Gun safes - Horror stories

Rickram · January 17, 2008, 04:11 PM

I heard some horrible things about this company in Long Beach, California.
Please can someone comment on their experience when buying gun safes
from either this company or others. (Good companies too)
Thanks

xcop · January 18, 2008, 05:33 AM

One thing you can do is to check the Better Business Bureau and look at the complaint history. I did it not too long ago and Homeland only had 3 complaints but they were handled positively. I own Graffunder and Cannon and have found both to be great companies if something should go wrong. Cannon replaced a digital lock keypad on a 6 year old safe free of charge with one phone call and Graffunder has worked with me on interiors. I wouldnt let a Better Business Bureau report turn you off to a company unless it shows a lot of complaints. Just about every company that makes or sells anything will eventually get a complaint.

seed · January 18, 2008, 07:11 AM

Rickram, what did you hear?

Rickram · January 18, 2008, 11:55 AM

Hi Seed,

I found this on another forum:

COILSPRING03-06-2007, 04:07 PM
I bought two fireproof gun safes from the Dad who started the company. It was years ago, his speil was that he designed it on his kitchen table. His son delivers it and starts spouting the combination in front of my dirtbag neighbor who was watching the delivery. Later the weld on the top hinge breaks and they offer to repair the weld if and only if I bring it to them. At the time I lived 15 minutes from their location. They have major character flaws and refuse to stand behind their products. Stay away from Sportsman Steel Safes (or whatever they are calling themselves now) like the plague!!!
Any questions, feel free to contact me!
Coilspring

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sydwaiz03-06-2007, 08:50 PM
Enough info for me. Thanks for the tip.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

diegojosh03-07-2007, 02:41 AM
well do!

------------------
Read More.....

xcop · January 18, 2008, 03:08 PM

You ask about Homeland (where the link goes)and then post a comment for Sportmens Steel safe. Totally different companies and totally different names BTW. I would stay away from Sportsmens and the other name they use Pentagon. Friends got suckered into buying them and none of the interior shelves would level without shimming. Homeland is not in Long Beach they are in Pico Rivera

ktd · January 21, 2008, 06:18 PM

Me and several buddies have sportsmans safes. They seem to be okay, the only prob I ever had was the chrome on the handle hub started flaking, but I have a lot of chrome stuff that flaked. But with all the gun safety stuff these days its gotten to be a more competitive market, you can get an RSC for a lot cheaper now.

hawkeye21 · January 21, 2008, 10:40 PM

I have posted recently about my Dakota Gun Safe. If you are interested you can search it on this site and other forums i have posted on, just google Dakota Gun Safe. Very cool safe that is modular and you put it together yourself. No need for neighbors to even know you are getting a safe. All they see are a few big flat boxes being moved in the house. That was one concern for me and was quickly remedied. As far as the company you couldn't get a group of better people together in one room if you tried.

NCHornet · January 22, 2008, 11:01 AM

I have one of the Sportsman safes from 17-20 years ago. It has been repainted but it is a excellent safe. Has never given me any trouble. Not sure about any current problems they might be having.
NCH

TexasSeaRay · January 22, 2008, 12:03 PM

I'm still happy with the Browning Gold Medallion.

Although . . . we're getting ready to add a second gunsafe to the property and I've been giving some serious looking to the Bass Pro Shops brand, Redhead, gunsafes. Their fire/heat resistance seems to be better than Browning's--and for far less money.

Jeff

a1abdj · January 22, 2008, 06:11 PM

Jeff,

Most of the Red Head safes at Bass Pro are built by Browning (Pro Steel). I've seen a few from Granite as well.

M14fan · January 22, 2008, 07:53 PM

Checked out the BBB reports on Sportsman Steel/Pentagon safes and on Homeland Safes. SS/P rated a score of B. Homeland rated a BBB. Either is probably ok to do business with, (check out the BBB reports for yourself) but neither has an A rating or better. I will say that SS/P certainly offers their products at a lower initial cost than Homeland. It may be that you get what you pay for.......

**4V50 Gary** · January 22, 2008, 10:11 PM

A friend took the back panel of a Sportsman Steel Safe (Pentagon) door off and found it was not one piece but numerous scrap pieces welded together. It'll work, but it's little wonder that the locals stay away from them.

a1abdj · January 23, 2008, 01:56 PM

Quote:

A friend took the back panel of a Sportsman Steel Safe (Pentagon) door off and found it was not one piece but numerous scrap pieces welded together. It'll work, but it's little wonder that the locals stay away from them.

