I'm looking for reccomendations for a good gun safe. I need a large one though, big enough for about 20 rifels and a few pistols. I'm going down to the new Cabela store this weekend to check them out and a new sig .40 226:thumbsup: What safes do you guys like and why? Thanks for the advice, these things are not cheap and I want a good one for a good price.
Gun safe?
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couple of things ....... don't get fancy ..... no digital lock & no fancy paint ... you'll save money !! call the factory 
check into buying a second or blem ... find one local !! shipping on these things is more then the Safe !! a normal long gun fire safe vault weighs in around 1,000 lbs !! ..... p.s. who ever you buy it from get them to deliver & install it
check into buying a second or blem ... find one local !! shipping on these things is more then the Safe !! a normal long gun fire safe vault weighs in around 1,000 lbs !! ..... p.s. who ever you buy it from get them to deliver & install itWhat's the budget?
You can spend anywhere from $100 for a thin sheetmetal gun "cabinet" with a locking handle at Home Depot to $10,000+ for a 1/2" (or more) plate safe with good vermiculite/concrete fire barrier with rack & pinion driven locking bolts.
Also, if fire rating is important to you, pay close attention to the ratings. Most are given in a standard UL format which rates the time it takes for the internal temp of the safe to climb from 75F-350F in a XXXX degree fire. Problem is that's a false rating... because if the inside of the safe reaches 350F your stuff will probably be toast! Most UL tests are also done at 1250-1300F, which is too low. Real fires get hotter. One of the only manufacturers out there that provides a more "real world" fire rating with a higher fire temperature and lower end-test temperature is Fort Knox... and they make nice safes. But for your capacity you're probably looking at $3500+.
Keep an eye on Craigslist... sometimes *great* deals come along as someone is moving long distance and would rather buy a new safe once they get to their new home. I'd have a locksmith reset the combo though. A couple of friends have paid 1/2 price of new on very nice safes this way.
You can spend anywhere from $100 for a thin sheetmetal gun "cabinet" with a locking handle at Home Depot to $10,000+ for a 1/2" (or more) plate safe with good vermiculite/concrete fire barrier with rack & pinion driven locking bolts.
Also, if fire rating is important to you, pay close attention to the ratings. Most are given in a standard UL format which rates the time it takes for the internal temp of the safe to climb from 75F-350F in a XXXX degree fire. Problem is that's a false rating... because if the inside of the safe reaches 350F your stuff will probably be toast! Most UL tests are also done at 1250-1300F, which is too low. Real fires get hotter. One of the only manufacturers out there that provides a more "real world" fire rating with a higher fire temperature and lower end-test temperature is Fort Knox... and they make nice safes. But for your capacity you're probably looking at $3500+.
Keep an eye on Craigslist... sometimes *great* deals come along as someone is moving long distance and would rather buy a new safe once they get to their new home. I'd have a locksmith reset the combo though. A couple of friends have paid 1/2 price of new on very nice safes this way.
If it's going to sit inside your house I'd get a nicer looking one. Other wise plain jane is ok.
I'd spend a little extra and get one fire rated. That way you can put in your important paper work in there too.
Plus fire rated ones are nice and heavy. Mine weighs 700# empty but I still bolted it into concrete.
Also I would get a name brand you know will be around for awhile, like browning or remington. I thought I got one (Rocky Mtn Safe) but they went out of business.
Although I have no problems with my safe by them going out of business it is a potentail major problem. I got use out of my safe once and the crack head in my house still tried to get in it and he broke the combination off and tripped the relockers. I had to call the manufacturer and get the drilling pattern to drill the safe to reset the relockers so I could open the safe. If it happens again I'm SOL.
I'd spend a little extra and get one fire rated. That way you can put in your important paper work in there too.
Plus fire rated ones are nice and heavy. Mine weighs 700# empty but I still bolted it into concrete.
Also I would get a name brand you know will be around for awhile, like browning or remington. I thought I got one (Rocky Mtn Safe) but they went out of business.
