Gun safe recommendation

[Moody808]

I went with a secureit gun safe. I like the modularity and customization. I can fit everything from my PRS rifle to handguns all in the same safe. Military and police forces tend to use them because they can be scaled to meet whatever your individual needs are.

 

[BeeMaa]

I want to say we paid about $5K for the first one and it came with lights, dual locks and a dehumidifier. 10 years later the price had gone up a whole bunch, but I can't recall the exact price. Both are Fort Knox Executive Series that are 66" tall, 30" deep and 36" wide.

Bought the black one first, then special ordered the green one with a left-sided hinge so they can sit next to each other with both doors open and no restrictions. Her's is the black one and I got the new one. Several upgrades on the newer model.

Years later I had to reorganize the interior of mine because the layout of the long guns wasn't to my liking. After drawing up plans I spent an afternoon at my friends house making an insert to accommodate the number of long guns I wanted without them banging into each other. It only takes up half the safe, but the center cut makes getting items from the back much easier. I plan on covering it with some leather from a previous safari that I have laying around but haven't gotten around to it.

 

[BeeMaa]

A safe is not just for security, it's for fire protection. Go cheap and you may be very disappointed if you have a fire. Choose wisely.

 

[Andrew NOLA]

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I use this velcro and plastic rod system and fit way more guns into the gun safes. It gets rid of the barrel racks that dont really work anyway

I use gunsocks to avoid safe rash and use the velco tags used by cable installers so I know what gun is inside the sock

I have remodeled the interior of all of my safes to accommodate different lengths of rifles. One is all pistols with shelving at 9 inch intervals from the bottom of the safe, one all lever guns, one is rifles with 30 inch barrels, ar rifles etc

always buy the biggest safe you can fit and afford. It wont be enough.

I use 2 of the rod type dehumidifiers in each safe (in case one fails). Cheap insurance against rust

I have the safes elevated a couple of inches above the slab in case of spills.

All are bolted to the slab. The safes slow down thieves and keeps kids out of where they should not be.

 

[Sabre]

I go back and forth on how worth it "fire proof" safes really are. When it comes to fire they sometimes work and they sometimes don't. But they are always big, heavy, expensive, and then expensive or difficult to move if you buy a new house or remodel.

I think people get a bit silly when it comes to acting as if they aren't a good theft deterrent. I think a quality safe is better at that than fire. But even then, you are often looking at getting 16-20 long guns in a 40+ gun large safe. If you have a large collection of long guns, it gets very cumbersome to have enough safe space for them.

Alternatives that aren't fire rated but are for security are often almost the same price and not as good looking as a fancier looking safe with a nice paint job.

Safes have gone up dramatically in price since covid. Almost everyone I know with a decent sized collection ends up with 2+ fairly large safes. Right there you are talking $10K plus. It might be worth considering what you could do storage or liability wise for $10K that might be better looking, easier to move, or easier to live with long term.

I'm not saying safes are junk or useless and I also own some. But, again, I often am on the fence about utility vs cost vs burden.

 

[BeeMaa]

Additional things to consider beyond quality and fire protection...

- Size. Get at least 2x what you think you will need. You will grow into your vault and eventually outgrow it. Ask me how I know.
- Dual locks, one mechanical and one digital. Mechanical for when the batteries go dead and digital when speed is of the essence. We use both on a regular basis.
- Lights. Most vaults should come with some sort of interior lighting and a switch. Much prefer LED over the old fluorescent.
- Dehumidifier. You will need one of these unless you live in an extremely dry climate.
- Electrical outlets inside the vault. Gotta have something to power the lights and dehumidifier...and anything else you may want. Maybe a watch winder?
- Dealer support. You will have problems with your vault, there is no getting around that fact. Having a local dealer assist you is a priceless commodity. Plus, they are the product expert and can provide upgrades. We bought our first safe at an extreme discount because someone else ordered it and skipped out on the bill. We paid the balance of the what they left for a deposit!
- Who is going to install/deliver your vault. Our dealer took care of everything, but if you buy it from a big box store you could be on your own.

Like most things in life, good vaults aren't cheap and cheap vaults aren't good. A nice way of saying "buy once, cry once".

 

[275r7x57]

Unfortunately most gun safes are rated as an RSC Residential Security Container and give the illusion of a safe. They are a glorified sheet metal box with a lock. If this is what you are after Liberty, Browning and Winchester make good choices for the money. Stick with USA made units. The overseas stuff is crap.

If you want a real safe / vault you need a TL Tool-Resistant rated unit. As with most anything you get what you pay for.

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[Challer]

Don’t go cheap. Get a Ft Knox at least twice the size you think. They do survive fires. Cheap ones won’t. And get it bolted to the concrete floor. I have two

 

[JimP]

Most of the safes today are designed to keep things out of sight and provide a more secure area for storage than a closet or under a bed.

They are also made where someone is going to have to take some time with tools that a burglar isn't normally going to be carrying, along with making quite a bit of noise trying to get into. Most crooks want to get into a home and get out in a hurry with whatever they can put inside a pillowcase. They won't be packing a angle grinder with a cutoff wheel or sheet metal shears.

If I ever move again I'll have a dedicated closet that I'll design and build out of steel cut to fit and welded in place with a custom door.

 

[wesheltonj]

I know Ft. Knox gets a lot of love, but the are still Residential Security Containers and not Safes. For a Safe see my post number 18.

 

[mdwest]

- Lights. Most vaults should come with some sort of interior lighting and a switch.

Mine didn’t come with lights… in a big safe they are definitely a necessity…

I found a pretty cheap and reliable solution on Amazon.. been going for more than a year so far off the original batteries… motion activated… they d been awesome..

https://a.co/d/8VjxfQv

 

[275r7x57]

If you look in the right places you can buy used TL rated safes very reasonably and sometimes at scrap prices.

