Posted: 3/12/2010 10:28:40 AM EDT
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Looking at buying a gun safe and had a couple of questions I'm throwing around and wanted to get some other people's perspective.
Obviously I was to buy one bigger than I need - so I am looking for 10-12 long guns and some shelfs for pistols / mags / ammo Would like firs preotection The big question is electronic lock vs combination. I like the speed of the electronic, but I am concerned with potential reliability - batteries, or EMP (if I want to put my tine foil on tight). Regardless, any input', suggestions or advice is appreciated. I would like to stay under $700 as well. Put this in "survival" because of the "quick access" and general mindset here - i.e. potential electronic failure. Thanks! |
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Don't buy a safe based on fire protection rating. The ratings are mostly hype, and in a really bad fire, any safe is going to turn into an oven. Buy two sizes bigger than you need. A 10-12 gun safe, realistically holds about half that many long guns, especially if they have pistol grips, protruding mags, etc... I like combo locks, with a key to lock the combo. Some people prefer electronic, but I don't need quick access, because I always have a firearm near, or on me. If I'm home, the safe is open anyway. I like my Cannon. It's not the best, but it better than some, and it costs me under a grand. |
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I have a winchester from sams club it holds 11or 22 long guns and has adjustable shelving and is very heavy. Mine is older with the mechanical lock but I think everything else is the same. $644
Sams Linky 
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The 2 I am looking at som far are:
Cannon Not too many details on the web site: Weight: 450 lbs. Commercial grade type 1 Electronic Lock 30-minute fire protection Capacity: 24 guns #AE21 and this one 
This Stack-On® 24-gun Elite fire-resistant safe is equipped with 5 live-action locking bolts and 3 steel dead bolts to provide 8 locking points; a solid steel reinforced pry-resistant door offers even greater security. The fully carpeted interior is set up with Stack-On®'s exclusive barrel rests and standoffs, allowing better space utilization. Features Stack-On® 24-gun Elite safe Model Number: GSX-524 Holds 24 rifles or shotguns; adjustable shelving allows it to hold 16 guns 3-number combination lock with a drill-resistant, hardened steel plate behind the lock for greater security 5 live-action locking bolts and 3 steel deadbolts provide 8 locking points Solid steel reinforced pry-resistant door provides greater security Interior of the safe is fully carpeted and has 4 adjustable shelves Stack-On®'s patented barrel rests and standoffs for storing scoped rifles allow better space utilization Exterior has an epoxy paint finish with gold-colored accents and silk screen on the door ETL fire rated to manufacturer's specifications for 30 minutes up to 1400°F California DOJ-approved firearms safety devices that meet the requirements of California Penal Code Section 12088 and the regulations issued thereunder Not recommended for storing CDs or other electronic storage devices Dimensions: W 26 3/4" x D 23" x H 54" Shelf Dimensions: W 7 1/2" x D 16" x adjustable Internal Body Size: W 24 3/8" x D 16.902" x H 52.125" |
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Like mentioned above I like combo locks with the daytime key option. Buy the biggest safe you can fit through the door and be supported by your floor. Spend more money to get the bigger safe now. If you get too small a safe and then need to buy another or bigger safe you would have spent more than if you bought the bigger safe to begin with. I guarantee you will fill up any size safe in no time.