Many people are surprised when they see inside the back panel of a gun safe. There's not a lot to them, and they can be pretty sloppy.

ashman · February 9, 2011, 12:01 PM

From my limited experience, buying a gun safe is a lot like buying a mattress. Looks like different models from different brands are made by the same company(s)........ If you 'need' to spend $1,000 on a gun safe, I would also consider getting a home alarm with 'armed response'. All I needed was a fairly compact, closet gun safe for my long guns in particular. Costco has numerous choices in their 'office products' safety and security section. If you have found a company that has better customer relations than Costco, please let me know. My safe came on time, was delivered in the specified window, and they DID NOT bill my credit card until the safe was delivered. At less than $750 with tax and delivery. It's an excellent buy. It's a Cannon, but it 'could' be a Patriot or some other brand. Maybe it's really made in China and then the final parts are installed here so they can say 'made in america' like in the 'old days' when pick-up trucks just had their 'beds' installed in the US so they could say 'American Made' - but who would really know. Check out Costco. Economies of scale mean an excellent buy, but you can't get any of the 'custom' bells and whistles that I didn't need anyway ! Good luck and 'shoot safe'

Yung.gunr · February 11, 2011, 12:11 AM

I found this interesting story about the BBB. Dont think i will be trusting their ratings any time soon. I would stick to others you trust and their experiences.

http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=12123843

In case the link does not work, it is an ABC news story by JOSEPH RHEE and BRIAN ROSS11/16/2010, 12:02 PM EST

DixieboyFL · February 13, 2011, 10:47 AM

I just purchased a Centurion 30 DLX (Liberty Safes) from Lowe's. They had a different model advertised on sale and while discussing the item with the sales rep, he showed me this model which he could special order.

They hold up to 30 long guns and have a minimum 30 minute fire rating along with 7 bolts in the door and inside hinges.

Bottom line is I got this safe delivered inside my home for less than $900.00 total.

Check them out.....

a1abdj · February 13, 2011, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Bottom line is I got this safe delivered inside my home for less than $900.00 total.

Who brought the safe inside your home?

DixieboyFL · February 13, 2011, 07:17 PM

When I bought the safe, the store had a free delivery for items costing more than a certain amount, $500.00 I think.

Anyway the Lowes guys delivered it without too much effort. It only weighs about 550 lbs empty.

a1abdj · February 13, 2011, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Anyway the Lowes guys delivered it without too much effort. It only weighs about 550 lbs empty.

This is the reason I asked. You probably won't have any problems, but what do you know about the Lowe's guy?

How do you know he doesn't have some sort of criminal background? How do you know he won't tell everybody at the local bar about the safe he brought into your house?

Just something to think about. Just like the safes themselves, you get what you pay for when it comes to delivery as well.

Most people don't even give this a second thought. They just assume everything is OK, when in fact, it may not be.

DixieboyFL · February 14, 2011, 09:39 PM

I know they are they same guys that delivered my wife's new washer and dryer a few months back and they same guys that work for my daughter at Lowes where she is the HR Manager.........

sks · February 14, 2011, 10:32 PM

When I was going to get a safe I did lots of online research at the different websites, talked to salesmen and just went out and handled the things. Some sites have videos of how their safes are made, YouTube has postings about safes, etc. There is a lot of information out there to go through if you are serious and it will help you make the right choice.

Some things might be important to you and other features not so much. That is up to you to decide. Also, your "real" budget and not what you want to spend will influence the purchase. If you need to wait and get the one you want, I would suggest doing so. Waiting a few extra months and spending the extra cash will be worth it years down the road.

There is a difference between a gun safe and a gun security box, etc. I've seen $200.00 StackOn gun cabinets, security boxes, etc but they are not safes. They serve a purpose and at times are better than nothing at all. But when you go out to purchase a true gun safe make sure you get just that and not a sheet metal box that a screwdriver can rip open.

After my research, I bought the Browning Vintage and it has been good. The one drawback of any gun safe is, "there is never enough room".

Best of luck to you.

Skans · February 15, 2011, 08:49 AM

I've had a lower end Sportsman Steel safe now for about 15 years. I've used the heck out of it and it has been just fine. I would buy another safe from them, as they offer some things that many of the other safe companies don't. They offer 1/4" steel bodies, which is what I am interested in.

I'll take the 1/4" steel bodies, and if I have to shim a shelf or two, I won't fret over that.

