Gun Safe?

McPhee · April 3, 2011, 04:56 PM

I am recovering from major surgery and my Son-in-law has been taking care of our ranch, animals and doing carpentry work. I owe him a good favor. He can use a good gun safe.

I am not sure this is the right forum to ask, but anyone got any suggestions for a nice gun safe for about $1500?

I have been reviewing safes on the Internet and find lots of problems with lots of safes. I searched Cabelas to make it easier for me to buy and have drop shipped to him but still don't find really what will work.

Any help or ideas on where to look are appreciated.

McPhee

dreamweaver · April 3, 2011, 05:10 PM

there are multiple re-sellers on the internet that offer delivery (curbside) included in the price.
liberty safes is well represented in your price range and i highly recommend them. i have 3 of the lesser priced models and couldn't be happier.
online, you can get curbside delivery included, but for $150 more they will place it where you want it, provided there's no more than 3 steps involved.
the $150 is a bargain, as they weigh 600 pounds!
mine are all in a ground level barn, but i needed a forklift to place 'em!

McPhee · April 4, 2011, 04:16 PM

The rest of the BP affectionados must hide their guns in a hollow stump, in the barn, in the root cellar, in the attic where the won't forget where they left them.

Or they may think a gun safe is too foreign for the Dark Side to use.:

Bishop Creek · April 4, 2011, 08:43 PM

I have a safe, but can't really comment, as it is too small for your needs, but I wouldn't be without one (I made a comment anyway).

rdstrain49 · April 4, 2011, 09:29 PM

Check with your local Browning dealer. Sometimes you can negotiate a really good, I mean REALLY good deal. I did.

Pahoo · April 5, 2011, 09:41 AM

Quote:

The rest of the BP affectionados must hide their guns in a hollow stump, in the barn, in the root cellar, in the attic where the won't forget where they left them.

You forgot to list, Under the beds and yes, you will find them there. As mentioned, there are many choices out there and prior to purchasing mine, I managed to collect a foot high stack of catalogs. Currently involved with Fort Knox safes. Now, a lot of the manufactures are located close to iron ore mining, that way, you pay for the shipping of the fabricated steel. Mine eventually came from Utah. Y'all being out west, you should not have a problem locating one out there. Go to a local Gander Mountain or Cabelas, even Menards and see what they have. Or ask one of you local gun shops. They love dealing with Mother-in-Laws ......

Be Safe !!!

madcratebuilder · April 5, 2011, 10:09 AM

Check your local gun shows for private safe dealers and also your local Craig's List. I have about a half dozen dealers in a hundred mile radius that deal in gun safes, they have great prices, much better than retail outlets. They offer delivery and setup. $1500 well buy a huge safe, it may not be fire proof, but it well stop 99% of all thieves.

arcticap · April 5, 2011, 10:28 AM

There's something special about the name Fort Knox that has always stood for absolute security. I wasn't sure what the exact phrase was but looking it up I found that one is "safer than Fort Knox". Another is "locked up tighter than Fort Knox".
Here's how the phrase came about:

http://www.stockmarkets.com/blog/safer-than-fort-knox

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...ion_Depository

Dino. · April 5, 2011, 01:07 PM

Check Costco.
I got a really nice "Cannon" safe for around $600.

Here's a link ... http://www.costco.com/Common/Search....rch&lang=en-US

**4V50 Gary** · April 6, 2011, 10:24 AM

Paging residential TFL gunsafe expert, a1abdj. McPhee, you would do well to do a search on his name and read his previous posts.

