Gun Safes

SKS182 · October 30, 2001, 07:44 AM

I'm in the market for a gun safe and am looking for some feedback on various brands. I have narrowed my search to 4 brands: Liberty, Heritage, Fort Knox, and Sportsman Steel. I've pretty much eliminated the Liberty as they seem to be overpriced compared to the others. I'm actually leaning to the Sportsman Steel as they are the only ones who sell a safe with a 1/4" thick body. All of the others are 3/16". Also, I sent emails to all of these manufacturers with various questions and so far only Fort Knox and Sportsman Steel responded. One of the owners from Sportsman Steel actually called me and spent about 45 minutes on the phone with me which impressed me greatly. I'm just wondering if anyone has any personal contact with any of these safe manufacturers and can offer and assistance. Thanks

citizen · October 30, 2001, 08:20 AM

Have you considered shipping costs???

Some of your finalists are on the West Coast. You're not.....

Might influence your decision.....might not.

SKS182 · October 30, 2001, 08:31 AM

Yes, I've looked into that somewhat. Sportsman Steel will get it in the door for 350.00. Fort knox for 250.00 and that includes final placement and hookup(lights, dehumidifier, etc.). Heritage has a local dealer who will deliver for 75.00 but again the only one who has the 1/4"body is sportsman steel.

KSFreeman · October 30, 2001, 07:21 PM

The best gun safes made to date are Johnson safes from Zionsville, Indiana. Jeff Johnson uses a superior weld and he is the only one to my knowledge to NOT use dry wall as fire insulation. Dry wall contains gypsum and water. You do not want water, earth, wind or fire around your guns. Jeff uses a ceramic fire blanket like on commerical water heaters.

I've been extremely please with my safes from Jeff. He will build one to suit you in many designer colors. I choose black as it makes my guns tactical.

I highly recommend giving him a call. I do not know what the cost will be to ship out to NY. You may want to use the overnight by train service, NoFrickinWay & Pal Rail Delivery Service.

blades67 · October 30, 2001, 09:40 PM

I have an AmSec that i'm happy with.

Backwoods · October 31, 2001, 01:10 AM

About 8 years ago I bought a safe from Sportsmans Steel. They were very good about answering questions of all types. Delivery to Ohio from California took about a week and a half(much better than I expected) . Mine is the 500 Lb economy model that I'm not sure they sell anymore but it was the best value per dollar around in my opinion.

I've posted before about safes, and as always you need to consider several factors.
Bank vaults are only certified against professional attack for 30 minutes, which means, if thieves come prepared to open a safe, you're probably screwed no matter how much you spent. Gunsafes will stop any "normal" burglary team and/or sneak thieves.

Because of this I always recommend that a safe be hidden from casual (At least) observation if not actively concealed. Try to bring it in after dark if possible, put it in place and then, SHUT UP ABOUT IT!

This is the kind of thing that just seems to make for interesting conversations and that's something to avoid at all costs. Casual conversation may just come to the notice of people that know how to deal with safes and they might come visit while you're not home.

Whatever you decide, buy a safe! It's a very comforting thing to have your guns in when you aren't there to watch over them.

Don in Ohio

October 30, 2001, 07:44 AM	#1
SKS182 Junior Member Join Date: October 30, 2001 Location: Poughkeepsie, NY Posts: 2	Gun Safes I'm in the market for a gun safe and am looking for some feedback on various brands. I have narrowed my search to 4 brands: Liberty, Heritage, Fort Knox, and Sportsman Steel. I've pretty much eliminated the Liberty as they seem to be overpriced compared to the others. I'm actually leaning to the Sportsman Steel as they are the only ones who sell a safe with a 1/4" thick body. All of the others are 3/16". Also, I sent emails to all of these manufacturers with various questions and so far only Fort Knox and Sportsman Steel responded. One of the owners from Sportsman Steel actually called me and spent about 45 minutes on the phone with me which impressed me greatly. I'm just wondering if anyone has any personal contact with any of these safe manufacturers and can offer and assistance. Thanks

October 30, 2001, 08:20 AM	#2
citizen Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2000 Posts: 796	Have you considered shipping costs??? Some of your finalists are on the West Coast. You're not..... Might influence your decision.....might not.

October 30, 2001, 08:31 AM	#3
SKS182 Junior Member Join Date: October 30, 2001 Location: Poughkeepsie, NY Posts: 2	Yes, I've looked into that somewhat. Sportsman Steel will get it in the door for 350.00. Fort knox for 250.00 and that includes final placement and hookup(lights, dehumidifier, etc.). Heritage has a local dealer who will deliver for 75.00 but again the only one who has the 1/4"body is sportsman steel.

October 30, 2001, 07:21 PM	#4
KSFreeman Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2001 Location: Lafayette, Indiana--American-occupied America Posts: 5,418	The best gun safes made to date are Johnson safes from Zionsville, Indiana. Jeff Johnson uses a superior weld and he is the only one to my knowledge to NOT use dry wall as fire insulation. Dry wall contains gypsum and water. You do not want water, earth, wind or fire around your guns. Jeff uses a ceramic fire blanket like on commerical water heaters. I've been extremely please with my safes from Jeff. He will build one to suit you in many designer colors. I choose black as it makes my guns tactical. I highly recommend giving him a call. I do not know what the cost will be to ship out to NY. You may want to use the overnight by train service, NoFrickinWay & Pal Rail Delivery Service.

October 30, 2001, 09:40 PM	#5
blades67 Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 1999 Location: Chandler, Arizona, USA Posts: 6,014	I have an AmSec that i'm happy with.

October 31, 2001, 01:10 AM	#6
Backwoods Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 1999 Location: Ohio Posts: 167	About 8 years ago I bought a safe from Sportsmans Steel. They were very good about answering questions of all types. Delivery to Ohio from California took about a week and a half(much better than I expected) . Mine is the 500 Lb economy model that I'm not sure they sell anymore but it was the best value per dollar around in my opinion. I've posted before about safes, and as always you need to consider several factors. Bank vaults are only certified against professional attack for 30 minutes, which means, if thieves come prepared to open a safe, you're probably screwed no matter how much you spent. Gunsafes will stop any "normal" burglary team and/or sneak thieves. Because of this I always recommend that a safe be hidden from casual (At least) observation if not actively concealed. Try to bring it in after dark if possible, put it in place and then, SHUT UP ABOUT IT! This is the kind of thing that just seems to make for interesting conversations and that's something to avoid at all costs. Casual conversation may just come to the notice of people that know how to deal with safes and they might come visit while you're not home. Whatever you decide, buy a safe! It's a very comforting thing to have your guns in when you aren't there to watch over them. Don in Ohio