# Recommend a decent gun safe



## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

Looking at building up my gun collection. 

Currently have a marlin .22 and am getting an M9 tomorrow sometime. 

Looking at picking up a shotgun and maybe a 30-30 in the next month or so. 

Looking for something in the $500 range. Maybe $700. All I can find is rifle safes. One shelf for ammo and stuff. If I'm buying a safe now, I want to buy it once. Any suggestions?


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## DoubleA (Nov 9, 2012)

Liberty - Franklin series or better. Buy once, cry once. Get one with a mechanical dial lock, not digital (EMP proof). Bolt it to the floor. Put a dehumidifier (Damp Rid) in it. Buy at least twice as big as you think you'll need- you WILL fill it up.


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## Meangreen (Dec 6, 2012)

DoubleA; really good advise. I would add, which ever one you can have delivered is a good choice because moving it yourself sucks. Get one larger than you think because they fill up fast and they are not just for guns. I store my ammo in mine because it's temperature controlled and the ammo adds even more weight to it. My safe is also fire proof so I have all my important documents, wife's jewelery, etc. My safe is in the 800 pound range and with all the ammo and guns in it, it's gotta be a ton, not going anywhere and the house could burn down around it and it would be fine. I sleep well at night.

The brand on mine is, "Regal" and it has been great and I paid around $1700 for it. In the $500 to $700 I would be looking in the used market.


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

Have you considered a vault room???

Instead of buying a safe, . . . you buy the safe door, . . . harden a small room, . . . add the door, . . . and you have a walk in safe that will hold more goodies than any 2 of the big safes put together.

I suggest this only because I wish I had thought of it 25 years ago, . . . now I've got two safes, . . . and could use another.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Vamppire (Oct 21, 2013)

dwight55 said:


> Have you considered a vault room???
> 
> Instead of buying a safe, . . . you buy the safe door, . . . harden a small room, . . . add the door, . . . and you have a walk in safe that will hold more goodies than any 2 of the big safes put together.
> 
> ...


I wish I could be doing this right now but unfortunately me and my wife live in a duplex at the moment that her grandfather owns/lives on the other side. So I dont think he would want me to start ripping apart his house at the moment


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## dannydefense (Oct 9, 2013)

Cannon makes some good safes in that price range (don't trust the MSRP on their web site, locations that sell them sell them cheaper). The only issue is the digital keypad but without trying to offend anyone, people make a much bigger deal out of this than need be; emp's cannot physically fry electronics, they can only disrupt them if they are operational at the time of the EMP. This is why your car would turn off... and then right back on again after. So unless it's a sustained blast, your safe will function just fine.

If you can save up a few hundred more, you'll find yourself in a good market for getting a much longer term safe. Using Cannon as an example, they have a wide and tall that offers you two full length shelves for ammo and other odds and ends, 3 smaller shelves, 48 slots for long guns, and the door already has pouches and handgun slots built in. It also lets you hook up to a power source if you want to run an electronic dehumidifier or put your computers hard drive inside the safe.

One other thing you might want to consider is layaway. A lot of places have layaway now, letting you put down half the money (or less) and pay it off over a few months so that you can get that slightly bigger option.


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

dwight55 said:


> Have you considered a vault room???
> 
> Instead of buying a safe, . . . you buy the safe door, . . . harden a small room, . . . add the door, . . . and you have a walk in safe that will hold more goodies than any 2 of the big safes put together.
> 
> ...


I DO have a spare bedroom lol. I was thinking of turning that into a stockroom. But lately have thought of renting it out month to month. Bring in more cash. Which is why I'm looking for a safe. Don't need a tenant to help themselves to my guns 

I'll look at cannon then. It may be a few months until I can have that kind of cash saved. I've got $500-$700towards one. More on the first. Maybe $900 toward a safe.

