I’m looking for my first gun safe, my budget right now is only $300.  I need it to be able to hold 8-10 AK/AR/FAL type rifles. I only have 3 rifles right now.
Any recommendations? Thank!

Save up a bit more?

Seriously, while I understand your problem and your desire for a safe of some sort, I'm not sure that anything in that price range is really going to offer a level of protection that makes it worth even that much.  Many cheap safes have no real fire protection, and maybe even worse, most can be easily defeated with a large enough pry bar by someone who knows how to attack it.  It generally doesn't even take all that long if the thief even half way knows how to go about it.

Maybe someone else can make a recommendation but I can't without a few more hundred dollars.  Sorry, and good luck on finding something that will work for you needs.

How about a job site box and a couple of huge padlocks?

Costco & Sam's Club put them on sale every couple of months.

Accountant

I think as stated if you can put together at least 450 bucks you should be able to get a decent safe it more than likely will not be fire rated. I have one I got on sale basic for  I think 14 guns it's a sentry it ways almost 275 pound empty. BUt I can barely put 8 assault rifles in it. to compact. you get what you pay for

This from Home Depot.  A Knack construction box.

I sold a fire rated American Security safe for $500 last year when I left AZ, I paid $750.00 for in 1996.  When I got to Michigan I went to Dunham's when they had safes on sale and got a larger fire rated Safari safe and it was a floor model with a few scratches on it.  The manager came and knocked another $100.00 off the sale price just because it was the last one they had and didn't have a box and a pallet attached to it.  I paid around $500.00 for it.

+1

A safe should protect from theft as well as fire. Save up another few hundred dollars and get something you can rely on. Consider that you will be putting some important documents in the safe as well.

bass pro shops i paided $550 for a safe that was $700 on sale. plus if you get the credit card they'll give you another 10% off the purchass. then cancel the card after you pay off the safe if you like. atleast get a 400lb 30min fire 8bar. also mount it to a concret floor.

Yes, securely mounting a safe to a wall and floor goes a long way to making it more difficult to get into.  Flipping it on its back allows them to get the leverage needed to pry it open so if you cn prevent this it does make it more difficult to get into.  Of course a well designed and constructed safe matters even more.

Here is a video that demonstrates the flipping principle.

Ok let say I have ~$550 to spend.

Is there a local website where you can find items for sale? A local site that's not craigslist? It's always best to shop local because the cost of shipping for online purchases is going to kill you.

If you have Dick's sporting goods in your state, this one might fit a few of your rifles. I don't know if it's just me, but I have an extremely difficult time storing rifles with pistol grips, tall assault weapon type sight posts, or scoped rifles, so when I'm looking to storing 10 rifles, I use a 16 gun safe with each rifle turned slightly to the left or right and periodically I'll have to store a few with barrel pointing down.just to get them to squeeze in there.

I agree that it's best to move up to the $500+ range and get a fireproof safe.  As long as you're spending the money, you might as well get one that you'll want to keep for a long time.

For people who are just poor (or cheap), another option is simply insurance.  You can insure $10,000 worth of guns for about $70/year.

I know a guy who needed a safe, but didn't have the money for a good one.  So, he just purchased insurance for two years until he could save up $700 for the safe he wanted.  Ultimately it cost him more money to do it that way, but at least he had the peace-of-mind knowing that his rifles were protected while he saved up his money.

I bought a 500 lb safe from Sam's for $580

With safe..... weight is your best insurance.

You'll pay significantly more than $500+ for a good firesafe.  In the $500 range you will get a safe that is lined with "fireboard", which is just a fancy way of saying "drywall".  Fireboard is designed to stop flames from spreading in home interiors.  It is not a good insulator, and insulation is what you need in a firesafe.  I started out looking for a $500 safe too.  As I researched and researched some more and learned about safe construction, I'm now looking at $2800 for a good firesafe (72"x40"x28").  That same safe, uninsulated, is almost $800 cheaper and over a hundred pounds lighter.  Good insulation is not just an afterthought add-on, nor is it cheap.

Jobsite boxes are a solid option.

We use one on our duck hunting lease in Arkansas, it holds the small motors for the john boats. Every Bubba in the area knows about the cabin and site box used by them "Nashville boys".  I'd say from the looks of it, there have been several attempts to open the box, to date, nothing has been stolen.

