Will Gun Safe prices ever go down?

[JoshNC]

I always recommend finding a local safe and vault shop, buy a used reconditioned composite TL15, TL30, or TL30x6 depending upon where you are planning on placing the safe. A composite TL15 is excellent, typically not absurdly heavy, and used/reconditioned will be reasonably priced. It is orders of magnitude better than your typical “gun safe”, which is simply a RSC that is easy to defeat. Not to mention a number of current RSC gun safes are made overseas and are of questionable quality.

[Pappabear]

I was going to get the Fatboy Jr Xtreme. It was $2200 in November. Now it’s $2800. At that price plus the cost of delivery is rather spend more money and get a nicer safe. That’s why I’m working on having a custom Fort Knox.

I'm sure that will be a bad bad boy. Not to derail this thread, but to derail it a bit, how much do you want your safe to weigh? I have one safe, very expensive-highest burn rating-fattest bolts in the door but if I ever want to move it....It has to be done by professionals. I also have "Browning" & "Cannon" safes that weigh around 500 lbs that I can move if needed. And I kinda like that too.

So fellas what you say?

PB

[Krp7894]

I saw this guy from Vault Pro on Weapons Education. They give first responders and military discounts and they make this safe. I’d go with the bigger size.

https://www.vaultprousa.com/blue-line-safes

[Krp7894]

The other issue I’m having is the room where I want to put my safe has a 27.75” doorway from the inside jambs. Fort Knox told me the hardware can be removed to fit the safe but the dealers tell me that’s not true.

[DG23]

The other issue I’m having is the room where I want to put my safe has a 27.75” doorway from the inside jambs. Fort Knox told me the hardware can be removed to fit the safe but the dealers tell me that’s not true.

How much 'short' are you of it passing through?

If all you 'needed' was one more inch you could gain that by simply taking the door off and removing the stops from the jamb. Easy job and minimal tools needed. Pretty sure you could do that yourself if halfway inclined and handy with basic tools (razor knife, small flatbar, hammer, nails). Also minimal paint work needed afterwards to make it as though nothing happened.

If you needed more than that -

Easy to hire a trim carpenter to remove the existing door and jamb and then put it all back after the safe is inside where you want it. With the door / casing and jamb removed you will gain somewhere around 3 to 5 inches (possibly a tiny bit more). If not enough still the rough opening liners could be removed for a bit as well but will involve some sheetrock work after putting them back.

If I was doing a job like that (removing an entire door assembly and then putting it back later) it would likely eat up the better part of a work day (you would get charged for an entire day). A good trim / finish carpenter could easily do that job in such a way that minimal paint work would be needed after and you would never know the door had been touched after the fact.

Easy job in the grand scheme of getting a safe where you want it.

Last 'safe install' that I helped a friend with involved removing a serious chunk of the wall in the front of his house so the safe could be driven inside and positioned / placed where he wanted it with a forklift and then after the safe was positioned and the forklift gone all of that front wall and siding had to be replaced.

We then framed / built walls around the safe, hung the sheet rock around those new walls, hung and trimmed a door right in front of the safe door, painted everything... When all was said and done it looked like what should have been a closet in his home until you opened the door to the 'closet' and saw the huge ass safe door behind it. Casually walking through his home after the fact you would never know anything had been done. With the walls around the safe - Would take someone a very long time and be very noisy trying to get at the safe from the sides or the back (the weak points).

[Krp7894]

How much 'short' are you of it passing through?

If all you 'needed' was one more inch you could gain that by simply taking the door off and removing the stops from the jamb. Easy job and minimal tools needed. Pretty sure you could do that yourself if halfway inclined and handy with basic tools (razor knife, small flatbar, hammer, nails). Also minimal paint work needed afterwards to make it as though nothing happened.

If you needed more than that -

Easy to hire a trim carpenter to remove the existing door and jamb and then put it all back after the safe is inside where you want it. With the door / casing and jamb removed you will gain somewhere around 3 to 5 inches (possibly a tiny bit more). If not enough still the rough opening liners could be removed for a bit as well but will involve some sheetrock work after putting them back.

