ThrottleJockey
member
Come to think of it, old metal school lockers are a similar if not better option to stack-on. Also can be purchased very inexpensively and have locks added easily.
Stack-On Gun Cabinets?
- Thread starter Frog48
- Start date
- Status
I have a Stack-On lock box: http://www.stack-on.com/securityplus/gun_cabinets_and_pistol_boxes/gc-900-5.html
However, I not only bolt it to studs in the wall, I have put a lock on the door to the room where it's kept. It won't stop a determined thief, but it should slow down a smash and grab thief enough that he won't bother to take the time to defeat it. It will also deter any overly curious visitors from trying to access my pistols.
It's certainly more secure than a cabinet with easily broken glass.
However, I not only bolt it to studs in the wall, I have put a lock on the door to the room where it's kept. It won't stop a determined thief, but it should slow down a smash and grab thief enough that he won't bother to take the time to defeat it. It will also deter any overly curious visitors from trying to access my pistols.
It's certainly more secure than a cabinet with easily broken glass.
Wow, where to start.Grant48 said:A few years ago, my parents gave me a wood & glass gun cabinet (see below). Since then, my collection has grown gradually, to the point that I've run out of room. This is what I have now, as you can see its not that big and easy to outgrow:
I've seen the Stack-On gun cabinets at Cabelas. They look like a good value. I realize that they're not fireproof or waterproof, but its gotta be at least as secure as what I have now.
This is what I'm looking at:
It holds 16 long guns, double doors, and plenty of shelving for handguns and accessories.
Anybody have experience with Stack-On products? Is $550 too much for this? Any recommendations for other safes/cabinets in this price range?
1. Take that wooden piece of junk/fire fuel/security risk to an unsupervised range and make it a target.
2. Shop around before you buy the low end metal cabinets. Cabela's is asking a full $300 TOO MUCH for that thing. At the beginning of fall hunting season, wal mart and even kmart carries the 10 gun version for $90. Getting multiples and bolting them together is WAY more secure than your glass door "safe."
moooose102
Member
stack ons are just fine as long as the ones you are trying to keep away from your guns are your kids and somebody walking through your house. but any theif can get in. he got into your house, that tin safe is going to be just as easy. but, like you said, you are going from a wood and glass cabinette. and that is easier to get into than the stack on. just make certain your home owners insurance is up to date, and you have enough coverage for your guns. if you have a family heirloom, you may want to consider hiding it in a different location, that is really out of the way. when they find the stash, they will quit looking for other guns, unless they have prior knowledge of it.
I was at Dicks today buying ski equipment and thought I'd take a look at the safes while I was there.
Found this guy: http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3385837
Should I stay away from this style of Stack-On as well or is it just the lower model ones?
Thanks
-Robb
Found this guy: http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3385837
Should I stay away from this style of Stack-On as well or is it just the lower model ones?
Thanks
-Robb
Frog48
Member
I live in a 2nd floor apartment, so thats definitely a factor. Once I buy a house of my own, a top quality fire/water proof safe will be one of my first purchases.
That is my primary motivation. I dont have any children of my own, but I have several nieces and nephews that visit regularly.
ThrottleJockey
member
That one doesn't look near as bad as most stack-ons. But for that price, I personally IMO would just steer clear of stack-on ALL TOGETHER. As previously stated?, Look at some of the other threads about safes. There is a ton of GOOD info on here about UL ratings, and other variables to consider.
WVMountainBoy
Member
I have two stack-on products and am happy with them. I live in a mobile home where the floors will not support a true "safe" If you use the bolt down/to ability of the cabinets you should be quite okay as the locks on them would delay or secure the guns from all but the most determined. The biggest part of a "safe" is location, placing it someplace where it is not easily knocked over or where a pry bar can be brought to use. Concealment can be your greatest defense. The time necessary to locate and then negotiate the lock box is more than most criminals are willing to do...if they don't see it, they grab the TV and go most of the time. I almost think a room that they can't get into would invite their interest more than an innocent closet thats "shallow" (stack-on hidden behind a piece of wall panel) My two cents.
