Gun safe recommendation

[HoosierHunter]

I bought a Revolution XL by Pendleton Safes. Cant recommend them enough. Their turret design is a game changer when it comes to organization and storage solutions.

 

[HankBuck]

I bought a Revolution XL by Pendleton Safes. Cant recommend them enough. Their turret design is a game changer when it comes to organization and storage solutions.

@HoosierHunter - that “turret” revolving center looks great for easy access - especially if you access your safe often…very innovative. How easily does it turn and handle the weight when fully loaded?
It looks like you can customize models to get what you want, thicker steel, paint color and at 1000-1200lbs might still be able to move these safes up or down a flight of stairs if needed. etc….

 

[HoosierHunter]

@HoosierHunter - that “turret” revolving center looks great for easy access - especially if you access your safe often…very innovative. How easily does it turn and handle the weight when fully loaded?
It looks like you can customize models to get what you want, thicker steel, paint color and at 1000-1200lbs might still be able to move these safes up or down a flight of stairs if needed. etc….

So far the Turret design handles well. Very strong bearings in the bottom. Mine weighs 1200 pounds empty. I bought it at the SCI convention, they were running a sale (fyi). The turret design is awesome and eliminates bumping firearms when taking out and putting back in. In the lower shelf, in the back there are holes drilled out for longer barrels. 30” or 32” barrels, but like most, the shelf’s are adjustable. So far I would highly recommend it. Any question, never a problem, I’ve talked to Gordon Pendleton personally. The custom service has been great.

 

[Challer]

A couple last thoughts about safes. We've all said buy larger than you think. But two is better than one if the one gets too big. More than 30-36" wide and the door becomes very difficult.

Second, you and your family don't want to be home when an invader comes in unless you are well defended. They will cut yours/wifes/childrens fingers off until you open the safe. Or something just as bad. Your family needs the combo.

Lastly bolt it down. But even with that my safe guys tell me that stealing the entire safe is not uncommon.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

If thieves want to get in, they'll get in.

Thieves drill into bank vault, steal millions. Angry customers: 'Let us in!'

The perpetrators drilled through a thick concrete wall and then broke into several thousand safe deposit boxes, leaving bank customers inconsolable.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Beck]

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...

Magical levels of Tertris, LOL

 

[Beck]

I was at Sam's the other day and saw a "32 gun" Sports Afield safe for $600. It looked like it could hold 6-8 guns in reality.

What is the reason or reasons you want a safe? This will dictate the selection process. Obviously, cost, size and weight are issues you've listed. Some people simply want a lock box to keep their guns away from small children. Others want super strong, supe heavy, super expensive safes to keep their heirloom guns and possibly the wife's jewelry safe from world class safe crackers.

Take a look at this thread

I have zero experience with the "Sports Afield" guns safes, but they can be had for a very reasonable price at academy sports.

 

[275r7x57]

If thieves want to get in, they'll get in.

Thieves drill into bank vault, steal millions. Angry customers: 'Let us in!'

The perpetrators drilled through a thick concrete wall and then broke into several thousand safe deposit boxes, leaving bank customers inconsolable.

www.usatoday.com

Not much of a vault from the picture. Just a block or brick wall.

Here is a video of a bank vault demolishing, big difference in construction. Skip to 14 minutes.

 

[SStomcat]

A couple last thoughts about safes. We've all said buy larger than you think. But two is better than one if the one gets too big. More than 30-36" wide and the door becomes very difficult.

Second, you and your family don't want to be home when an invader comes in unless you are well defended. They will cut yours/wifes/childrens fingers off until you open the safe. Or something just as bad. Your family needs the combo.

Lastly bolt it down. But even with that my safe guys tell me that stealing the entire safe is not uncommon.

Some good thoughts there in terms of size. Scary thought of what thieves can do to get their things.

 

[SStomcat]

All — without much ado, I went ahead and purchased the Bighorn SafeX 25.2 cu. ft. Executive Safe (USA-made) from Costco. A few factors tipped the scale for me: it’s American-made, a good size to get started with, and delivery plus installation were included.

Time will tell how it holds up, but I appreciate everyone’s valuable input and guidance. Thanks to all who chimed in.

 

[mdwest]

The Bighorn safes sold at COSTCO are actually Rhino Metals safes that Rhino re-brands for COSTCO. They are extremely good for the price point...

What you got was their RBFX6033 model, re-branded for COSTCO as the Bighorn 25 CU FT, at about $200 cheaper than it would have been had you bought it directly from Rhino. Plus Rhino would have charged you for delivery and installation. You got a very good deal.

RBFX6033 | 60"H x 33"W x 22"D | 44 Long Gun Safe | 40 Min

Buy this Rhino Metals gun safe with the distressed USA flag on the door! Holds up to 44 long guns with 40 minutes of fire protection!

rhinosafe.com

 

[SStomcat]

Yes that’s the one.

