Gotta make a decision on a safe, what do you think?

riffraff · March 17, 2018, 11:39 AM

This is coming up because I've decided I want a fireproof safe and am strongly considering putting it in an unheated detached garage. A decent sized one, thinking a "40 gun" sized.

My living situation is like this, I live with my girlfriend who owns the house, threatens to kick me out about every year or so and then life is good (basic consequences of not being married and not having kids to complicate a break up

).. We have been at this for 6 years and are more or less happy but nobody's perfect.

BTW the reason I live with my girlfriend is she owns a house she can't sell, and she gets a check every month - do not confuse me with some other looser

..

So anyway to be practical I do not want to bring a massive gun safe into the basement that very well might need to be taken out of the basement or left behind if things ever really go south with us. Additionally I keep most of my expensive non-gun clutter in a detached garage, which is more secure than the house (metal door dead bolted on inside, re-enforced door/deadbolt to get in, windows covered in 3/4 plywood on inside - you'd need cutting tools practically to hack your way in).. Where I live crime is also nil to none, I keep my car keys in the car for instance.

Two reasons I like the garage #1 that's my space she does not even have a key to, #2 if she ever really kicked me out down the road I could get in there to empty the place very quickly and without causing a stir. Why I do not like the garage is it's not heated.

Soooo long story short options are #1 - live with non fireproof not so secure stack on safes in the house #2 put a proper safe in the garage that is fireproof and more secure, possibly climate control it..

What do you think? Thanks!

Evan Thomas · March 17, 2018, 12:15 PM

Riffraff, I'm not sure what advice you're looking for here. In the first sentence of your post, you said you've decided you want a fireproof safe. No question, this is a smart move -- your guns would be better stored in a fireproof safe than in Stack-on cabinets. You went on to give reasons why the garage is where you want to put it, acknowledging that it would likely need some sort of climate control. This all sounds like a good plan, so what's your question, exactly?

In The Ten Ring · March 17, 2018, 09:38 PM

Get the biggest safe you can afford as you will buy more guns. They make an electric "golden rod" dehumidifier for the such safes. Liberty is a good brand. Build a stand for it and airflow under it would be a good idea. Bolt it to the floor and keep it covered up with a sheet. Tell no one you have it. Pretend it's a locker or something.

You are completely dependent on someone else for your home and that person has problems with you on a regular basis. There is no way I'd put myself in such a situation.

riffraff · March 17, 2018, 11:36 PM

Evan - I suppose the question really is, store outside and depend on climate control (and what climate control should I look into) or skip the fireproofing and use cheap safes in the house, or another solution I'm not thinking of?

.. I guess in the back of my mind I was thinking someone would tell me put the real safe in the house so I explained why not.

Ten Ring - very few people ever enter the depths of "my" garage, it's kinda a sacred place (is more of a fishing shrine, slash welding and machine shop). Thanks for the recommendation on install & the dehumidifier - so no heat needed just moisture control? Maybe should've pointed out this is northeast so we go from 100 to -10 F. I will say it's not a humid place, sits atop a hill with a slab poured ground level, on all but the most humid summer days it's dry in there. I'm not dependent on her, could leave tomorrow but for the most part we are great and it's the old saying "can't live with them...." . But due to what's gone on here and there I'm not comfortable putting a huge expensive gun safe, with all my goodies in it, in the basement - actually not sure there is room for it either.

jimsouth · March 18, 2018, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riffraff

This is coming up because I've decided I want a fireproof safe and am strongly considering putting it in an unheated detached garage. A decent sized one, thinking a "40 gun" sized.

My living situation is like this, I live with my girlfriend who owns the house, threatens to kick me out about every year or so and then life is good (basic consequences of not being married and not having kids to complicate a break up

).. We have been at this for 6 years and are more or less happy but nobody's perfect.

BTW the reason I live with my girlfriend is she owns a house she can't sell, and she gets a check every month - do not confuse me with some other looser

..

So anyway to be practical I do not want to bring a massive gun safe into the basement that very well might need to be taken out of the basement or left behind if things ever really go south with us. Additionally I keep most of my expensive non-gun clutter in a detached garage, which is more secure than the house (metal door dead bolted on inside, re-enforced door/deadbolt to get in, windows covered in 3/4 plywood on inside - you'd need cutting tools practically to hack your way in).. Where I live crime is also nil to none, I keep my car keys in the car for instance.