Rifleman1776 · April 6, 2011, 12:04 PM

As a BP aficinado I have several very valuable traditional muzzle loading rifles. Plus a selection of modern guns. When we moved from town to our present location, kinda semi-rural and isolated, I got concerned about security. But not having much money I had to buy what I could. Ended up with a Grizzly ten gun safe. It is not fire resistant but I have no qualms about it's security. Seven years ago I paid $225.00 for it. Weighs under 300 lbs and is bolted to the wall.

martygrant · April 8, 2011, 12:08 AM

http://sportsmansteelsafes.com/
About as good as it gets for price, quality and USA made. Lots of so-so safes out there from China, IMHO. Fort Knox and Halls make high quality stuff too or so I read. I too would like to hear from a1abdj as I am considering one of these myself.
--------
Well, on second thought....I see a1abdj posted a link a few years back to a complaint made against that company...but failed to mention the poster "jumped the gun" ??? and resolved that issue with the owner. So what to make of that? Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. I'll check out a1adbj's site and see what sells there.....

Logs · April 8, 2011, 05:13 AM

I have a Cannon safe it is the one that is extra high so you get two shelves. I think it is suppose to hold around 40 guns, but won't with scopes. Very nice and I got mine for around a $1,000 (Buds Safe Supply in Paris, KY)

They delivered it with one guy and some fancy dolly with two sets of wheels. Safe was around 900 lbs and one guy was able to walk it down my basement stairs. Delivery in basement was an extra $250, but well worth it. Paris, KY is about an hour and a half way from where I live so make sure you check all the shops in your area to see what safes are out there. I have seen Cannons in TSC farm stores.

Buy one bigger that you think you will need, because they fill up fast.

a1abdj · April 9, 2011, 09:44 AM

The $1,500 line is where you start to see more of the gun safes built here in the US, although several of them will still be Chinese. It gets confusing sometimes, because there are companies that will either flat out lie about where the safe is made, or will simply not mention the country of origin at all. Several brand name manufacturers import safes and rebadge them.

Cabela's sells mostly Liberty safes now to my understanding. Many of them are within your budget, and most will be US made. There won't be anything special about any of them from either a fire or security standpoint, but Liberty does tend to stand behind their products. Bass Pro sells from Granite Security (mostly imports) and ProSteel (some imported, some US built) that builds all of the Browning safes. Both of these are good places to start looking.

If you wanted to spend a little more, or have him subsidize the purchase, you could step up to something a bit more secure. Sturdy offers more steel in their safes, but I'm not wild about their fire lining. The good news is that if you do not need the fire lining, you can order it without it and save some money. This gives you a heavier steel safe for not much more than what you're already looking to spend.

If you do need fire protection, the AMSEC BF is still one of my favorite gun safes on the market. Unfortunately, it will probably be pushing $500 to $800 more than your budget.

Quote:

http://sportsmansteelsafes.com/
About as good as it gets for price, quality and USA made. Lots of so-so safes out there from China,

Lots of horror stories about these guys. I have also seen a few of their safes, and I wouldn't use "quality" as a good way to describe them.

There are some decent Chinese safes out there. I would own a good Chinese safe before I would own a Sportsman.

**4V50 Gary** · April 9, 2011, 10:14 AM

Concur with a1abdj regarding Sportsmen Steel safes. I know someone who bought one. He says never again. You can get better safes for the money.

big al hunter · April 9, 2011, 11:15 PM

I have a Cannon 28 gun safe w/fire lining. Ran about $600, 8 years ago. No problems and I love it. They do fill up faster than you think they will. I will need another in the next couple of gun purchases.

Pahoo · April 10, 2011, 10:04 AM

McPhee
Refering you to this recent post. .....

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=447541

Be Safe !!!

Buckshot300 · April 22, 2011, 12:02 PM

My neighbor and I both bought 50 gun Champion Safes and have been very pleased with them. They are in your price range and come in a number of levels of fireproof.

603Country · April 22, 2011, 01:02 PM

Yup! Big Al Hunter is right. Folks told me that no matter what or how big I bought, the barn, the tractor, and the gun safe wouldn't be big enough. They were absolutely correct. Get at least 50% more than you think you need, and it'll be big enough for a while (but not forever).