WardenWolf
member
In my experience, the Stack-Ons always look better in sales photographs than they do in person. They show this nice well-finished metal cabinet with deep green finish. When you walk up to one in person, however, they aren't nearly so refined.
walker944
Member
I love my Stack-On SAFE
My gun collection got a little big over the last few years so I went safe shopping and found this little Stack-On product at Dick's Sporting Goods.
It's their 36-gun safe that I paid $900 for. Lots of room for all my long guns and handguns. I also bought the Stack-On 14 gun cabinet for all my ammo. Paid $100 at Academy for it.
My gun collection got a little big over the last few years so I went safe shopping and found this little Stack-On product at Dick's Sporting Goods.
It's their 36-gun safe that I paid $900 for. Lots of room for all my long guns and handguns. I also bought the Stack-On 14 gun cabinet for all my ammo. Paid $100 at Academy for it.
i have the 14 gun stack on cabinet. i paid $105 for it on clearence at kmart and it works to keep my guns out of reach of my daughter and her friends.
its not something id store a bunch of high dollar guns in if i was worried about buglery.
its not something id store a bunch of high dollar guns in if i was worried about buglery.
Logos
member
A plain old lockable wood and glass cabinet will keep your daughter and her friends out.
A locking steel cabinet is obviously a step up and, if properly fastened to studs in a closet, will deter 95% of the people who might break into your house, because they don't have the time to break it open (especially if you have an alarm system).
The other 5% would be professional enough to defeat an alarm system and crack most heavy gun safes.....and how many of us are going to attract criminals of that level of sophistication?
I do agree though, that one must shop around to get the best deal......keeping in mind that steel cabinets are going to offer substantially more square feet of storage per dollar than the heavy gun safes will offer.
I've come to the conclusion that having a dedicated room with a security door for ammo, guns and other collectibles, plus an alarm system, plus metal cabinet storage is the best system for me.
Also important is keeping a low profile about your gun ownership. If you're a yahoo who drives around with NRA bumper stickers and gun racks in your pickup.....well, it's only a matter of time for you.
A locking steel cabinet is obviously a step up and, if properly fastened to studs in a closet, will deter 95% of the people who might break into your house, because they don't have the time to break it open (especially if you have an alarm system).
The other 5% would be professional enough to defeat an alarm system and crack most heavy gun safes.....and how many of us are going to attract criminals of that level of sophistication?
I do agree though, that one must shop around to get the best deal......keeping in mind that steel cabinets are going to offer substantially more square feet of storage per dollar than the heavy gun safes will offer.
I've come to the conclusion that having a dedicated room with a security door for ammo, guns and other collectibles, plus an alarm system, plus metal cabinet storage is the best system for me.
Also important is keeping a low profile about your gun ownership. If you're a yahoo who drives around with NRA bumper stickers and gun racks in your pickup.....well, it's only a matter of time for you.
MinnMooney
Member
I just love some of the "flipant" replys that some of the folks are putting in this thread. It does absolutely nothing to help the original poster - Grant48.
There are only a handful who are actually trying to help. Texas bulldog put some time and effort into the reply and added some true information to the thread that may help Grant in his search for a cabinet/locker/RSC/safe by describing the differences.
Logos added some good thoughts and tried to slow down the "I'll just post some stupid, flipant reply to get my count up" posters.
Come on, folks. Add some insight or just read and learn.... don't clutter the threads with stupid, flipant remarks, O.K.?
I have a Stack-On RSC (not a cabinet like the one that Grant has a picture of. Mine is fire rated so that would help some if the house burned down and it's in the basement where most house fires rarely do extensive damage. (My neighbor's dad is an insurance investigator and told us that the very best place to store something that you don't want burned in a house fire is in the basement, raised a foot or more above the floor - (water).)
My only problem with this RSC is the electronic lock. It took me a very long time to get past it's idiocincracy of not liking the code. I found that I had to punch the keys fast otherwise it registered a double hit so a combo of, say, 1-2-3-4-5 became 1-2-2-3-4-4-5 or some such unrecognisable code. The only way that the company would fix it was for ME to disassemble it, mail it to the company and then re-install the repaired lock. I guess for $450 they don't have the best warranty.
