Gun Safes, which brand to stay away from ?

[Jester896]

I don't see anything wrong with putting one on an outside wall. If there was a fire the center usually falls in quicker than the exterior walls. That way you don't have as much of an oven situation around the safe when everything falls in around it. It may also be the cooler part of the fire in that case.

KABA/MAS X09 or X10 are fantastic locks and a lot of the time the $1300 investment for one cost more than the container itself They also have their own unique set of problems.

If it is electronic, anything with batteries outside under the keypad is better. S&G is what I personally like best for ease of service if needed. Good Mechanical locks all meet UL Group II standards and are all about the same from a user or service standpoint.

Concealed hinges only allow a door opening of about 120* where exposed hinges will allow a 180* opening. Either of them are dead pinned on the hinge side so you can't cut the hinges off and enter.

personally I would steer away from locks that are electronic with some type of additional key override feature. For the most part they are imports and don't always have the same footprint as standardized locks for most containers.

YMMV

 

[FLT]

Nothing is a hundred precent effective . But the more difficult it is to get to your valuables the less likely it is that they will be stolen. A median priced safe that’s bolted securely in place will stop most thieves. If you have been targeted by professional thieves nothing will prevent them from stealing your valuables, in my opinion.

 

[5lima30ret]

Liberty, Ft. Knox, anything not made in China. Manual metal dial combination preferably Sargent & Greenleaf. You can find some good deals on used safes. I would take a 20 year old Treadlock, or Liberty over a new Cannon any day of the week!

 

[3 men & a boat]

A lot depends on what’s available in your area, I went with a liberty as they have a local dealer and were fairly well regarded. I’m not trying to protect the Crown Jewels from an international jewel thief, just the local meth head who noticed that I’m away from my home and it should work for that.
Whatever you buy, bolt your safe down.


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[ccc]

You know I had been paying a monthly alarm fee from a very well known company for many years on our old home till we bought our latest house four years ago from a local deputy sheriff and I asked him what alarm company he used on the house and he said in 23 years on the force he could only think of two times that an alarm had helped in the arrest of the individuals responsible for the break in. The point being most criminals know they have very limited time after they break in to get what they want and get out. The good majority will never bring safe breaking tools to your house, they will break in, take what is left out in the open see a safe realize it will take too long to break in it and then leave. Very few will take the hours to break into any decent made safe. So there is no need buying “The very best” unless you have 50-100k in gold you store in it.

 

[candipogo]

What’s some good brand gun safes at reasonable prices? And what brands do you suggest to stay away from? And explain why to stay away from a certain brand, thanks.

I like heritage safes. They are available here in the mid south. Not sure about elsewhere. They are well made with a good proven style locking system. The hinges are on the inside and the handle rotates out deadbolts on each side. I dont know about the fire rating. It was not an issue for me. It's heavy gauge steel with a splatter paint finish. Maybe if I needed one to hold 50 plus gun it would be. I would just say imho to stay away from those with outside hinges that are made of light gauge steel. A lot of the safes that are painted up slick and have firearms related names and graphics are not well made. I am sure this is a hot topic. Just like asking car guys what oil do you use.
Be safe

 

[Bugsy36]

I do not visit every day but do enjoy all the information I get here.

As far as safes are concerned, and my opinion, is that it appears that the OP does not have a safe. With that said, any safe will be better than what is there (or actually not).

I try to be frugal whenever possible. My (3) consist of (2) Ft. Knox - one almost 30 years old and purchased new, and the second older than that (by serial) and purchased used. The third is a higher end Liberty.. All three are ridiculously heavy.

My first was because I just needed a safe. My Ft. Knox (and the company itself) have treated me fantastic.

When people ask me I tell them to look at the following and buy the best they can afford, as they will have it forever:

1. Lock - I look for and prefer S&G locks. Reliability, Longevity, and Support
2. Bolts - As many as possible, and on both sides of the door
3. Hinges - Hidden if possible, and if not, made a of heavy steel at the very least. (Most newer are hidden but older models used 3/8" steel)
4. Steel thickness - at least a 10ga but my Fort Knox and Liberty made of 3/16" (be careful of 12ga as they are less than 1/8" thick).

That is what I look for and does not dictate what anyone "should" get. The biggest complaint I hear about is the cheap Asian-made digital locks failing - NOT that someone defeated the safe. After all, IF they know you have guns, they are worried about getting shot.

Safes are high right now. Look for a quality used safe first, and buy what you can afford. It WILL be better than nothing.

