Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Gear Bleg: Keepin' It Safe...

Reader Steve sends in an excellent question for a friend of his:
A friend of mine is looking to get a safe. He'd like a digital lock, and wants to stay under $1,000. We hit the Google, but as I'm sure you know, there's like a gazillion results, and it's a pain to wade through everything.

He's a new, and young, gun nut. I went with him when he bought his first baby Glock (Awww...). He's got an AR and shotgun now as well. Though, to my knowledge, he doesn't yet have a bayonet for the shotgun (Jay!).

Anyway, I thought I'd pick your brains to see if you had any suggestions. I've seen Liberty mentioned on some of the blogs, but those seem to be more expensive.
I'm not terribly familiar with the different brands of safes out there - I inherited the safes my grandfather kept his guns in, and have added two large room safes bolted to the floor and wall for handguns. I know that my local gun shop - a place I've shopped for years, a place I trust, stocks Sentry safes - starting as low as $400, with an electronic entry safe selling for $500. If your friend is looking to spend $1K, he might want to get two...

Liberty makes excellent safes, as does Fort Knox; realistically, one's choices are only limited by one's budget. No safe is theft-proof - if someone wants your guns bad enough, they're going to get them. Some things - such as a minimum of welds and no exposed hinges - can make it hard enough to get in that an amateur thief will be discouraged, and it will also thwart the opportunistic and the curious as well. Fire and water resistance are other factors - no sense in spending thousands to protect your guns from theft only to lose them to water damage. Since the biggest safes are the heaviest, they're often located in basements - areas where water damage can often be a big possibility.

What's your preferred brand of gun safe?

That is all.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd rethink the digital lock; the failure rate on them is higher than the traditional dial combination, and as a digital lock sees usage the number pads in the combination show wear which identifies, if not the combination itself, the numbers used in the combination. Knowing which 5 or 6 numbers are in the combination out of the 10 possible makes it easier to defeat. Once a quality brand is chosen, the bigger and heavier the better, and keeping it out is sight is beneficial-a bad guy can't attack a safe he can't find.

Irish said...

When I was looking for a safe there seemed to be a TON of choices. Alot of safes seem to be made by the same manufacturer and just rebranded.

There is a great showroom and knowledgeable staff at Eastern Security Safe in Mendon.

http://easternsecuritysafe.com/

I am NOT affiliated with them, I just went and bought my safe there. They delivered it and bolted it to the floor. I also agree with all of ANON's comments above.

This is a lifetime investment, I spent a little more than I wanted
and got a nice Champion safe.

That being said I already wish it was the bigger one. I started storing lots more than just the gunnie stuff in there.

libertyman said...

As always, you get what you pay for, but I found this: Centurion 12 Gun Safe by Liberty Safe at Dick's Sporting Goods for $579.00.

If your friend lives in Massachusetts, gun safes are sales tax exempt.

Some fire protection, and some theft protection as well, bigger, heavier safes afford more of each.I prefer a mechanical lock, but to each his own.

I am looking for another safe myself, so I may have a look. Which suggests that you want to go bigger rather than smaller.

Teke said...

Do not have a mac daddy safe yet.
I have been looking at Liberty Fat Boy. It runs aroud $800 online from liberty and about the same at Gander. Remeber if it isn't delivered it must be transported. Delivery also varies. Delivered alot of times means to the curb. Look ofr installation unless you have some budies to help you move the beast. If you think all you need is small go bigger. As PISSED said. You'll put more stuff in there than your guny stuff and your collection will grow.

Another note is BOLT it down. I have heard a number of stories where theives have tipped safes because they are too big and heavy to move and couldn't get into them. Plus it makes it that much harder to get out.

ZerCool said...

I went through precisely this dilemma last summer.

See posts, parts one here and two here.

This particular safe goes on sale regularly for right at $1000. No water protection, but for me that is a non-issue.

The LED rope lights were $50 from Home Depot, and the GoldenRod was $20 from Cabelas or Midway or somewhere. Both are worth their weight in gold.

doubletrouble said...