Thanks for the input guys. Gonna keep looking on craigslist and gun shops


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## Infidel (Dec 22, 2012)

I started out looking for a safe in that price range and ended up buying a $1200ish Liberty Fatboy Jr. I don't remember exactly what I paid for it but it was well worth the investment, the Fatboy jr weighs roughly 700lbs and is supposed to be a 48 gun safe. However if you've got scope bolt action rifles you can figure roughly 30 rifles comfortably. As was said earlier, buy more safe than you need, you'll appreciate that later. My advice on a safe is to look very carefully at the warranty, if for any reason it needs to go back to the manufacturer you'll need to pay freight with the lower end safes. With the higher end manufacturers you get a lifetime warranty and they will pay the freight. Liberty stands behind their safes, if something happens to your safe whether it's damaged in a fire or break in they will fix it and pay the freight. Like many others I keep all our important documents in my safe as well as our valuables and some ammo. You also need to remember that not all fire ratings are created equally, there is no industry standard on this so do your homework. Only you can decide how big of a safe you need and with a small collection you could get away with a smaller safe but your collection will probably out grow that smaller safe. Better to spend $1200-1500 once then to spend $700 now and then $1200-1500 later to buy a bigger safe. 

-Infidel


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## arthurstjames (Oct 6, 2013)

I can recommend American Security safes. Lifetime warranty and I think mine came with a guarantee for up too 25,000. Also make sure the door has proper security features. This means the door cannot be pried off with proper securing mechanisms. The door is one of the most vulnerable pieces to the safe. 

I would just buy the biggest one possible. Just go with a gun safe. And make sure it is fireproof! There is no reason to buy a safe and not have it fireproof! Trust me, I have had a house fire. Be prepared! 

I installed mine myself, easy with only a few tools. Drilling some holes into the slab. Easy. Always secure your safe, and safe. 

And another important recommendation, buy one with a manual lock. Because if EMP etc, you do not want an electronic lock. It's just a pain and will require maintenance in the long run.


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## BigCheeseStick (Aug 7, 2013)

I'd suggest shop around several local sporting goods stores to find what you like and price check online. I think this actually is one of those times when price determines quality. It's all a matter of how much you want to spend. The sky's the limit.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

There is no a safe in the 500-700 price range that I would buy. In that price range they are more of a heavy gun cabinet than a safe. A good safe will set you back some money. A Liberty Franklin 35, on sale will go for 1800-2000 dollars. The Franklins a pretty basic gun safe, that has some of the better features, without the frills.


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

Liberty is fantastic and goes without saying.

A comment to consider.

If a gun safe says it holds 12, it will hold 8 with scopes.

If it says 36, it will hold a combination of 28 or 30 single shot shot guns with a few scoped rifles mixed in.

If you have a 36 gun safe with 32 guns packed in it, it is a 10 minute adventure to dig a long shot gun out of the back of the safe.

Also craming guns in a safe will ding and scratch the shit out of your stocks.

Buy as big of a safe as you can possibly imagine.


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## Doomsday (Jun 25, 2013)

I owned a Fort Knox for about 30 years and had good service. Since this is the only safe that I have owned I can’t say if it’s better than the rest. But based on what I see on the market today it looks to be at a higher quality than most.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Needs,cost.all come into play.
A vault/safe should be at least 20-30 minutes fire resistance ,longer is better but there are budgets to work in.
No safe holds as many weapon as the ads says it will. Go larger if you can afford it.
Manual dials are better than digital for the lock but digital is not a deal breaker.
Shop around keep track of sale prices know the high and low be ready to take the one that fits your needs when the price is right.
Many places stocked up on safes when the gun sales went up ,now that things have settled some they are lowering prices to reduce inventory..
No madder what safe you buy if you own a fair amount of hand guns and rifles you will need to do some mods to get things stored where you want them.
On one of mine I have the soft universal slots on the door that work well for me. As for long guns I prefer loading straight in not around the inside .
You may also want to keep some ammo in the safe so that come into play .








Good luck in your search shop smart prices for the same safe can very by 300 dollars.
Other cost you may want to consider one of these simple cost effective and they work.
http://www.remington.com/products/accessories/storage-and-safety/model-365-mini-dehumidifier.aspx


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

If I had a safe,it would be small and light enough that I could move it by myself . The reasoning is that no one else will know it's there.

So the safe that no one knows about is the best safe IMHO. Either that or get a HUGE one that takes 4 very Offensive Lineman to move in.


