Inexpensive Gun Safe?

[KCabbage]

Greetings.
I am looking for a low priced gun safe with multiple shelves. It won't need to hold more than 6 long guns. It must have shelves. Anyone know of a good place to start.
Thank you for your time and help!
Take care

[L-2]

WalMart: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=4564314

or a locking cabinet: http://www.mailboxes.com/category.as...y_name=Lockers

[sholling]

There really aren't any cheap gun safes of any quality. The Sentry "safes" are really locking cabinets made to look like a safe. If you buy one do plan to bolt it down because they are plenty light enough for thieves to carry off. It happened to one of my friends. Five-ten minutes with a crowbar and they have it open. What they are good for is keeping the kids out and if that's all you need then it's a good choice. Just bolt it down good and maybe add 100lbs of bricks to the bottom.

For a real safe you are looking at $800 plus. Costco has a pretty nice Canon for that price. At 450lbs the thief isn't taking it anywhere. Given enough time and beefy men with 6' steel bars they might get in but most are going to give up pretty quickly - if they bother to try at all. You really get what you pay for.

[furyfour]

im not really sure what you are talking about, but my sentry safe is definately a safe and not a locking cabinet.

[ZippZ]

I got the Sentry safe because of the price and it's decent quality. It'll keep most of the thieves out except for the really determined ones as long as you bolt it down.

Keep crowbars and any tools hidden or thieves could use it to break into the safe.

[KCabbage]

Thanks guys!
This is more for my kids sake. Oddly enough I wouldn't even put any guns in it for a while. For now this is for my ammo, parts, and other supplies. I currently use a footlocker but i'm starting to run out of room.
I'm not too worried about thieves. Although if I keep increasing my collection it would probably be a good idea to buy a beefier safe. I don't see how people get those in and around their house, especially a basement.
Someone on AR15.com suggested to look at Dicks sporting goods and sure enough I found a Stackon double door model for $250-300. Best of all, no shipping involved. It probably wouldn't keep a determined thief out, but like I said, i'm not concerned with that right now.
I did see a brand called Diamond Safes or something like that that had nice heavy safes for $600 something shipped. Not bad.
Thanks for the help!
Take care

[jlchucker]

You get what you pay for. Look past the paint job and carpeting, and make sure what you get is fireproof, and has a tamper-proof locking system. Heavy weight is a real bonus, since it pretty much makes the thief lose interest in hauling the whole thing away, which might be a tough thing to do without attracting attention. You only want to buy (and move) one of these once, so go for the quality. It will serve you better in the end.

[ElectricHellfire]

Id check at Academy and Wal Mart. Ifyou can bolt it to the floor you will be better off. If you want to spend a little more (1k) you can get something a little better. I have a new Champion 24 gun safe to be delivered tomorrow! They had one in the showroom that some burglers had worked on for 6 hours and still couldnt get in.

[a1abdj]

They had one in the showroom that some burglers had worked on for 6 hours and still couldnt get in

This is one heck of a sales tool, and usually one very made up story. There are a few gun "safe" dealers around here that pull the same crap.

I can assure you, there's nothing that Champion (or most any other gun safe manufacturer) makes that will keep somebody out for anywhere near 6 hours.

The lowest UL burglar rated safe is 15 minutes, and these are safes using 1 inch plate walls and 1.5" plate doors. Most gun safes are using 1/10" or 1/8" steel, which should reduce that 15 minutes to around the 2 minute mark.

[Shane Tuttle]

I just picked up a Liberty/Centurion safe from Sam's Club for $434. It's nothing fancy. I just wanted something to put my rifles in and have some kind of weight to it. It isn't anything to brag about, but for the price I couldn't resist.

It weighs 520 lbs. and it resides in my basement. It has the SG electronic lock. I personally don't like them. They seem to be made by the same/similar Chinese companies and makes me a bit nervous that it's run by a 9v battery. Besides, my taste is the old school combination/dial. It looks like a nice safe, but once you look on the inside the corner cutting is apparent.

But, like I said, it will do the job that I want for now until we get things settled here at home. Then, I'll be hitting this site: www.zykansafe.com for a good entry level one...

[Richard47]

I'm going thru a situation with a Liberty with the SG electronic lock. The safe would not reopen. Call Liberty, wait and wait, told to change batteries. Did that, call back, wait and wait, try stuff, told to buy different brand of battery. Did that, call back, wait and wait, try stuff with pushing buttons again, wiggle handle ect. Told to call SG, they warranty the lock. Call them, wait and wait, do same buttons thing over and over, told the lock was on time out, call back later, too late.

