gun safe

[ka26]

I'm getting ready to apply for my FFL & will be based out of my home. I've spoken to city officials regarding zoning & everything looks good from there but I just got done speaking with the local police chief & fire marshal, he was supportive about the idea but said in order for him to sign off on it I would need to have a gun safe that is bolted down.

Any recomendations on a good gun safe that won't cost a fortune?

[Doyle]

Any recomendations on a good gun safe that won't cost a fortune?

Those are pretty much mutually exclusive requests. Sorry, but if you want good it's going to cost big time - especially if you are looking for one big enough to handle even a small-sized business.

[ka26]

I need the safe to hold 30-50 handguns. It just needs to be big enough & bolted down so that someone couldn't just carry it out before the police have time to respond to the alarm. Around how much can I expect to spend?

[sgms]

Something like the cannon armory safe will run somewhere around $2500-3000.00 and will max out at around 64 guns. And will weigh some were in the 900 pound range empty so plan on a real good floor to bolt into.

[ka26]

Wow, I didn't think they were that high. Any thoughts on SentrySafe? I see a 14 gun rifle safe on amazon for around $500. I figure since I will only be storing handguns I could remove the shelves & fit around 30 guns in there.

[TheBigO]

I have a cannon scout gun safe and it was about $900 delivered- i have a review on my you tube page check it out. Good luck on your FFL

[4V50 Gary]

And one suggestion they gave is that you may want to get two safes. This is to prevent commingling between your personal guns and those belonging to the business. If they're commingled, the ATF inspector can look at everything.

One is for your personal collection. Unless there's a warrant, you don't have to open this one for the ATF.

The other is for the ATF Inspection. This one must be opened and their contents examinated upon their request.

[nmbrinkman]

I love my cannon safe. I have the patriot. I paid just over $1000 for it. That included delivery, bolted down and sales tax. Holds up to 24 long guns.

[ripnbst]

Bear Gun Safes. I will let their website do the talking. Never successfully broken into, and people have tried. You can get them in varying sizes to hold many guns to just a few.

/thread

[spanishjames]

Wow, I didn't think they were that high. Any thoughts on SentrySafe? I see a 14 gun rifle safe on amazon for around $500. I figure since I will only be storing handguns I could remove the shelves & fit around 30 guns in there.

How much would those 30 guns be worth? $15,000 maybe? For an extra 1500.00 you could do much better.

[ka26]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be looking into all of them & making a decision soon.

[Bear1949]

I just put my STURDY SAFE into its new home. I couldn't be happier. I got the 6 ft high safe, 4 gauge walls, insulated with 2300F fire insulation (not that crappy drywall), interior liner. It weighs about 1100 pounds. VERY nicely made! The quality of welding is FAR superior to any other gun safe I looked at--especially that Chinese garbage that so many "name brand" companies use. STURDY SAFES are made in the USA from all-American materials. I didn't buy it just because it's American-made, though. Its quality is obviously superior to others and competitive or lower prices than the "name brands". I was surprised at how fast it arrived, especially in the unusually severe winter weather we have been having this year. I was also impressed with how well the safe was secured on the pallet and how well it was padded. No scratches, dings, nothing--it arrived in as good a condition as it left the factory. The instructions for setting a new combination, etc. were very clear. I especially appreciated the short videos on STURDY SAFE's web site, which show you how to do small things (like how easy it is to get an 1100 pound safe off the pallet, etc.). Here's one strong vote for STURDY SAFE!

[g.willikers]

Bear,
Thanks for the tip.
What was the name of that safe, again?

[Roughedge]

I wound up getting two Liberty Fatboys and used one for longguns and the other for handguns.

[markm_04]

I just got my new safe home and in its place in the basement last week. We were looking around for awhile and found some good sales around Christmas time so we decided to put it on layaway before the sale ended to lock in the price. Went back to Cabelas a few weeks later and found that the "sale" had ended. Original price was $1200 on sale for $1000 when put on layaway to keep sale price. When we went back it was marked $900 as its regular price....some sale. Anyway they honored the lowest price and we ended up getting our Liberty Trailblazer 30 gun safe for under $1K out the door. I am very happy with it so far and it came with a lifetime warranty so I know it will outlast me.

It did cost me a little more getting it into the house as I bought the beer for my buddies who helped unload it and get it into place.

[colbad]

What is your definition of a fortune? One of my shotguns cost more than many people's car, so a few thousand for a safe is a small price to pay. The word "fortune" is relative to what you are protecting. Most metal container type safes will do the job if it is secured to something. If you have something of value to protect don't skimp on the safe. Can't go wrong with Browning or Liberty. Need to decide how big and how fancy.

[Jimboh247]

I just bought a Liberty 18 gun. Made in the USA!

If you are strictly doing handguns, I believe an 18 to 24 gun safe, modified on the inside to accommodate just handguns, would be plenty.

