Safe, Vault, etc. recommendations...

[ZGXtreme]

Hey guys, I am going to start researching gun safes/vaults again and was going to see what you use and what you would recommend. I say again as a few months ago I ordered a GunVault 5900 Series (http://superpageshosting.com/gunvaultcom/gunsafe5900/). Well it got trucked in and had numerous areas of damage so I denied and cancelled the order.

I am not much into flash so many of the true safes are unappealing to me. I am looking for a safe that offers average protection to my growing inventory of weapons and ammo. I would prefer it come in a matte black finish and have shelving within the safe on one side. It would need to house a Commando, a Benelli M4, a few pistols and a .22 rifle passed down to me. I most likely will add a 6920 and a 6721 in the future also. So looking at 5 long guns.

So, what say you? Any help will be appreciated!!! I am tempted to try to the GunVault again despite no fire protection and again taking my chances with truck shipping but what to here opinions and suggestions first.

Brad

[Redmanfms]

This is mine:

http://www.homelandsafes.com/safe-defender.php#levelvll

I'm not going to recommend it because it is 10 times your established price range, but I'm very happy with it. I will recommend that you get a safe that has a fire protection rating of some sort because most folks should fear a house fire more than burglars.

[ZGXtreme]

This is mine:

http://www.homelandsafes.com/safe-defender.php#levelvll

I'm not going to recommend it because it is 10 times your established price range, but I'm very happy with it. I will recommend that you get a safe that has a fire protection rating of some sort because most folks should fear a house fire more than burglars.

Thanks, I'm not so much worried about price range as much as the total package. Again, thanks, I will give them a look.

[williejc]

You might save and buy one with enough space to hold future purchases. In addition to guns, my safe protects my wife's jewelry and cameras and any documents that are essential.

About fire protection and safes, this is a serious issue if you live in the country where response time to fires is much higher than within city limits. I am told that this feature is not as critical if you live in town. Ask a fireman.

To serve your needs, the safe must be bolted to the floor. Remember that if it would require 10 men to carry off your safe, 12 guys may be present. Also, putting a safe upstairs does not complicate removal from the premises. The bad guys can just throw it down the stairs. They certainly aren't concerned.

A sign that says, "Danger! Black Powder" might discourage the prudent thief from using a cutting torch.

Williejc

[Hersh]

Liberty is worth a look http://www.libertysafe.com/. Also consider buying one larger than you think you'll need, they fill up quickly.

[dwhitehorne]

Get something bigger that you think you need. My 8 gun long gun safe has filled up fast. Don't forget AR's or anything with a pistol grip takes up alot more space than I planned on. I can't leave my optic on my AK rail and close the safe door. I have my go to AR laying sideways because with the red dot and VFG installed the safe door won't close. David

[Nathan_Bell]

If you are primarily worried about protecting your guns, and not afraid to do a little tinkering, contact your local locksmith. That is how I picked up my second safe. It is a 48 wide 27 deep and 5 foot tall used Diebold commercial safe. I paid $200 for it. It is actually tool and fire rated higher than my uber high dollar Fort Knox. The Diebold is ugly as a mud fence and I had to make the racks, but it was worth the price

Just an idea for ya

[Barry in IN]

Similar to the above post, I got lucky and found a safe that came out of a Wynn-Dixie. It's about typical gun safe size or bigger (size of a refrigerator) but isn't exactly pretty.
It is, however, made of more serious-looking stuff. The thinnest wall is an inch. Most "gun safes" max at about 3/16". It has a UL rating of TL30.

If you can get something at all like that, I would go that way.

I've seen similar safes listed in the local "shop & swap" paper under "business equipment".
I found mine through a friend's Dad, who is kind of a safe nut. He seems to be able to sniff them out. He always seems to know when a building is being torn down or remodeled, and checks to see if there is an old safe inside. Often, they will let him have it just for taking it away. Of course, most of us can't do that. But since he runs the gas company for his part of the state, he has plenty of trucks with lift booms so moving them is no trouble. If it wasn't for him, I sure wouldn't have been able to get this thing I have.

