Need Safe Advice

[Havok7416]

Hey guys, I'm looking to buy a house soon and I will be buying a safe as well.

For those of you who have bought a safe, what size was it and what modifications did you have to do to the house/floor to accomodate the safe?

The safe I want weighs 1,100 pounds empty. Most of the homesin my area have a crawl space, although a few have slabs.

Any practical experience or advice would be appreciated!

 

[Savage99]

If I get another safe it might be one I can assemble, put in place myself where I want and or disassemble myself should I want to.

Such safes are made by Snap Safe, Zanotti, Champion and perhaps others.

 

[Havok7416]

I will look into that, but it appears to be an RSC in that picture. I am looking at the Liberty Lincoln 50 as a minimum to meet my needs.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

I will look into that, but it appears to be an RSC in that picture. I am looking at the Liberty Lincoln 50 as a minimum to meet my needs.

... which is also an RSC...

 

[CB900F]

Havoc7416;

It would help if we had a max budget figure also. Just my .02, but you can do better than Liberty if it's an RSC you want. However, if it's a true U.L. rated safe that's needed, then your choices are pretty much limited to the very top end of the AMSEC line, Brown, Graffunder, or a used commercial.

Crawlspace homes aren't difficult to support a heavyweight safe in, depending of course on just how heavy it is. Sometimes simply safely getting it to the desired location in the home can be a trick. But usually a leveling of the dirt in the crawlspace, laying a sheet of heavy plywood, say 3/4" thick, and a couple of 4X4's between the ply & the floor joists is sufficient. That's if there's no chance of water in the crawlspace.

Depending on your lender, you may be able to finance a true safe with the home. It need not be a permanent installation either. Rule of thumb is to always buy twice as big as you think you need. I know this for an expensive fact, I'm on my third. The first was an RSC, the second was a 72"X40"X27.5" one ton U.L. safe. The current one is both bigger and heavier with increased thermal protection.

For pics, search for a thread by "Trent" showing the delivery of his.

900F

 

[oneounceload]

Or using some of the trapezoidal shaped concrete pier footing to support a vertical piece of wood. Find thew joists. Just about every model sold is a RSC, very few are actually "safes" or T rated. Figure out how many guns you have and need space for, then double it - at a minimum

 

[Havok7416]

Thanks guys for the input. I called Liberty directly and the safe is safe to put on any residence of a home. The total weight of the safe is only 150 pounds per square foot. Any of the houses I have looked at will accomodate that easily.

As for getting a larger safe, I had a list of guns to buy. Last year I crossed the last gun off that list and have no intention of purchasing any more. The only exception I have allowed myself is a long-term loan to a friend (gun for cash).

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Last year I crossed the last gun off that list and have no intention of purchasing any more.

Oh man... give a guy some warning before you post something like that!

 

[Havok7416]

Oh man... give a guy some warning before you post something like that!

My collection is complete and well-rounded for my purposes, so I figure gun money will be better spent on protecting the collection. I have lived in apartments up until now, so getting a safe would have been a wasted effort.

To address the previous question about a max budget, I really don't have one. Future upgrades may include some sort of vault/armored room to contain the safe as well as the whole reloading room. That's all down the road however. The first step is closing on a house.

 

[leadcounsel]

Advice? Good Lord do not buy a Liberty "safe." They are glorified expensive thin steel boxes.

Look at a Sturdy Safe. Www.sturdysafe.com

As for placement - load bearing corner walls. Bolt down if feasible. Don't overload the room with weight on that side.

As for moving it, lots of good advice here on this forum. You can roll it on golf balls, steel rods, pull it on carpet remnants etc. Be VERY careful not to have it tip over.

 

[Havok7416]

Advice? Good Lord do not buy a Liberty "safe." They are glorified expensive thin steel boxes.

Look at a Sturdy Safe. Www.sturdysafe.com

As for placement - load bearing corner walls. Bolt down if feasible. Don't overload the room with weight on that side.

As for moving it, lots of good advice here on this forum. You can roll it on golf balls, steel rods, pull it on carpet remnants etc. Be VERY careful not to have it tip over.

I figured out the load limits for a standard floor and there aren't many safes that will exceed it.

The Sturdy Safe looks nice, but doesn't suit my needs - namely more shelving. I'm looking at alternatives right now in the interests of keeping an open mind.

As for moving the safe, I'm leaving that to the guys who deliver it. It will be bolted down and it will be in a corner as you have said.

 

[leadcounsel]

I figured out the load limits for a standard floor and there aren't many safes that will exceed it.

The Sturdy Safe looks nice, but doesn't suit my needs - namely more shelving. I'm looking at alternatives right now in the interests of keeping an open mind.

As for moving the safe, I'm leaving that to the guys who deliver it. It will be bolted down and it will be in a corner as you have said.

Sturdy shelves are adjustable in locations. Also, you can simply order or build more shelving. That should NOT be the determining factor in purchasing a safe.

Call them, talk to Terry, and simply request a few more shelves if that's what's holding you back.

Research Sturdy, I"m confident that the majority of customers are highly satisfied, including me.

 

[tiamat]

Research Sturdy, I"m confident that the majority of customers are highly satisfied, including me.

I am with mine. And I also agree that shelf configuration really shouldn't be anywhere near the top of the list when it comes to buying a gun safe.

like leadcounsel suggested - call sturdy and talk to someone. since they make their own products in house, they will make it however you want. Shipping it freight to OH will cost a pretty penny though.

 

[col_temp]

I figured out the load limits for a standard floor and there aren't many safes that will exceed it.

The Sturdy Safe looks nice, but doesn't suit my needs - namely more shelving. I'm looking at alternatives right now in the interests of keeping an open mind.

I would support it anyway especially if you get a true safe.
You really need to decide what you want. The better safes, graffunder, Amsec RFX, Superior UT, usually allow you several layouts.
For instance Graffunder in the larger safes (7248) have 6 interior layouts. #4 or #6 would get you plenty of shelf space plus some room for those guns you have.

Personally I am down to deciding between a Graffunder B7240, B7248 (Maybe a C7240, C7248) or a Superior Untouchable 55 or 65.
Even though there is a main gluelam beam under the wall where I plan to put it. I will be adding some 4x4 supports below along with a 1/4 inch steel plate spanning a couple of floor joists to connect the safe too.

So I welcome the crooks trying to pull that safe out. More likely they lose the towing and axle assemblies than that safe moving!

Long and short take your time and get educated about the differences between an RSC and a a safe.

 

[oneounceload]

There are some serious RSC/safes that utilize a concrete slurry mix that is installed between the outer and inner walls at the time of the safe installation - better fire protection but it makes them HEAVY, so if you go that route, rethink your load bearing capability of your floor