the door, but would be under certain circumstances)
It provides quick, silent access to a pistol in the dark. It's probably not as theft-proof as the larger safe, but it's a calculated risk.
As mentioned above, that's what homeowner's insurance is for.
It provides quick, silent access to a pistol in the dark. It's probably not as theft-proof as the larger safe, but it's a calculated risk.
As mentioned above, that's what homeowner's insurance is for.
- Status