[Trim2L]

If you are primarily worried about protecting your guns, and not afraid to do a little tinkering, contact your local locksmith. That is how I picked up my second safe. It is a 48 wide 27 deep and 5 foot tall used Diebold commercial safe. I paid $200 for it. It is actually tool and fire rated higher than my uber high dollar Fort Knox. The Diebold is ugly as a mud fence and I had to make the racks, but it was worth the price

Just an idea for ya

Diebold makes bank vaults, if I could get one of their safes for $200 I'd be tripping over myself to get $100 bills out of my wallet. Ugly or not, they are the very best.

You are lucky.

[twodollarbill]

Fire rated safes offer better protection......against some fire damage
until your fire department can get too you...we all know this.
Non fire rated offer equal break-in protection and if they get bolted
down securely they will act like the heavy fire rated ones.
But one should know that if the safe is located in a basement
and your house burns down....really burns down....your basement
fills with coals, no fire rating will be enough. I have seen this first
hand many times, and what was in the safe looks like everything
out side the safe....ASH and sticks.
As for theft your best protection is a safe and layered deep into
your home....locked behind a closet door (or hidden wall), locked
within your bedroom or gun room, ect....slowing the bad guys down.
***Don't forget about a security system*****

[Boris]

Check out the Stack-On fire rated 24/36 gun safes from Dick's Sporting Goods. They don't have much of the flash of some of the higher end safes and are convertible with shelves for storing handguns, paperwork, etc. I found the price point is good for what you get.

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2511914&cp=2292630&sr=1&origkw=gun+safes&parentPage=family

-B

[Joseywales]

I highly recommend a small safe with an excellent fire rating. When you are ready for more room, buy another small one and put it on the opposite side of the house. That way there is no possibility that all guns will be exposed to flood or fire unless the whole house is a loss. Thieves may also think you only have one. One safe on every level of the house is cool too for other reasons.

Just my 2cents.

[Safetyhit]

Check out the Stack-On fire rated 24/36 gun safes from Dick's Sporting Goods. They don't have much of the flash of some of the higher end safes and are convertible with shelves for storing handguns, paperwork, etc. I found the price point is good for what you get.

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2511914&cp=2292630&sr=1&origkw=gun+safes&parentPage=family

-B



I have one that I like a lot, but I wish I got the dial rather than the keypad. Often it doesn't recognize the correct combination for whatever reason, and that would be very bad in an emergency.

Like the others said before, get a bigger safe than you initally think you'll need. Mine says it's a 16 gun safe, but there's no damn way. Plus, ammo and other things take up room.

[carshooter]

My first gunsafe (a Treadlock) was the best firearm related investment I ever made. Before I had a gunsafe, I would either try to hide everything or take it with me when I went out of town.

Definately buy a larger safe than you think you'll ever need. As many others have said, you're going to end up with way more than just guns in there. (Jewelry, important documents, camera's, etc.)

I now have a second safe, too. It's a Zanotti Armor which can be taken apart, so it's much simpler to move.

In my opinion, unless you buy a hardened commercial safe, gun safes are really only theft protection from a casual breakin. Determined criminals will either take the whole safe, or hack it open.

Personally, neither of my gunsafes are fire lined. The typical fire lining in most commericial gunsafes is primarily a layer of sheetrock and the UL rating really isn't that long. Additionally, most of the firearms I've seen damaged in fires are actually damaged by the chemicals and water used to put out the fire or are a total loss due to extreme heat. (No fire lining would have made a difference when the safe metal puddled due to the diesel fuel and vehicles burning in the adjacent garage) Where you put the safe within your house does make a difference on that, however. In my area, the vast majority of safes are in basements, and in the typical house fire, the basement fills with water & chemicals putting the fire out.

[Nathan_Bell]

My first gunsafe (a Treadlock) was the best firearm related investment I ever made. Before I had a gunsafe, I would either try to hide everything or take it with me when I went out of town.

Definately buy a larger safe than you think you'll ever need. As many others have said, you're going to end up with way more than just guns in there. (Jewelry, important documents, camera's, etc.)

I now have a second safe, too. It's a Zanotti Armor which can be taken apart, so it's much simpler to move.

In my opinion, unless you buy a hardened commercial safe, gun safes are really only theft protection from a casual breakin. Determined criminals will either take the whole safe, or hack it open.