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## BigCheeseStick (Aug 7, 2013)

Would seem to me the most important feature you'd wanna look for is fire and heat resistance. Otherwise any safe isn't much better than a $99 gun "locker". ANY kid can get online and find videos and every trick in the world to open gun safes. Especially the ones with electronic locks (got a 9v battery? = "open sesame").


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## arthurstjames (Oct 6, 2013)

Here is another tip for making easy gun racks in your safe. Not only that but you can use then throughout your house as well. You can buy wooden spools at Walmart or a crafts store for less than a buck. Buy some screws and anchors for your wall. Easy gun rack.


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## BigCheeseStick (Aug 7, 2013)

arthurstjames said:


> Here is another tip for making easy gun racks in your safe. Not only that but you can use then throughout your house as well. You can buy wooden spools at Walmart or a crafts store for less than a buck. Buy some screws and anchors for your wall. Easy gun rack.


Those spools are an awesome idea! Thanks!


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

I won't put my guns in a safe. I want them easy to access if the need arises. I don't have many visitors other than folks I trust and they are usually packing a gun too. I have two guns within reach right now. We are seldom away from the house and the dogs let us know when there is someone within walking distance of the house. We can hear cars or other vehicles long before they can see the house so it is unlikely that any theft could happen.


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## Infidel (Dec 22, 2012)

Liberty now makes an EMP lock that gives you an electronic lock for speed and a manual back up in case the electronic fails. I have been considering this for my safe because the manual lock is so slow to access, a digital is much faster. The manual locks on the Liberty safes take a bit of getting used to but they get easier after a few tries. I wouldn't want to have to open the safe in an emergency which is why I don't keep my carry guns in there, those are secure separately where I can access them quickly.

-Infidel


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## arthurstjames (Oct 6, 2013)

BigCheeseStick said:


> Those spools are an awesome idea! Thanks!


They work great too. I use them. Here is an idea, have a Concealed gun in your closet or under your desk.


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## arthurstjames (Oct 6, 2013)

Infidel said:


> Liberty now makes an EMP lock that gives you an electronic lock for speed and a manual back up in case the electronic fails. I have been considering this for my safe because the manual lock is so slow to access, a digital is much faster. The manual locks on the Liberty safes take a bit of getting used to but they get easier after a few tries. I wouldn't want to have to open the safe in an emergency which is why I don't keep my carry guns in there, those are secure separately where I can access them quickly.
> 
> -Infidel


For a quick draw of a gun, biometric safes have bow come along way and are very usable. I don't own one , but a good friend does and it works great. Basically a black box you put your hand on and it opens. Great technology.


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## StarPD45 (Nov 13, 2012)

Check out this link for more info.

Gun Safe Buyers' Guide


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

arthurstjames said:


> Here is another tip for making easy gun racks in your safe. Not only that but you can use then throughout your house as well. You can buy wooden spools at Walmart or a crafts store for less than a buck. Buy some screws and anchors for your wall. Easy gun rack.


You get a A in field engineering great idea


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

BigCheeseStick said:


> Would seem to me the most important feature you'd wanna look for is fire and heat resistance. Otherwise any safe isn't much better than a $99 gun "locker". ANY kid can get online and find videos and every trick in the world to open gun safes. Especially the ones with electronic locks (got a 9v battery? = "open sesame").


The better safes have anti tamper features built into them. When it comes to buying a home safe, theft and fire protection are the two main points, some safes are sold as having better fire ratings while others have better antitheft ratings.

To get both a good fire rating and solid antitheft protection one will have to spend some cash. Is there an inexpensive way to get around that? I wish! I invested a bunch of time on research and couldn't find an inexpensive safe that had both a good fire rating and good antitheft features.

I went with the S&G dial, If I'm at home the safe doesn't need to be locked (yet can be) because I'm there to keep an eye on it. If I'm away the guns I want to have out are with me, so simple planning means that having to spin a dial is not going to be a big issue.


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## rim (Nov 17, 2012)

I bought a Liberty Fat Boy earlier this year,. the only problem I have had is the two overhead LED light assy's wont stay velcro'ed to the overhead inside. otherwise it does have some decent interior space and modular shelving. 
Liberty Safe Fatboy - #1 Big Gun Safes in America


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