Although I have no problems with my safe by them going out of business it is a potentail major problem. I got use out of my safe once and the crack head in my house still tried to get in it and he broke the combination off and tripped the relockers. I had to call the manufacturer and get the drilling pattern to drill the safe to reset the relockers so I could open the safe. If it happens again I'm SOL.
I agree with that. Unless you're putting it in the living room, there's no need for fancy paint. And after watching the guys wrestling my 1000 lbs safe into my basement, I can definitely say that you don't want to do it yourself.couple of things ....... don't get fancy ..... no digital lock & no fancy paint ... you'll save money !! call the factory
One feature you need to look for is a double set of bolts. Some safes have exposed hinges and only one set of bolts, which means that it's possible to cut the hinges off and pry the door open. This is impossible if you have bolts on both sides. There are also safes with hidden hinges, and I assume that this would serve the same purpose.
Also make sure that there are bolt holes in the bottom. There have been cases where whole safes have been removed by thieves, I have even heard of them pulling safes out of garages with trucks. Bolting the safe to the floor is a good idea if it's in a location where it can be carried or pulled out.
Any decent safe will have bolts around the full perimeter of the door. I prefer external hinges as they don't protrude into the body of the safe (resulting in cutouts in the fire insulation to clear the internal hinges, which obviously decreases the fire rating) and external hinges are much easier to access for occasional lubrication. External hinges also usually allow for the door to be opened 180 degrees, whereas internal hinges usually open 90-100 degrees or so.
With full perimeter locking bolts, it doesn't matter if the hinges are on the inside or outside, the door is held onto the door frame even if the outer hinges are cut off.
The other important tip is to keep the safe hidden and disguised. If burglars don't know you have a safe they probably won't be prepared to deal with one. So keep it out of view of external windows. Hiding it in a closet or building a cabinet around it is a good idea.
For your price point of around 2K, I'd probably suggest a Liberty Lincoln Series, an Amsec BF series, or a Fort Knox... I know the Liberty & Amsec can be had around your price point and large enough to fit your needs, and a smaller / lower end Fort Knox might be possible, but you'll have to get a dealer quote for a Fort Knox. Graffunder is excellent and probably one of the best gun safes on the market but most likely out of that price range for the size you require. For similarly priced offerings from Liberty and Amsec at the $2K mark I'd lean towards the Amsec BF because of the better insulation, better door, and external hinges compared to the Liberty.
Unfortunately, at the $2000 price point anything large enough to hold rifles is only going to be an RSC (residential security container)-- and not a true safe. It will only slow down those who are motivated. It will probably be enough to stop the amateur smash-and-grab guys but poses no difficulty to a pro. Just about anything rated RSC can be fairly quickly and easily defeated by a motivated person with a fire axe in under 10 minutes... or less. There's a video on a safe company's website showing two of their guys prying open a fairly well known manufacturer's RSC (i.e. gun safe) in less than 2 minutes.
To get something stronger than an RSC (i.e TL-30 burglar rated or better) that is large enough to hold rifles, you're looking at no less than $5000 or so.
Unfortunately, at the $2000 price point anything large enough to hold rifles is only going to be an RSC (residential security container)-- and not a true safe. It will only slow down those who are motivated. It will probably be enough to stop the amateur smash-and-grab guys but poses no difficulty to a pro. Just about anything rated RSC can be fairly quickly and easily defeated by a motivated person with a fire axe in under 10 minutes... or less. There's a video on a safe company's website showing two of their guys prying open a fairly well known manufacturer's RSC (i.e. gun safe) in less than 2 minutes.
To get something stronger than an RSC (i.e TL-30 burglar rated or better) that is large enough to hold rifles, you're looking at no less than $5000 or so.
It sure will, and the reason I mentioned it is that this is one thing that lets you know that you indeed are looking at a decent safe.
It's easy to look at the pricetag of a seemingly similar safe, without knowing how important features like that are. There are some knockoffs out there that look like Cadillacs and are very reasonably priced, but I have actually seen some where you can break in by cutting the hinge pins with a hack saw and pounding them out.
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