Mine's a Liberty, a base model (granite finish vs. gloss paint & graphics).
Like Anon, I'd skip the digital & go with the old reliable S&G- mechanics of this lock are much less likely to fail, & are unaffected by electronic disturbance.
Get a safe with "plate" steel in the walls & door, vs. sheet metal used on many of the safe/cabinet types- the lower end Stack-Ons come to mind.
Make sure your pick has a fire rating; made so it will seal when exposed to heat.
Get one bigger than you figure you need- trust me on this.

Oh, & PISSED? A TON of choices???
Ba-dum, tish.

Bob H said...

I use a Pendleton Bishop3260 (http://www.pendletonsafes.com/) unfortunately I don't know what it costs. My wife gave it to me for my birthday. I really like the built in rotating racks and the options for different shelving types.
Gunblast.com did a good review of them (search "Pendleton" on the Gunblast page.) My neighbor likes the Cannon brand. They make a 400lb safe for about $800.
As someone else said, make sure delivery includes installation! Hauling even the smallest of these safes up or down a flight of stairs is no job for an amateur. A friend of mine ended up in the hospital when his wooden basement steps collapsed as they tried to install an 800lb safe in his basement.

Anonymous said...

I settled on a Safe from sturdysafe. They are competitively priced and offer features at a low price one would expect to pay a premium for. Just make sure your floor can handle the weight. These things are built like bank vaults.

I also did not go with an electronic lock. Too many things that can go wrong with them IMO.

Alan said...

I have a slightly different take on safes.

I do have a safe, but I only keep the family heirlooms and such in it, the ones that can't be replaced.

As for the rest, that's what insurance is for.

Wally said...

Is it for theft protection, or investment protection ? Most cabinets would deter a thief, but if you go up a notch in quality, fire protection enters the equation. Better fire protection includes water protection - gaskets and seals that activate with the heat of the fire. To defeat most casual thiefs, go for a safe that has locking bolts on all 4 sides of the door. Some of the higher end safes have diamond dust embedded in the walls to prohibit drilling, but those might be a bit outside of the target budget. Most safes would have either a 120V outlet, or a space to add one. Great for lighting and a dehumidifier if needed.

Cabelas has a pretty good selection, and $1k would get you stout protection from fire or theft. I made out very well on a scratched model from Cabelas (black does touch up nicely!)


IMO, locking bolts on all sides as a minimum, and be certain to bolt it down! My safe weighs 1100lbs, and *I alone* moved it 20 miles, up three steps, and through 3 rooms indoors. If a thug wasn't concerned about scratching walls, it could be out of the house in under 10 minutes. BOLT IT DOWN FROM THE INSIDE.

Anonymous said...

I lucked out - there's a local guy (well, up in Cleveland, at any rate) who frequents most of the northeastern Ohio gun shows. He makes safes out of his garage.

For just under $1000 delivered (I did the install), I got a 4-foot wide monstrosity (that I someday hope to fill) made out of 1/4" plate reinforced on all the seams with an additional 1/4" piece of angle iron. There's a layer of fire brick, then an interior box that is again 1/4" plate with angle iron. The lock is some vintage bank setup that he picked up a line on, I forget the details at the moment.

Try local guys to see what you might find. A lot of times you can get a lot more for your buck becuase they don't go through big box stores.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely agree with those who suggest a mechanical lock rather than an electronic one. When I was with the Stae dDepartment the Dept was switching from mech to elec locks. These were NOT the cheap elec locks used in the commercial wold, but regardless they all had a finite life span that was typically about a year based on use.
In point of fact I installed one on a weapons vault and had to go back less than one week later and break into the vault because the lock failed.
None of my safes have elec locks...
emdfl

CyBuzz said...

I have a Champion safe bought at Scheels. Well below your 1K mark. My next safe will be a Zanotti http://www.zanottiarmor.com/ and I will get the biggest one they make. Delivery and Installation will not be a problem with the Zonatti.

My safe is for safety and security. I don't want the little fingers (be it my kids or their friends) wandering all over my guns.

Angus McThag said...

No need to worry about external hinges unless they replace the hinge side locking lugs.

All the hinge should do is let the door swing when the safe is unlocked.

NewKidsOnTheGlock said...

Thanks for all the info guys. I'm the friend- ended up going with a Stack-On that I got for a great deal and has all the features I wanted.