If I was doing a job like that (removing an entire door assembly and then putting it back later) it would likely eat up the better part of a work day (you would get charged for an entire day). A good trim / finish carpenter could easily do that job in such a way that minimal paint work would be needed after and you would never know the door had been touched after the fact.

Easy job in the grand scheme of getting a safe where you want it.

Last 'safe install' that I helped a friend with involved removing a serious chunk of the wall in the front of his house so the safe could be driven inside and positioned / placed where he wanted it with a forklift and then after the safe was positioned and the forklift gone all of that front wall and siding had to be replaced.

We then framed / built walls around the safe, hung the sheet rock around those new walls, hung and trimmed a door right in front of the safe door, painted everything... When all was said and done it looked like what should have been a closet in his home until you opened the door to the 'closet' and saw the huge ass safe door behind it. Casually walking through his home after the fact you would never know anything had been done. With the walls around the safe - Would take someone a very long time and be very noisy trying to get at the safe from the sides or the back (the weak points).

Oh absolutely. I’ve removed and installed many new doors and frames in my house. I’m not sure what the rough opening is of the frame. Fort Knox says their safe is about 30” deep including the hardware. They would probably still be real tight if I removed my entire door frame just to move it in. The Provault safe is 28” including hardware which should easily slide in with just the jambs removed from the door. That seems like the better option especially since the safe is much larger and more bang for the buck (it’s 72x40x28).

[DG23]

Oh absolutely. I’ve removed and installed many new doors and frames in my house. I’m not sure what the rough opening is of the frame. Fort Knox says their safe is about 30” deep including the hardware. They would probably still be real tight if I removed my entire door frame just to move it in. The Provault safe is 28” including hardware which should easily slide in with just the jambs removed from the door. That seems like the better option especially since the safe is much larger and more bang for the buck (it’s 72x40x28).

If you are at 27 3/4" now inside the jamb - You will definitely be bigger than 30" after removing the jamb assembly.

Rough openings are usually a few inches bigger on each side than the door / jamb assembly to allow for shimming / blocking. Almost never see one that is 'not' a few inches bigger unless a framer screwed up.

You should be fine with the bigger safe and not have to be messing with the opening liners or anything like that.

Can likely remove the top piece of casing on one side and be able to actually see and measure exactly how wide the rough opening is. Would be a better bet to just remove all of the casing from one side so you can see the opening. Less likely to mess up the miters on the casing at the top that way unless you know exactly how those joints were put together. (did they use glue or not?)

You can get bigger than 28" just by removing your stops. No need to remove entire jamb for that. You only 'need' a 1/4" and both of those door stops likely add up to 1"

[wolffie]

If you’re dead set on a RSC vs an actual TL rated safe. At least reach out to a domestic manufacturer like Drake Safe Co. they are significantly stronger than any of the big box brands. And you can build to your desired specs. The last one I bought, the price wast too far off a big box safe. The weight is nearly double. And I got to trade fancy paint and logos for an interior set up for short guns.

I’m running out of room in my safes. But the plan is to build a house in the next couple years. And do a vault room when we build….

[Sikiguya]

All safes are 28” to get through most interior doors. The extra us the lock or external hinges. You need to measure twice…you might get away with one side of the door jam removed.

Another possible solution is the removal of the combo dial. It isn’t that hard for the safe company. It isn’t like taking a slide off a Glock easy…but it might be easier than the door jam. Your measuring should point the direction of the easier path.

The previous recommendation of a TL safe is sound…if being broke into is a top concern. Downsides to such a safe are weight(to safes are significantly heavier), interior space(thicker walls will reduce usage storage), not set up for guns(tl safes are not designed with guns interior in mind, no dehumifier set up(tl are not receptive to holes cut for cord access, no light set up(see reason before this),and cost (tl safes are probably twice in cost as most gun safes.


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[Krp7894]

I don’t think a TL safe is necessary for my situation honestly. It certainly helps having 2 dogs in the house not locked up as well. I would like a safe that’s got better than average protection that’s why I looked at Sturdy safe, Vault pro, and Fort Knox. Fort Knox is obviously most well known but I’m just struggling to find a better deal with what Vault Pro seems to offer.