Another option, which was brought about by my wife, is that this new home of ours has a Tornado Safe Room. Solid battleship steel, with big dead bolts. You can put a lot of stuff in there (guns, silverware, jewelry, us, etc.). I was against the spend, but once it was in place (inside the home, bolted to the slab), I began to see the possibilities. That's a spend that I can now highly recommend. Yes, it's rather expensive (at 3 or more times the cost of a big gun safe, but it's 20 times the size of my gun safe), but sell it to the wife as protection for the family. She'll love you for it, till you start stacking guns in there.

HunterGuy · April 22, 2011, 01:28 PM

Canon, Fort Knox, Liberty. All very well made safes.

gilmorez · April 23, 2011, 05:20 PM

Take a look at the Republic Gun Safes by Hollon Safe company. I purchased one and really like it. They are comparable to Amsec gun safes but are made with thicker steel and bolts but for much less in price. http://www.valuesafes.com/hollon_gun_safes.html
That is where I got mine but I know that you can also find them at locksmith shops if you want to see one.

Toolman · April 24, 2011, 08:49 AM

Here's one you might consider: I believe it's USA made too!
http://www.johnsonsafe.com/safes.htm

RB98SS · April 29, 2011, 10:49 AM

I just recently purchased a safe from Cabela's. Interesting to note that the prices online are way higher than the prices in the store.

FYI

Adirondack · April 30, 2011, 06:46 PM

For $1500 the best new gun safe to get (IMHO) is a non fire lined Sturdy. I just looked at their website and it looks like a 27"W x 23"D x 60"H can still be bought for just under $1500 and that includes shipping, a lifetime warranty and great quality USA made components. Their design, tolerances and workmanship in this price range are unmatched; there is nobody even close IMO. I have a 36x27x60 and had to do again, I would have bought multiple 27x23x60s and separated my collection to different locations. Anyway, great company to deal with so give them a call if for no other reason then to listen to the owner Terry tell you what to be looking for in a good gun safe.

catnphx · April 30, 2011, 11:02 PM

I did some research on this subject a few months ago and came away with these companies as being solid and worth further research:

AMSEC Safes

Sturdy Safes

Summit Safes

Fort Knox Safes

One conclusion I came to was to have 2-3 smaller safes to store your guns because if BG is going to rob you then it will take a significant amount of time to steal all your guns/valuables in 2-3 different quality safes.

April 3, 2011, 04:56 PM	#1
McPhee Member Join Date: October 12, 2010 Location: Cortez, CO Posts: 33	Gun Safe? I am recovering from major surgery and my Son-in-law has been taking care of our ranch, animals and doing carpentry work. I owe him a good favor. He can use a good gun safe. I am not sure this is the right forum to ask, but anyone got any suggestions for a nice gun safe for about $1500? I have been reviewing safes on the Internet and find lots of problems with lots of safes. I searched Cabelas to make it easier for me to buy and have drop shipped to him but still don't find really what will work. Any help or ideas on where to look are appreciated. McPhee

April 3, 2011, 05:10 PM	#2
dreamweaver Senior Member Join Date: January 23, 2008 Posts: 713	there are multiple re-sellers on the internet that offer delivery (curbside) included in the price. liberty safes is well represented in your price range and i highly recommend them. i have 3 of the lesser priced models and couldn't be happier. online, you can get curbside delivery included, but for $150 more they will place it where you want it, provided there's no more than 3 steps involved. the $150 is a bargain, as they weigh 600 pounds! mine are all in a ground level barn, but i needed a forklift to place 'em! __________________ http://takdriver.com/

April 4, 2011, 04:16 PM	#3
McPhee Member Join Date: October 12, 2010 Location: Cortez, CO Posts: 33	Thanks Dreamweaver The rest of the BP affectionados must hide their guns in a hollow stump, in the barn, in the root cellar, in the attic where the won't forget where they left them. Or they may think a gun safe is too foreign for the Dark Side to use.:

April 4, 2011, 09:29 PM	#5
rdstrain49 Member Join Date: December 30, 2010 Location: South Central, Iowa Posts: 65	Check with your local Browning dealer. Sometimes you can negotiate a really good, I mean REALLY good deal. I did. __________________ "Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion." —Norman Schwartzkopf

April 6, 2011, 10:24 AM	#10
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,838	Paging residential TFL gunsafe expert, a1abdj. McPhee, you would do well to do a search on his name and read his previous posts. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

April 4, 2011, 08:43 PM	#4
Bishop Creek Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2011 Posts: 566	I have a safe, but can't really comment, as it is too small for your needs, but I wouldn't be without one (I made a comment anyway).