Fire ratings are dubious at best, but assume the temperature probe was at the very bottom of the safe (the coolest place) during the testing. Also assume the time rating started when the furnace was fired up and not when the oven reach the desired temperature. For example, a fire rating of 1600F @ 90 minutes by one company may go like this. Place thermocouple probe in the bottom of the safe, start the stopwatch, fire up the oven, if the oven reaches 1600F before the thermocouple reaches 450F (temperature paper burns, actually 451F) then maintain 1600F, stop stopwatch once thermocouple reaches 450F. Now another company may perform the test like this. Place several thermocouples in the safe (position top, middle, bottom), fire up the oven, once 1600F is reached inside the oven start the stop watch, stop the stopwatch once the average temperature of all 3 thermocouples reach 450F. Obviously the second company performed a more honest test. An important feature to have on a safe is a heat expandable seal, not so much to stop the fire, but more to stop the high pressure blast from a fireman's hose. If you have opportunity go "kick the tires" to a Graffunder safe. Notice the tight tolerances of the door/frame fit, the ton or more weight, and the thickness of 1/2" or greater plate steel. Then go look at the RSC's and know what you are giving up. And most important remember this, the only thing a safe buys you is time. Any safe can be broken into. If you don't have another form of security, nosy neighbors, dog, alarm, alert police, etc. then your safe will eventually be compromised. |
As of now only a 10/22, AR, AK and a shotgun - a few handguns and several thousand rounds of ammo and some other gear - not as much as I'd like, and will be adding some more soon (wanna get a good bolt gun), but I also don't have tons or room. Do you have any other suggestions for a decent safe for the ~700 range? I understand I am not going to keep out a professional thief, but most burglaries are committed by amateurs, and I keep a pretty low profile. Any safe is better than no safe. I am looking for some middle ground. |
| I bought a 650lb safe that set me back about $1100 and is supposed to hold 12/24 rifles and a lot of storage space. Well.....let me tell you, I wish I would have spent a few hundred more and gotten something a little bigger. I've got only 10 rifles and there is only room for 9. If you have a lot of pistol gripped/scoped rifles it will cut down the amount of rifles the safe will store. I had to start stacking my 200rnd sealed packs of mil-surp .308's on top of the safe, everything else that isn't sealed is in the safe with the de-humidifier. I'M RUNNING OUT OF ROOM. |
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Quoted:
Don't buy a safe based on fire protection rating. The ratings are mostly hype, and in a really bad fire, any safe is going to turn into an oven. Buy two sizes bigger than you need. A 10-12 gun safe, realistically holds about half that many long guns, especially if they have pistol grips, protruding mags, etc... I like combo locks, with a key to lock the combo. Some people prefer electronic, but I don't need quick access, because I always have a firearm near, or on me. If I'm home, the safe is open anyway. I like my Cannon. It's not the best, but it better than some, and it costs me under a grand. Good advice here.. |
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Some good advice above.
A few more things to consider. You can make a safe more secure by where and how it is placed. If it is not bolted down it can be carried off. Yes, even the 600-800+ pound ones. My Fort Knox is 1200 pounds empty but it is still bolted down. If you bolt it down inside a closet where there is little to no access to the sides/top you will make it harder to break into than if it is out in the open. This will also make it tougher for a thief to use leverage with large pry bars etc. The toughest part of the safe is usually the front. For *added* fire protection for smaller stuff, consider buying a smaller, fire rated document safe and putting it inside at the bottom of the larger fire rated gun safe. And like has already been said again and again, buy a safe that is larger than you think you will need. If you have to save longer to do it then consider buying a cheap used JobBox on Craigslist or something to use as storage until you can afford a good quality large(!) safe. |
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Quoted:
Some good advice above. A few more things to consider. You can make a safe more secure by where and how it is placed. If it is not bolted down it can be carried off. Yes, even the 600-800+ pound ones. My Fort Knox is 1200 pounds empty but it is still bolted down. If you bolt it down inside a closet where there is little to no access to the sides/top you will make it harder to break into than if it is out in the open. This will also make it tougher for a thief to use leverage with large pry bars etc. The toughest part of the safe is usually the front. For *added* fire protection for smaller stuff, consider buying a smaller, fire rated document safe and putting it inside at the bottom of the larger fire rated gun safe. And like has already been said again and again, buy a safe that is larger than you think you will need. If you have to save longer to do it then consider buying a cheap used JobBox on Craigslist or something to use as storage until you can afford a good quality large(!) safe. Good advice here. I am a firefighter and will expand on the fire thing. I would be more worried about water than the fire if the safe is in the basement. Even if there is a drain it will get plugged when the fire dept. starts to flow water in the house. If it is in a walk out basement you might be alright. If you can make sure the safe isn't above, below or right up against a wall that has the furnace, laundry room or the kitchen. Most urban or suburban fire departments should be able to put a fire out before it destroys the whole house, but if a fire starts in the room with the safe or a joining room you probable will have problems. Placing the safe in a closet will help protect it from the fire also. The sheet rock will protect it for quite a while and the door (even though it isn't fire rated) will do a good job also. Talk to your insurance provider also and make sure you have proper coverage. If you have a catastrophic fire you will have many other expenses that will total more than the small amount that you have in guns. As your collection grows you should make sure that your coverage is there to protect you also. Guns are normally covered differently than regular assets when it comes to theft. Again talk to your insurance provider to make sure you have proper coverage. |
Dang, if I'm not seriously consider getting this one.
