Posted: 7/21/2008 2:02:22 PM EDT
| Well, it has come time for me to look into getting a nice gun safe. all I need to store right now is 1 AR15 and 2 Glocks and ammo for both. I would like one that could possibly hold a few more rifles, but I don't want a huge Ft. Knox beast. I would preffer that it be fire safe, but if that jacks the price up too much i will have to do with out. I am looking to stay around 300.00. Any suggestions? what are some good brands and where did you get a good deal? |
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For around $300, you'll be hard pressed to find a good quality safe, particularly one that will store long guns. At best, you'll have a 'storage cabinet' with a lock. The problem with these 'safes' is that they give you a false sense of security. They can be easily opened with a crowbar or even carried away and offer virtually no protection in a fire. Be that as it may, your best bet will be a Sentry safe that can typically be found at your local Walmart or Costco. 10 Gun Safe for $249.98 14 Gun Safe for $449.98 |
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Even if it means going into debt a little, tighten your belt and buy a good quality safe. The $300 safes aren't even worth that much. As mentioned before, it's pathetically easy to break into them. Check out American Security's safes. They are around $1000, but especially if you plan to expand your collection at all, it's well worth it. Why store a few thousand dollars worth of guns in a safe you paid $300 for and isn't really protecting them? The model 6030 is a good safe. It's five feet tall and is advertised to hold 30 long guns, plus the shelf above for handguns. You can also set it up with the long guns on one side and shelves for ammo, handguns, or whatever, on the other. And, it's a fire safe, too. But, don't think that your guns are going to be just fine after a fire just because they are in a fire safe. The way fire safes work is they are lined with one or two layers of fire resistant sheetrock, which constantly absorbs moisture to a very high content. Then, during a fire, when the inside of the safe reaches 212 degrees, the moisture boils out in the form of steam and forces the flames, and the higher temps which would damage the guns, light the wooden stocks ore polymer on fire, away from the safe. But, it also steams your weapons inside the safe, usually damaging the wood and blueing anyway, but still better than direct contact with the flame. The solution? Store your firearms inside the safe in silicone lined socks for long guns and silicone lined soft cases for the handguns. This should save them from any extensive damage during a fire. Too many people think that since they store their weapons in a fire safe that they will simply come out of the fire damage free. That's not the case at all, unless you take other measures to protect them. |
I bought a Summit Safe. I posted some info about it in this post. Good luck!  www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=19&t=383039 |
My neighbor bought one of the larger, better made Stack-On's from Dick's. IMO, although the safe itself seemed to be fairly well made, the locking mechanism and the bolts weren't anywhere near as well built as a name brand safe. There are great safes out there, but the American Security safe I mentioned above is a great deal for the money and quality. For around the same price you are going to pay for a Stack-On from Dick's, you can buy a well made safe, although you may have to go to a slightly smaller size. One recommendation, unless you don't mind a lot of dings, buy a safe which says it will hold more long guns than you think you need. The AmSec 6030 I have (60 for 5 feet tall and 30 for the number of long guns it will hold) can hold 30 long guns, but not if they are AR's, or anything with a pistol grip or not a "traditional" shape. The safes are designed to maximize the space they have, and the guns are very close, actually touching in most cases, so you're better off getting one about a third larger than you need, twice as large if you can afford it. But, if you really, really can't swing a better made safe, take the above advice and put it in your closet or somewhere else out of sight and lag it down with the largest lags you can fit in the mounting holes provided. It won't help with the weaker locking mechanism, but if it's attached to the floor in the closet, at least any potential scumbag who would try to break into it won't have as much room to work with prybars, etc, to force it open with. |
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If I was bolting it down to a hardwood floor, first off, I'd make 100% sure I had it where I wanted it so I didn't move it and leave holes in the floor where I bolted it down. Since you have hardwood floors, I'd get a remnant of a fairly thin carpet and cut it the same size as the bottom of the safe. I'd also put some colored duct tape that will blend fairly well with the safe or floor around the corners so the carpet won't fray. Make sure you pre-drill the holes in your floor, too. If you don't, the hardwood will crack. Pre-drill it about the size of the solid part of the lag screws so only the threads dig into the wood. You can go 1/16" under the shank size, too, if you want. To make it easier to install the lag screws, fill the threads with bar soap and it will lube them and they will install much easier. 3/8" or 7/16" lags will be plenty to hold the safe in place. One other thing about drilling. I'd recommend marking the holes by putting the lags through the holes and giving them a light hit with a hammer to mark them and drill them without the carpet in place. If you try to drill through the carpet, the drill will grab a thread and it will rip it all the way to the end. I learned this the hard way after installing some equipment at a gym. If you ever have to drill through a carpet, make sure you use a utility knife and cut a hole in the carpet first. Your hardwood foor is probably between 3/4"-1" unless it's laminate, plus the 3/4" underlayment plywood. Measure how long the screws have to be just to touch the floor from the inside of the safe, which varies with every safe, then go another 2-1/2" longer than that to make it through the flooring and underlayment. That will be a solid hold. |
Don't put it upstairs if it is fire rated. Unless your house is built with extra support beams, over time it can cause the floor to sag. Fire rated safes(20 gun or more) weigh a minimum of 500 lbs. If you have to put it up stairs, put it against an outside wall ( a wall that is against the side of the house) as it is much stronger then an interior wall. I bought a Sentry 24 gun safe, and it only hold 8-9 ARs tops. So as they said, buy a safe tha will fit your guns and not what is advertised. |
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That's right about putting a safe upstairs. I have mine upstairs, but it's not only against an outside wall, but it's over a structural wall downstairs, too. Another warning, though. Unlike regular non-gun fire safes, gun fire safes are not required to pass the drop testing. So, if you do put it upstairs and your home does collapse in a fire, there's no guarantee that the safe will stand up to the drop into the basement. Just something to think about. |
I agree. You can put enough ammo and bolt it down so that theft is not an option. Bottom line, If someone comes prepared they can get into just about any safe. |
I bought the stack-on elite 36 gun safe from Dicks when the first came out (they are cheaper now) and cannot be happier with it. It's heavy enough that...dry, someone won't be moving it easily, it has the recommended (more than) active/inactive bolts on each side, it has fire protection for 45min at 1200F as well as the electronic (key backup) lock. Unless you're moving every 2-3 years (like) me it's not a big deal. You'll kick yourself for not buying a good safe up front and if you don't fill it with firearms (you WILL) it can be used to store other valuables/paperwork. |