This isn't really a general "gun" discussion, but couldn't really find the appropriate section. I think I have finally amassed enough guns and are valuable enough to neccessitate a good gun safe. I was wandering what ya'll have, and the reason you went with that one as opposed to the next. My Dad has a Frontier, that is very nice, but the only reason he got that one is because we know the guy that USED to make them, and now he just buys and sells them. I have a safe, but it offers no fire protection, and I think that here I am more likely to be burdened by fire than thief. Just wandering, pros and cons, I noticed that Menards,(a big construction box store) sells stack on now that offers 30 min @ 1200 deg. protection. I am a Fireman, so I know about how hot fires are, but where my safe is/will be located, it won't be subjected to a whole lot of heat for very long. Thanks...-Joshua
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Gun Safe?
- Thread starter Joshua M.
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Determine how much space you need and buy one at least twice that large. IIRC there are three or four companies that make safes, so don't get caught up paying more for a prominent name. I have a Liberty.
P.S. I recommend staying away from electronic keypads. I used a number of Sargeant and Greenleaf equipped safes in the military and don't recall one ever failing.
P.S. I recommend staying away from electronic keypads. I used a number of Sargeant and Greenleaf equipped safes in the military and don't recall one ever failing.
Eddie, Thanks, it seems more and more are going to electronic stuff, but that ain't for me. I have a little S&W battery operated safe by my bed, and I think if I had to open it in a hurry, I would have to hit the pause button while I found the backup keys. That thing EATS batteries, and rarely gets used...
06
Member
K.I.S.S.--no electronics, just something to go bad when you need it the most. To vastly increase the "fireproofness" of your safe place 3/4" sheetrock against the sides, rear, and top of your safe. A buddy has six gallons of water in old antifreeze jugs atop his safe. As an old fireman I don't know how much good they would do but he likes the idea.
Safe
Joshua
I may be incorrect but I get the impression that you are not an old person. Go to a gun shop, spind the extra money even if you have to take out a loan. You will have this safe for the rest of your life. 20 years from now when you go on vacation with your family the last thing you want to do is worry about if your gun collection is safe while you are away from home.
Hope this helps
Joshua
I may be incorrect but I get the impression that you are not an old person. Go to a gun shop, spind the extra money even if you have to take out a loan. You will have this safe for the rest of your life. 20 years from now when you go on vacation with your family the last thing you want to do is worry about if your gun collection is safe while you are away from home.
Hope this helps
ronaldo615
Member
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2009
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There are certain features that I consider the most important. Again, this is only my opinion.
I want a dial that is black with white numbers. I have a hard time seeing the gold and silver dials with black numbers.
The fire lined with sheet rock is okay, not a deal breaker for me.
White or light insides are also a plus. A dark safe is hard to see into even if you have lights in it.
If I have a choice, I like a clutch on the handle to open. Again, this is not a deal breaker, but it is nice.
You should always buy a safe that is larger than you think you need. The only exception is that you have to move it. Once you get above 48 x 72 x 36, this gets real tough. I would rather have 2 safes at that point.
Anchor it to the floor no matter what.
Ronaldo
I want a dial that is black with white numbers. I have a hard time seeing the gold and silver dials with black numbers.
The fire lined with sheet rock is okay, not a deal breaker for me.
White or light insides are also a plus. A dark safe is hard to see into even if you have lights in it.
If I have a choice, I like a clutch on the handle to open. Again, this is not a deal breaker, but it is nice.
You should always buy a safe that is larger than you think you need. The only exception is that you have to move it. Once you get above 48 x 72 x 36, this gets real tough. I would rather have 2 safes at that point.
Anchor it to the floor no matter what.
Ronaldo
AJChenMPH
Member
How big are you looking for?
Check out Gardall safes. My wife and I have the 1818/2 safe, it's UL rated for 2 hour fire protection, the thing weighs 400 lbs, and it can be lag-bolted to the floor. I only have four pistols, so there's plenty of space for them as well as our important papers.
www.gardall.com
Check out Gardall safes. My wife and I have the 1818/2 safe, it's UL rated for 2 hour fire protection, the thing weighs 400 lbs, and it can be lag-bolted to the floor. I only have four pistols, so there's plenty of space for them as well as our important papers.
www.gardall.com
MinnMooney
Member
Stack-On seems to make a decent firearms holder that's reasonably secure from those who half-heartedly try to get in. It's great for security from kids and it's OK against most house fires*.
* Remember, most house fires don't burn the house down completely. Most burn a section or two but most damage is from smoke - as you must know being a firefighter.
Fires and heat go UP so keep the safe in a lower part of the house.
If you must store the safe in an upper story then build it into a sheetrock enclosure with 2-3" of fiberglass insulation around it. I've had my garage burn down completely with heat so intense that the aluminum transmission housing on my car completely melted off so only the gears were left but when we tore off the 5/8" sheetrock between the garage and the attached house, the insulation was still as pink as the day I installed it! That says something about the fire-proof value or 5/8" sheetrock.
* Remember, most house fires don't burn the house down completely. Most burn a section or two but most damage is from smoke - as you must know being a firefighter.
Fires and heat go UP so keep the safe in a lower part of the house.
If you must store the safe in an upper story then build it into a sheetrock enclosure with 2-3" of fiberglass insulation around it. I've had my garage burn down completely with heat so intense that the aluminum transmission housing on my car completely melted off so only the gears were left but when we tore off the 5/8" sheetrock between the garage and the attached house, the insulation was still as pink as the day I installed it! That says something about the fire-proof value or 5/8" sheetrock.