This cabin only has weekend visitors during the hunting season, so the box just sits there year round. No one is there to shoo off the bad guys, so they pretty much have free reign to try and steal stuff. While the direct tv dish is the norm to go missing, they can't get into the jobsite box.

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Hey, bro, don't know what part of Oklahoma you're in, but Bear safes are local, and IIRC, they can do lay away.  It's been a long time since I looked at them, but they are stout and have several options. 'Taint cheap, but $550 may get you into one.  I would note, I've never seen one for re-sale on OKshooters...

CRAIGSLIST

as far as fire resistance i would suggest putting it on the ground floor on concrete or steel sheet metal, against an outer wall, if nothing can burn on/underneath or near it then its not likely going to heat up enough to damage anything inside, and odds are the firedepartment will put your house out before it gets that bad, you may want to just get a security system and put some work into hiding your guns, i dont think bad guys stick around when an alarms going off and they're more likely to go off with your TV than for a thorough search of every dark corner of your household

new 'gun safe' not made in china will cost about 1400 dollars that I would recommend. 36 inches wide.

and when shopping for safes, you'll notice they advertise how many guns are supposed to fit inside;



divide that number by 2 for a realistic expectation if you are storing AKs or ARs.

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=292952-10283-CE12-BK&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=1242371&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=sim&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

I bought a Dakota modular safe mostly because my old house has a small front door.
When I assembled it, I added a couple  layers of the fire-retardant drywall to what was already there while I was putting it togeather, and bolted it to 2 walls and the floor.  Total cost was around $550, and if my calculations are right I have a better fire rating than the $4000 safe that I couldn't fit through my door. A 12' sheet of 5/8 drywall goes a long way when lining the inside of a safe [why I ended up with 2 layers].

Check your local farm/tractor store, you might be shocked how much cheaper you can find a safe.

I am thinking about getting one of these as an ammo safe:
Lowes centurion safe $400

OMG beat by 10 min....

This and newspaper classifieds.  Two of my three came this way!

You know you have to put every other gun on it's muzzle right?  I can get the advertised count as long as I am not loading it with big scoped rifles

I'll just put this right here....www.sturdysafe.com

I got the 2419.....smallest one they make is 24Wx 19Dx 60H, now wishing I had gone bigger.  My small one weighs 520 lbs.

I did alot of research before buying one theirs several yrs ago.....imo THE best value in safes out there.  JMO.

Oh and the owner's daughter is kind of nice to look at too.

You may be able to EXCEED the rated capacity with this system:http://www.storemoreguns.com/

man reading this info. makes me rethink on how to buy a safe. these seem like great safes.

How do you like the Dakota?  I have narrowed my safe choices down to two safes on the opposite end of the spectrum.  The Dakota Safe is one of those.  It's lighter and less fire resistant than the other one I'm looking at, but that take-down modularity is a fantastic feature.  Plus, the Dakota is relatively inexpensive.  The other safe I'm considering is a SturdySafe.  It's over three times the cost of the Dakota.  Much heavier duty, but so big and heavy so as to be almost immobile.  The SturdySafe is more secure by far, but probably overkill for me (I'm in a low theft-risk area and this safe will go in an inside corner of my house where fire resistance needs are less).  I really like the concept of the Dakota.  Could you possibly give a mini-review of your Dakota - telling what you like about it and what you don't?  That would be great!  You don't see the Dakotas talked about all that much and I'd love to hear a first-hand report.

FWIW, I also have a Dakota. Compared to other options at the low-end. I'd buy another one before I'd buy any of the sub-$1,000 safes I see out there. I have mine located in an area with a narrow access. It would be physically impossible to remove without dismantling either the safe or the room. Honestly, though, It's really just a security cabinet dressed up to look like a safe. The same could be said for all comparatively priced "safes" though.

The main advantage of the Dakota Safe is the modular design. This makes it easier to move, but it also allows extra security, by giving  you the ability to locate it a closet or some other small space that would deny thieves access to the sides of the box. The other thin is that it does have that big gap around the door that most cheap safes have. It has a flat plate on the front edge of the door that overlaps a recessed edge of the box. It would be really hard to get a pry tool started.

The lock on mine has an electronic keypad, but the folks at Dakota say that it's a different mechanism than you usually see. It's got a "Master Code" feature that supposedly is supposed to get you in if your main combination ever fails. And yes, you set the master code  yourself. THey do give you the option of a dial lock now.