Just to tick Protus off! 
Browning Tactical Mark II 
Mark II Key Features * Heavy 11-gauge steel body * Conveniently holds shorter guns * Interior mirror and light package make finding items easier * External Accessory Rack makes it easy to hang gear on side of safe Anti-Pry Features * Heavy 11-gauge steel body * Pry-Stop End Bolts * 1 1/4" chromed locking bolts, four-sided door coverage * Extended throw locking bolts * Fully reinforced integrated door frame * Tight-tolerance door fit * 1 5/16" thick Duo-Formed® door Other Security Features * Force Deflector™ Locking Mechanism * Hardened steel pin lock protection * UL® tool attack listed * S & G® Type I Electronic Lock with five-year limited warranty Interior/Convenience and Appearance Features * DPX® Storage System with loops for short barrel guns * Four DPX Handgun Pouches * Tactical-look single handle * Safe Top Storage Basket conveniently stores gear on safe * Side Rails and External Accessory Rack for hanging items outside safe * Rubber-coated shelves * Picatinny rails make for easy mounting of accessories inside safe * Key fob holder and small item tray for even more storage versatility * Full-length mirrored back panel and interior light package * Raised-dot rubber floor panel * Elevated floor makes removing guns easier * Cast Browning name plate * Dull Black finish 1200° F/60 Min. Standard Fire Protection * 1200° F/60 min. fire protection * Three layers of 1⁄2" fire-resistant insulation in the safe body and door * Palusol® expanding fire seal |
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I bought a 'cheap' Redhead gun safe from Bass Pro a few years back (maybe 5 years?). It doesn't have a fire rating, just a thick steel box with a bolting door. It is to small by a long shot for me, now. My shotguns don't fit, nor does my Rem700PSS as it is to long. The safe has served its purpose for secure storage over the past few years.
My plan is to build a 'secure' room in the basement and buy a larger safe to put down there. Actually, both safes will go down there. I plan to wrap the room in at least a layer or two of fire-rated drywall and build secured cabinets for ammo and powder storage. The empty weight of the safe is a concern for me as I move it down the stairs to the basement, so I am considering sacrificing fire-rating from the manufacturer, with a plan to build a 'cubby' wrapped in fire-rated drywall for the safe to sit in. This cubby would be further protected by being inside the room in the basement that is wrapped in fire-rated drywall (EDIT), the safes will sit on 10-12" secured risers to avoid water damage(/EDIT). The weight that I save from reduced fire-rating can be spent on a larger safe, up to the limit of the doorways to get it in the house and into the room. I am currently thinking 44-gun 'capacity' should be sufficient with my existing ~20 gun 'capacity' safe to offset. I live in suburbia, if the Fire Dept hasn't started spraying water on the house inside of 10 minutes, it is probably because the rest of the neighborhood is burning and S has HTF, I should have been gone. My expectation is not that my entire project will be cheaper than a high-end safe, but that it will afford me relatively secure and fire-resistant storage for my gun-safes (with firearms further secured inside them), ammo, powder and other gun related paraphernalia. If you are looking to save funds, you could possibly line a closet at your house to improve the fire-rating (don't forget the floor and ceiling) and put the money saved into more interior space for your planned 'gun collection expansion' efforts. I certainly agree on the 'go bigger than you think and then double that size' theme, unless you don't mind relegating some of your second-class guns to other hidey-spots. |
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I'd suggest that you read about the different safes online. Drop by a shop or two that sell them, and ask to look, touch, play with them.