Two reasons I like the garage #1 that's my space she does not even have a key to, #2 if she ever really kicked me out down the road I could get in there to empty the place very quickly and without causing a stir. Why I do not like the garage is it's not heated.

Soooo long story short options are #1 - live with non fireproof not so secure stack on safes in the house #2 put a proper safe in the garage that is fireproof and more secure, possibly climate control it..

What do you think? Thanks!

My cousin ( many many firearms ) bought, I believe, a Heritage. It is impressive, very large - heavy. Serious locking system; and I think it has an alarm system.

jimsouth · March 18, 2018, 12:42 PM

Heritage Safe Company - Official Site
http://www.heritagesafe.com

TXAZ · March 18, 2018, 01:06 PM

Get a MUCH bigger safe than you think you need.
Trust me (and everyone else that gave me advice) on this.

Dufus · March 18, 2018, 04:26 PM

Get yer safe and bolt it to the floor. But, remember that the bigger the safe the harder it is gonna be to get it out quick.

My last one was a 700 pounder and son and myself had a hell of a time getting it in the house.

Now it has an additional 300 lbs of lead in it and is bolted. No way I could get it out in a hurry.

riffraff · March 18, 2018, 06:01 PM

Well I ended up doing something totally different because it was easy and will get me by for awhile. Was looking at larger 40+ rifle sized safes and in the process found a 10 gun winchester model as an open box sort of deal, $280 which is on "sale" at tractor supply at the moment for $329.

That quickly got me thinking it could be brought up into in the bedroom I use for this sort of stuff (200 lbs) and it would suffice for the time being, so pulled the trigger - my brother and I just got done lugging it up the stairs. Gonna keep my eye out for a real steal on something bigger for the garage setup (maybe used) but can rest a little easier now. Also down the road I think it will be good having this smaller something that I can have in another more convenient location than out in the garage, so should always be useful. Thinking I'll bolt it to a concrete slab, add another 200 lbs to it or so.

Thanks for all the feedback - will use it in the future.

Hal · March 19, 2018, 05:47 AM

Quote:

That quickly got me thinking it could be brought up into in the bedroom I use

Take something -up - and it makes it easier for someone to bring it down.
Taking it down, makes it harder for someone to haul it up.

It was no trouble at all for me to slide my #500 Browning across the living room floor - then ease it down the set of 6 steps into the family room. It took all of about 10 min.

Just a thought....

Re: the garage.
Back when I bought mine, the owner of the store I bought it from told me about a customer of his that put his safe in the garage.
A thief stole a tow truck, broke the window in the side door to get in the garage, then wrapped a chain around the safe & hooked it to the wrecker.

The calamity caused by the safe being pulled out through the side of the garage woke up the owner. He went outside to see what was going on - only to see his safe (and all the guns inside) bouncing down the road behind the tow truck.

If you do end up with it in the garage - make sure it's someplace it can't be seen easily.

jimsouth · March 19, 2018, 08:34 AM

Somewhere ( way back ) I saw a firearm floor safe. Looked like a 55 gallon drum ( or maybe even larger ). You sunk it in the floor of, I guess, your basement, poured in concrete. It had a seriously heavy round door ( maybe a foot in diameter ); and contained a turntable that rotated to allow access to each long gun. The long guns slid into slots. Don't know how many firearms it held; but it was cool. The door had a double waterproof gasket. I guess you needed that incase the basement took on water. All that was visible was the small round door; and that you could easily cover with a rug or an empty trash can. Waterproof door or not, I don't think I'd risk it. No chance of water, I would consider it.

FrankenMauser · March 19, 2018, 01:03 PM

Don't buy "one big safe". Buy two or three smaller safes.
If you think you need a "40 gun", buy two 23 to 30 gun safes.
If you think you need a "50 gun", buy three 30-gun safes.

They don't hold as much as advertised, unless you like cramming everything together, alternating muzzle-up and muzzle-down, and beating the crap out of things while stacking your guns like cord wood.

