Posted: 2/9/2008 2:17:12 PM EDT
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Looking for a home safe for around $800. Would like it to hold at least 12 rifles/shotguns. Everything i read about combinations: the vote goes toward dial and not electrical. Any opinions on brands? |
| Check out ebay, they have a huge selection of safes from $750/Shipped. Also, don't rule out the Stack on Elite. $599 at Dicks sporting. 500lbs, fireproof, and hold 22 rifles. Very nice safe for the $. I was going to get one before I decided to convert a closet with a vault door for a walk in style safe. |
Got a safe at Dicks for $599 after rebate (Stack On Total Defense, 28 gun) I think they are $699 now. |
Where do you find these vault doors? |
http://www.rhinosafe.com/vaultdoor.htm This is an example. My friend owns a key and lock shop and installed mine. It came out really nice. After the door was installed I used cedar boards to line the interior |
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Don't buy a fucking Stack-On. They are shit. Get a Liberty for that price and get some real security and fire protection. By the way. It is always to get two small safes and put them in different parts of your house than to get one big one that can't be moved and is in one location. At least you will always have half of your collection removed from any incident. One in basement and one upstairs is best way to go. That way if a flood gets you, it only ruins half at worst. Secondly, keep them off the floor with brackets, but bolt them down. |
Please explain |
Good video. Be a lot harder if it was bolted to the floor? |
My safe is bolted to the concrete slab and positioned so that even if you managed to get a prybar in you have about an inch and a half of room to pry.  Bottom line if they want in badly enough and given enough time they can get in. With a little planning ahead of time you can make it really difficult for them to do it though.
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The assemble yourself idea is really good. The best approach is to put the safe somewhere it can not be removed once assembled -- like a closet. This also limits the room a thief has to use implements of destruction. I've heard that there's quite a backlog on Zanotti safes. Apparently, they have a military/government contract. Also, you won't get a Zanotti for the OP's price point. One alternative -- though surely not as solid a safe, nor as many options -- is DAKOTA. THey offer a build-it-yourself safe for about $600-$700. They use an electronic lock but have a dial upgrade available for $50 (call the company). FWIW, their electronic lock is different than the one's you usually see and has a unique feature. If someone tries to enter the wrong combination multiple times (can't remember if it's 3 or 5) the keypad locks out until the owner enters a "master code" he sets himself. This is a different code than your usual combination and apparently is used to solve any ills the lock might have. FWIW, I've talked to people at the company twice and independently they both described an experiment where they had two goons try to break into the safe and the guys gave up after 45 minutes. If this is true, it's probably because the door is recessed so that you can't really get a good grip with tools. If you want a sobering lesson on how vulnerable cheap safes are, watch THIS VIDEO. I think you'll see why it's a good idea to put your safe somewhere it can't be knocked over or moved and where the thieves don't have room to work. BTW, I have a Dakota. It holds 23 guns (REALLY) if you don't use the center divider. I currently have 22 rifles and about 15 handguns in mine. |
The Zanotti currently has a five month waiting list. Their best seller runs $1,650 or so. I finally got to check out a Dakota, going for $700 at Sportsmans Warehouse. Somebody must've jiggered the lock like you mentioned, we couldn't get it to open. The Dakota also has extensions available, added to the sides to increase capacity. The Dakota claims better fireproofing than the Zanotti (which basically has none). Rapping on the safe with my knuckles, the door was the only part that sounded solid, it gave a thump. The rest of the safe acted like sheet metal, which it is, of course. |
Yep, it's definitely a $700 "safe." But, again, I think the ability to build it inside a closet or some other small space adds to the security quite a bit. It is sheet metal, and you could get into it with a cut off wheel (or maybe even an axe) but the same could be said for any sub-$1,000 safe. I really don't think you could pry the door the way the goons did in that You Tube video. As for the extensions, when I talked to the guys at the company they said they don't really have the extension worked out all that well yet. I forgot what they said the problem was but I got the impression they weren't completely satisfied with the design yet. That's one thing I like about Dakota. They appear to be a homegrown company with a unique product -- not just some generic foreign made box that different distributors slap their name on. The people who sell it were actually involved in the development. When I talked to them the second time the guy asked me about my impressions, what I liked, didn't like and whether I had any suggestions for change. It's still a pretty new product. Oh yeah, if the salesman had simply read the instructions he could have gotten that safe open. They come set with a factory default master code that the owner is expected to reset. THe master code is explained in the instructions. |