Call back Monday, wait and wait, try stuff, told the "code" was changed from following instructions from Liberty. Maybe there "side pressure". Bounce safe around, follow instructions to re set code, fail try again. Hooray, safe opened! Try again with door open, nope. Hey it's not the lock, call Liberty for side pressure. Call Liberty, told I should argue with SG.

Get dealer involved, call back, told they would send locksmith. Closest locksmith they have is a 400 mile round trip, they don't want to pay for mileage, although "in home" is part of the warranty.

Finally, I offered to settle for a Combo lock instead of the extra cost Electronic which has a solonoid with a 9 volt battery that won't work the lock. Liberty promised (and suggested) overnighting the lock, told we still need a locksmith, too hard to install if I've never done it. Four days later, no lock. Call back, wait and wait, told the supervisor would not approve overnight. It was $30! but it was "on the way". Locksmith won't call them back.

Next week I am supposed to get the cheaper combo lock. No one at Liberty is surprized that the electronic does not work, or that SG won't change it. Liberty says "side pressure" is BS.

I've got 5 hours of time in this and I have to take off work because it's in the middle of the day.

On the bright side, a machinist friend says he can break into the safe in just a couple of minutes if it happens again and I don't want to wait.

[ISC]

I'd never get a electronically locked safe.

[jimbob86]

The lowest UL burglar rated safe is 15 minutes, and these are safes using 1 inch plate walls and 1.5" plate doors. Most gun safes are using 1/10" or 1/8" steel, which should reduce that 15 minutes to around the 2 minute mark.

That "6 hour" claim is only valid if the burglars in question are dumb as stumps..... granted, many of them ARE, but not the ones that do it for a living.......

1/10" or 1/8" steel plate can be cut thru with an angle grinder and a couple of metal cutting wheels........ a 1 inch thick plate might require a torch. Cut the top off or cut throughthe side and you have whatever is in it. There ARE countermeasure for this, (some nastier than others!) but all a safe buys you is a little time. And if you have a $10,000 dollar safe, the BGs will no doubt believe you have something REALLY good inside it. If they think it's good enough, they'll just schedule their visit when you are home to open it for them........ at gunpoint.

A locked cabinet will keep the "dumb as stumps" crooks out, and protect children from their own disobedience, w/o spending thousands of dollars.

[a1abdj]

I'm going thru a situation with a Liberty with the SG electronic lock

This is one of my beefs with many of the gun safe manufacturers. Many tout their warranty, and then refuse to take care of it when you have a claim. Another problem that you have is that most people selling these safes are not in the safe business.

When one of my customers has a problem, I can take care of it myself. The best most of these other places can do is tell you to call a locksmith.

That "6 hour" claim is only valid if the burglars in question are dumb as stumps..... granted, many of them ARE, but not the ones that do it for a living.......

They would not only have to be dumb, but also be void of arms and legs. Simply swinging a sledge hammer on light gauge steel will rip a hole into it. Again, it wouldn't take anywhere near 6 hours. I have seen a hole large enough to remove the contents of a 12 gauge safe beaten open in less than 5 minutes.

And if you have a $10,000 dollar safe, the BGs will no doubt believe you have something REALLY good inside it.

Most consumers don't know that there are $10,000 safes out there, let alone your average burglar. When a burglar sees your safe, he is going to assume there is something worth a lot inside. He won't know a good safe from a bad safe. He's either going to put a gun to your head, which will open either one, or he's going to attack it. He'll get into the cheap one. He won't get into the $10,000 one.

A locked cabinet will keep the "dumb as stumps" crooks out, and protect children from their own disobedience, w/o spending thousands of dollars.

This is true, and I often suggest a simple dead bolt installed on a closet door if this is what you're wanting to accomplish.

The problem is that many gun safe manufacturers make their safes out to be something that they aren't. Most consumers don't know any better, and buy these safes thinking that they are getting real security.

They aren't putting any safes on the sales floor that "kept children out for 6 hours", they are putting out the safes that "kept burglars out for 6 hours".

[grey_pilgrim]

FIgured i'd bump this rather than start a new thread!

So those in the know, if one was on a budget, and mostly wanted to keep guns away from prying eyes and hands, if there are the following options:

Thin Metal Cabinet
eg

http://www.stack-on.com/securityplus.../gc-908-5.html

Thin metal fire safe

eg

http://www.zykansafe.com/diamondgunsafes.html

Is the extra cost of the fire safe going to get me any more criminal protection? My thought is that either of these safes would be small enough to fit into a closet. . . making it harder to find the safe in the first place.