Go by one of the better lock smith/safe shops, and get their imput. Frankly, there is disinformation to sifted through when you ask on the 'net. 
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Electronic vs. Dial Combo lock
I had a dial combonation lock and i always found that I left the safe unlocked becuase it was a bother to unlock it all the time..I am in and out all day sometimes, so the combo dial safe sucked, so when I had to sell mine..I got one with an electronic lock now it stays lock 100% of the time and only takes 2 seconds to open vs. 1 minute.. If you only plan on going into your safe a few times a week dial is fine,I am a heavy user who likes convience of the electronic lock, just becuase I keep the door locked with it.. Depends really how cautious you are..With kids I have to keep it locked |
That Browning Tactical iis quite the setup for sure 
Right now I'm leaning toward the Cannon: 
Academy and TSC both have them for 699 Specs / Info: Store up to 24 rifles in the Cannon TS6030/21 E-lock Gun Safe.
•Size: 60 in. H x 30 in. W x 20 in. D •24 rifle capacity •U.L.® RSC security rating •21 cu. ft. of storage space •Deluxe 5 spoke handle •Commercial grade e-lock allows owner to change combination •Built in Power Box provides two outlets inside safe •Automotive grade upholstered shelving and interior walls •Adjustable tracks allow shelves to be raised, lowered, or removed •Pre drilled for bolting to floor •1 in. thick multi-layer door with 1 in. locking bolts •3 layers of armored hard plate protect the lock mechanism •Spring loaded re-locker keeps safe locked even after lock has been removed •30 minute fire rating •Expandable fire seal helps keep out smoke and heat - seal expands up 12 times its size •Residential Warranty: Free repair or replacement of safe after a fire, natural flood or burglary attack •Limited Lifetime Warranty To the comments about storing ammo - I think it's be safer in the safe - If it's hot enough in the room to cook the safe, it would have cooked off even earlier in the room. TSC Link |
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Just ordered mine last night. Checked out a couple of different safes at some nearby gun stores, but nothing could compete with the Costco deal for the money. I would love a nicer, bigger safe, but price is my prime concern right now. Heck, with the "Safe Warehouse" place and the gunstores, you still have to figure in one to a couple hundred dollars shipping.
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Costco.com has a Cannon EX20 with electronic lock for $579.99 delivered 19.44 cu ft Red |
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Does EMP affect the electronic locks? That was one of the questions I was wondering about. I would think it's kind of hardened, but the lock is external. The way I am looking at it now, is that I have a bigger threat of a break in / home invasion where I need to get to them quick than EMP, so I am leaning towards electronic. |
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Dang, if I'm not seriously consider getting this one.
Just to tick Protus off!
Browning Tactical Mark II http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/images/AR35Fintl.jpg http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/images/AR35Fl.jpg Mark II Key Features * Heavy 11-gauge steel body * Conveniently holds shorter guns * Interior mirror and light package make finding items easier * External Accessory Rack makes it easy to hang gear on side of safe Anti-Pry Features * Heavy 11-gauge steel body * Pry-Stop End Bolts * 1 1/4" chromed locking bolts, four-sided door coverage * Extended throw locking bolts * Fully reinforced integrated door frame * Tight-tolerance door fit * 1 5/16" thick Duo-Formed® door Other Security Features * Force Deflector™ Locking Mechanism * Hardened steel pin lock protection * UL® tool attack listed * S & G® Type I Electronic Lock with five-year limited warranty Interior/Convenience and Appearance Features * DPX® Storage System with loops for short barrel guns * Four DPX Handgun Pouches * Tactical-look single handle * Safe Top Storage Basket conveniently stores gear on safe * Side Rails and External Accessory Rack for hanging items outside safe * Rubber-coated shelves * Picatinny rails make for easy mounting of accessories inside safe * Key fob holder and small item tray for even more storage versatility * Full-length mirrored back panel and interior light package * Raised-dot rubber floor panel * Elevated floor makes removing guns easier * Cast Browning name plate * Dull Black finish 1200° F/60 Min. Standard Fire Protection * 1200° F/60 min. fire protection * Three layers of 1⁄2" fire-resistant insulation in the safe body and door * Palusol® expanding fire seal that is an AWESOME safe. Just ditch the fire protection and show me where I can buy it. |
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Quoted:
Just ordered mine last night. Checked out a couple of different safes at some nearby gun stores, but nothing could compete with the Costco deal for the money. I would love a nicer, bigger safe, but price is my prime concern right now. Heck, with the "Safe Warehouse" place and the gunstores, you still have to figure in one to a couple hundred dollars shipping. Quoted:
Costco.com has a Cannon EX20 with electronic lock for $579.99 delivered 19.44 cu ft Red Did you see that Cannon has a warranty which will repair or replace a safe after a fire, natural flood, or burglary ? Red |
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According to UL testing a safe that can withstand an attack by two people with common hand tools, i.e. hammers, crowbars, pry devices, for 5 minutes gets a rating of Residential Security Container, RSC. Virtually all consumer safes on the market that actually have a UL rating, are rated RSC. The ratings go up depending on how long the safe can survive the attack.