You'll also find things other than guns wanting to live in the safe. Buy at least twice what you think you'll need, plus room for cameras, papers, laptops, jewelry, and the rare Luftwaffe gunner's badge that grandpa gave you, even though you hate it, but you can't bring yourself to let it go.

jimsouth · March 19, 2018, 06:31 PM

I have a regular Guardall floor safe for papers - small items/valuables - jewelry - etc. In concrete & totally out of sight. Maybe 18 inches deep X 12 X 12. I keep a desiccator bowl in the bottom. Check for water 3 or 4 times a year. The safe is sealed OK, but always best to have a desiccator. Any critical items, I vacuum seal in plastic. Gardall - Official Site
http://gardall.com On the in floor safe, the knife edge is level with the concrete floor, the rest of the safe is surrounded by reinforce concrete. Small steel cover over the knife edge & security door keeps it flush with existing concrete floor. Easily hidden.

March 18, 2018, 01:06 PM	#7
TXAZ Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Location: McMurdo Sound Texas Posts: 4,322	Get a MUCH bigger safe than you think you need. Trust me (and everyone else that gave me advice) on this. __________________ Cave illos in guns et backhoes

March 19, 2018, 08:34 AM	#11
jimsouth Member Join Date: February 22, 2018 Posts: 77	Somewhere ( way back ) I saw a firearm floor safe. Looked like a 55 gallon drum ( or maybe even larger ). You sunk it in the floor of, I guess, your basement, poured in concrete. It had a seriously heavy round door ( maybe a foot in diameter ); and contained a turntable that rotated to allow access to each long gun. The long guns slid into slots. Don't know how many firearms it held; but it was cool. The door had a double waterproof gasket. I guess you needed that incase the basement took on water. All that was visible was the small round door; and that you could easily cover with a rug or an empty trash can. Waterproof door or not, I don't think I'd risk it. No chance of water, I would consider it. Last edited by jimsouth; March 19, 2018 at 08:43 AM.

March 19, 2018, 01:03 PM	#12
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	Don't buy "one big safe". Buy two or three smaller safes. If you think you need a "40 gun", buy two 23 to 30 gun safes. If you think you need a "50 gun", buy three 30-gun safes. They don't hold as much as advertised, unless you like cramming everything together, alternating muzzle-up and muzzle-down, and beating the crap out of things while stacking your guns like cord wood. You'll also find things other than guns wanting to live in the safe. Buy at least twice what you think you'll need, plus room for cameras, papers, laptops, jewelry, and the rare Luftwaffe gunner's badge that grandpa gave you, even though you hate it, but you can't bring yourself to let it go. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

March 19, 2018, 06:31 PM	#13
jimsouth Member Join Date: February 22, 2018 Posts: 77	I have a regular Guardall floor safe for papers - small items/valuables - jewelry - etc. In concrete & totally out of sight. Maybe 18 inches deep X 12 X 12. I keep a desiccator bowl in the bottom. Check for water 3 or 4 times a year. The safe is sealed OK, but always best to have a desiccator. Any critical items, I vacuum seal in plastic. Gardall - Official Site http://gardall.com On the in floor safe, the knife edge is level with the concrete floor, the rest of the safe is surrounded by reinforce concrete. Small steel cover over the knife edge & security door keeps it flush with existing concrete floor. Easily hidden. Last edited by jimsouth; March 19, 2018 at 06:40 PM.

March 17, 2018, 11:39 AM	#1
riffraff Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2016 Posts: 629	Gotta make a decision on a safe, what do you think? This is coming up because I've decided I want a fireproof safe and am strongly considering putting it in an unheated detached garage. A decent sized one, thinking a "40 gun" sized. My living situation is like this, I live with my girlfriend who owns the house, threatens to kick me out about every year or so and then life is good (basic consequences of not being married and not having kids to complicate a break up ).. We have been at this for 6 years and are more or less happy but nobody's perfect. BTW the reason I live with my girlfriend is she owns a house she can't sell, and she gets a check every month - do not confuse me with some other looser .. So anyway to be practical I do not want to bring a massive gun safe into the basement that very well might need to be taken out of the basement or left behind if things ever really go south with us. Additionally I keep most of my expensive non-gun clutter in a detached garage, which is more secure than the house (metal door dead bolted on inside, re-enforced door/deadbolt to get in, windows covered in 3/4 plywood on inside - you'd need cutting tools practically to hack your way in).. Where I live crime is also nil to none, I keep my car keys in the car for instance. Two reasons I like the garage #1 that's my space she does not even have a key to, #2 if she ever really kicked me out down the road I could get in there to empty the place very quickly and without causing a stir. Why I do not like the garage is it's not heated. Soooo long story short options are #1 - live with non fireproof not so secure stack on safes in the house #2 put a proper safe in the garage that is fireproof and more secure, possibly climate control it.. What do you think? Thanks!