All in all, I like my Dakota. I did chuck the racks/dividers that came with it and went to the "store-more-guns" system I showed on the previous page of this thread.

There is another modular safe. Search for Zanotti armor.

I've been very happy with mine....its good to know I've got my stuff in it when I'm out of town.

Yes, they do cost more than alot of lower price brands out there, but they are made and ordered direct in the USA.  Great CS as well.

8 gauge steel body, 7 gauge steel door....pretty hard to get into.

I'm doing this too.

Even though i have seen guys swear it will cause the brl to warp.





 

If you are a AMEX card member i got a nice 10 rifle safe for 70,000 points shipped.

I believe that most safe companies are using sporting/ hunting type longguns for their capacity statements..... ARs, AKs, M1 series rifles etc.... take up extra space due to the pistol grips, optics and op rods (Garand, M1As). I too alterante muzzle up/ down especially with the wood stocked rifles.

Now I'm curious about the Dakota.  I'm thinking that with the modular design it might be possible for me to construct it inside one of my extra closets, bolting it to the floor and wall.  A couple of advantages to this would be that it would not take up any additional floor space since it would be tucked away in the closet, it wouldn't draw the attention of service/repair people that may go in that room since it would be inside a closed closet, and it would make it more difficult for a thief to attack in the tight confines of a closet.

I do have a couple of questions for those of you that have them though.

Barrysuperhawk,

When you added the additional layers of fireboard how did you address the interior panels?  Did you modify the original interior panels so that they would fit or did you dispense with them altogether?

Either Barrysuperhawk or Bladeswitcher,

I’d also like some dimensions so I can see if it is even a possibility for the relatively small closet I have in mind.  What is the overall exterior depth and width?  Along with that I’d also like to know the width of the door itself.  The way this closet is constructed, it has a narrow door with space to each side so I’m just trying to see how much space I’ll be wasting if I center the safe so that the door will have clearance to swing open or if I could offset it a bit to one side so I could still get into the space to one side of the safe.  I also saw on Dakota’s site that they are coming out with expansion pieces that bolt in place of the regular side panels.  One or two of these might also work in my applications to fill the extra closet space.  While I know that a thief could attack these seams they would pretty much have to rip out the wall to get to them and only then if they knew what was behind the wall to begin with.  I’m really thinking that when they opened the door they would just be confronted with the safe door which wouldn’t tell them anything about the construction or possible weak points to attack.

Also, Dakota’s site doesn’t give any pricing information that I could find.  What is the going rate of these?  I did use their distributor link and found that we do have one in GA not too far away.  I may have to go by and take a look.

This is just an idea I’ve been kicking around since discovering the modular safes a while back.

The outside dimensions of the Dakota are 60"tall by 30" wide by 26" deep. The handles stick out another inch and half so figure you'll need almost 28 inches to close the closet door. The door itself is 24 inches wide.

I paid about $600 for mine, but I got it on sale from a local dealer. I've seen prices as high as $800 plus about $150 shipping for the Dakota. I like the Dakota, but I'd have to think long and hard about paying that much for another one. It's not so much that I think that there are other $900-$1,000 boxes that a much better, but rather that I think most $600 boxes are just as good. Still, if you need the modular design, that's worth something.

Yeah, I understand about the price vs quality issue although I can't say since I haven't seen one myself, but since you have one I'll take your word on that.  The modular design is the real attraction to the Dakota for me.  Not having to have it delivered, getting it into my house, then through a tight turn into the room I want it in, and most important for my wants is being able to construct inside a closet.

Thanks for the dimensions.  I'll have to stop by and try to take a look at one and see what sort of deal I can swing and then take some measurements of the closet in question to see if it's even feasible.

But I do agree with you that if not for the modular design I would pick something else.  Of course I would actually spend more to hopefully get a better safe.  But I do like some of the possibilities that the modular design opens up.  It would be nice if they would offer more size options and maybe even some heavier gauge steel options.

For what it's worth, I've seen a lot of $1,000 gun safes that I didn't think were as nice as the Dakota. I certainly don't think it's any less secure than any of the usual suspects you see at farm stores, and big box places. But if  you could put it in a closet –– especially a locked closet –– where it couldn't come out and a thief couldn't gain access to the sides, I don't think you could beat that combination. Imagine the look on some dirt ball's face after he pried open a deadbolted closet only to face a steel door inside. A fella should install a video camera with that set up just for the YouTube goodness.

