gun safes... need help picking the right fit

TheDeej · October 4, 2011, 11:01 PM

I'm not sure if this is the right spot, and I did a search, but to no avail. Modds, I'm sorry if im wrong in my placement, but by all means move it to the correct place. Thanks!

I have never owned a gun safe. My wife and I have bought land and just bought a used mobile home to put on the land until our home we are building is finished. I don't own more than a couple rifles, four plus a soon to be mine ar. But I have A LOT of handguns, roughly twenty give or take at anytime as I trade in and out often.

Here is my real problems. The tallest closet I have with a permanent shelf is 4'8". There is also a maximum weight (factory specs) is 300lbs on any given floor space other than the kitchen, with is reinforced. I went to my local shop and is mind boggled in the different options. The prices are high, but well under the price paid for my firearm investment. I have gone to two home improvement stores (both big box) and have found safest that look and seem to be the same make up as the expensive ones at the at the local outdoors store.

Is there anything I should look for/avoid when it comes to vaults? Is there a better/ worse generic company I can buy that's not as expensive but still offers the same amount of protection?

I am having a small walk-in vault build in my new house that is 6x6 in size, climate controlled, steel walled, and fire rated that's less than a most closet safes.
Thanks all

7jinxed7 · October 5, 2011, 06:41 AM

Weight is going to be a real problem in a mobile home. Most good safes are several hundred pounds and up. The winchester safes seem to be a good buy.

Here's some info to read up on before you buy a safe.
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunsafes.html

ohen cepel · October 5, 2011, 07:04 AM

May be worth it to get a "job box" from Home Depot for the handguns and a smaller safe for the long rifles. Bolt both down/to the wall the best you can since you can't put a lot of weight in them.

However, with two of them you can spread the weight out better.

Rifleman1776 · October 5, 2011, 08:00 AM

Putting something heavy in a mobile home is probably going to be your waterloo. Any chance the built-in safe at the new home could be completed soon and the rest of the house built around it? Then put yer stuff in it. Or, possibly rent a storage space and put a safe in there. Not perfect but a partial solution.

a1abdj · October 5, 2011, 10:02 AM

The mobile home will be a problem in a few areas. You could get more than 300 pounds in there so long as you reinforce the floor where the safe will be sitting, AND, reinforce the floor along the path the safe will take to get there.

If it was a 400 pound safe, I would just lay some plywood down and roll over it. If it was a 1,000 pound safe, you'd have to beef it up from beneath, even if it was temporary.

There are a few gun safe manufacturers that build shorter shelf only safes that would work out well for you as far as the pistols go.

TheDeej · October 5, 2011, 01:30 PM

I think I'm pretty much at the mercy of the contractor. He doesn't think he will have the safe room built and plumbed for air for six month. I also forget to inform you all that the foundation hasn't been completed. I looked at a small pistol safe that I can bolt down. The rifles are a different story. My father has a large set up, as he is a quasi collector, I can leave my rifles with. I have a couple guns I always have around, my house guns, and the shotgun is.one of them. Where can i lock it up when I'm at work?

JWT · October 5, 2011, 01:51 PM

Both Sentry and Stack On have lower end safes for long guns that should 'work' for you. They may not offer as much protection as their bigger brothers, but they can be bolted down, have combination locks, and weigh less than 200 lbs and are less than 4 ft 8 inches. Readily available at a number of sporting goods stores as well as Amazon.

TheDeej · October 5, 2011, 02:17 PM

JWT, thanks. I'm on it, I'll check into them and get back to you all.

saands · October 13, 2011, 07:58 PM

If it is just one shotgun that you need to secure, maybe a safe isn't the best approach ... you might consider a locking wall mount like this:
http://www.mossberg.com/content.asp?id=519

They are under $50 and if you put it on a sturdy wall (again the Mobile home might be an issue), they are pretty solid and you can hang a jacket on them and they just look like coat rack.

That would free you up to look at more cube shaped boxes for your handguns. On that note, I'd seriously consider leaving half of the pistols with your father ... worst case, you end up with an excuse to go see the folks.

Saands

GURU1911 · October 13, 2011, 08:16 PM

Guru1911 words of wisdom:

"choose the biggest one you can afford & the model you think you will never outgrow, then buy the next largest size"

no charge for the consultation !!!!!!!

JWT · October 14, 2011, 08:40 AM

Truer words were never spoken Guru. I need a bigger one but have no room for it and my wife is not anxious for me to take up 'her' closet space. So I put everything in gun socks and then can stack the guns in a bit tighter without marring them.