What constitutes a successfully attack? Making a specific size opening in the safe (can't remember the exact size but it might be 10" x 10"). UL also rates real safes by how long they can withstand an attack by two people using cutting torches, drills, and other power tools. These ratings are typically A, B, and C. I believe an 'C' rated safe can withstand an attack with torches and power tools for 15 minutes. Look at AMSEC's "Brute" series of safes for ratings, they also cost thousands of dollars. With that knowledge you should understand that no safe will protect the contents from attack beyond an hour. The purpose of the safe against an attack is to buy time for a countering response or deter criminals without the proper tools or knowledge of the safe's weakness. A quality safe should have: - a plate steel door, not laminate, 1/4" or more. Once the thickness is beyond 1/2", most are laminated to gain more thickness. My question is how strong is the bonding of these laminates? Note that almost every safe manufacturer is going to advertise their safe as having a 3", 5", etc. thick door. Don't be fooled, these doors usually have a 10 or 12 gauge steel skin with 3" or 5" of fire resistant sheetrock sandwiched inside. How much defense do you think sheetrock is against a drill? Above all else know exactly what the construction and layers of the door are. - a body with steel skins on the outside as well as the inside no less than 10 gauge, 1/8" is better. Fire resistant material in between the layers. - continuous welding on all seams of the body, door, and door frame - same thickness steel on the top, bottom, and back as the sides. Many safe manufacturers put the better steel on the sides and cut costs by skimping on the back and top. - fire resistant protection of 1800 degrees F or more for at least 90 minutes. This is another area where safe advertisements mislead. First UL does not have a fire rating procedure, so many "independent" labs are used to "certify" a safe's fire protection. Second, many safe manufacturers put the thermocouple (probe used to measure high heat) at the bottom of the safe where it can be hundreds of degrees cooler. Third, the stopwatch usually starts when then furnace is turned on not when the heat of the furnace reaches the advertised rating. For example, Safe A may be rated a 1,200F for 1 hour and the testing went like this. Thermocouple in the bottom of the safe, start the furnace, measure the furnace temperature after one hour. If the thermocouple within the interior of the safe does not exceed the charring point of paper, 350F (this is the industry standard) for 1-hour then it gets a 1-hour rating at the maximum temperature of the furnace, in this case 1,200F. This does not mean the entire safe was immersed in a 1,200F flame for one hour. Only that some thermocouple in the furnace, perhaps in the flame jet, reached a temperature of 1,200F before the interior of the safe exceeded 350F. - a heat expandable seal on the door frame. Note many times the contents of a safe are not damaged destroyed by fire but by water from the high pressure hoses used to put out the fire. - high quality dial combination, e.g Sargent and Greenleaf Group II or better. Note some safe manufacturers put the S&G dial lock bezel on the safe but use a cheap Chimcom lock. You think you have a genuine S&G lock but all you really have is the dress up piece. - ample size for current and future protection needs - holes in the bottom plate for bolting to the floor - high quality boltworks, machined gears not cast or plastic. This goes for the dial lock too. - 1" or better diameter hardened bolts - numerous bolts per side, on all four sides. Many safes don't have any bolts on the bottom. So what happens if the criminals tip the safe over? - all bolts should be active (meaning they should retract with the turning of the safe handle). Many safe manufacturers leave the hinge side bolts "dead". Meaning they do not retract into the door, they are fixed. The problem with this is some clearance must be allowed for the "dead" bolts to not interfere with the closing of the door. This clearance becomes an easy place to pry. - the placement of the hinge does not matter, it