Well, that was exactly my idea... minus the video camera idea.

I mean I know that it won't stop a determined, well equiped thief.  It's really just all about slowing them down anyway, and having to rip out walls just to get at the damn thing does accomplish this.  Coupled with a monitored alarm system and a high decibel audible alarm mounted in the gable vent of the attic drawing the neighbor's attention probably makes them not want to take the time necessary to defeat the safe.

I do think it would make better use of my space with the expander kits, but it shows them as "coming soon" and with no pricing information.  In fact the only pricing info I see on the site is the $199 upgrade to 1 hr fire protection.

Costco just put them on sale. $579 delivered to you door. Order now!

Accountant

I've had my Dakota a couple of years and the website has been saying "coming soon" on the expansion kits the whole time. FWIW, it doesn't seem like this company has ever really gotten off the ground. When I bought mine they had a whole nationwide list of distributors, then they were down to just one –– the safe shop in Oklahoma that developed them. It does seem like they're starting to grow a bit now, though.

I will tell you this: If you call them, you'll talk to real people who actually know the product and they'll answer all your questions honestly. I've had two conversations with them and both were remarkable for their candidness.

Well, I'll be passing near the distributor they list for my area later this week, so I guess I can stop in and see if they can give me any additional info.  If not I guess I can call them direct and see what I can learn.  The expansion kits might be a deal breaker for me, IDK, but I would hate to lose that much additional storage space in the the closet.  Depending on the price and availability of the kits it could make this a better overall solution for my needs.  The modular concept seems like a good option, but only if the company and product is up to snuff.

I never could figure out how the expansion kit was supposed to work. I understand that they would replace one or both side panels, I just don't get what the interior would be like. Of course, I don't use the factory racks anyway.

No, me either.  The site doesn't give much detail about them but I can see the rough size difference in the picture and I'm just assuming it would come with some additional reconfigured interior panels to utilize the additional space.  Just judging from the picture it just looks like it would make better use of my available closet space, and more safe space is never a bad thing.  Still need to take measurements of my closet and find out the scoop on these add-ons though.  I did read on another forum that someone was told that the expansion kits weren't cost effective and that they were advised to spend the extra on second safe instead.  I take it from that, that; maybe they are available (?), and that if they are they aren't cheap.  But still, for my application they do sound like a nice option.  Interiors aren't that hard to deal with though.  There are options like the one you use, or it isn't that difficult to build them with a little MDF or plywood and carpet.

FWIW on the Dakota, I called the company several months ago when I first learned of them.  Sometime in January 2010 it was.  At that time, here is what they quoted me:

Takedown Safe: $799
Freight charge to Denver, CO area: $170
Expansion kit (per side - each side adds an additional one foot of width): $299
Delivery estimate: 30 days

Standard lock is a LaGard mechanical dial.  I can't remember if they said the expansion kits were available at that time or "coming soon". But they did quote me the price on them.  Be sure and check out their website for the video on safe assembly.  That video tells you more about the safe than the pictures and words on the website.

=====

There is another brand of takedown safe.  Called "Zanotti Armor".  Type that into Google and you'll find them.  They are much more expensive than the Dakota.  And they have a long delivery time.  Here's what they quoted me:

Safe model: ZA-2 (72"x31"x25" 600lbs)
Price: $1769
Freight to Denver CO area: $369

Safe model: ZA-3 (72:x40"x30" 825lbs)
Price: $2326
Freight: $409

Standard lock: LaGard mechanical dial
There is no fire lining in these Zanotti safes
Deposit required at order time: $200
If I had ordered on 1-19-2010 (the day I got the above price quotes), estimated delivery would have been Sept 2010 (nine months)

Shipped in multiple boxes, heaviest single box is about 250lbs

===

Just for grins, here are the quotes I got for SturdySafes (these are HEAVY DUTY standard safes, not takedown safes).  January 2010

Safe model: 3627-6 (72"x36"x27" 1090lbs)
Body: 7 gauge steel
Fire lined
Inner liner: 14 gauge steel
#3 custom interior
Lock: Group II mechanical dial
Delivered price to Denver, CO area (includes freight charge): $2802
Skip the firelining and inner 14 gauge liner, save: $670 (includes adjusted delivery charge for lighter safe weight)

