Forget about the 'safe queen'...; lets talk about 'The Safe"....

[Ric-san]

Ok folks, lets get some good conversation about safes...what do you have? Are you happy or do you wish you had bought the next larger size...??? I ask this question because this coming weekend, there are several safes on sale at Lowe's, Wal*mart, Academy Sports, Harbor Freight to name a few...I'm pretty sure they are all 14 gun safes size, are thy big enough...??? Very curious as to how others come to the conclusion of size and brand. Any and all info will be appreciated....Thanks...

Rick

 

[MIAMI MATT]

I too am intrested and in the market..

 

[ilintner]

What kind of gun guy are you? Are you constantly coming home with something new? If so get the absolute largest safe that you can fit in the desired location, if you can't afford it now, save up, because you will be sorry if you have to move it out and get a larger one later as I did. The number of guns they list on the safe is pretty meaningless, it doesn't account for scopes or anything else that may be attached to your guns that take up space in the racks that are built in.

In my safe shopping experience, I found that Mikes / Scotts outdoor sports were the best price, and with the 2nd safe I bought they offered home delivery (which was necessary for the larger safe). I am pretty sure that most of the safes that the big box stores, and mikes / scotts carry are made in china by the same manufacturer and branded differently. Mine is a "winchester", but it appears to share parts with the "sentry" that I had before it. I get the impression, that unless you spend big big bucks that you are pretty much going to get the same thing regardless of brand. The big differences that I saw were related to the exterior finish, and the interior organization that is included.

I started out with a 26 gun safe, was huge! Until I filled it up. Moved up to a 50 or 60 gun safe, was huge! Until I filled it up. I know that in the future I will probably get a matching safe for the one that I have now, but your needs may be different. I will say that the 26 gun safe with 5 or 6 rifles, a half dozen hand guns and my ammo was pretty full.

One organization product that is really really awesome are "Handgun Hangers". I have almost all of my pistols on them and it makes the guns much more accessible and protects them from getting bumped around on each other, You can also fit significantly more guns in the safe by using them.

I also installed an outlet in each of my safes, with some LED rope lighting and a dehumidifier rod. The LED rope light turns on when you open the door using a pressure switch and the dehumidifier runs constantly to keep the rust at bay. Works great.


This is what the hangers looked like in my old safe.

 

[ilintner]

I too am intrested and in the market..

With the rate that you are going at, you might want to look into a 2500 square foot steel building or something along those lines .

 

[DSPLCD1]

I use the closet in my spare bedroom 4' long x 3' wide. Built shelves for everything and put a soild core door with heavy duty hinges and locks. Not fire proof by any means, but secure and easily accessible if needed. If there was a fire, i would say I have a 20 minute rating, after that, I don't know. I would hope the Fire department would have responded already..

 

[ilintner]

Also,

If you don't bolt the safe to the floor, you are just keeping your stuff in a container for easier transport by thieves!!

 

[playbuoy]

I too am looking at getting my first safe. I am going to get bigger than I need now for future growth. Tractor Supply has a Cannon 24 gun safe for $500 and Dicks Sporting Goods has a Black Friday sale on a 24 gun safe for $399 and a 48 gun safe for $599. I need to go look at them in person and do some additional homework on them.

http://www.theblackfriday.com/ads/dicks/dicks-sporting-goods-black-friday-ad4.shtml

 

[Ric-san]

Nearest 'Dicks' as far as I know is in Spanish Fort, AL ...a far drive but yes a nice deal IMHO...

 

[Gravity3694]

Go big or go home, gun safes are a lifetime investment. Buy once and cry once definitely applies.

I went with a Sturdy Safe after examining the market. They have some insane tests on their Youtube page. Its also one of the few retail safe companies that still manufacturers in USA (I dunno how they do it in California though).

 

[moron1]

Don't forget about a safe for your ammo too. Ammo is expensive and easier for a thief to unload since there really is no way to trace it.

 

[Gentle Wolf]

I got my Cannon on Black Friday at Tractor Supply. They were sold out by the time I made it there, but gave me a raincheck at the special price. It may not be the best safe on the market, but serves my purpose well.

 

[Ben Ghazi]

those hangers look very good ilintner.
I got my big safe from Scott's and they delivered it for I think $150 which was a steal I thought.
besides having a safe you need to layer your defences for it also and what I did was fabricate the largest redhead anchors and wore out 2 bits and burned up a rented hammer drill going 6" deep in a monolithic slab . before that I used about a case the strongest liquid nails for it to set on and all over the back and sides where it touches the frame of my building. place your safe in an area where it is too tight to use bars or tools . over build and over engineer your safes enclosure.
I also have motion detection going to a very loud siren and my neighbors know what my desires are if they hear it.
an auto dialer calls my cell phone so I can assess my cameras with a dedicated security line. sucks to have to pay the extra security bill every month to keep my things but I do have peace of mind.
also have 2 huge industrial capacitors to charge up that will electrocute a thief during hurricane evacuation after a power lose.
have a few other defences I will not share but you get the general Idea , CS Gas will help aslo

 

[JohnAL]

A cranky old pit bull helps with security...

 

[JohnAL]

A few years ago my phone rang around midnight. It was the guy across the street asking if someone was supposed to be out around my boat. I told him no and to call the sheriff. I also told him to stay inside because I was slipping out the back with a gun and the dog. I thought I had a good hold on her collar but when she saw the guy she jerked away and took off towards him growling. He ran down the street and I called her back. You should have seen the look on the deputy's face when I told him the guy would be easy to identify because the ass was gone from the baggy shorts.

 

[SAWMAN]

Browning Pro Steel(X3) for me. I got them with no guts and made the shelves and racks myself. Depending on what you want to store,most gun safes have allot of waisted space. This is why I designed my own interiors. I not only have them bolted to the wall studs,I also have two of them bolted together.

These safes have no fire protection inside. Instead I chose an insurance "rider" policy that I keep updated. I also have a WARNING sign on the door and the safes "combo"(really,no shit)on the outside. --- SAWMAN

 

[jpwalnuthill]

My 30 gun Cannon was also huge 5 yrs. ago, but out of room now. Went to Mike's today to buy a new one and as usual, too busy (talking hunting with customer) to help me. Went to Scotts in Jay and was met at door. The Lady that helped me could answer all the questions I had and was very knowledgeable. Bought a 54 Gun Winchester for a real good price. $175 dollars extra to deliver and set up. Worth the drive to deal with good people.

 

[playbuoy]

I went and eyed the safes at Dicks in Spanish Fort. I was not impressed with the interior set up. I ended up getting the Winchester 24 gun safe at Tractor Supply. They were going fast. I was the third person to buy one while I was there in 20 min. I wish I could have talked the wife into spending a little more for at least the 30 gun safe. They fill up fast.

 

[playbuoy]

Here is a good read http://www.6mmbr.com/gunsafes.html

 

[Ric-san]

Good article,,,thanks for the link.

 

[OMRBH]

My current safe is an American Eagle by Cannon. Don't remember the size, but at the time I bought it, 5 or 6 years ago it was the largest that Academy carried and cost over $1000. Very nice with provision to bolt it to the floor and of course inside hinges. I DO NOT like the battery operated key pad lock! Most times it opens on the first try but sometimes it takes 2 or 3 tries to open it. That's why 2 guns stay by my bedside. Batteries are easy to change. they are located outside the safe, under the lock. It was bigger than I needed....... at the time I bought it.