March 17, 2018, 12:15 PM	#2
Evan Thomas Senior Member Join Date: July 7, 2008 Location: Upper midwest Posts: 5,631	Riffraff, I'm not sure what advice you're looking for here. In the first sentence of your post, you said you've decided you want a fireproof safe. No question, this is a smart move -- your guns would be better stored in a fireproof safe than in Stack-on cabinets. You went on to give reasons why the garage is where you want to put it, acknowledging that it would likely need some sort of climate control. This all sounds like a good plan, so what's your question, exactly? __________________ Never let anything mechanical know you're in a hurry.

March 17, 2018, 09:38 PM	#3
In The Ten Ring Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2018 Posts: 380	Get the biggest safe you can afford as you will buy more guns. They make an electric "golden rod" dehumidifier for the such safes. Liberty is a good brand. Build a stand for it and airflow under it would be a good idea. Bolt it to the floor and keep it covered up with a sheet. Tell no one you have it. Pretend it's a locker or something. You are completely dependent on someone else for your home and that person has problems with you on a regular basis. There is no way I'd put myself in such a situation.

March 17, 2018, 11:36 PM	#4
riffraff Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2016 Posts: 629	Evan - I suppose the question really is, store outside and depend on climate control (and what climate control should I look into) or skip the fireproofing and use cheap safes in the house, or another solution I'm not thinking of? .. I guess in the back of my mind I was thinking someone would tell me put the real safe in the house so I explained why not. Ten Ring - very few people ever enter the depths of "my" garage, it's kinda a sacred place (is more of a fishing shrine, slash welding and machine shop). Thanks for the recommendation on install & the dehumidifier - so no heat needed just moisture control? Maybe should've pointed out this is northeast so we go from 100 to -10 F. I will say it's not a humid place, sits atop a hill with a slab poured ground level, on all but the most humid summer days it's dry in there. I'm not dependent on her, could leave tomorrow but for the most part we are great and it's the old saying "can't live with them...." . But due to what's gone on here and there I'm not comfortable putting a huge expensive gun safe, with all my goodies in it, in the basement - actually not sure there is room for it either.

March 18, 2018, 12:42 PM	#6
jimsouth Member Join Date: February 22, 2018 Posts: 77	Heritage Safe Company - Official Site http://www.heritagesafe.com

March 18, 2018, 04:26 PM	#8
Dufus Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2014 Posts: 1,965	Get yer safe and bolt it to the floor. But, remember that the bigger the safe the harder it is gonna be to get it out quick. My last one was a 700 pounder and son and myself had a hell of a time getting it in the house. Now it has an additional 300 lbs of lead in it and is bolted. No way I could get it out in a hurry.

March 18, 2018, 06:01 PM	#9
riffraff Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2016 Posts: 629	Well I ended up doing something totally different because it was easy and will get me by for awhile. Was looking at larger 40+ rifle sized safes and in the process found a 10 gun winchester model as an open box sort of deal, $280 which is on "sale" at tractor supply at the moment for $329. That quickly got me thinking it could be brought up into in the bedroom I use for this sort of stuff (200 lbs) and it would suffice for the time being, so pulled the trigger - my brother and I just got done lugging it up the stairs. Gonna keep my eye out for a real steal on something bigger for the garage setup (maybe used) but can rest a little easier now. Also down the road I think it will be good having this smaller something that I can have in another more convenient location than out in the garage, so should always be useful. Thinking I'll bolt it to a concrete slab, add another 200 lbs to it or so. Thanks for all the feedback - will use it in the future.