January 17, 2008, 04:11 PM	#1
Rickram Junior Member Join Date: January 17, 2008 Posts: 2	Gun safes - Horror stories I heard some horrible things about this company in Long Beach, California. Please can someone comment on their experience when buying gun safes from either this company or others. (Good companies too) Thanks

January 18, 2008, 05:33 AM	#2
xcop Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2001 Posts: 124	safe companies One thing you can do is to check the Better Business Bureau and look at the complaint history. I did it not too long ago and Homeland only had 3 complaints but they were handled positively. I own Graffunder and Cannon and have found both to be great companies if something should go wrong. Cannon replaced a digital lock keypad on a 6 year old safe free of charge with one phone call and Graffunder has worked with me on interiors. I wouldnt let a Better Business Bureau report turn you off to a company unless it shows a lot of complaints. Just about every company that makes or sells anything will eventually get a complaint.

January 18, 2008, 11:55 AM	#4
Rickram Junior Member Join Date: January 17, 2008 Posts: 2	Found this on E-Bay Hi Seed, I found this on another forum: COILSPRING03-06-2007, 04:07 PM I bought two fireproof gun safes from the Dad who started the company. It was years ago, his speil was that he designed it on his kitchen table. His son delivers it and starts spouting the combination in front of my dirtbag neighbor who was watching the delivery. Later the weld on the top hinge breaks and they offer to repair the weld if and only if I bring it to them. At the time I lived 15 minutes from their location. They have major character flaws and refuse to stand behind their products. Stay away from Sportsman Steel Safes (or whatever they are calling themselves now) like the plague!!! Any questions, feel free to contact me! Coilspring -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sydwaiz03-06-2007, 08:50 PM Enough info for me. Thanks for the tip. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- diegojosh03-07-2007, 02:41 AM well do! ------------------ Read More.....

January 18, 2008, 03:08 PM	#5
xcop Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2001 Posts: 124	safe You ask about Homeland (where the link goes)and then post a comment for Sportmens Steel safe. Totally different companies and totally different names BTW. I would stay away from Sportsmens and the other name they use Pentagon. Friends got suckered into buying them and none of the interior shelves would level without shimming. Homeland is not in Long Beach they are in Pico Rivera

January 22, 2008, 11:01 AM	#8
NCHornet Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2006 Posts: 1,001	I have one of the Sportsman safes from 17-20 years ago. It has been repainted but it is a excellent safe. Has never given me any trouble. Not sure about any current problems they might be having. NCH __________________ When seconds count, the cops are just minutes away!! Carry ON!! NCHornet

January 18, 2008, 07:11 AM	#3
seed Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2004 Posts: 411	Rickram, what did you hear?

January 21, 2008, 06:18 PM	#6
ktd Member Join Date: May 20, 2004 Posts: 33	Me and several buddies have sportsmans safes. They seem to be okay, the only prob I ever had was the chrome on the handle hub started flaking, but I have a lot of chrome stuff that flaked. But with all the gun safety stuff these days its gotten to be a more competitive market, you can get an RSC for a lot cheaper now.

January 21, 2008, 10:40 PM	#7
hawkeye21 Junior Member Join Date: January 17, 2008 Posts: 8	I have posted recently about my Dakota Gun Safe. If you are interested you can search it on this site and other forums i have posted on, just google Dakota Gun Safe. Very cool safe that is modular and you put it together yourself. No need for neighbors to even know you are getting a safe. All they see are a few big flat boxes being moved in the house. That was one concern for me and was quickly remedied. As far as the company you couldn't get a group of better people together in one room if you tried.

January 22, 2008, 12:03 PM	#9
TexasSeaRay Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 810	I'm still happy with the Browning Gold Medallion. Although . . . we're getting ready to add a second gunsafe to the property and I've been giving some serious looking to the Bass Pro Shops brand, Redhead, gunsafes. Their fire/heat resistance seems to be better than Browning's--and for far less money. Jeff __________________ If every single gun owner belonged to the NRA as well as their respective state rifle/gun association, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today. So to those of you who are members of neither, thanks for nothing.

January 22, 2008, 06:11 PM	#10
a1abdj Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2005 Location: St. Charles, MO Posts: 496	Jeff, Most of the Red Head safes at Bass Pro are built by Browning (Pro Steel). I've seen a few from Granite as well. __________________ www.zykansafe.com

January 22, 2008, 07:53 PM	#11
M14fan Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2006 Location: Tennessee Posts: 777	BBB Checked out the BBB reports on Sportsman Steel/Pentagon safes and on Homeland Safes. SS/P rated a score of B. Homeland rated a BBB. Either is probably ok to do business with, (check out the BBB reports for yourself) but neither has an A rating or better. I will say that SS/P certainly offers their products at a lower initial cost than Homeland. It may be that you get what you pay for....... __________________ "Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." --George Washington

January 22, 2008, 10:11 PM	#12
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,829	A friend took the back panel of a Sportsman Steel Safe (Pentagon) door off and found it was not one piece but numerous scrap pieces welded together. It'll work, but it's little wonder that the locals stay away from them. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

