Gun safes

[FJRay]

I am finaly going to get a gun safe. I have been using a sturdy locking cabinet but want a safe for security and something fire proof. I am interested is opinions based on personal experience with gun safes. Need room for a dozen or more long guns and a number of hand guns along with amunition.

 

[exskibum]

Browning Silver Series SR26F. I think I have 10 handguns and 10 long guns in it, plus six .30 cal ammo cans full of defensive ammo and a number of mags and speed loaders loaded with defensive ammo for several of those handguns and a .223 rifle. There isn't really enough room in any safe to feasibly store all the ammo I have in .50 cal ammo cans, or all the reloading supplies -- that gets stored elsewhere. Not sure I can get more long guns in this safe with what I have in it already, but I could get a few more handguns in with a little rearranging. (All my handguns in it are in pistol rug type cases, BTW.)

Everything is a compromise of price, size and protection. I think I paid around $1500 to $1700 for mine on sale. It works well for me, is reasonably attractive, and at something like 700 lbs empty, it's a beyotch to move -- I did that only a month ago. Mine now resides in an alcove that would require a very difficult and time consuming effort for a pair of burglars to move it to a place to tip it on its back and go to work on it with a crow bar and 6 foot pry bar, as illustrated in a youtube video I've seen (whose point is that spending upwards of $3K would yield a more secure safe against determined and prepared gun thieves). I had it bolted to the concrete floor of my garage in the old condo, but its present location is more secure.

 

[UberKul]

Went with the Liberty Lincoln.

Go with the electronic lock over the dial combo and flip for delivery. I did have an issue with the lock after about a year of daily use but was handled under warranty at the house. A light inside or desk lamp over the front that shines in is helpful. My ever-clever wife got ours written off on our taxes since it substitutes for a safety deposit box but your mileage may vary.

 

[TheZsdad]

Another vote for Liberty.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Have one of these from Sturdy Safe with the fire insulation option. Bought mine w/o an interior so you can build one to fit whatever "items" you would like. Extremely well built and like 'bums, a beyotch to move due to the weight. Anchored to the floor it's about as secure and safe as you can have short of a built-in vault.

--G

 

[FarWestFastEddie]

Ray, I just bought an American Security Safe, lists as holding 34 long guns, I doubt you could get that many in it, it does have a 1 hour fire rating, which was a huge selling point, and a life time warranty if any damage to the safe by fire or burglars, it came with an auto light triggered by a door switch, and an optional dehumidifier. 700+ lbs, bolts to the floor and about $1800.00. I do like the electronic lock that you can have people starring at your as you input the combo, after the 5th number, you can input as many numbers you want until you hit the last number and the # to keep your combo safe. Upon getting the safe, I was in it several times a day and no issues at all! I am one happy customer.

FWFE

 

[Surly]

Ray, I just bought an American Security Safe, lists as holding 34 long guns, I doubt you could get that many in it, it does have a 1 hour fire rating, which was a huge selling point, and a life time warranty if any damage to the safe by fire or burglars, it came with an auto light triggered by a door switch, and an optional dehumidifier. 700+ lbs, bolts to the floor and about $1800.00. I do like the electronic lock that you can have people starring at your as you input the combo, after the 5th number, you can input as many numbers you want until you hit the last number and the # to keep your combo safe. Upon getting the safe, I was in it several times a day and no issues at all! I am one happy customer.

FWFE

You Blokes sure like your guns! Gun control is very serious stuff over here, we don't have Second Amendment rights. Weapons were a tool of my trade for a short while. Do miss them.

Best regards

Surly

h34r:

 

[pmspaul]

I have a Browning safe also. It's about 10 years old, and says Sterling on the front and is fire rated for 1/2 hour. I believe it was listed as 30 long gun capacity, it has slots for 30 anyway. I can only get around half of that in there comfortably. Many of my long guns are bolt action and scoped and it gets very crowded. I don't have room for any ammunition after I get my handguns in there. It looked roomy before I got it home and got guns in it. Once you stick a rifle with a 26" barrel in there and realize the top shelf can't be very low, it starts looking small.

In the last 15 years, I traded one gun for a new one. Other than that I haven't sold or gotten rid of any guns. I just add new ones. More so now that the kids are shooting and hunting. So for me, I wish I would have gone bigger.

The Liberty safes I've seen look nice and I like the idea of keypad vs combo.

 

[Bounce]

I've always liked Canon

https://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=cannon+gun+safe&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=FKU&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1320&bih=1162&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=7273588403515585052&sa=X&ei=hDkUT7X4HcqisQKtsZXKAw&ved=0CIYBEPMCMAU

 

[NMRoadRunner]

Yukon Elite Gold, made by Browning, about 5 feet high and about 4 feet wide, half shelves and half long gun storage, 12 hr fire rated, really nice paint. What ever you do spend the extra pennies for the electronic lock not the tumbler. I keep everything in there and am in and out several times a day, the electronic lock is the only way to go!

 

[Auburn]

Ray, make sure to get one of these goldenrod for the safe. They are the standard for keeping moisture out of the safe. Also bolt down the safe (preferably to a concrete slab) to make any thieves have to work a lot harder to get it.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

I was taught that firearms should be stored with the barrels pointing slightly down. This is to prevent oil from running down the barrel, into the action and stock.

https://www.6mmbr.com/gunsafes.html

 

[Geezer]

Yukon Elite Gold, made by Browning, about 5 feet high and about 4 feet wide, half shelves and half long gun storage, 12 hr fire rated, really nice paint. What ever you do spend the extra pennies for the electronic lock not the tumbler. I keep everything in there and am in and out several times a day, the electronic lock is the only way to go!

