Should i buy 1 or 2 safes/cabinets?

[chetrogers]

With the money I have saved up and with my tax money IM going to get in a couple of weeks.Im going to finally get a safe/cabinet.I am pretty positive I will be buying a Liberty safe.My limit is 1000 dollars max.I Know most people think I should safe up and buy a real safe but it has been 3 years for me to get up this far..So 1000 is absolute max..At the store I went to they have a 17cubic ft safe for 500 dollars and they have a 23cubic ft safe for 1000..Im curious should I buy the big one or just buy 2 of the 17cubic ft safes..Here is the website of the safes.Thanks for any suggestions..I notice the 17 is 400 pounds and the 23 is 500 pounds..I will be bolting it/them down.Thanks for any info or thoughts.

 

[Preacherman]

I guess it depends how much help you'll have to move them (now and in the future, when you move house). The smaller one will be much easier to move with only (say) two people. I've found that a 550-pound safe needs a minimum of three people to move it, and they battle - four is better.

However, the weight may also have something to do with fire-proofing. Are they both fire-rated? Is the rating for the same length of time? Worth checking.

 

[chetrogers]

Thanks for the reply.The smaller one has a 20 min rating and the bigger has a 30 min rating.But to be honest im more worried about stealing then fire.When i get enough guns and upgrade to a real safe i will buy one that has a good fire rating .Thanks for the reply i appreciate it.

I only have 8 guns total and my most expencive is my sar-1

 

[chetrogers]

And the smaller one just has a handle to open up the safe after the combination is placed..The bigger one has one of those star tire iron looking things sorry i dont know what the dial is called

 

[Ben Shepherd]

This weight thing........

I'm not sure it's a good idea that your safe will be easily moved by 2 people.

One other consideration:

If you have a multi level house, put the safe in the basement if possible. Why?
1. Much easier to move in than out. (theft deterent)
2. No falling through floors.

 

[chetrogers]

Unfortunetly i dont have a basement..If the safe was loaded and weighted 600 pounds that wouldnt fall through my floor would it? Never thought of the weight going through the floor.Thanks for any info

 

[Preacherman]

The main thing to remember is that a residential security container (RSC - that's what these "safes" really are) is not going to stop a professional burglar. Anytime he wants to get in (or rip your safe out), he'll be able to do so, because he's equipped for the job. The purpose of an RSC is really to deter the casual burglar: one (or more) guys wanting to grab anything they can, but not equipped with grinders, cutters, etc. to tackle a safe, or with a pick-up truck to tote it off.

I think that even the lighter unit will be adequate for this sort of thing. Secure it to the floor (and to the wall, if you can drill a couple of holes in line with studs), and don't put it anywhere where it's real easy to remove (e.g. near doors or windows).

An RSC can certainly do a good job. One of my friends found this out the hard way a few weeks ago. While she was away for a weekend, some BG's kicked in her front door (in an apartment complex - yet no-one heard a thing... ), and spent most of a night trying to get into her RSC. They ended up trashing it completely, with the lock and handle ripped off, the top bashed in, and so on - but they didn't manage to get it open. Needless to say, although the safe will have to be replaced, she's very happy she had it!

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Get under the house in the crawl space directly underneath the safes intended location. As long as the beams look good, 600 lbs. shouldn't be a problem. A corner location would be best from a weight standpoint. In a corner closet disguised as something like a box for a fake christmass tree is a pretty good idea. Also you may seriously want to consider bolting it to/through the floor.(they may break into it, but they aren't just gonna haul it out on an appliance dolly, to be broken into at thier liesure. ).

The safe should be one more layer of defence, each layer you have, from deadbolts, locking windows, etc. takes time. Time to complete a buglary is bad for them-thus good for you.

 

[4v50 Gary]

I think 2 people and a handtruck can move a 550 pounder. Three is safer and less chances of injury though. Be sure to bolt it down and then load it down with lead on the bottom.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

One more hit. When the safe company delivered mine(which weighs 1200lbs) it only took three of us 15 minutes to get it in the house and set where I wanted it. If it wasn't bolted through the floor and to the wall, I think it wouldn't take much longer to get it back out.

So one last time let me reccomend bolting it down.

PS: careful after you bring your safe home, your guns develop "rabbititis" in the dark like that. And then you'll just need another safe.

 

[saltydog]

I wouldn't recommend "cutting or tourching" into my safe as I keep "x"lbs of black powder in there. Hate to see gun powder fall into the wrong hands.

 

[BluesBear]

yikes


The LAST thing I would store in any Safe or RSC is powder.

I proper powder magazine is designed to VENT the excess pressures not to contain them.

 

[KarlG]

I would say to buy the two safes if the quality is equal to the one. You get more volume for your $. Also, it is more likely that you will retain at least part of your gun collection if a bad guy breaks in.

I had a cop tell me to locate your safe in the main level in plain sight. A bad guy breaking into the house will realze that your valuables are difficult to takeand will not want to be in the house when the gun owner gets home.

I have heard it said (by a safe salesman) that a safe (RSC) should be located on the main floor. If there is a fire and the trucks roll, your basement will be filled with water. If your safe is down there it too will be filled with water (as it cools down the seals contract and will allow water in). If you locate the safe on a main level, and it the floor burns, the safe is likely to fall
on top of rubble, and have a chance of staying dry.