Safe model: 3627 (60"x36"x27-1/4" 860lbs)
Body: 8 gauge steel
Fire lined
Inner liner: 14 gauge steel
Other details same as model 3627-6
Delivered price to Denver, CO area: $2368
Skip the firelining and inner 14 gauge liner, save: $590 (includes adjusted delivery charge for lighter safe weight)

Delivery estimate was 30 days (I think - I didn't write it down and can't remember for sure).  Doors use external hinges and are removeable.  Take the door off for easier moving into your house.  But they're still heavy beasts even with the doors off.

Note that just the "inner liner" on these SturdySafes is the same thinkness as many other safes total body thickness!  Add to that SturdySafes 7 gauge body thickness and these pretty much blow all other safes out of the water.  MUCH thicker steel.  If you want a REAL safe that will thwart even determined burglars and be REALLY fire resistant, SturdySafe is the safe to beat.  But they're not as cheap as the mass market safes and a good bit heavier.  Smaller and larger sizes are available ... I just asked for quotes on the sizes that interested me personally.

After researching these SturdySafe models, I gave up on any of the mass market safes like Liberty, Canon, Ft. Knox, American Security, etc.  SturdySafe just seems much better (and cheaper) than these other "high end" mass market safes.

===

I just can't decide: Go for the best, SturdySafe, or go for the "probably good enough" Dakota with the takedown feature.  

I'm pretty much in the same boat.  From what I've read I guess the SturdySafe is pretty much the "Fort Knox" of traditional, commercial gun safes.  Well, not the Fort Knox brand... well, you know what I mean.  It probably is the "best" gun safe available, but in the real world I do wonder when you reach the point of diminishing returns.  I mean, how much better is really better protection against a real world burglary.  Are they more apt to get into "lesser" mass market safes like one of the upper tier Libertys than they would the better, beefier SturdySafe?

I really don't know.

I do know that I've looked at a local dealer that carries a large selection of Liberty safes and only Liberty safes.  I've been in a few  times looking into them and have seen a good price from time to time on scratch and dent models.  They have one safe on display that was the victim of an attempted break-in.  I think it was a lower end Colonial but it may have been a Franklin.  It looks like the thieves did a number on it, with deep gouges and pry marks all around the door, warped door, wider door gap in areas, etc.  It doesn't look like a half hearted attempt was made at getting it opened at all, but they were unsuccessful and the safe held strong.  I guess my point is that while the "better", more expensive SturdySafe is without a doubt beefier and stronger, does that really make it better if the same thieves that attack it can't get into a "lesser", cheaper safe.  Again I don't really have an answer.

I guess if buying a conventional safe everyone just has to make up their own mind on all of that, and buy what they feels is the better compromise between cost and security.

But, then we have the modular safes like Zanotti and Dakota.  I dismissed the Zancotti simply due to the price.  I don't really see it being that much, if any, better than the less expensive Dakota.  Of course there could be things I'm missing and I could be wrong about that.  But, for me it really boils down to a decision between a Dakota modular and one of the "better" conventional safes.

I just like the flexibility that the modular design gives me.  I like the idea that I can get it home and inside on my own, without having some delivery guy know that I have enough guns that I need a safe.  I like the fact that I can maybe assemble it inside an existing closet although I still have to measure to be sure.  If this will work it solves a problem for me, "where do I put the damn thing?"  I also think that although the Dakota itself may not be as secure as some of the better standard models, the fact that it is built inside a closet helps it gain back some of its security.  Every video I've ever seen that shows someone breaking into a gun safe they always flip on its back first so they can get to it and get enough leverage with the long pry bars.  It also always seems that they concentrate their attack on the opening side of the door opposite the hinges.  If I put a safe inside my intended closet, not only would it be in the closet and surrounded by the interior walls, it would also have the opening side of the safe near another wall that is perpendicular to the closet.  If I bolt it to two walls and the floor I think it would be damn near impossible for them to get it out and give them very limited room to try to pry with it upright and in place.

I don't know.  I'm not a professional state or federally trained safe cracking burglar so I may be missing a lot, but these are just some of my thoughts as I muddle my way through the process of coming to a decision.