Gun safes? Bigger better?

[MGMorden]

Hey guys - I'm in a bit of a conundrum and figured I'd ask for some advice.

I've got a decent number of guns and sadly, no real safe for them.  I currently keep most of my stuff in a wooden storage cabinet that I took the shelves out of.  Naturally that ain't keeping anybody out . . .

Anyways, I've decided that for the sake of securing at least my most prized guns, I'd like to get a safe.  Budget is fairly limited, and so I was thinking of getting a small 10 or 14 gun safe for now, and then possibly adding a second one in the future.  That would work out much better on the wallet versus getting one of the huge clunkers.

My possible issue is: I'm assuming that the larger safes have the added benefit that they're HEAVY.  Really heavy safe means a harder to tote off safe. 

In your opinion, are the smaller safes like I'm talking about just a little too portable to be useful, or would I be ok getting one now and then adding another later?

Your advice is greatly appreciated.

[drdougrx]

FWIW....yes....if you are gonna get a safe.....get a safe.  30"x30"x60" is a god size....you'll always find stuff to fill it!!!  Oh...and buy a good one....NOT a sentry or Homack.

[skarke]

Safes are always too small .  I have a pretty big one that I outgrew almost the instant I installed it.  A great cost effective solution is to buy two of those Sams Club Winchester safes.  They are a great bargain at about $650.

[Oldshooter]

It needs to heavy, but most of all bolted to the floor from the inside! MY big safe is large but I rolled it into place on Golf balls in carpet. PVC pipe would also work! The thieves already know these things.

Hidden hinges and an electric combination for me! Also fireproof for 45 minutes would be a plus!

[Lon371]

 I would get the size you need for what you have for now. AND BOLT IT DOWN! If you feel you need another, then get one. 2 safes are more of a hassle than one

 Met a fellar who bought a cheaper style. His house was broke into. They damaged the safe, but did not get in it, or carry it off(IT WAS BOLTED TO THE WALL AND FLOOR)

Lonny

[BillC.]

First question is, how much weight will your floor hold up ?

[mechanic]

Almost always, when a safe is broken into, it is first turned onto it's back, where they can use leverage to pry it open.  If it's bolted down, and even better bolted down inside a closet, it would take too long for the average thief to worry with.

I went with a small safe for the same reason, then later bought another.  I use one for my best guns, the other for different valuables.

[Catfish]

They are never big enough.

[JD]

 Having finally bought a good size safe, I quickly (1st day) realized it was too small.  I have the Patriot model by Cannon; it will hold 18-20 guns and stuff on 2 shelves. The door has a soft rack for 6 handguns. At the time of purchase it was 800 retail.
 It is roughly 30x28x60 and is crammed into the closet of the second bedroom. A second, slightly smaller safe for the revolvers and Contender stuff would be great at the current price of @6-700.
 If I had gone full bore and gotten the grand ol' king on the mountain it would have cost just over 1100. A 4-500 dollar savings is a set of tires, or brakes and a front end alignment.

Aw hell, who am I kidding; thats at least one more gun since I now have room to spare.

JD

[1sourdough]

 I don't think bigger is ALWAYS better. You have to have a spot & be able to get it in position. I bought a 2nd safe a few years ago, both are over 500lbs empty. I still have a little over flow. I do agree you can fill up about any size you get. Start off by putting your high $$ stuff in.

[mtbugle]

I agree with the winchester safes being a good deal now. I just went to get a second 24 gun safe at costco, and saw they had the 51 gun one for a little more. Got the larger one and still barely enough room. Definetly nice safe for the money.
Thanks Don.

[Dave in WV]

The advice from a local gun shop owner is get as big as you can get into the area you are going to put it. It's cheaper to buy one large than two smaller safes when you out grow the smaller ones. You will put many things into your safe you didn't think about before you bought a safe. I found it to be inline with my experience. We keep cameras, important papers, jewelry, my binocular, cash, extra keys in our safe as well as my firearms.

[MGMorden]

We keep cameras, important papers, jewelry, my binocular, cash, extra keys in our safe as well as my firearms.