So, what's the advantage of electronic locks? I always prefer mechanical locks that don't require batteries.

I also don't like the fire rated safes for guns because they typically contain water in the fire resistant material and moisture is not good for gun storage. Has Browning solved this problem?

 

[dcarver]

I didn't realize they were that much money. Ray, you're going to need a bike or two to fix up to gather the cash?

 

[NMRoadRunner]

The deal with electric locks is they are fast to gain entry with and I've had mine for 1.5 years and no battery issues, if they run down, you pull a tab under the key pad and replace the 9volt, all combonations are retained. I say combonations, because you can assign a different combo to different poeple, and it will track when and who was in the safe, good stuff! Moisture isn't a real problem for me here in Newer Mexico, No water, No moisture. The heating rod they sell works great and there a passway for the cord through the safe wall with gromments. I swear by the combonation lock, six touches and I'm in, about 3 seconds maybe.

 

[Larry33319]

Also check out gunsafes.com. That is where I bought mind and they usually have some good sales running. The only drawback with gun safes is that shipping is usually to your curb. Placing a 700# safe in place is a lot of fun.

 

[exskibum]

I have a Browning safe also. It's about 10 years old, and says Sterling on the front and is fire rated for 1/2 hour. I believe it was listed as 30 long gun capacity, it has slots for 30 anyway. I can only get around half of that in there comfortably. Many of my long guns are bolt action and scoped and it gets very crowded. I don't have room for any ammunition after I get my handguns in there. It looked roomy before I got it home and got guns in it. Once you stick a rifle with a 26" barrel in there and realize the top shelf can't be very low, it starts looking small.

In the last 15 years, I traded one gun for a new one. Other than that I haven't sold or gotten rid of any guns. I just add new ones. More so now that the kids are shooting and hunting. So for me, I wish I would have gone bigger.

The Liberty safes I've seen look nice and I like the idea of keypad vs combo.

Paul makes some really good observations/points there, Ray. Hunting shotguns and long barreled rifles present a length problem that limits how you can arrange the shelves. The extra space taken by mounted scopes also limit which (and how many) slots you can use for your scoped rifles. Both will limit how many long guns you can get in there -- so assume that when the specs say it can hold up to e.g., 12 long guns, they're talking about 12 short barreled .22s, of which maybe 4 have scopes. My top shelf is used for handguns that sit vertically in zipped fleece lined pistol rug cases, but the top shelf has a 2 inch wide slot above one rifle rack that allows a long barrel to protrude up through it if I needed it to. You WILL arrange and rearrange whatever you buy a few times -- each time "figuring out" how to best utilize the space inside, and most of the time discovering that something hits something else when you close the door or that there's some other limitation you failed to consider.

As to tumbler vs. electronic push button lock, YMMV. For me in this age of electronics on everything, I tend to opt for mechanical solutions most of the time. It is slower to access, but requires no batteries and the speed of access is not an issue in my situation.

As to gun capacity/size, I purposely selected a size that would limit my gun acquisition syndrome before it got too far out of control. :blink:

If you live in a dry climate and keep the safe where it's heated, the need for an electric dehumidifying device is more limited. You can get cheap and adequate silicon pack boxes for the purpose, but you need to check it (and periodically restore it in your oven) and your guns to make sure there is no rust. As part of my regular gun care, I treat my guns with Eezox, a rust inhibitor, as another precaution.

 

[Geezer]

The deal with electric locks is they are fast to gain entry with and I've had mine for 1.5 years and no battery issues, if they run down, you pull a tab under the key pad and replace the 9volt, all combonations are retained. I say combonations, because you can assign a different combo to different poeple, and it will track when and who was in the safe, good stuff! Moisture isn't a real problem for me here in Newer Mexico, No water, No moisture. The heating rod they sell works great and there a passway for the cord through the safe wall with gromments. I swear by the combonation lock, six touches and I'm in, about 3 seconds maybe.

Thanks for the information. I hadn't thought about speed of entry. I don't keep my self-defense guns in the safe when I'm home, but even opening and closing it to get something out would be more convenient if is was faster than turning the dial back and forth. It is nice to have options.

 

[Tree Doc]

Simple...buy the biggest and best fire rated safe you can afford.

I got a chuckle out of exskibum's comment about safe size limiting gun purchases. I've never heard that before! :lol2: I'm on safe #2 with 20+ long guns and 20+ handguns in the first!

I understand why so many like the idea of the electronic opening devices but I've always had tumbler styles and will ALWAYS have tumbler styles. With hunting and firearms being a defining part of my life, I hang with the "culture" and all my friends have safes of some sort. I know THREE guys that have had issues with their electronic entry systems, 2 happened to be Liberty Safes (could have been any manufacturer, so many use the same components), and 1 I'm unsure of now. All problems prevented access to their safes and required professional intervention to mitigate the problems. YMMV, however. In my not-so humble opinion, that's absolute ******** considering the safe's importance! I'll never take that risk but regardless, my SHTF tactical shotgun and go-to pistols are right where they need to be, out of the big safe, should I need them at a moments notice.

Those Liberty safes are nice, so are the Brownings, and many others. I have a local made Visalia Safe as my overflow without the bling and my main safe is a Champion Safe Co unit with the bells and whistle interior. It has a paint job on it that literally is nicer than what Ferrari puts out! I don't dust it, I wax it with Zaino Bros 2 part show car wax! I put my own rope light inside so I have light casting even into the darkest recesses. I run a Golden Rod de-humidifier, too. I have an optional feature that utilizes a special glass plate in front of the locking mechanism so if it's drilled or dropped, the glass breaks, and NOBODY gets in.