April 5, 2011, 10:09 AM	#7
madcratebuilder Senior Member Join Date: November 2, 2007 Location: Northern Orygun Posts: 4,923	Check your local gun shows for private safe dealers and also your local Craig's List. I have about a half dozen dealers in a hundred mile radius that deal in gun safes, they have great prices, much better than retail outlets. They offer delivery and setup. $1500 well buy a huge safe, it may not be fire proof, but it well stop 99% of all thieves.

April 5, 2011, 10:28 AM	#8
arcticap Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2005 Location: Central Connecticut Posts: 3,166	There's something special about the name Fort Knox that has always stood for absolute security. I wasn't sure what the exact phrase was but looking it up I found that one is "safer than Fort Knox". Another is "locked up tighter than Fort Knox". Here's how the phrase came about: http://www.stockmarkets.com/blog/safer-than-fort-knox http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...ion_Depository

April 5, 2011, 01:07 PM	#9
Dino. Junior member Join Date: November 2, 2006 Posts: 908	Check Costco. I got a really nice "Cannon" safe for around $600. Here's a link ... http://www.costco.com/Common/Search....rch&lang=en-US

April 6, 2011, 12:04 PM	#11
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	As a BP aficinado I have several very valuable traditional muzzle loading rifles. Plus a selection of modern guns. When we moved from town to our present location, kinda semi-rural and isolated, I got concerned about security. But not having much money I had to buy what I could. Ended up with a Grizzly ten gun safe. It is not fire resistant but I have no qualms about it's security. Seven years ago I paid $225.00 for it. Weighs under 300 lbs and is bolted to the wall.

April 8, 2011, 12:08 AM	#12
martygrant Junior Member Join Date: August 9, 2010 Posts: 10	http://sportsmansteelsafes.com/ About as good as it gets for price, quality and USA made. Lots of so-so safes out there from China, IMHO. Fort Knox and Halls make high quality stuff too or so I read. I too would like to hear from a1abdj as I am considering one of these myself. -------- Well, on second thought....I see a1abdj posted a link a few years back to a complaint made against that company...but failed to mention the poster "jumped the gun" ??? and resolved that issue with the owner. So what to make of that? Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. I'll check out a1adbj's site and see what sells there..... __________________ Keep the mind pure for that which a man thinks he becomes. Last edited by martygrant; April 8, 2011 at 01:28 AM.

April 8, 2011, 05:13 AM	#13
Logs Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 1999 Location: BLUEGRASS STATE KY USA Posts: 1,780	I have a Cannon safe it is the one that is extra high so you get two shelves. I think it is suppose to hold around 40 guns, but won't with scopes. Very nice and I got mine for around a $1,000 (Buds Safe Supply in Paris, KY) They delivered it with one guy and some fancy dolly with two sets of wheels. Safe was around 900 lbs and one guy was able to walk it down my basement stairs. Delivery in basement was an extra $250, but well worth it. Paris, KY is about an hour and a half way from where I live so make sure you check all the shops in your area to see what safes are out there. I have seen Cannons in TSC farm stores. Buy one bigger that you think you will need, because they fill up fast.

April 9, 2011, 10:14 AM	#15
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,838	Concur with a1abdj regarding Sportsmen Steel safes. I know someone who bought one. He says never again. You can get better safes for the money. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

April 9, 2011, 11:15 PM	#16
big al hunter Senior Member Join Date: March 12, 2011 Location: Washington state Posts: 1,558	I have a Cannon 28 gun safe w/fire lining. Ran about $600, 8 years ago. No problems and I love it. They do fill up faster than you think they will. I will need another in the next couple of gun purchases. __________________ You can't fix stupid....however ignorance can be cured through education!