Yeah, that had crossed my mind too.  Not just for theft, but with the fire protection, certain documents and such could be easily kept there.  Possibly even throw some digital copies on a USB thumb drive and toss that in there.  I already use a service called DropBox to host my really important files off-site, but it can never hurt to have it in multiple places. 

Having looked at all of them though, I'm leaning heavily towards that Winchester option at Sams.  It'll hold MOST of my guns, and the reality is I am probably going to be moving within another year or two anyways (want to get a little closer to work eventually), at which time I may just buy a bigger one then.

[Coyote Hunter]

First, ANY safe is better than NO safe.  Used to be that when we returned home from any trip I'd make sure the house was still there (hadn't burned down, etc.) as we rounded the corner, then check the guns when I got inside.  Got real lucky, never had a problem, but can't say the say for the neighbors.

My choice was a 14/28gun safe.  Because we live in the country, I went without the firesafe option - figured if the house burned I had much bigger problems than if my firearms were still OK - which a "fireproof" safe couldn't guarantee anyway.

Bolt down is a good idea and an absolute must for light safes.

[threepdr]

Most of my friends who have safes seldom took their guns out to just handle and enjoy them.  Or the one they need is always in the back and they have to unload the whole thing to get to them. 

I built a gun "room" instead.

When I built my new home I had a 4x8 walk in closet left unfinished by the builder.  Later I lined the walls with 12 gauge sheet steel, then covered that with wood paneling.  I also had a AC vent put into the ceiling to prevent moisture build up.  The door is a heavy steel exterior door with several dead bolts on it.

I built a pipe organ gun rack all the way around inside so the rifles stand on end.  I can walk into the room and see all the guns and handle them, oil them etc.  Is it as secure as a safe?  No, but only a burglar who is very prepared and has lots of time will ever get into it.  Most break ins are smash and grab anyway.  I'll take that risk to be able to have easier walk-in access to my guns.

[helotaxi]

We keep cameras, important papers, jewelry, my binocular, cash, extra keys in our safe as well as my firearms.

Yeah, that had crossed my mind too.  Not just for theft, but with the fire protection, certain documents and such could be easily kept there.  Possibly even throw some digital copies on a USB thumb drive and toss that in there.  I already use a service called DropBox to host my really important files off-site, but it can never hurt to have it in multiple places. 

If you're expecting any REAL fire protection, you're looking at well over $2k and really closer to $3k+.

[Lloyd Smale]

good point that is often overlooked. Most floors arent bulit to hold the wieght of some of the larger safes. author=BillC. link=topic=216866.msg1099177791#msg1099177791 date=1286229895]
First question is, how much weight will your floor hold up ?
[/quote]

[jasonprox700]

I really like mine.  It was a Christmas gift from my wife, parents, and in-laws.  She had originally purchased a much more expensive one (about 3x more!!!).  I found the charge on the credit card.  I had to explain to her that just because it was Christmas, doesn't mean that this stuff is free.  Needless to say, it got returned.  Anyway, my dad and I compared and looked at other gunsafes and found this one to be the most compatible with my needs.  Although I don't have 36 guns, I find that these safes are rated just like sleeping tents.  If it says you can sleep 5, then that means 2 people can sleep some what comfortably!  That's why we went with the 36.  It offers room for more guns than I currently have, but gives me lots of room to expand my collection!!!

http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/654746-fire_resistant_36_gun_safe_with_electronic_lock.html?lref=%2foutdoor%2fhunting%2fstorage%2fsafes_cabinets%2f

[lilabner]

The lower priced safes are usually rated fireproof to a degree. Unfortunately, if there is a fire, the fire department will check in and flood the premises to put out the fire. Waterproof adds a lot to the price, but the odds of a housefire are long. Heavy is good - forget the sheet metal cabinets as they can be opened or picked up and carried away easily.

[kctibs]

\

I find that these safes are rated just like sleeping tents.  If it says you can sleep 5, then that means 2 people can sleep some what comfortably! 