There is a LOT of space that a long gun takes up that really doesn't get used.

[spacecoast]

50 handguns, even if they are new ones, are likely to be worth $20-40K. Investing $3-4K to protect them seems like a reasonable proposition. Also, the positioning of the safe, boltdown, discreet delivery/installation has a lot to do with how protected you are. Thieves rarely come prepared to attack a substantial safe they don't know about.

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

Buying a safe is like buying a scope, "buy once cry once". Buy the best safe you can. I see too many that have $10,000 in firearms locked in a "locking cabinet" or worse a glass faced gun cabinet.

I honestly watched a guy drag a Barrett 82A1 out of a Stack on locking cabinet. I told him a halfway decent thief could be in it it under two minutes. He said"they have to deal with me though" I asked what he done when he went on vacation(and his family go 3-4 times a year for a week or so. He simply said "I don't do anything".

When buying a safe think about the time you won't be there and if the house ever caught on fire, how long that safe can stand abuse....

[Tactical Jackalope]

At my shop we have 5 safes. O_O

[Jigo]

Mutual makes some nice jewel vaults for about four grand.tl30. 3300 pounds -a real safe - considering a few good rifles cost more.

[HoosierDave1967]

Purchase a genuine UL rated gun vault. Notice I did not say 'Safe', because a UL rated TL-15 and higher container are considered vaults and not safes. Anything without a UL rating is just not worth it, especially if you are going to be storing firearms and munitions. If you have done your research, you should have a REALLY good idea as to the average dollar value to be stored under your FFL License at any given time.

If you plan on keeping between $300-400,000 at any given time, you will need a
UL rated safe of TL-30 or higher.

If you intend to keep up to $800,000, you will need a TRTL-30x6, which is the highest rated commercial safe.

If you decide to go with a cheaper RSC container (like Liberty Safes) or even cheaper (like Stack-On), you might be able to get insurance, but it will cost you.
I'm not knocking these products nor am I saying they are junk, but you always get what you pay for.

With a UL rated vault, it will be easier to get insurance and your lower premiums will pay off the cost of the vault in a few years.

Don't forget to search for used UL rated vaults as banks, jewelry stores, etc., are
always going out of business and liquidate items. You might be able to pick up a 30 cu foot, 20 year old TL-30x6, which normally might run $20,000, for $5 grand delivered.

[Rifleman1776]

I have always believe Fort Knox to be the best safe on the market.
But, I am puzzle and disturbed by the requirements set by the local law enforcement agencies. Especially in Texas. Most gun shops do not, cannot, lock up their guns every night. This is very impractical. Do those agencies have the force of law behind them to make this demand? Sounds like they may be putting you out of business before you get in business.

[HoosierDave1967]

Regarding your comment on Fort Knox safes being the best safes on the market:

I must strongly disagree with this statement. Fort Knox safes are at best, RSC rated and come nowhere near offering a level of security as any UL TL-15 or higher rated safe, period. I am not saying buying a Fort Knox safe is a waste of time, but here are the facts:

1) Fort Knox Legend 6637
1,769 lbs
90 minute 1680 degree fire rated
36 cubic feet storage
RSC rated: contents insurable up to $15,000 without burglar alarm, $30,000 with
Cost: $11,000

2) AMSEC CF7236 (the safe I own)
4,546 lbs
90 minute 1850 degree fire rated
34.5 cubic feet storage
TL-30 UL rating: contents insurable up to $195,000 & $375,000 with alarm
Cost: $9,700 (I purchased mine for $5,800 locally, installed)

So, WHY would anyone pay thousands more for a gun safe/valuables safe, that is fire rated 170 degrees lower at 90 minutes, only has 1.6 cubic feet storage more, weighs 2,777 lbs less and most importantly, you can only insure the contents up to $30,000, IF your insurance company approves your alarm?

My safe cost much less than a Fort Knox safe, is a tank as opposed to a personnel carrier, has about the same storage and fire rating (I won't split hairs), but most importantly, I DO have the contents of my safe insured by my homeowners insurance up to $225,000 as I do not have an alarm, but I do have the safe in a steel tornado shelter and it is bolted thrice to the concrete floor.

Do not get caught up on fancy terms, glossy doors, advertising hype and so forth. Go by UL ratings only. There is a reason UL ratings are internationally recognized by insurance companies and these safes are worth the extra weight.

So, as in my case, and again, I am not saying Fort Knox is a bad product, they actually make very nice safes, but which of these two examples are you going to be happier with if security and insuring your valuables are the ONLY 2 reasons you purchase a safe/gun safe?

Me: I would rather pay thousands less and have over 18 times more insurance on what I store in the safe. Simple math.

[Scubasimmons]

Cannon safe from home depot, $1,000, no tax and free shipping. It holds 24 long guns and ~500 lbs, but I do have it bolted down. I have it configured for 12 long guns on one side AT on the door and stuff on the other side....love it.