Posted: 2/21/2010 11:45:21 AM EDT
| Looking at Gun Safes. Dicks has a Field & Stream 28 gun, Fire Proof, Water proof on sale for 699.00. What do you guys think? |
|
Quoted:
Looking at Gun Safes. Dicks has a Field & Stream 28 gun, Fire Proof, Water proof on sale for 699.00. What do you guys think? My personal advice is to try and spend some time picking one out & go bigger than you need you will never regret it. They all can be broken into, but if you go with a fairly reputable brand with decent steel thickness, door pins, & fire rating it will make the job very diffcult and time consuming for somone. I started out looking at a base model Fort Knox which is high dollar, but found I could get more safe for the same money in a less expensive name check out (American Security). I ended up with a used Browning gold series that I got a great deal on Craigslist, so it never hurts to keep an eye out for a used one. Just my 2 cents ! 
|
| Cannon Oxbox makes a good safe. I would actually prefer a couple decent size safes over one huge one. Like he said they can all be broken into. I dont want all my eggs in one basket. Make them break into a couple to get it all. Also its much easier to move that size safe than the huge ones |
|
Quoted:
Looking at Gun Safes. Dicks has a Field & Stream 28 gun, Fire Proof, Water proof on sale for 699.00. What do you guys think? I can tell you this (in case you don't already know it?), there is no such thing as a “fire proof” safe. Some safes are "fire rated" for X number of minutes at X degrees of temperature. That’s OK for a small fire that gets put out fairly quickly but pretty much worthless for a fire that takes out the whole house. I have never heard of a safe being "water proof" or even "water rated" so I don't know what to tell you about that? A gun safe's only real purpose is as a theft deterrent and even then it only has a limited value. Good at keeping young hands off your stuff and ok against “grab and go” drug addict type of thief but against a pro, all they do is slow them down a little.. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Looking at Gun Safes. Dicks has a Field & Stream 28 gun, Fire Proof, Water proof on sale for 699.00. What do you guys think? I can tell you this (in case you don't already know it?), there is no such thing as a “fire proof” safe. Some safes are "fire rated" for X number of minutes at X degrees of temperature. That’s OK for a small fire that gets put out fairly quickly but pretty much worthless for a fire that takes out the whole house. I have never heard of a safe being "water proof" or even "water rated" so I don't know what to tell you about that? A gun safe's only real purpose is as a theft deterrent and even then it only has a limited value. Good at keeping young hands off your stuff and ok against “grab and go” drug addict type of thief but against a pro, all they do is slow them down a little.. You have one though right? or no |
|
Quoted:
You have one though right? or no Not the one you are looking at but yes I have a gun safe. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say you shouldn't buy one (just the opposite actually) but I want you to understand what they can and can't do. They are not fire or theft proof, they are fire and theft resistant. 
There are things you can do to make them more fire and or theft resistant but in the end, if you have a bad enough fire or a determined and knowledgeable thief, you will loose everything in a safe. No way around that. |
|
Quoted:
If you've got a Sam's membership, it's worth a trip there to check out the safe that they typically stock. I think it's normally in the $500 range and may be worth a look. I was just there this afternoon but I kind of brushed right past it. I know it was more then $500 (I want to say $599 0r $699?) but I can't remember for sure? What I do know is it had an electronic lock on it and for me, that's a no-go. I've spent enough years working on various types of electronics to know it's not a matter of "will they fail?" but "when will they fail?". YMMV but for me, I would only buy a safe with a quality mechanical lock. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
If you've got a Sam's membership, it's worth a trip there to check out the safe that they typically stock. I think it's normally in the $500 range and may be worth a look. I was just there this afternoon but I kind of brushed right past it. I know it was more then $500 (I want to say $599 0r $699?) but I can't remember for sure? What I do know is it had an electronic lock on it and for me, that's a no-go. I've spent enough years working on various types of electronics to know it's not a matter of "will they fail?" but "when will they fail?". YMMV but for me, I would only buy a safe with a quality mechanical lock. I am with you on the electronics, thats why I love that big manual dial on my Browning !
|
|
FYI - Here's what seems like a good online safe source that offers "free" curb side delivery (if you have a way to get the safe inside) or different levels of "White Glove" service if you want it delivered inside (expensive).
GunSafes.com Personally I like the American Security line but they ain't cheap (quality never is  ).
They do list "Water Proof" safes by Stack-On on their site too but that's the first I've heard of that? If you looks at the specs, it's actually "water resistant" (Verified by ETL to meet manufacturer’s specifications to be water resistant for 72 hours in 2 feet of standing water.) but it's still a good idea if it's actually true? My guess is that "Field & Stream" safe at Dicks is probably made by Stack-On and if so, that's a decent price compared to the gun safes.com price |
| The more I look around it does seem like a good deal. I can get it in my house but out of the back of the pickup might take some planning. I understand that Fire Proof Water Proof is limited at best. I do like the Idea of water resistant though. Thanks for the advice guys. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
If you've got a Sam's membership, it's worth a trip there to check out the safe that they typically stock. I think it's normally in the $500 range and may be worth a look. I was just there this afternoon but I kind of brushed right past it. I know it was more then $500 (I want to say $599 0r $699?) but I can't remember for sure? What I do know is it had an electronic lock on it and for me, that's a no-go. I've spent enough years working on various types of electronics to know it's not a matter of "will they fail?" but "when will they fail?". YMMV but for me, I would only buy a safe with a quality mechanical lock. That sucks! They must have changed the model they carry. I could swear they used to carry a manual lock safe for around $500. 
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
If you've got a Sam's membership, it's worth a trip there to check out the safe that they typically stock. I think it's normally in the $500 range and may be worth a look. I was just there this afternoon but I kind of brushed right past it. I know it was more then $500 (I want to say $599 0r $699?) but I can't remember for sure? What I do know is it had an electronic lock on it and for me, that's a no-go. I've spent enough years working on various types of electronics to know it's not a matter of "will they fail?" but "when will they fail?". YMMV but for me, I would only buy a safe with a quality mechanical lock. That sucks! They must have changed the model they carry. I could swear they used to carry a manual lock safe for around $500. When I looked on line it said "not available at Florence location" for the model I was interested in. I wasn't aware it was electronic but it might have been. |
|
Quoted:
The more I look around it does seem like a good deal. I can get it in my house but out of the back of the pickup might take some planning. I understand that Fire Proof Water Proof is limited at best. I do like the Idea of water resistant though. Thanks for the advice guys. Where abouts in your house are you planning on putting it? We can talk about this Friday if you want but from a fire protection standpoint, a corner in your basement would be the best because in the case of a whole house fire, that is the location where it would stand the best chance of survival. To help with the water protection aspect, you could build a base for it using cinder blocks. That gets it up off the floor and as a side benefit makes accessing stuff in it easier (less bending over). What ever you do, make sure you bolt it in. |
| Don't limit yourself to one source. My bro bought his through the local Ace Hardware. I got mine through Willis Klein, a local lock/security company. Take a look around. Most locations will have floor or demo models where you can get more safe for the same money because of a paint scratch or ding. Remember, buy it right, buy it once. |