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Posted: 9/9/2009 11:48:56 PM EDT
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Howdy all. I am going to replace my relatively new "American Eagle" (Cannon) AE-22 type safe with something roomier and less hostile to my guns appearance. My current safe trashed several finishes because of moisture retention, and my reliance on only passive desiccants.
I'd prefer a subtle no bling appearance (no gaudy graphics) with smooth enamel paint (Easier to keep clean that my safe's krinkle finish). I'm fond of keypad locks, and the only real threats are crimes of opportunity, fire and condensation. It will be bolted internally to the concrete foundation and I am going the electric dehumidifier route. I want easy access to @ a dozen longarms and a @ dozen handguns. Extra shelves for docs and valuable knick knacks too. Non marring liner that does not trap moisture is a bonus. The safe will be concealed behind a false front in the garage, which is alarmed BTW. And of course, tough pry/brute-force resistance and extensive fire liner protection. Suggestions please...and thanks! (I'd love to get a Browning AR-34f, but the cheapest I have seen them is around $2300) |
| I just got a new Browning M56 and love it. I would recommend them to anyone getting a safe. One of their best features is the DPX storage on the back of the door. This way you have more guns and other items within reach instead of having to take stuff out to gain access at something in the back of the safe. |
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Good to know you are pleased with the Browning. Anyone know of an advertisement for the Browning "Tactical" safe below $2299? Outfit here in nearby Simi Valley, CA will match or beat prices... Why would you pay $2300 for a 12ga Safe? At that price you should be able to get something with a 3/16 body and at least a 1/4" plate door. With a fire axe, you can get into any 12ga safe with in 5 minutes. |
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Passive dessicants won't do much for you if the environment is not sealed and evacuated. Many are just getting lucky with this. Get a dri-rod or a golden rod and use better quality protectants on your irons. It really isn't the fault of the safe.
It would be hard to find a better value on a real burglary rated safe than these: Brown Safe Link Bling is optional. They specialize in subtle. |
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Quoted:
Passive dessicants won't do much for you if the environment is not sealed and evacuated. Many are just getting lucky with this. Get a dri-rod or a golden rod and use better quality protectants on your irons. It really isn't the fault of the safe. It would be hard to find a better value on a real burglary rated safe than these: Brown Safe Link Bling is optional. They specialize in subtle. Awesome Brown safes, but googly-moogly...$$$! Yes a "Golden Rod" is in my future. And the other poster has a point about the 12g construction on most common safes. What do you suggest in a $2500 or less price point then Gary? I'm not worried about James Caan attacking my safe ('Thief' anyone?) but a deranged tweaker with a FooBar or axe concerns me, as does a residential fire. BTW-The Browning is attractive to me because of the convenience features and it has 'Tactical' written on it too...  Really, it seems to offer more than adequate protection and the ergonomic features and finish are nice.
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I can make some recommendations, but what's best depends on what you are trying to accomplish:
If you are in the 0.1% of people with a real concern to protect assets from professional thieves, you need a true safe and expect to spend $15k-25k plus additional security measures. If you want a nice gun safe with a reasonable defense from an amateur opportunist, then try these options from Costco: Bighorn 10 gauge, 31 cubic foot, 30 gun RSC, nicely finished and $999 delivered to your house. http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?whse=BC&topnav=&prodid=11487046&ec=BC-EC877-CatHome&pos=13&lang=en-US Bighone 10 gauge, 47 cubic foot, 51 gun RSC, delivered to your house for $1699. http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11468050&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|114|29105|3373&N=4012467&Mo=27&No=3&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=3373&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&hierPath=114*29105*3373*&topnav= These ship from the manufacturer, so you can swap mechanical or electronic locks for no cost, or adjust other options not listed on the costco site. For the money and features, I don't think this can be beat. If you want a higher level of security for a great price, try Sturdy Safes. They can ship you a very large 7 gauge steel, no frills safe for less than the one you are looking at from Browning. Email them for a quote with shipping, should be cheaper than most since they are in Kali like youi. My quote from them with shipping to the East Coast was less then the Browning prices you are looking at. Keep in mind fire ratings with gun safes is counter intuitive. Most RSC's with a fire rating use gypsum based systems designed to retain moisture and release it as steam during a fire to protect the contents for a short period of time. Moisture with guns is bad and by using moisture elimination devices in a gun safe you are also eliminating the safe's best defense in a fire. Any good fire safe will damage the guns inside it with steam as the primary source of it's defense. Fire safes are for documents, cash, and securities that will not be destroyed by steam/moisture. They may be damaged, but still readable so they can be verified and replaced. If you are really worried about fire, skip the "insulated" safes, buy a heavy gauge RSC for security purposes (Sturdy is best bang for the buck I've found for security) and use the savings to install a residential sprinkler head above the safe and in the room around it. If you want a great deal on a well finished safe with a lot of features and very little hassle, I doubt anyone can touch the costco deals on Bighorn's delivered. Just don't expect your guns to survive a fire in it or the Browning either, that is what insurance is for... In my mind, the primary purpose for a gun safe is to store guns and keep them out of the hands of dumb amateur criminals and kids. Another good security feature is to keep quiet. Don't tell the neighbors, friends, coworkers, and people on the internet all about your guns and your safe. ;) Hope that helps! |
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Thank you mnd, I'll check out some of those 10gauge deals at Costco.
I am confident that any decent safe, that is properly secured/bolted will discourage 95% of the prowlers out there. Discretion and OPSEC too, I'm not too worried about internet gremlins tracking me down...probably discouraged by all the black helicopters hovering over my domicile.
I want something that could withstand a brief but intense fire (Fire response averages a realistic 4 minutes in my area. Also allowing another 5 minutes for them to finish their mocha-chinos and leisurely attack the fire, I'd like to think that my stuff would survive...at least to the point where my insurance can identify and replace my losses. I really dread the idea of some scumbag getting a hold of our heirlooms and guns though. Pros would make short work of many safes apparently, but the safe (whatever model I get) is just part of the passive 'onion' defense strategy. Alarm system with whoppee lights and klaxons (concealed), and a service that notifies ME first, prior to LE notification. Our yippee alarm dogs, both "always on" and motion sensor perimeter lighting, and proper deletion of concealment vegetation too. Some discreet CCTV cams to boot with an off site backup server. All relatively inexpensive options I'll be using. Of course my trusty Ithaca 37 for the possible 'hot' prowl. I think that would discourage the remaining percentage of burglars, except for the TRULY talented or truly stupid. I have no faith in any of the neighbors vigilance, but you might even get lucky there 10% of time and they actually hear and spot something. And if the house is hardened to the point that it encourages a shitbird to move on to easier pickings, so be it. Edited to add; Thanks for the referral to 'Sturdy Safes' I am liking what I see at their website. As such I am not going to drop 25K on a true vault, but that 10g Costco special also warrants a look. Thanks. Any other suggestions at the $2500 price point anyone? |
| I second the nomination for either Sturdy or Bighorn, which were my two value picks after much research for that price range. I chose the Bighorn, and now I'm sort of thinking I should have gone with the Sturdy because I've got a Dri-Rod and 5 palm-sized dessicant packs in it and I'm still fighting to get the humidity under 50%, and I'm in a dry climate! Sturdy's fire-resistant material at least is not the moisturized sheetrock...they use ceramic wool and glass blankets. I'm going to give it a bit more time to see if I can defeat the moisture, but if not, I can have Costco take it back and order a Sturdy. |
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