RSC Quandry/Frustrations

[Smythley]

Well, for the past year I have been reading forums and talking to salesmen in hopes of finding a gun safe, or more properly a RSC.

It seems that there are lots of opinions on the subject. I realize that the best thing would essentially be a bank vault in a hidden room in the house. However, for me, this is not an option.

I realize that a professional could get into any of the typical RSCs in a short period of time. I doubt a professional would be interested in a safe full of 870s, 10/22s, and a couple deer rifles. I mainly want one to keep things safe from your average thief and keep them away from kids.

Do they really offer any real fire protection? Seems like just another debate...Everyone tests differently and everyone has a testimonial of a safe that went through a terrible fire and everything inside was just like new and everything was sunshine and roses.

Amsecs look like they get good reviews, but they are about $2k for a 20-30 gun safe. Sturdy Safe is roughly the safe price, maybe a coupe hundred more. Heritage Centennial line looks good, and is right at $2k.

So for $2k it seems I can get a decent RSC. However, Tractor Supply has a Cannon 5934DLX on sale for $700. Sure, it has a stupid camo wheel and is similar to their scout series, but how much more protection are the $2k safes than one for around $1k for your average joe thief or when it comes to fire?

I have read some great advice from a few guys on different forums. Most are safe dealers, or something similar. Regardless, they are quite knowledgeable...

I've set out to buy an RSC twice, but have been defeated both times because I get frustrated by all the marketing and if you don't buy XXXX brand, its crap.

I really don't have a $2k budget to work with. Could I swing that much? Sure, I could, if the extra $1k is worth it. Thoughts?

 

[Outlaw Man]

In my opinion, a safe/RSC should be part of a total security package. A bank vault won't even keep a smash-and-grab burglar out if he has a couple days to work on it.

Is an Amsec or Sturdy worth $1000 more than a TSC model? I really think so.

It's a tough call, though. I'm not certain about the TSC ones, but some of the really inexpensive RSCs can be broken into in seconds. A good Amsec or Sturdy will keep all but the prepared professionals busy for several minutes. If you have an alarm blaring (and hopefully dialing the police), they're probably not going to stick around. But if you buy the Amsec or Sturdy, you may not have the money for an alarm.

I probably didn't help much, did I?

 

[a1abdj]

I'm one of the few guys that forms his opinions because of a different background. Since I actually work with safes, hands on, I have a perspective that your typical salesperson won't have. Heck, I probably know more about some of these gun safes than the gun safe manufacturers themselves know.

If your sole purpose is to keep your firearms away from children and your typical smash and grab burglar, then any of the $1000 options you're looking at should be fine. One caveat: The safe must use a UL rated lock (which if it's really a RSC is a requirement anyway). A UL rated lock will prevent simple manipulation and bypass attempts that are commonly seen on Youtube.

Any safe, even a simple steel box, will provide some degree of fire protection. I don't think many of these gun safes would perform as advertised, and I think many of their testimonials come from people who simply got lucky.

Buy a $1000 safe, and don't loose any sleep over it. Just don't keep anything of extraordinary value, or anything that is not replaceable inside.

 

[Smythley]

Thanks for the replies guys.
A1, I wish I lived closer so I could stop in and see what you had.

Last question, for tonight anyway...

E-locks...I don't like the idea of them, because for me, most electronics fail at some point. Are they that bad? Is a dial better? Or just go with UL rated and don't worry about dial vs. Elock.

 

[78tsubaki]

As usual, a1abdj is spot on. The only things I would add is that with a 1000 dollar safe you can always put a small fire safe inside for documents and the family jewels. I am technically challenged so I prefer the manual dial locks.

 

[Outlaw Man]

A1abdj, or cb900f if he comes across this thread, can answer more specifically, but there are some electronic locks out there that are pretty reliable. They may not be as reliable as a mechanical lock, but they may be enough so to suit your needs. The difficulty might be in finding one on a less-expensive RSC. Those guys could tell you which locks to look for and how difficult or easy it would be to swap on into yours if it doesn't come with one.

I think the general rule of thumb is that if you're going to be getting into your safe/RSC multiple times a day, you should go with electronic. I'm not sure I agree for all situations, though.

 

[Smythley]

Thanks for the input guys. I am trying to make sure both of the RSCs I am looking at have UL certified electronic locks. I haven't seen an RSC in person that had a dial, all seem to be elocks.

 

[medalguy]

I just bought another TSC safe you mentioned for my excess guns and ammo. I know it's not a real safe but I think it'll keep the casual burglar out, especially since I have a monitored alarm with cellular backup and an alarm right beside the safe. And a sheriff's deputy lives right across the street from me. A dedicated burglar will find a way in regardless of any safety devices I have.

One thing I didn't like about this safe is the plastic keypad on it. I prefer metal.

As far as the electronics going dead, I replace the battery every time I replace the batteries in my smoke detector and motion detector sensors, that is, annually.