P.S. Mine is a "14-gun RSC" but it's extremely difficult to fit 14 guns and still have most of them handy. It takes a while to get a back-row, scoped rifle out or back in. If all of the guns were open-sight guns - no problem.
There are only a handful who are actually trying to help. Texas bulldog put some time and effort into the reply and added some true information to the thread that may help Grant in his search for a cabinet/locker/RSC/safe by describing the differences.
Logos added some good thoughts and tried to slow down the "I'll just post some stupid, flipant reply to get my count up" posters.
Come on, folks. Add some insight or just read and learn.... don't clutter the threads with stupid, flipant remarks, O.K.?
I have a Stack-On RSC (not a cabinet like the one that Grant has a picture of. Mine is fire rated so that would help some if the house burned down and it's in the basement where most house fires rarely do extensive damage. (My neighbor's dad is an insurance investigator and told us that the very best place to store something that you don't want burned in a house fire is in the basement, raised a foot or more above the floor - (water).)
My only problem with this RSC is the electronic lock. It took me a very long time to get past it's idiocincracy of not liking the code. I found that I had to punch the keys fast otherwise it registered a double hit so a combo of, say, 1-2-3-4-5 became 1-2-2-3-4-4-5 or some such unrecognisable code. The only way that the company would fix it was for ME to disassemble it, mail it to the company and then re-install the repaired lock. I guess for $450 they don't have the best warranty.
P.S. Mine is a "14-gun RSC" but it's extremely difficult to fit 14 guns and still have most of them handy. It takes a while to get a back-row, scoped rifle out or back in. If all of the guns were open-sight guns - no problem.
The stack-on cabinets are not THAT thin. Mine measures out as 8ga. Is it a safe, no. Is it more secure than a glass and wood cabinet, sure. Especially in a closet where the crook can't really get at it to get leverage. It also keeps my stuff secure from kids and the curious when I have a party. A simple addition of a bar, a couple of hasps, and a couple of real good padlocks upgrades it significantly for about $15. That said, I got mine much cheaper than that due to some gift cards from work. Lots of "If you haven't got the super-safe "I'VE" got, it's ****" going on here. That's not horribly helpful. Some of these posts are damn near, "If it's not in a full safe you might as well just put them out on the porch with a sign saying FREE GUNS".
PFFFFTTTHHHHHHPBBBB!!!!
John
PFFFFTTTHHHHHHPBBBB!!!!
John
theotherwaldo
Member
The steel shell of a StackOn cabinet is about the same as that of most of the fire-rated gun "safes" on the market. If you want to pay $500 for some added gypsum board and carpeting, that's up to you. All I know is that my trailer floor won't hold a real safe, most fire-rated safes are pretty useless, and simple steel cabinets will stop most amateurs. So I went with the steel box.
iafirebuff
Member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2008
- Messages
- 143
I have the Stack-On cabinet that holds 8 long guns and then I have the cabinet that goes on top of it. I have them bolted together, bolted to the floor and wall. It is in a closet and I keep ammo in the top cabinet and the long guns and hand guns in the bottom part. I have about $130 wrapped up in it (bought on sale), and serves my purpose will. I am thinking about mounting a piece of pegboard to the side of the long gun cabinet to hang pistols from.
Logos
member
Tinker may have something!
I bought one this weekend. IMO, the sheet metal ain't all that thin, I'd love to see someone open it with their bare hands.
Put it in a corner that will make it difficult to use a crowbar and bolt it in place.
Eventually, I'll buy a real safe, but I live in an apartment now and this will work great for it. Any thief that can get into this safe quickly, will look for a better target to rob.
Put it in a corner that will make it difficult to use a crowbar and bolt it in place.
Eventually, I'll buy a real safe, but I live in an apartment now and this will work great for it. Any thief that can get into this safe quickly, will look for a better target to rob.
- Status