[Nate Haler]

Fire resistant to an extant because of all that lovely insulation. Incognito (disguised) to boot. Put a locking hasp on it, in the garage, and most would-be thieves would expect it to contain nothing my Hamm's or other crummy beer.

[Recon7]

Sometimes there is far too much snobbery here. I have a cheapo sentry safe. It keeps the kids out. Some of the safes out there cost more than all my guns. would you buy a car alarm that costs more than your car? The op asked about where to look for an inexpensive gun safe.

[bhshaman]

What is considered inexpensive?

For Fire Resistance, what is a safe bet in a rural area where fire trucks are a good 15-20 minutes way? 60minutes? time to get there and subdue the fire?

Not worried about break-ins.

[adept]

I also am in the market for a decently built gunsafe.

Desired features:

1 to 1.5hr fire rating
space for 20 - 40 long guns, 20 handguns
something in the 500 to 1000 lb range.

If anyone has any thoughts towards that end, please let me know.

I have read a lot of the suggestions and stories that have been posted in this thread and would like to get more feedback.

Alan

[Kreyzhorse]

+ 1 for Stack-On. My buddy bought a stack-on handgun safe and I'm pretty impressed. It is electronic keypad operated, but it also has a hidden key access. I haven't seen their long gun safes in person, but if they are made any thing like the handgun version, I think it's a good deal for the money. I wouldn't story my Van Gogh in them, but they'll do the job for keeping them out of sight and out of the hands that aren't too motivated.

[a1abdj]

1 to 1.5hr fire rating
space for 20 - 40 long guns, 20 handguns
something in the 500 to 1000 lb range.

If anyone has any thoughts towards that end, please let me know.

AMSEC BF series. You won't find a better safe in its price range.

[STAGE 2]

AMSEC BF series. You won't find a better safe in its price range.

I was speaking to a cannon rep and he said that they are the only safe maker to be ETL verified for fire protection. Is this the case and how to cannons in general compare to amsec?

[a1abdj]

I was speaking to a cannon rep and he said that they are the only safe maker to be ETL verified for fire protection. Is this the case and how to cannons in general compare to amsec?

Sounds impressive, but means nothing. There is only one organization in the US whos fire rating means anything, and that's UL. There is currently no gun safe manufacturer that builds a UL fire rated gun safe.

Sentry, one of the largest fireproof safe manufacturers, uses ETL ratings in addition to UL ratings on their products. This includes gun safes with ETL ratings. His claim that Cannon is the only company to be ETL rated is false.

Cannon is a gun safe manufacturer. AMSEC is one of the largest safe manufacturers in the US, that happens to have a gun safe line. We joke that AMSEC probably sells more safes each year than any of the gun safe manufacturers has sold in their entire time in business. Cannon is pretty comparable to all of the other name brands as far as their construction is concerned. The AMSEC BF safes are built much better than the sheet metal/gypsum board construction most other companies use.

[Playboypenguin]

I have a friend that is a fire loss specialist for a major insurance company. He tells me that fire safes and their contents seldom, if ever, actually survive a fire. He said they almost never stand up to the extremes they claim and even then those extremes are usually surpassed in a fire anyway. I get the same story from most firemen I have asked.

It is just a game of averages by the company. If you warranty a cheap product for life, knowing most people will never return it or keep the paperwork, it will increase sales but cost little in actual replacement issues. Same with safes. The companies know 99% of the safes will never see a fire. Manufacturers of surge protectors do the same thing.

So I cheaped out and just bought what was affordable but would stop the average prowler/smash and grab burglar. Two Sentry gun safes. I did have to remodel the interior of one to fit my needs but they have served me well so far.

Safe interiors


Before and after of remodel

[hihosilver]

I recommend safes made by Granite Safes in ft worth. they make Redhead and winchester safes. I would go with the Silverado, which has thicker doors, and rated for 1hour fire. The Winchester safes in Sams are only rated for 30 minutes. These are going to keep out the smash and grabs. A professional probably isnt going to waste his time in my neighborhood. He will probably be in the high end neighborhood to make it worth the risk. PlayboyPenguin is alot braver than I am. I wouldnt let anybody know that I had a collection like that. And his contents puts mine to shame. I paid $800 Get the biggest you can afford, we store ever everything and anything value in ours.