February 9, 2011, 12:01 PM	#14
ashman Junior Member Join Date: February 9, 2011 Location: California Posts: 1	Costco, check it out..... From my limited experience, buying a gun safe is a lot like buying a mattress. Looks like different models from different brands are made by the same company(s)........ If you 'need' to spend $1,000 on a gun safe, I would also consider getting a home alarm with 'armed response'. All I needed was a fairly compact, closet gun safe for my long guns in particular. Costco has numerous choices in their 'office products' safety and security section. If you have found a company that has better customer relations than Costco, please let me know. My safe came on time, was delivered in the specified window, and they DID NOT bill my credit card until the safe was delivered. At less than $750 with tax and delivery. It's an excellent buy. It's a Cannon, but it 'could' be a Patriot or some other brand. Maybe it's really made in China and then the final parts are installed here so they can say 'made in america' like in the 'old days' when pick-up trucks just had their 'beds' installed in the US so they could say 'American Made' - but who would really know. Check out Costco. Economies of scale mean an excellent buy, but you can't get any of the 'custom' bells and whistles that I didn't need anyway ! Good luck and 'shoot safe'

February 11, 2011, 12:11 AM	#15
Yung.gunr Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2010 Location: Phoenix area Posts: 1,442	BBB not what it used to be I found this interesting story about the BBB. Dont think i will be trusting their ratings any time soon. I would stick to others you trust and their experiences. http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=12123843 In case the link does not work, it is an ABC news story by JOSEPH RHEE and BRIAN ROSS11/16/2010, 12:02 PM EST

February 13, 2011, 10:47 AM	#16
DixieboyFL Member Join Date: September 25, 2005 Location: SW Florida, USA Posts: 50	I just purchased a Centurion 30 DLX (Liberty Safes) from Lowe's. They had a different model advertised on sale and while discussing the item with the sales rep, he showed me this model which he could special order. They hold up to 30 long guns and have a minimum 30 minute fire rating along with 7 bolts in the door and inside hinges. Bottom line is I got this safe delivered inside my home for less than $900.00 total. Check them out..... __________________ Lifetime NRA Member "If you're gonna be dumb, you had better be tough" "Wake up Americans, we are quickly losing our Country"

February 13, 2011, 07:17 PM	#18
DixieboyFL Member Join Date: September 25, 2005 Location: SW Florida, USA Posts: 50	When I bought the safe, the store had a free delivery for items costing more than a certain amount, $500.00 I think. Anyway the Lowes guys delivered it without too much effort. It only weighs about 550 lbs empty. __________________ Lifetime NRA Member "If you're gonna be dumb, you had better be tough" "Wake up Americans, we are quickly losing our Country"

February 14, 2011, 09:39 PM	#20
DixieboyFL Member Join Date: September 25, 2005 Location: SW Florida, USA Posts: 50	I know they are they same guys that delivered my wife's new washer and dryer a few months back and they same guys that work for my daughter at Lowes where she is the HR Manager......... __________________ Lifetime NRA Member "If you're gonna be dumb, you had better be tough" "Wake up Americans, we are quickly losing our Country"

February 14, 2011, 10:32 PM	#21
sks Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2000 Location: Williamsburg, MO Posts: 944	gun safe experience When I was going to get a safe I did lots of online research at the different websites, talked to salesmen and just went out and handled the things. Some sites have videos of how their safes are made, YouTube has postings about safes, etc. There is a lot of information out there to go through if you are serious and it will help you make the right choice. Some things might be important to you and other features not so much. That is up to you to decide. Also, your "real" budget and not what you want to spend will influence the purchase. If you need to wait and get the one you want, I would suggest doing so. Waiting a few extra months and spending the extra cash will be worth it years down the road. There is a difference between a gun safe and a gun security box, etc. I've seen $200.00 StackOn gun cabinets, security boxes, etc but they are not safes. They serve a purpose and at times are better than nothing at all. But when you go out to purchase a true gun safe make sure you get just that and not a sheet metal box that a screwdriver can rip open. After my research, I bought the Browning Vintage and it has been good. The one drawback of any gun safe is, "there is never enough room". Best of luck to you. __________________ Guns don't kill people; bullets kill people!

February 15, 2011, 08:49 AM	#22
Skans Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2008 Posts: 11,132	I've had a lower end Sportsman Steel safe now for about 15 years. I've used the heck out of it and it has been just fine. I would buy another safe from them, as they offer some things that many of the other safe companies don't. They offer 1/4" steel bodies, which is what I am interested in. I'll take the 1/4" steel bodies, and if I have to shim a shelf or two, I won't fret over that.

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