Personally, neither of my gunsafes are fire lined. The typical fire lining in most commericial gunsafes is primarily a layer of sheetrock and the UL rating really isn't that long. Additionally, most of the firearms I've seen damaged in fires are actually damaged by the chemicals and water used to put out the fire or are a total loss due to extreme heat. (No fire lining would have made a difference when the safe metal puddled due to the diesel fuel and vehicles burning in the adjacent garage) Where you put the safe within your house does make a difference on that, however. In my area, the vast majority of safes are in basements, and in the typical house fire, the basement fills with water & chemicals putting the fire out.


If your house ever really catches fire, your safe is going to end up in the basement full of water, evenif it started the day out above ground.

[FJB]

I did some research when I bought a new safe last year. Fire protection was at the top of my list based on what happened to Denny Hansen's (Editor of SWAT) safe after his house fire. He lost several excellent firearms even though he had a UL fire rated safe. I went with Patriot Safes http://www.patriotsafe.com/ as they have exceptional fire ratings. You can read about the different fire ratings and their significance at their website.

S/F

[carshooter]

If your house ever really catches fire, your safe is going to end up in the basement full of water, evenif it started the day out above ground.

Exactly!

[KLR_Redux]

For the "ready locker" I have a V-Line safe. It fits between wall studs and has an idiot-proof simplex lock. I can fit two long guns in it.

http://www.safetysafeguards.com/site/402168/product/51653-SA

[GNXII]

Having worked in the security industry for quite a long time, I can give you the following advive in regards to safes. Make sure its firerated and burglar rated, get a real S&G manual combination lock (NOT digital), try Gardall, Amsec, Liberty and Browning for safes(think made in USA), go bigger than what collection you already have, check the condition of your stairs waaaay before you move the safe up or down stairs, buy dessicant or have a golden rod installed, check the width of doors in relation to the width of your safe, if you see a scratched safe or one with cosmetic damage haggle!,when moving it in your home be discrete about it.
Whew... thats all I can think of off the top of my head but, I'm sure there are other things I left out. With that, I'll leave with this idea...Good Home Security is multi level,i.e. good locks(deadbolts and key in knobs and/ or mortise lockset), stout doors and frames,alarm system with central station monitoring, exterior security lighting, quality safe and most of all COMMON SENSE (along with a firearm of your choice of course) Good Luck!:D

[KDG]

I bought a used commercial safe.

The steel is twice as thick as all the retail gun safes I looked at.

It has 2 seperate locking systems on the outer door, one uses a key, the other is a combination dial. Both are required to open it.

Inside has an additional inner locking safe requiring a key to unlock. The keys can only be duplicated by a locksmith.

Any tampering or knocking out the combo dial triggers an automatic locking system.

It was pre drilled to bolt to concrete. 4 - 6inch lag bolts hold it down.

There are deals out there on used business safes. Ask around, check the papers, lots of businesses close up or upgrade.

I lucked out and found one.

[ZGXtreme]

Thanks for the replies guys, after also posting in a local forum I was directed to Bear Safes which is a local company. They seem to offer safes which work but without all the flash. Now I just need to take the plunge.

Here is their site; Bear Safes (http://www.bearsafes.com/products.html), thinking about the top model.

[ZGXtreme]

Ok, change of plans as obviously cash flow fluctuates during the holidays. Was just sent a link to the back page of an Atwoods flyer which shows Remington Sportman Series (20 cubic foot) safes for $488 this Saturday and Sunday. After searching the net for 30 minutes I have yet to find an interior shot of the safe in question.

Does anyone have this safe or anyone able to provide some imput on this model? Thanks.

[John Fettes]

http://www.agenglish.com/

They sell five or six different brands. Another outfit to look at is Sturdy Safe at:

http://www.sturdysafe.com/

A friend ordered one years ago and was very happy with it. He later wished he had gotten a bigger safe. Another friend just got his second Browning and he is pleased with both.

Look at the warranties for on-site repairs or for them to pay the shipping back to the factory.

GNXII has some good advice, especially about buying a safe bigger than you need now.

IMLTHO, no one needs to know that you have a safe, or what's inside it.

John

[Maverick]

http://stack-on.com/securityplus/total_defense_series/gsxw-836.html

This is the one i have. And for the money you can't beat it.

I got mine at dicks sporting goods.