Safes

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Baldman

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I just received my safe yesterday (Snap Safe Titan) and was wondering how many other THR members have safes. My intent is not to start anything where brand A is better then Brand B and what you have is crap type thread. I'm just curious as to how many folks actualyy have safes, possibly what type and why they went with a safe rather than just a locking cabinet.

I purchased mine because we wil be ahving a bunch of work done in the house adn I'd rather not worry about someone walking off with my firearms or worse grabbing one and injuring my wife. I'll also be using it as double duty and putting some of my important documents and such inside of it in a fireproof box.

Thanks,
Chuck
 
I bought my first safe in '97 but sold it when I sold the house. When we moved to Vegas I bought my current safe, a big National Security that I've been very happy with and we even had it moved to our present house when we moved to Pahrump.

I want something to stop thieves, not a locking cabinet that won't hold anyone out.
 
I have a 'Cannon Safari' safe, bought it about 20 years ago, mid-range quality and fire rating. I am able to cram 7 long guns, 3 shotguns, and 11 pistols clumsily into it.
 
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I have 2 safes and I am in the market for a 3rd. I have one in my bedroom that houses my more prized guns, a few of my daily use guns, as well as some important documents etc. I have another safe that houses all of my other guns. Unfortunately I have outgrown both of them and I now take up space in my father inlaws safe, as well as a few spots hidden around my house. I don't have any kids, my safes are really to protect against theft.
 
I have had one of some sort or another since I was about 27. So, three decades.
 
I have an American Furniture Classics 5 Gun safe in the closet to hold my shotgun and my 22 rifle when I get it soon. I also keep my buckshot, extra barrel, and a machete in there. It is kinda halfway between a cabinet and a safe, as the door is what you would have on a heavier safe, but the body of it is barely thicker than what a cabinet would be. It probably wouldn't stop a truly determined thief but it's pretty secure. I mostly got it for when we have kids in the house to keep them securely away from little hands. I picked it primarily because it was one of the few that would fit the small space I had available, and it was one of the least expensive options available.

I also have a small lockbox with a keypad combo in my dresser drawer which holds my 9mm and 2 loaded mags, have it for the same reasons as the safe.
 
Go big or go home! :)

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1" solid steel.

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Not going to pry this bad boy open.

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There's a whole thread on it somewhere here on THR. I purchased through a forum member.
 
The best safe is one that is built in to a wall/room and hidden from view by something else. If they don't see it they can't steal it. There are places in every house to build "hidey holes". I did it for years before I bought a safe. My safe is bolted to the walls and floor in a closet and has a cabinet from an old furnace covering it. It also helps to leave some "pogey bait" junk out where they will find it and think they've got everything. These guys are looking quickly and moving. They don't spend much time in a house.
 
Guns, Titles, Deeds, Wife's Jewelery and anything important reside in the safe. Removed a door and frame to get the thing in, it's bolted to the concrete deck and I doubt it's going anywhere. So yeah, I see a safe as a good investment and absolutely have one. I should consider another once the new gun room is completed.

Ron
 
I went with a Winchester safe, mainly because of size, price, and features. It has pockets on the door for pistols and paper work. I think it is a 26gun safe, but really I have 5 rifles that fill up one side of the safe. I added a LED light system because it was so dark in there. It was only like $40 and works great. Here is a link: http://www.litetechauto.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=LED%5FSafe

Here is a pic from about a year ago:
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I have a small no name C-rate small safe that is hidden and good for small valuables; an Adesco TL-15 repurposed narcotics safe that works well for handguns, and a very large ISM Cashvault that stores rifles and the most valuable things that I wish to protect.
 
i have two gun safes, both older Brownings. There's also a old steel bank safe built into our aboveground tornado shelter: It weighs 8,000 pounds.
 
The best safe is one that is built in to a wall/room and hidden from view by something else. If they don't see it they can't steal it. There are places in every house to build "hidey holes".

Bingo. I have a relatively small time safe/RSC. It's a 24 gun safe that weighs about 475lbs empty, and has a Secure-Ram electronic keypad, just to give you an idea. It's definitely better than the Stackon cabinets, but it's nothing at all that is even in the same league as Trent's safe.