should only carry the weight of the door. Any safe that requires the hinge to secure the door is a bad safe, this is the job of the bolts. - relocker systems, such as glass plate relocker, vibration relocker - drill deflectors, usually a hardened plate impregnated with diamonds or a steel plate with an array of hardened ball bearings. - random placement of the relocker and bolt work systems, so a criminal can't get the drawings and know exactly where to drill - a 100% guarantee replacement plan if the safe is subjected to attack or fire. It is also nice to have a plan that covers a safe driller to open your old safe. In most attacks on consumer safes the criminal knocks off the combination lock and tries to attack through the hole. If the criminal is unsuccessful you now have a safe that can't be opened. You then need to call a safe driller to come open your safe at $120+ per hour. How long will it take to drill your safe open? Some replacement plans cover this cost as well as the disposal of the old safe and the shipping and installation of the new safe. This can add up to many hundreds of dollars without this sort of replacement plan. In order to meet the requirements from the list above one would need to spend $4,000 or more. A safe like this would weigh well over a ton and require experienced safe movers and a reinforce floor. A standard slab foundation will not carry the weight. A rated floor similar to a garage floor would be required. At this point it might be feasible to get a high security vault door and design a vault around it. Any lesser safe is a compromise, but it is better than no safe. Some other alternatives are floor safes for small items, i.e. cash, jewelry, and precious metals. The steel body is thin with a high security face door. The protection is gained through mounting the safe in a concrete rebar reinforced floor. Some safe companies are: Graffunder, AMSEC, Champion, Ft. Knox, Cannon, Liberty, Sturdy Gun, Patriot, and Brown. Many of the gun manufacturer's safes, i.e. Winchester, Cabelas, Remington, etc. are merely rebadged offerings from Cannon and Liberty. |
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The one I posted was a Cannon.
I am not expecting a safe to hold up for over an hour against a small squad of thugs armed with power tools and high tech gizmos - If that's the case, I think most of us are up the creek. My intent is to be prepared at this point for the most likely threat, which in my area are likely teenage hoodlums (and even that is a low chance, we don't have much crime here at all). However, we also have a house alarm that would be wailing, meaning most people wouldn't sit there for an hour. Also, the alternative is no safe at all, which provides zero protection. If there is a better option for the budget I have set, I'd like to see recommendations. |
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2500>700 about 3.5x my budget 
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| The way I'm looking at is like this, there are two types of burglars... the kind that can break inot any safe on the market, and the kind that aren't even going to try. The break ins we have in my area are done by juveniles or are a quick in and out, grabbing easy to carry valuables. |
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The big question is electronic lock vs combination. I like the speed of the electronic, but I am concerned with potential reliability - batteries, or EMP on the digital combination safes that i've seen, THE BATTERIES ARE ON THE OUTSIDE, so there's no need to open the safe to change the battery. you remove the keypad, change the battery and you're back in business. |
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For $700 you can't get much of the bells and whistles, your best bang for your buck is probably a Winchester W-552622, like the one that was posted yesterday by cw242 (sam's club link). I am looking at getting the AMSEC TF6032 or the AMSEC SF6032 only because I love this new door organizer or PDO as AMSEC calls it. You can only get it on the safes that are 30 wide or higher for some reason. Also I like the idea of an internal light kit. You need to see it to appreciate it.