 

[Southalabama]

Heard of a case next county over. They brought an angle grinder and cut the safe.

He obviously wasn’t home for extended periods of time.

 

[kendive]

Also keep in mind a thief doesn’t care what he destroys getting to what he wants. It’s truly eye opening to see what they’ll tear up getting to a safe.

Challenge accepted Hope they have a torch and lots and lots of patience on there plate.






.

 

[fla kid]

does any one know of a lock smith that can change out a lock on a liberty
and reset combo? Liberty sent me a new lock. Mine got a little lose after about 30 years.

 

[Jester896]

Challenge accepted Hope they have a torch and lots and lots of patience on there plate.






.

just remember not to blow a hole through the fire liner...if you do the flame will light what is inside on fire and it may burn everything inside before you can get in to it...OH and if there is ammo in there it may take a few more minutes for things to settle down.

does any one know of a lock smith that can change out a lock on a liberty
and reset combo? Liberty sent me a new lock. Mine got a little lose after about 30 years.

I got a guy if you can't find one close...he will ride down and do it....maybe make some trades while he is in the area.

 

[Ron]

Safes are designed to deter a thief....the more hassle, the more time, the less likely a thief is going to stick around and tamper with it, especially if the odds of being caught or interrupted are great.
But no safe is impervious to the skilled thief.

Stick to a reputable brand (Browning, Ft Knox, Liberty, etc.), don’t brag about your safe, don’t put in the living room where any guest can see it, hide it somewhere, don’t put it against an exterior wall, and you should be fine. And one last bit of advice .... no one regretted buying just a little bit bigger safe than they thought they would need.

That brings up another good point. I had a debate with a friend over where to put a safe and why. I said a closet so it would be out of sight. They would have to go all over the house looking for it. My friend said that he would put it in the bedroom in plain sight so someone would not tear up his house looking for valuables. I know one friend who has his in his garage to save interior space. I'd like to hear what others think about this as I bet it would be interesting and maybe give someone some ideas that they had not considered! Pro's and Con's.

 

[Ron]

Safes are designed to deter a thief....the more hassle, the more time, the less likely a thief is going to stick around and tamper with it, especially if the odds of being caught or interrupted are great.
But no safe is impervious to the skilled thief.

Stick to a reputable brand (Browning, Ft Knox, Liberty, etc.), don’t brag about your safe, don’t put in the living room where any guest can see it, hide it somewhere, don’t put it against an exterior wall, and you should be fine. And one last bit of advice .... no one regretted buying just a little bit bigger safe than they thought they would need.

What would be wrong with putting it against an exterior wall? You are right that you can out grow a safe very easy!

 

[jonparker4]

A lock only keeps an honest man honest.


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[Molon Labe]

does any one know of a lock smith that can change out a lock on a liberty and reset combo? Liberty sent me a new lock. Mine got a little lose after about 30 years.

Several years ago I had a problem with my Liberty safe. I contacted the company and they had their local service rep take care of the problem.. The local repair service for Liberty at that time was American Lock and Safe at (850) 476-4211. Call Liberty if there has been any changes in their service.

 

[fla kid]

Thank you ,I'll try them

 

[Jester896]

Looks like they are only about 18 miles from the Milton zip. One guy there has some continuing education it looks like when I look him up.

 

[B52]

Any WIFI camera or security system is not a fool proof system. If your devices are not hard wired. I can render them useless from over 50 yards away with Software Defined Radio and a simple Hack RF One Device.

And Yes most people would not have a clue how to do this but it can be done. Just had to put that out there...

It's real easy to find a devices info on the FCC website. If it's wireless it has to be reported.

We all know WYZE is Wifi so that's pretty basic to know what Freq they use. But look below and you can find out alot about something. Even pics of the inside.

https://fccid.io/2AUIUWYZEC3

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A criminal that sophisticated and prepared will probably have the equipment to get in any free standing safe in less than 30 minutes. I'm in favor of electronic monitoring along with a safe. As a force multiplier. Hard wired security systems can be susceptible to being disabled by cutting power (pulling the breaker on the side of the house) and phone lines?

 

[Jester896]

My system is hard wired, has a battery backup, has smoke/fire and uses a cell phone

 

[Bodhi]

What would be wrong with putting it against an exterior wall? You are right that you can out grow a safe very easy!

A buddy kept his safe at work in the back room of his business up against an exterior wall. Someone - most likely with inside knowledge - cut the exterior wall out and pulled the safe out and loaded it up and took off.