A buddy of mine last year picked up a 9,000 LB TL rated safe from a jewelry store / mall that was being demolished. It cost him a trip out of state, $1,000.00 for the safe and a six pack of beer for the crane operator.

Also you want to consider the weight, in most cases more is better.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Serious recommendation here...

NEVER buy a gun safe the size that you currently need.. always buy bigger than you think you will ever need..

also.. understand that whatever a gun safe advertises its capacity as.. cut that number by at least 1/3... depending on what type of guns you have, whether or not they have optics on them, etc.. you might need to cut that number by 1/2..

I have a 48 gun liberty "fat boy".. If I get really aggressive and play magical levels of tetris in there I can get MAYBE 32 long guns in the safe...

When I bought it I thought "I'll never fill this thing".. but I caught it on a great sale (on 50% off clearance when Gander Mountain was going out of business)... so I bought it..

Now the safe is full.. I have a 8 gun cabinet that is full.. and there are another dozen or so firearms scattered all around the house (hidden in coffee tables, bed side tables, in closets, in desk drawers, in the bed footboard, etc..etc.. and Im considering buying another 48 gun safe so that I can consolidate the collection...

I was.going to.say the same thing about getting a bigger safe than you think you need. I now have two safes. I.have noticed that guns in a safe tend to multiply like bunnies. Every time I open one there seems to be another gun in there!

 

[Doug Hamilton]

If you look in the right places you can buy used TL rated safes very reasonably and sometimes at scrap prices.

A buddy of mine last year picked up a 9,000 LB TL rated safe from a jewelry store / mall that was being demolished. It cost him a trip out of state, $1,000.00 for the safe and a six pack of beer for the crane operator.

Also you want to consider the weight, in most cases more is better.

If you can't get safe that's to heavy to move, at least get one that can be bolted to the floor and wall.

 

[coreydb]

Regardless of what you get, this time of year has the best sales on safes. Also, a 24 gun safe won't fit 24 guns; a 32 gun safe won't fit 32 guns.....all because of the scopes. The common thread in this discussion is buy larger than you need,

 

[steve white]

I built my own main safe to suit my longer rifles, weighs over 200 kg(440lb) and I very much doubt that a non-dedicated person would be able to get into it. It holds fifteen comfortably but I should have made it bigger, currently has twenty five squeezed in. It may be cheaper to find someone who can weld to make one if you have longer firearms
Gumpy

Gumpy, have you ever seen anyone make a gun safe out of one of those aluminum transmitter boxes they used to scatter across Australia--about the size of a phone booth? I got hold of one and made a safe with it years ago. Only weakness was perhaps the long hinge on the door.
Many safes today are defeated by thieves with a battery driven metal grinder.
A friend turned a whole room section into a walk in safe with a vault door.

 

[Aaron N]

Are there any safes that actually fit bolt action rifles with longer barrels (ex 22-26")?

I picked one of these up two or three years ago from Costco online. It’s 72” so you can have longer rifles or shotguns and still shelving above it.

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I ended up ripping the side shelves out and using these rods intead

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[Grumpy gumpy]

Gumpy, have you ever seen anyone make a gun safe out of one of those aluminum transmitter boxes they used to scatter across Australia--about the size of a phone booth? I got hold of one and made a safe with it years ago. Only weakness was perhaps the long hinge on the door.
Many safes today are defeated by thieves with a battery driven metal grinder.
A friend turned a whole room section into a walk in safe with a vault door.

I think I know the box, louvred vents on them, never seen one as a safe.
Gumpy

 

[275r7x57]

If you can't get safe that's to heavy to move, at least get one that can be bolted to the floor and wall.

Could not agree more.

A distant neighbor had a 30 gun safe wheeled out of his house with a two wheel dolly during a smash and grab. They never attempted to open it at the house, once they figured out it wasn’t bolted down they just took the whole thing. He was out of town and watched the whole thing on camera.

I highly recommend building a cabinet around whatever you buy. Out of sight, out of mind is one of the best diversions.

 

[HankBuck]

Looking for a standing gun safe that will not break the bank and not too big or bulky. Good for couple of rifles and handguns and few more extras

@SStomcat from your stated criteria (inexpensive, not big/bulky) you can’t get a “GOOD” safe but there are plenty that meet your requirement: Liberty has plenty that look-nice and Tractor Supply has plenty in the $1000 to $1500 range. Any of these safes can be opened with a small crow bar or a fire Ax but they will keep children out and the “quick burglar” which covers 90% of what is likely to be a concern. A “Good” safe - in my opinion - has thick steel plate (1/4” or thicker sides & 1/2” to 1” steel in the door) and that will bring the weight up to over 1000 lbs. to 2000 lbs.+. It’s also Fire Rated to an Hour+ at a stated temperature (1200- 1800 degrees) and this also adds weight. It will cost $4000 to $10,000+ and will require professional Safe movers….even it’s just wheeled into main level Garage.
Entry Level “Good” Safes start with higher end Fort Knox; American Security and some other manufacturers - these models are often still listed as “Residential Security Containers” but the better ones can meet the standards of a “B” burglary rating because of the thicker plate steel they use. Better “real” safes include Brown safes that may have 1” (or greater) solid steel plate and weigh 3000lbs-4000lbs+. There are many other brands and all are as heavy as your car and costly.
I admitt what I describe above is ‘over kill’ for many that only own a few guns and ANY Safe can be Broken-into (just requires planning, tools, Effort). I think those with $50,000 to $100,000+ in firearms should consider a “Good” Safe as part of the investment….they also last 100+ years and can later be sold or handed down. Just my opinion.