http://www.safes4you.com/images/pdf/PDO_SF6030sm.jpg As far as the lock goes I would definitely go with the electronic lock! you can program your own code! It can't be cracked into! If you put the wrong code in it will lock you out for 5 mins. You always hear people say " mechanical dial lock will last longer because it is built better" but a friend of mine had theirs malfunction, and he had to have the lock drilled and replaced by a locksmith, so I think it's like how they say "I don't want power windows because the motor will go out". I often leave town, and if I want to give someone temporary access to my safe while I am gone I could do that with an electronic lock, and change the code after. Personally I think the benefits of an electronic lock out weigh everything else. As far an EMP...I have been looking into this, and I have been told that the AMSEC lock can withstand that...but not sure if this is true. If that is the only reason you wouldn't buy an electronic lock, then I think thats pretty lame, but that's just me. Batteries are a cinch to replace dude, I asked the local locksmith and they say the batteries could "last up to five years, but you should change them every year with your smoke alarms" |
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Ended up going with the Cannon
Found one that had minor "cosmetic" damage - i.e. a scratch that saved me 10%. It was a royal pain in the ass getting that thing in the house and upstairs. Me, a buddy and a furniture dolly. If I ever move I'm paying someone to move it, or it stays with the house
Seems very solid, and plenty of shelving - for now 
Went with the digital lock - the need to get to the guns very rapidly seemed to be a bigger benefit, than the EMP was a risk. If EMP hits, I can test that whole pry-bar theory. But, I also don't ever put all of my eggs in one basket anyway. Thanks for the input / suggestions. |
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Is that the Costco EX20?
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Ended up going with the Cannon http://www.tractorsupply.com/wcsstore/ConsumerDirectStorefrontAssetStore/images/products/150/3809071.jpg http://www.academy.com/images/products/400/0340/0340-00542-0021-p2.jpg Found one that had minor "cosmetic" damage - i.e. a scratch that saved me 10%. It was a royal pain in the ass getting that thing in the house and upstairs. Me, a buddy and a furniture dolly. If I ever move I'm paying someone to move it, or it stays with the house
Seems very solid, and plenty of shelving - for now
Went with the digital lock - the need to get to the guns very rapidly seemed to be a bigger benefit, than the EMP was a risk. If EMP hits, I can test that whole pry-bar theory. But, I also don't ever put all of my eggs in one basket anyway. Thanks for the input / suggestions. |
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Quoted: Ended up going with the Cannon http://www.tractorsupply.com/wcsstore/ConsumerDirectStorefrontAssetStore/images/products/150/3809071.jpg http://www.academy.com/images/products/400/0340/0340-00542-0021-p2.jpg Found one that had minor "cosmetic" damage - i.e. a scratch that saved me 10%. It was a royal pain in the ass getting that thing in the house and upstairs. Me, a buddy and a furniture dolly. If I ever move I'm paying someone to move it, or it stays with the house Seems very solid, and plenty of shelving - for now Went with the digital lock - the need to get to the guns very rapidly seemed to be a bigger benefit, than the EMP was a risk. If EMP hits, I can test that whole pry-bar theory. But, I also don't ever put all of my eggs in one basket anyway. Thanks for the input / suggestions. Looks exactly like mine, congrats on the purchase! Do yourself a favor, and order the pistol door kit off of the Cannon website. It attaches to the inside of the door, and comes with universal holsters for your pistols. Saves you some shelf space. |
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Regardless, any input', suggestions or advice is appreciated. I would like to stay under $700 as well . . . . Thanks! Under $1,000 the "safe" you buy is pretty much a glorified security cabinet. I'm not knocking them, as I own a couple of them. I'm just saying . . . That said, the best sub-$1,000 box I've found is the Dakota. http://www.dakotasafe.com/ I like this "safe" because: 1.) The lip of the door fits flat to the box without a big gap around the edge. That seems like it would discourage the pry bar approach 2.) You assemble it yourself. This makes it easier to move, plus you can put it inside a closet or some space where it's impossible to remove the assembled safe 3.) It's designed here in America by people you can talk to. Call them up and discuss the safe with them. I think you'll be impressed. BTW, they sell a dial lock upgrade if you prefer that. Again, call them and talk about it. |