Liberty Gun Safes

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Techsan

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I'm considering getting one in the Franklin Series, 50 cf, 41 gun capacity, at a price of $1,700. For anyone who has owned a Liberty safe, what is your opinion. I need a good sturdy safe, but I can't afford to break the bank. I've also considered the AMSEC BF Series 30 gun capacity, but I can get the larger Liberty safe for $300 less. Thanks for your input folks.
 
Always get the largest safe you can afford... and find a really good sale. These words were told to me years ago and they ring true.

:)
 
Do a search here, and in the General Discussions forum, for 'Liberty safe RSC'. You will learn a lot.

The short version is that the AMSEC is likely a far better security container for the money.
 
Liberty Safe

I've had a Liberty safe for 14 years now. Since I've never had a fire or a break-in I can't speak to how it will hold up to that, but I expect it will perform as designed. No problems with the lock (S.&G. non-digital) or with the door hinges.
My model is about 700 lbs. and so I put it in a corner over the foundation and then put two screw jacks under the house to help support the weight of the safe.
 
Have you looked at the bighorn rhino safe? Buddy of mine has one and it seems well put together. I am even considering one.
 
I have a Liberty vault and I like it. Last year when I opened the door
the handle spun all the way around and would not operate the bolts
anymore (glad it was opened). There is a lock collar with a set screw
that connects the handle to the locking bolts that had broken. I called
Liberty and asked why the handle was not welded and they said the reason
for the collar and set screw was so if anyone hit the handle with a sledge
hammer it would break the handle loose from the bolts leaving it locked.
Liberty next day aired me the part and said they could send some to install
it for me if I could not. Very good customer service for a product I bought
8 years ago.
 
safe

The Amsec BF is a better bet. It has a 1/2 inch plate door and the dry light fire insulation. The BF series is in my opnion the best "safe" out there for RSC's. For the 300 buck difference you are getting a unit that is stronger and has an injected concrete mixture that offers both heat and fire resistance. Plus the Franklin is a 12g body while the Amsec is 11g with a 16g inner liner and the concrete mixture in between the layers. The door on the Franklin is a 12g (one tenth of an inch) sheet on the outside with fireboard in the middle and another 12g sheet. So the total thickness of steel on the door is .21 for the Franklin and .50 for the Amsec.......the Amsec door has more than twice the steel. The total steel in the body is also greater in the Amsec. 300 bucks is less than the price of one gun.
 
I agree the Amsec BF is a far superior safe to the Liberty Franklin.
In my area you can buy a gloss paint job BF 6030 for $1500.00.
I think the Liberty in the same size and paint is close to the same price but why bother when you get far more security fire wise and burglar resistance with the Amsec??
I will take that double wall bodied with plate steel door any time over a 12 gauge bodied composite door safe.
Another one to look at is the FT.Knox Defender or Protector.
What i like about them is that you can order them with the additional 10 gauge inner steel liner,reinforced fire door, and now for 2008 outside hinges that gives the door a 180 degree swing.
Of course the Ft.Knox is several hundred dollars more than the Amsec.
 
$1,500 is a great price for that safe. The closest dealer to me wants $2,000 for it plus another $250 to deliver plus $45 to bolt down in the garage.
 
Really!!
Not sure where you live but if any where close to Houston Tx. then i know where to send you.
Honestly i have been researching gun safes(RSC for the purists)for months which is exactly how i stumbled onto this website,and after pricing a BUNCH of gunsafes i find,at least where i live the Amsec BF series is always cheaper in price to their competitors.
Not sure why that is though.
 
There are a few dealers with old stock trying to move them now. AMSEC increased their wholesale price this December, and $1,500 is less than our one off wholesale price with shipping.

I can usually get a textured BF6030 for fellow forum members in the $1,900 range including shipping with curbside delivery. Our reqular price as of this last price increase is $1,900 plus shipping.

The BF series has also undergone a change. They now use 11 gauge inner and outer walls, with the injected material between.

Liberty is an OK safe, but you're not getting the protection that they lead you to believe you're getting. Their customer service is very good, and I do some of that work for them. We don't see much of it, which means their safes hold up pretty well during normal use.

Although buying a big safe is a good idea, buying two smaller safes is a better idea. It will cost a little more, but it will give you double the burglary protection. If your collection is so large that it requires that big of a safe, you're probably in the dollar range that the extra protection should be used.
 
A1abdj did they start putting that 11 gauge inner steel liner for the 2008 models??
I really want to know this because if so i will gladly pay a bit more for the newer model.
That makes this an even better gun storage unit.
Anyway the 1500.00 was the price as of the end of December.
This place is also the largest independent gun dealer in America so for all i know they may get special pricing from Amsec.
 
A1abdj did they start putting that 11 gauge inner steel liner for the 2008 models??
Click to expand...

I am making an educated guess and saying yes. I spoke with them about a year ago, and they told me they were using 10 gauge outer walls with 16 gauge inner walls. They also mentioned that they were considering a change to 11 gauge, but did not explain any further.

Earlier this week, I spoke with them again, and they did tell me that they switched to 11 gauge inner and outer walls. This may very well explain the price increase, due to the extra materials cost.

This information, for some reason, is never mentioned in any of their literature.

This place is also the largest independent gun dealer in America so for all i know they may get special pricing from Amsec.
Click to expand...

I won't say there aren't exceptions, but AMSEC typically does not like to deal with people other than professional locksmiths, especially when selling direct. I suppose if they were ordering truck loads of safes at a time, they may make an exception.

