opinions on gun safes?

otisd85 · May 30, 2013, 11:29 AM

ive been lurking for a while, but this is my first post. lots of great info and topics here. more to the point, im interested in purchacing a lower modle gun safe in the near future. im looking for one thats 72" tall x 40-42" wide, and in the $1500 range. two that im looking at are the winchester ranger deluxe 45 and the cannon scout s45, im looking for other options. ive been looking for a while and becoming overloaded with weeding out all sizes and prices. anybody with any insight on thes two safes or others it would be much appreciated.

Pro Street · May 30, 2013, 06:50 PM

Welcome to the forum! I am looking also for a safe. I am looking at the Winchester big daddy. Anyone have this safe?

**4V50 Gary** · May 30, 2013, 07:11 PM

Do a search in this forum for posts by member a1abdj. He's a locksmith who specializes in safes.

btmj · June 1, 2013, 09:46 PM

I bought a Liberty Safe a couple of years ago in the size range you are talking about. I think it was about 1600 or so... It seems well made. It gets opened and locked multiple times every day, and shows no sign of wear.

It has never been attacked by thieves, so I can't give a testimonial about its security. But the security features compare well to other safes in its price range.

Remember, no matter how thick the steel is on a safe, it can be defeated with an abrasive disk cutter and/or a plasma cutter. For me, the purpose of the safe is to keep common thieves (addicts, misguided teenagers, run of the mill burglars) from getting my guns.

Rifleman1776 · June 2, 2013, 07:38 AM

There is a good video on You Tube on this subject. Fort Knox seems to be the best out there. If you can afford it.
The thickness of the front steel plate is the important factor. How thick the door is, is not important as most of that is flimsy metal covering mechanism. Look for, at least, a 3/8" front thickness.
Sadly, a lot of us cannot afford that. My safe is an economy model from Grizzly. Not fire resistant but has a 1/4" front plate and is what I can afford.
Do bolt your safe to the floor and/or wall.

Ricklin · June 2, 2013, 09:12 AM

Def. bolt it down solidly. I think fire resistance is at least as important as security. If pro's go for your safe, it's likely they will get it. A safe keeps the run of the mill burglars out of your gun collection.

I believe the statistics show fire to be the greater danger.

otisd85 · June 8, 2013, 05:28 PM

thank you all for the replies and advice, i am definatly bolting it down. i believe the one im most interested in at the moment is the cannon ts7240. tractor supply sells them normally for 1299, but i have come across many posts with people saying they go on sale a few times a year for 999. my plans are to check back regularly and hopefully catch it on sale. i was hoping for a fathers day sale, but no luck, maybe a 4th of july sale, or at least black friday. i also plan to continue searching for used safes in my local area. it is way more safe than i need presently, but with any luck ill end up growing into it. thanks again to all, and please feel free to add anthing you think may be helpful to my decision and search.

May 30, 2013, 11:29 AM	#1
otisd85 Junior Member Join Date: May 29, 2013 Posts: 2	opinions on gun safes? ive been lurking for a while, but this is my first post. lots of great info and topics here. more to the point, im interested in purchacing a lower modle gun safe in the near future. im looking for one thats 72" tall x 40-42" wide, and in the $1500 range. two that im looking at are the winchester ranger deluxe 45 and the cannon scout s45, im looking for other options. ive been looking for a while and becoming overloaded with weeding out all sizes and prices. anybody with any insight on thes two safes or others it would be much appreciated.

May 30, 2013, 07:11 PM	#3
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,843	Do a search in this forum for posts by member a1abdj. He's a locksmith who specializes in safes. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

June 2, 2013, 09:12 AM	#6
Ricklin Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2008 Location: SW Washington state Posts: 2,016	Def. bolt it down solidly. I think fire resistance is at least as important as security. If pro's go for your safe, it's likely they will get it. A safe keeps the run of the mill burglars out of your gun collection. I believe the statistics show fire to be the greater danger. __________________ ricklin Freedom is not free

May 30, 2013, 06:50 PM	#2
Pro Street Member Join Date: April 1, 2013 Location: Booker Texas Posts: 18	Welcome to the forum! I am looking also for a safe. I am looking at the Winchester big daddy. Anyone have this safe?

June 1, 2013, 09:46 PM	#4
btmj Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2011 Location: Near St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 864	I bought a Liberty Safe a couple of years ago in the size range you are talking about. I think it was about 1600 or so... It seems well made. It gets opened and locked multiple times every day, and shows no sign of wear. It has never been attacked by thieves, so I can't give a testimonial about its security. But the security features compare well to other safes in its price range. Remember, no matter how thick the steel is on a safe, it can be defeated with an abrasive disk cutter and/or a plasma cutter. For me, the purpose of the safe is to keep common thieves (addicts, misguided teenagers, run of the mill burglars) from getting my guns.

June 2, 2013, 07:38 AM	#5
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	There is a good video on You Tube on this subject. Fort Knox seems to be the best out there. If you can afford it. The thickness of the front steel plate is the important factor. How thick the door is, is not important as most of that is flimsy metal covering mechanism. Look for, at least, a 3/8" front thickness. Sadly, a lot of us cannot afford that. My safe is an economy model from Grizzly. Not fire resistant but has a 1/4" front plate and is what I can afford. Do bolt your safe to the floor and/or wall.

June 8, 2013, 05:28 PM	#7
otisd85 Junior Member Join Date: May 29, 2013 Posts: 2	thank you all for the replies and advice, i am definatly bolting it down. i believe the one im most interested in at the moment is the cannon ts7240. tractor supply sells them normally for 1299, but i have come across many posts with people saying they go on sale a few times a year for 999. my plans are to check back regularly and hopefully catch it on sale. i was hoping for a fathers day sale, but no luck, maybe a 4th of july sale, or at least black friday. i also plan to continue searching for used safes in my local area. it is way more safe than i need presently, but with any luck ill end up growing into it. thanks again to all, and please feel free to add anthing you think may be helpful to my decision and search.