April 10, 2011, 10:04 AM	#17
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	Take a look at this one !! McPhee Refering you to this recent post. ..... http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=447541 Be Safe !!!

April 22, 2011, 12:02 PM	#18
Buckshot300 Junior Member Join Date: November 21, 2010 Location: Oak Ridge North Texas Posts: 2	Gun Vaults My neighbor and I both bought 50 gun Champion Safes and have been very pleased with them. They are in your price range and come in a number of levels of fireproof. __________________ Jim Wasson www.wassonsknives.com

April 22, 2011, 01:02 PM	#19
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,998	Yup! Big Al Hunter is right. Folks told me that no matter what or how big I bought, the barn, the tractor, and the gun safe wouldn't be big enough. They were absolutely correct. Get at least 50% more than you think you need, and it'll be big enough for a while (but not forever). Another option, which was brought about by my wife, is that this new home of ours has a Tornado Safe Room. Solid battleship steel, with big dead bolts. You can put a lot of stuff in there (guns, silverware, jewelry, us, etc.). I was against the spend, but once it was in place (inside the home, bolted to the slab), I began to see the possibilities. That's a spend that I can now highly recommend. Yes, it's rather expensive (at 3 or more times the cost of a big gun safe, but it's 20 times the size of my gun safe), but sell it to the wife as protection for the family. She'll love you for it, till you start stacking guns in there.

April 22, 2011, 01:28 PM	#20
HunterGuy Senior Member Join Date: September 24, 2010 Location: South Jersey Posts: 263	Canon, Fort Knox, Liberty. All very well made safes.

April 23, 2011, 05:20 PM	#21
gilmorez Junior member Join Date: September 23, 2010 Posts: 6	Republic Gun Safe by Hollon Safes Take a look at the Republic Gun Safes by Hollon Safe company. I purchased one and really like it. They are comparable to Amsec gun safes but are made with thicker steel and bolts but for much less in price. http://www.valuesafes.com/hollon_gun_safes.html That is where I got mine but I know that you can also find them at locksmith shops if you want to see one.

April 24, 2011, 08:49 AM	#22
Toolman Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2006 Posts: 514	Here's one you might consider: I believe it's USA made too! http://www.johnsonsafe.com/safes.htm __________________ Crime Control. NOT Gun Control.

April 29, 2011, 10:49 AM	#23
RB98SS Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2007 Location: Shoreview, MN Posts: 104	I just recently purchased a safe from Cabela's. Interesting to note that the prices online are way higher than the prices in the store. FYI

April 30, 2011, 06:46 PM	#24
Adirondack Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2009 Posts: 107	For $1500 the best new gun safe to get (IMHO) is a non fire lined Sturdy. I just looked at their website and it looks like a 27"W x 23"D x 60"H can still be bought for just under $1500 and that includes shipping, a lifetime warranty and great quality USA made components. Their design, tolerances and workmanship in this price range are unmatched; there is nobody even close IMO. I have a 36x27x60 and had to do again, I would have bought multiple 27x23x60s and separated my collection to different locations. Anyway, great company to deal with so give them a call if for no other reason then to listen to the owner Terry tell you what to be looking for in a good gun safe. __________________ ...probably the greatest concentration of talent and genius in the white house except for perhaps those times when Thomas Jefferson ate alone. John F. Kennedy, Describing a dinner for Nobel Prize winners, 1962 Last edited by Adirondack; April 30, 2011 at 07:08 PM.

April 30, 2011, 11:02 PM	#25
catnphx Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2011 Location: North Phoenix, AZ Posts: 168	I did some research on this subject a few months ago and came away with these companies as being solid and worth further research: AMSEC Safes Sturdy Safes Summit Safes Fort Knox Safes One conclusion I came to was to have 2-3 smaller safes to store your guns because if BG is going to rob you then it will take a significant amount of time to steal all your guns/valuables in 2-3 different quality safes.