GURU1911 · October 14, 2011, 02:54 PM

Thanks for the atta-boy, regarding my words of wisdom when purchasing a gun safe. Was at my local "bass pro" store about a month ago & a fellow was looking at their selection of gun safes. I ask him if i could assist as the store sales rep was just standing there & not saying a word.

I ask him which one he had decided on & then shared my wisdom with him---he purchased the next size up, thanked me, then the sales rep got the commission !!!!! Dang-it

guru1911

hoghunting · October 15, 2011, 12:13 AM

Quote:

"choose the biggest one you can afford & the model you think you will never outgrow, then buy the next largest size"

While that might be good advice, this is his problem:

Quote:

The tallest closet I have with a permanent shelf is 4'8". There is also a maximum weight (factory specs) is 300lbs on any given floor space other than the kitchen, with is reinforced.

Buying a larger safe doesn't help him.

Mello2u · October 15, 2011, 08:03 PM

There is so much to learn about "gun safes" which are usually not safes at all but Residential Security Containers (RSC).

I have read many posts by a1abdj. He is in the business and has forgotten more than I have learned in over a 100 hours of internet searching and reading.

Educate yourself and make an informed decision. It will safe you money and possibly safe your collection for getting stolen.

LaCane · October 17, 2011, 10:28 AM

Google a product's name, along with the word "complaint". I researched plenty before choosing a Sturdy Safe. IMO I could not have made a better choice.

a1abdj · October 17, 2011, 01:55 PM

Quote:

IMO I could not have made a better choice.

Safes are an interesting product. Even though you use it daily, it's not really used for its intended purpose. You'll never know if it was the right choice or not until you're the victim of a burglary or a fire.

The best one can do it to talk to a professional that has seen these things in person, and can explain the differences so that you may make an educated decision. It's a bit more difficult to do that type of research online.

October 4, 2011, 11:01 PM	#1
TheDeej Member Join Date: September 30, 2011 Posts: 52	gun safes... need help picking the right fit I'm not sure if this is the right spot, and I did a search, but to no avail. Modds, I'm sorry if im wrong in my placement, but by all means move it to the correct place. Thanks! I have never owned a gun safe. My wife and I have bought land and just bought a used mobile home to put on the land until our home we are building is finished. I don't own more than a couple rifles, four plus a soon to be mine ar. But I have A LOT of handguns, roughly twenty give or take at anytime as I trade in and out often. Here is my real problems. The tallest closet I have with a permanent shelf is 4'8". There is also a maximum weight (factory specs) is 300lbs on any given floor space other than the kitchen, with is reinforced. I went to my local shop and is mind boggled in the different options. The prices are high, but well under the price paid for my firearm investment. I have gone to two home improvement stores (both big box) and have found safest that look and seem to be the same make up as the expensive ones at the at the local outdoors store. Is there anything I should look for/avoid when it comes to vaults? Is there a better/ worse generic company I can buy that's not as expensive but still offers the same amount of protection? I am having a small walk-in vault build in my new house that is 6x6 in size, climate controlled, steel walled, and fire rated that's less than a most closet safes. Thanks all

October 5, 2011, 07:04 AM	#3
ohen cepel Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 1999 Location: Where they send me Posts: 1,013	May be worth it to get a "job box" from Home Depot for the handguns and a smaller safe for the long rifles. Bolt both down/to the wall the best you can since you can't put a lot of weight in them. However, with two of them you can spread the weight out better. __________________ He who dares wins. NRA Life Benefactor Member

October 5, 2011, 10:02 AM	#5
a1abdj Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2005 Location: St. Charles, MO Posts: 496	The mobile home will be a problem in a few areas. You could get more than 300 pounds in there so long as you reinforce the floor where the safe will be sitting, AND, reinforce the floor along the path the safe will take to get there. If it was a 400 pound safe, I would just lay some plywood down and roll over it. If it was a 1,000 pound safe, you'd have to beef it up from beneath, even if it was temporary. There are a few gun safe manufacturers that build shorter shelf only safes that would work out well for you as far as the pistols go. __________________ www.zykansafe.com

October 13, 2011, 08:16 PM	#10
GURU1911 Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2010 Location: SEALY, THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS Posts: 501	Picking a gun safe Guru1911 words of wisdom: "choose the biggest one you can afford & the model you think you will never outgrow, then buy the next largest size" no charge for the consultation !!!!!!! __________________ NRA LIFE MEMBER (1984) & PRESIDENT: S.W. LA. R&P CLUB, LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA (1994-1999) METALLIC CARTRIDGE RELOADER (1977) & GENTILE CHRISTIAN ZIONIST INFIDEL !!! "THERE AIN'T TOO MANY THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T FIX, WITH $500 DOLLARS OR A .30-06"