I agree Safes hold about half of what they say they will hold. Scoped rifles and AR types take up a lot of room.  I went with a 30x36x60 and now I am looking at getting another one after just a year or so.  Personally I would stay away from electronic combos.  Electronics do not always work, just my opinon though.

[Freezer]

I would say the number of time you plan on moving in the future has something to do with it. My son's safe was so heavy it took a moving company to move it. That gets expensive. Will you encounter stairs? Sometimes smaller it better. In six years my life will change a lot. I'm starting to narrow down my belonging and will switch to a smaller safe. I'll just bolt it down.

[helotaxi]

The lower priced safes are usually rated fireproof to a degree.

Rated, sure.  Verified, not hardly.

[DC]

There are two reasons to buy a gun safe.  The one everyone thinks of first is theft protection.  Most safes will provide protection in this area and weight doesn't really matter much because 98% of home burglery's are very fast affairs and a safe with a few fire arms in it won't be carried out the door by any one or any two bad guys and none of them are "safe crackers".  Even the sheet metal Homak's can be bolted to the wall or floor and no basic burler is going to want to create tha kind of noise that prying it free from a wall or floor would cause.  Also, that heavy guage sheet metal is very difficult to just pry open.  Just about any thing that stalls a theif works.
The second and equally important factor is fire resistance.  Safes are rated as to how long the contents would be protected in an average home fire and the heat generated from same.  Longer equals more expense but is worth paying a little more for.  Also, longer also equals more weight. 

[geezerbiker]

I agree with getting the largest one you can both afford and get into the space.  Also subtract 1 from the number of rifles any safe supposed to hold.  I have a 19 gun safe and it's a pain to get 18 into it.  Now I'm thinking about getting another safe the same size or larger.

My first consideration was locking up the guns so my grandkids wouldn't play with them but now I'm thinking more about security...  I have a couple .22's and a shotgun in my bedroom closet that probably should be locked up.

Tony

[woods]

     My advice buy american made , mine is the high grade american security. Everytime I open that door I see the american made symbol on the door, I know I did my part keeping the company makeing them here. Anyone really wants to steal my safe they will have to bring a crane and wipe a wall out of my house to get it out. A safe is one thing you will probably never get rid of so buy a good one that is right for your needs. Only half of mine is guns the rest is propery deeds, tax stuff, business papers and a few family items. So don't just count guns. One last Item that very few People lock up is a spare computor external hard drive that has all your important stuff on it especially family photos and movies in case of a fire.
 
woods

[45-70.gov]

while you are thinking about  it


go get the second cheapest safe you can  find....under  $200


bolt  it in the corner  of a closet.......
.drill and screw  into  2 walls and the floor with long decking screws


place sheet rock as a filler  over the base board and  behind and beside.....
fire rated  rock...all the better


when  you get  some  money  get a better safe
you will have the old cheap safe  for the over flow or other things....or your cheap guns

[M'issippi Bruce]

Definitely bolt the safe securely to the floor - or floor and wall. The one way a fire safe isn't fireproof for long enough is when the thing falls over during a fire because something comes loose in the wall/ceiling  and whacks it. Friend of mine lost all of his stuff in a highly-rated safe when this happened - and the warranty explicitly required that the safe had to remain upright for the coverage to stay in effect. Company replaced the safe but wouldn't cover the contents.
Looked at the fine print for my safe and it has the same requirement so it got concrete anchors even though it weighs over a ton loaded.

Synthetic stocks melt into a real mess when heated enough. And the firemen are not too thrilled when the puddle of molten lead shot they are standing in starts to eat through their boots - don't blame them. All were quite sympathetic to my friend's loss when they uncovered the fallen safe.
Ammo going off didn't bother them much but the 20 and 40 pound propane tanks really bothered them.

[Frank46]

I was looking at a gun safe the other day. As I have mostly rifles naturally wanted a big one. But you have to be careful when it comes to capacity. It may say for the sake of argument 45 rifles. But the one I saw had pockets on the door for handguns. There was no way you would be able to get 45 rifles in that particular safe. Might be wrong on this as I have little knowledge regarding safes but might be something to consider. Frank