We had a local sporting goods store that was selling AMSEC safes that nobody could figure out where they were getting them from. AMSEC wasn't selling them to them, the distributors for our area weren't selling them to them, and the store refused to tell us. AMSEC had a big problem with that, and the store no longer sells them.
 
a1abdj this place sells tons of firearms and also carries Browning safes as well as Winchester and of course the Amsec's.
I would not doubt for a minute that they buy them by the truck load.

About information that is and is not mentioned in the manufacturers sales catalogues.
This situation can at times lead to some frustrating research.
I have a 2007 Amsec catalogue and they tell you about the double layer steel walls but not their thickness.
They do let you know about their proprietary concrete insulation and half inch plate steel door.
Then you move up their line to the beefier SE series and they give you even less information.
But Amsec certainly is not alone here.
Point in case.
It took me three tries to get Champion safe company to inform me about the steel thickness in the composite door of their Crown and Triumph series safes.
The Crown also is like the Amsec BF in that it has a 10 gauge outer wall and 16 gauge inner steel liner.
But it is filled with four layers of fire rated sheetrock.
Finally as i mentioned they e-mailed me and told me the Crown door has an outer skin of 10 gauge and a 3/16 of an inch inner plate.
Not too bad but a 1/4 of an inch imho would be better.
The Triumph series is practically the same as the Liberty Lincoln.
12 gauge outer door skin with a 10 gauge inner steel panel.
But they are still higher in price than the Amsec BF in equal sizes.
Obviously one must ask plenty of questions to certain manufacturers to get details,which is a shame because that imho should be something they would be happy to let the customer know if it's something they want to boast about their product line as to why they think their product is better than another manufacturer they are competing against.
Anyway thanks for the additional info.
Still learning.
 
Amsec

Not to start an arguement but since I have been helping a friend in purchasing a new safe I called Amsec yesterday and asked about any changes to the BF series. They told me there were none. When I asked the thickness of the body I was again told 11g outer with a 16g inner. They went onto to say that the 6831 in their HS series is the only gun safe with two 11g walls. They said that the price increase was solely due to the rise in steel prices and that dimensions and weight remained the same as before. Still in my view the best safe out there for the money even if not changed one bit.
 
I just called their customer service line, and also got the 10 gauge - 16 gauge explanation.

Since this is different than what they told me just 2 days ago, I have an e-mail in to the head of their engineering department. I will update everybody when I hear from the person that actually has the drawings in front of them.

**** UPDATE ****

It must be a slow day in engineering, because it only took me a few minutes to get a response.

According to AMSEC engineers, the safes are in fact built with a 10 guage outer shell, and 16 gauge inner liner. The 11 gauge inner/outer construction is a design they are considering, but not yet producing.

Apparently some of these spec sheets for this proposed safe made it to the customer service department, and some of the customer service reps (who only answer the phones and read out of books) replaced their old spec sheets with the new ones (that shouldn't have even been seen by CS).

They will be contacting the person in charge of customer service to hopefully get all of the wrong information out of their books.

I apologize for any confusion I have created, but was only repeating what the manufacturer had told me. I had assumed that information was correct.
 
BF

Like I said built as it has been for the last couple of years it is still a great safe and much stronger than most out there. I would rank it not too far below my Graffunder which was a heck of a lot more money.
 
2-buy or not 2-buy

Debating :banghead: whether to get a single Amsec LP6032W - 20 gun safe at $954 - weighs 632lbs
American Security LP6032W
Or:
Get TWO Amsec 5517W - 11 gun safes at $444 - weighing 232lbs each
American Security 5517W
My reasoning is because of a few things:
1) I can get a little more gun capacity for less $ if I buy two 5517Ws.
2) I want to install these on my slab in the basement, but hauling a 632lb safe downstairs just does NOT appeal to me! Granted, gravity will certainly help the process... Two 232lb safes I can easily handle. Plus if I ever move, a 632lb safe is getting sold with the house, cause I sure as heck aint hauling it back UP the stairs!
3) The LP5517 may have less of a fire resistance, but that's not a big concern of mine.

What do you guys think? $954 is about as much as I want to spend on a safe(s). Also, I live in a relatively low crime area. I intend to mount the safes in the corner on the slab (2-sides and bottom shielded with poured concrete). My primary concern is protecting my daughter (3 years old). She's getting smart enough now to probably figure out how to load and pull the trigger which scares the hell out of me.

Also a question: Does the weight of the safe REALLY matter if I am bolting it down to the slab anyway? Bolts are a whole lot stronger than gravity on a 632lb safe!

Your thoughts are appreciated.
 
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Realize in both sizes that the capacity stated is 30-40% off. Expect 7 or so in the smaller and 13-14 in the larger. If possible since the 5517 is closet size stick one upstairs in a closet and the other down stairs. Yes bolting is needed. If the safe can be moved in it can just as easily be moved out unless bolted. I have a safe that weighs 2400 lbs empty and it is bolted down. With a 232 lb safe even with some guns in it if it isnt bolted the crooks could just take it with them and worry about getting in later.
 
GreenBay,I own an older 5517 and mine was a little heavier in metal than they are now because mine weighs 275 pounds.
Mine was rated at 13 guns.
I currently have in it six scoped hunting rifles and it is full.
I might be able to squeeze in a slender unscoped .22 rifle or perhaps a single shot shotgun but that would be about it.
Above all bolt it down regardless of the safes weight.
 
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