October 14, 2011, 02:54 PM	#12
GURU1911 Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2010 Location: SEALY, THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS Posts: 501	THANKS J-W-T Thanks for the atta-boy, regarding my words of wisdom when purchasing a gun safe. Was at my local "bass pro" store about a month ago & a fellow was looking at their selection of gun safes. I ask him if i could assist as the store sales rep was just standing there & not saying a word. I ask him which one he had decided on & then shared my wisdom with him---he purchased the next size up, thanked me, then the sales rep got the commission !!!!! Dang-it guru1911 __________________ NRA LIFE MEMBER (1984) & PRESIDENT: S.W. LA. R&P CLUB, LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA (1994-1999) METALLIC CARTRIDGE RELOADER (1977) & GENTILE CHRISTIAN ZIONIST INFIDEL !!! "THERE AIN'T TOO MANY THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T FIX, WITH $500 DOLLARS OR A .30-06"

October 5, 2011, 06:41 AM	#2
7jinxed7 Senior Member Join Date: June 3, 2009 Location: no where Posts: 352	Weight is going to be a real problem in a mobile home. Most good safes are several hundred pounds and up. The winchester safes seem to be a good buy. Here's some info to read up on before you buy a safe. http://www.6mmbr.com/gunsafes.html

October 5, 2011, 08:00 AM	#4
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	Putting something heavy in a mobile home is probably going to be your waterloo. Any chance the built-in safe at the new home could be completed soon and the rest of the house built around it? Then put yer stuff in it. Or, possibly rent a storage space and put a safe in there. Not perfect but a partial solution.

October 5, 2011, 01:30 PM	#6
TheDeej Member Join Date: September 30, 2011 Posts: 52	I think I'm pretty much at the mercy of the contractor. He doesn't think he will have the safe room built and plumbed for air for six month. I also forget to inform you all that the foundation hasn't been completed. I looked at a small pistol safe that I can bolt down. The rifles are a different story. My father has a large set up, as he is a quasi collector, I can leave my rifles with. I have a couple guns I always have around, my house guns, and the shotgun is.one of them. Where can i lock it up when I'm at work?

October 5, 2011, 01:51 PM	#7
JWT Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2007 Location: Southern Arizona Posts: 3,888	Both Sentry and Stack On have lower end safes for long guns that should 'work' for you. They may not offer as much protection as their bigger brothers, but they can be bolted down, have combination locks, and weigh less than 200 lbs and are less than 4 ft 8 inches. Readily available at a number of sporting goods stores as well as Amazon.

October 5, 2011, 02:17 PM	#8
TheDeej Member Join Date: September 30, 2011 Posts: 52	JWT, thanks. I'm on it, I'll check into them and get back to you all.

October 13, 2011, 07:58 PM	#9
saands Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 1999 Posts: 1,573	If it is just one shotgun that you need to secure, maybe a safe isn't the best approach ... you might consider a locking wall mount like this: http://www.mossberg.com/content.asp?id=519 They are under $50 and if you put it on a sturdy wall (again the Mobile home might be an issue), they are pretty solid and you can hang a jacket on them and they just look like coat rack. That would free you up to look at more cube shaped boxes for your handguns. On that note, I'd seriously consider leaving half of the pistols with your father ... worst case, you end up with an excuse to go see the folks. Saands

October 14, 2011, 08:40 AM	#11
JWT Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2007 Location: Southern Arizona Posts: 3,888	Truer words were never spoken Guru. I need a bigger one but have no room for it and my wife is not anxious for me to take up 'her' closet space. So I put everything in gun socks and then can stack the guns in a bit tighter without marring them.

October 15, 2011, 08:03 PM	#14
Mello2u Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2009 Location: Georgia Posts: 1,424	There is so much to learn about "gun safes" which are usually not safes at all but Residential Security Containers (RSC). I have read many posts by a1abdj. He is in the business and has forgotten more than I have learned in over a 100 hours of internet searching and reading. Educate yourself and make an informed decision. It will safe you money and possibly safe your collection for getting stolen. __________________ NRA Life Member - Orange Gunsite Member - NRA Certified Pistol Instructor "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it." Frederic Bastiat

October 17, 2011, 10:28 AM	#15
LaCane Member Join Date: October 2, 2011 Posts: 28	Google a product's name, along with the word "complaint". I researched plenty before choosing a Sturdy Safe. IMO I could not have made a better choice.