 

[mdwest]

A couple last thoughts about safes. We've all said buy larger than you think. But two is better than one if the one gets too big. More than 30-36" wide and the door becomes very difficult.

Second, you and your family don't want to be home when an invader comes in unless you are well defended. They will cut yours/wifes/childrens fingers off until you open the safe. Or something just as bad. Your family needs the combo.

Lastly bolt it down. But even with that my safe guys tell me that stealing the entire safe is not uncommon.

you need to find a new safe guy... it is very uncommon that gun safes, especially large ones, to include just basic residential safes (you dont need to step into the arena of pro grade safes) are taken in their entirety. They simply weigh too much and are too physically large.

There is a reason when safes are delivered its usually by a 3-4 person crew, with a heavy duty hydrolic dolly, heavy duty straps, etc.. and it takes them 30 minutes to an hour to do the delivery..

The safe that SSTomcat just bought weighs 420lbs empty. With guns and other contents its going to be pushing 600 lbs. Its 60" tall, 33" wide, and 22" deep... Two knuckleheads with a dolly bought at Home Depot wont be able to move it.. and they sure as hell wont be able to get it loaded into a van or a pick up truck, etc..

Unless a pro crew with pro tools and a box truck with a hydrolic lift come to rob his house... they arent leaving with the safe..

and as established already... pro crews dont rob middle income houses in the US... the cost to do so, the risk involved, the time and energy involved, etc.. does not equate to the pay day they need to make it worth their while..

small safes do indeed get stolen all the time... anything one or two crackheads can carry out or pull out of the wall with something basic like a crowbar can be a target.. but.. generally speaking crackheads also dont target middle income america.. they target homes within walking distance that are easy to get into, quick to get out of, etc.. and they generally spend very little time inside... they grab the first one or two things of value they can find, and they are gone..

Regarding cutting off your familys fingers????? I suppose anything can happen.. but.. the likelyhood of that happening is so negligible its honestly not worth addressing.. shit like that makes for great TV.. but it very, very rarely happens in the real world.. crimes of torture against humans are in a completely different category than crimes against property.. its a completely different mindset and a completely different type of criminal.. and again, the property in the typical middle income american household doesnt have the value that pushes a pro team into those hollywood scenarios... and someone cracked out of their mind rarely attacks middle income households... the exception would be people KNOWN TO the homeowners (drug addicted children or drug addicted friends of children.. etc..etc..)..

 

[SStomcat]

Spot on. I watched the delivery crew unload it and move it exactly to the room I wanted. It’s no small undertaking—they showed up with a box truck and a hydraulic lift for a reason.
As mdwest pointed out, once the safe is loaded and bolted to concrete, removing it is no easy task. Add in the extra layers of security—cameras, alarm system, Ring door cam, etc.—and it’s about as far from a grab-and-go scenario as it gets.
Now, if you really want to make it extra heavy , a few thick steel bars or some solid mechanical tools placed on the bottom level will do the trick nicely…

 

[mdwest]

My delivery crew was 4 very large men.. even using a hydraulic dolly, they still had a hard time wrangling it through the front door of the house.. and then managed to knock about a 10" round hole in my wall when putting it in the room it was going to go in.. I literally just had them push it to the wall.. I'll fix the hole when I move lol.. I have no desire to try to move the safe even 3 feet to fix the wall, and then try to move it back..

 

[SStomcat]

My delivery crew was 4 very large men.. even using a hydraulic dolly, they still had a hard time wrangling it through the front door of the house.. and then managed to knock about a 10" round hole in my wall when putting it in the room it was going to go in.. I literally just had them push it to the wall.. I'll fix the hole when I move lol.. I have no desire to try to move the safe even 3 feet to fix the wall, and then try to move it back..

So how much does your safe weigh? And what brand?

 

[mdwest]

It’s a liberty fatboy… dry it’s 752 lbs… I’d guess with current contents it’s a little over 1000lbs…

No one is picking it up and moving it even an inch without considerable prior planning and preparation….

 

[SStomcat]

Nice safe, but if pros create a 10-inch hole, imagine what street thugs or robbers will be able to achieve.

 

[mdwest]

The 10 inch hole is in a piece of sheetrock created by a clumsy oaf that couldn’t manage the weight of the safe… a 9 year old with an attitude could create the same hole in any typical sheetrock wall in a typical North American home..

It has as much to do with security of the house or the safe as the furry butthole on the dog that’s sitting by my chair right now (nothing to do with it at all)..

 

[Ray B]

No safe is completely thief or fire proof. The safe just adds levels of expertise, equipment and time needed to access the contents. Add cameras and security systems and it further complicates the thief's challenges. As for fire resistance it's a question of insulating the contents from the heat and the amount of potential heat from the house structure.