Mine is in a downstairs room (corner of the foundation) and around it I built a few walls, and a locking door with a big Electrical Hazard sign with the lighting bolt symbol that goes on electrical closets. My house would have no reason to have an electrical closet in it, but you think some smash-and-grab punk knows that? Given the surroundings of the safe, the closet it's in looks legit. If you make it look right, people don't even question.
 
I have two RSCs (gun safes that aren't actually Safes) and a vault.

Most members buy Residential Security Containers sold as "safes", but the Accessories forum and the 2 professionals that post there and help members understand what an actual safe is and how it is different from a safe-like-thing has been importent for me.
 
My gun safe

I couldn't afford a safe so I bought a electronic deadbolt lock and changed out the door to a bonus room closet. It won't keep out a determined thief, but the video system and alarm should slow them down or catch them
 

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Trent, that is one nice safe, wish I had teh rom and guns to fil it.

Zero, you've decorated your safe very nicely, I'm jealous.
 
Trent, that is one nice safe, wish I had the room and guns to fil it.

Thanks.

Careful what you wish for, though. There's a downside to working so much to get what you want; you never get time to enjoy any of it.

Back in 2002 before business really took off, I was living in a little duplex and commissioned this cabinet (my uncle was moonlighting as a woodworker in the evenings back then; by trade he was a machinist/inspector). Didn't have room for a safe, so parked this in my livingroom.

It is 100% white oak and cedar, and has magnetic activated locks (like the child proof ones you can add to cabinets, which was important as at the time I had 3 toddlers running around)

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This was at the height of the Federal AWB craze so even though (today) some of those pieces aren't worth that much, back then they were. :)

The nice thing about that cabinet is that while we were renting, it also meant we had to move quite a bit. The cabinet broke down in to three pieces which made it easier to transport.

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With kids my collection didn't grow much until the business I started took off better. By 2007 I'd got a Type 1 FFL. (My wife made the mistake of saying "you have so many guns you should be a gun dealer; which sounded like a GREAT idea to me!)

Anyway I started adding some more expensive pieces, including a Barrett M95, FN FS2000, Steyr SSG 69, etc .. and grew increasingly paranoid about leavinng home...

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We moved out in the boonies in 2008, but by 2012 I'd added more guns (over 100 at one point, although I've downsized...). The collection also grew to include 7 belt feds. By then I'd grown paranoid to the point I rarely left the house. Something HAD to change.

So ... I burned some credit on my HELOC and did the best home improvement I could - got that big safe. :)

Peace of mind is a wonderful thing.

A walk-in vault is still on my list of home improvements, although I've got to wait a couple years before doing it.
 
I have a Winchester Silverado safe as well. It is not a common model since it came with the 6 pistol holder in the door and not the 4. Was a great buy and it is a decent weight to dissuade casual thieves, though I would still like to bolt it down. $4 motion sensor light from ebay velcroed to the carpet interior turns on when I open the door.
 
Thanks Baldman, I felt like taking an updated pic of the safe. No one ever see's the thing since I have it tucked way out of the way in my house.

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I have a Stack-on similar to Zerobarrier's Winchester one in construction, just with a mechanical lock and lever.
It would succumb to an angle grinder if someone knew what they were doing, but has stategicially-placed hardened still rods sufficient to thwart someone attacking the obvious points. You'd basically have to cut the top off the thing.
I'm not worried about that because someone would have to get it out to do that--it's tucked in a corner--and I'm on the second floor. Yeah, it wouldn't be too hard to get out on its own, but I also lock my full ammo cans in there, so actually getting it anywhere someone can work on it is going to raise alarms.
 
Dues;

All safes / residential security containers truly do is buy you TIME.

Fact: If it can go in, it can come back out.


And there are plenty of folks out there that know how to move heavy objects FAST. Bad guys don't need to be "neat" about things; they could use a chainsaw to remove a wall in a built in closet to gain leverage, etc.

Safes are only good for delaying the inevitable.

What is also important, in conjunction with this, is that another "event" happens which starts the clock AGAINST them.

E.g. they have X minutes to get in to a safe or get it out. They have Y minutes before LEO response shows up.

X must be greater than Y. :)
 
I bought a Cannon when I closed on my house . Big heavy safe .Later When I got married again and leaving a gun on the dresser could be a problem with visitors I bought a small bio safe for the Bed Room . You never know when the wife might bring home a friend and possibly a child .
 
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