Joshua;
I'll suggest you do a search here on THR for the terms "RSC" Residential Security Container, and "safe". They are two different things.
I sell safes, but would prefer you to get some background, much of it presented by A1abdj & myself. In other words, I'm not really going to try to sell you a safe so much asking you to get some necessary info before you make a decision.
900F
I'll suggest you do a search here on THR for the terms "RSC" Residential Security Container, and "safe". They are two different things.
I sell safes, but would prefer you to get some background, much of it presented by A1abdj & myself. In other words, I'm not really going to try to sell you a safe so much asking you to get some necessary info before you make a decision.
900F
a1abdj
Member
I want a dial that is black with white numbers. I have a hard time seeing the gold and silver dials with black numbers.
In most cases, you don't need to buy a safe because it has the lock you want, buy it because of the safe. Even if it doesn't have the lock that you want, the locks/dials/rings can be changed to whatever you like.
SafeGuy
Member
There are lots of safes out there, then there are cabinets. They are not interchangable where their intent is concerned. I personally would not purchase a safe that was not UL listed nor would I buy one made in China, but that's been the subject of debate on other gun safe threads.
I'll be happy to help in any way I can be it on a direct basis or just helping you wade through the choices.
I'll be happy to help in any way I can be it on a direct basis or just helping you wade through the choices.
gun safe response
ok responding to stack on gun safes.......
stack on safes carry a 30 minute fire rating @ 1200 thats true but what about the security? a lot of these import safes that are being sold are truly metal boxes. i wouldn't feel comfortable putting my guns into anything that can be pried open . i have been working in the industry 11 years and will say that if the price looks to good to be true it probably is . a lot of whats being sold in those big chain stores such as cabellas , outdoor world and home depot are junk safes mass produced for a price with little to no regard for a standard. it doesnt make sense to spend in the thousands of dollars on your firearms and only a couple of hundred bucks on your safe. i would stay away from any manufacturer that bends the metal in the door around the firewall to make the door look thicker ......known as a composite door or clamshell door its a decietful practice manufacturers use to make there doors look superior . i know cannon , liberty , redhead ( granite safe co ) , patriot and a host of others do this . i would look for fort knox , heritage , summit , browning or even graffunda safe co. if you are having trouble finding a vendor who stocks these safes i can point you in the right location via your geographical location ........whatver you do do not but an import
ok responding to stack on gun safes.......
stack on safes carry a 30 minute fire rating @ 1200 thats true but what about the security? a lot of these import safes that are being sold are truly metal boxes. i wouldn't feel comfortable putting my guns into anything that can be pried open . i have been working in the industry 11 years and will say that if the price looks to good to be true it probably is . a lot of whats being sold in those big chain stores such as cabellas , outdoor world and home depot are junk safes mass produced for a price with little to no regard for a standard. it doesnt make sense to spend in the thousands of dollars on your firearms and only a couple of hundred bucks on your safe. i would stay away from any manufacturer that bends the metal in the door around the firewall to make the door look thicker ......known as a composite door or clamshell door its a decietful practice manufacturers use to make there doors look superior . i know cannon , liberty , redhead ( granite safe co ) , patriot and a host of others do this . i would look for fort knox , heritage , summit , browning or even graffunda safe co. if you are having trouble finding a vendor who stocks these safes i can point you in the right location via your geographical location ........whatver you do do not but an import
frontier safe company went out of business a few years back........there mid level safes were ok and so were the upper lines but there is no warranty out there for the safes still in circulation . the entry level models when flipped upside down sometimes opened if they had a dial lock in place.
Leafy Cronmer
Member
Dad has a Fort Knox Protector series, and i ended up with a Fort Knox Defender. Fort Knox makes fine safes and i guess i just followed in dads foot steps. Don't know if these safes are on your radar but they are worth a look.
I have a $400 electronic safe that I got from Walmart (seriously).
I know it won't do much against a determined thief, or against a fire, but it does wonderfully against what I needed:
a) protects against children
b) protects against teenagers
c) allows me to have a 2nd code that I can give out to family members and keep the master code to myself. Sometimes my wife gets seriously in the dumps and scares me.....depending on elections, etc....being able to control access is good; mechanical safe woulld not do that
I've had the safe for over a year now. It has functioned flawlessly. I'm still on my original set of batteries and I am in and out of it constantly. They are supposed to last 2 years and they give you a warning when they are low. If I were concerned, it would be easy to just change those batteries, which I probably will this summer.
Before I bought it, I called the company and asked if someone could break into it by merely jerking out the electronic part, or applying a voltage or something to the leads that go into the door. They assured me that this would not work for a thief.
OK, so just my experience. If I owned extremely expensive guns, I might have something different. my 2 cents worth.
I know it won't do much against a determined thief, or against a fire, but it does wonderfully against what I needed:
a) protects against children
b) protects against teenagers
c) allows me to have a 2nd code that I can give out to family members and keep the master code to myself. Sometimes my wife gets seriously in the dumps and scares me.....depending on elections, etc....being able to control access is good; mechanical safe woulld not do that
I've had the safe for over a year now. It has functioned flawlessly. I'm still on my original set of batteries and I am in and out of it constantly. They are supposed to last 2 years and they give you a warning when they are low. If I were concerned, it would be easy to just change those batteries, which I probably will this summer.
Before I bought it, I called the company and asked if someone could break into it by merely jerking out the electronic part, or applying a voltage or something to the leads that go into the door. They assured me that this would not work for a thief.
OK, so just my experience. If I owned extremely expensive guns, I might have something different. my 2 cents worth.
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