gunsafe opinions

hdwrench

i'm looking to purchase a new gunsafe .any opinions , good or bad would be appreciated .is there a bad brand to stay away from ?or a good deal to look for ?i have a local dealer that has an impressive selection .some brands were amsec and liberty . thanks for your help , steve .

Mr. Lobo

As silly as it sounds I think it is important to decide why you are getting a safe. In my case I was not worried about theft because I have a good fence and 2 dogs not to mention me to keep that from happening. I was not worried about fire or should I say I could not afford the cost of a good fire save. All I wanted was to quite down the wife and protect the children so I picked up the econo-model at Turners Sporting Goods. The only thing that I didn't think about was size. Now I need another one. Always buy bigger than you think you need! Just my 2 cents worth.Jim

JustC

the browning and winchester lines are very nice. Be sure to get firesafe, hopefully you won't ever need it, but, do you want to chance it?

wundudnee

This topic was covered extensively about a month ago if you can find it in the archives. A lot of good opinions. The concensus seemed to be to buy bigger than you thought you would need, fire protected and try pricing at some of the major gun shows. I have an Amseco 22 gun and I like it only I wish I would have got a bigger one Now if I get a new gun, I have to take one out of the safe to make room.

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"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?" Will Rogers

GreenLantern

hdwrench ~ just for reference, I looked at two Liberty safes this weekend at a gunshow. The Franklin and the Continental. There wasn't much difference between the two other than the Franklin had more bolts in the door and personally I think that would only matter if someone removed the safe from a home and had the time crack it, otherwise it wasn't worth the $200 difference. The Franklin was $1250 without the electric keypad and the Continental was $1050 without the key pad. The keypad was an extra $150. If memory serves me right, they were both 25 cubic feet. Both were fire resistant.I'm about 6 months away from buying one and I'll probably give this brand serious consideration. One thing though might be worth thinking about if buying at a gunshow. Look at one on Saturday then come back Sunday about 2hrs before closing. Maybe the seller might be more inclined to drop the price some. It'll be one less safe they have to load up and haul home! Food for thought anyways.GL

rsnyder55

I worked at Turners in LA for quite a few years and had a chance to review numerous safes and discuss their strengths and weaknesses with the reps and manufacturers.The first thing is that any safe is a visual deterent. Given time any safe can be broken into. The only security a safe gives is that the perp either gives up or you return home before he gets in. The second is a fireproof safe will take up quite a bit of interior room with the insulation over a non fireproof safe. A fireproof rating only guarentees protection for a specified period of time, exposed to an exterior temperature, without raising the interior temperature to the char point of paper. This is still hot enough ruin finishes, etc.As soon as you get one, you will fill it with everything you think is valuable and wish you bought a larger one because you still don't have enough room for your guns.If you have the room, one possibility is to build a safe room. You can buy door and frame assemblies, reinforce a room, and have a walkin safe. The manufacturer will provide the specifications for you or your contractor to install.Good luck. [This message has been edited by rsnyder55 (edited 03-06-2002).]

hdwrench

i went to the local gun show a few weeks back, it was the largest in our city .the gun safe selection was poor . i had no problems finding more goodies for the inside of the safe though . what worries me though is a story i overheard at a local gun shop .seems the owner was consulting with the manufactuer on why the door fell off on the first day in service (in the new custumers basement )this is a high end store with quality products . i cant remember the product brand name in question but they carry only good name brands .so i thought posting this question would reveal any horror stories .i will buy the biggest safe my wallet allows , and it will be fireresistent .

rballi

I got the 25 cu ft Liberty with the crinkle finish for $860 including tax, delivery, and setup. I got it at a gunshow; I guess competition sets the prices. I had seriously looked at the $750 Cannon safes at our local Academy sporting good stores. I also looked and the Champion safes, as well as Browning. The Browning safes are really nice, but are about $300 - $400 more. I did not like the felt interior that champion uses. Make sure you consider delivery and setup. Academy would deliver to your truck in the parking lot. The browning dealer charged about $125 for delivery, the Champion dealer was $75.Usually, at the gunshows, you get free delivery and setup (anchoring). Also, try and find out about local warranty service. Most safe companies have good warranties, it's better if you have a local rep.Oh yea, what you are looking for is not big enough no matter what. The one I got advertises 25 or 28 long gun capacity, which is true, if all you have are 25 Marlin Model 60's. True capacity is roughly 1/3 of advertised capacity. [This message has been edited by rballi (edited 03-06-2002).]

gunsisme

I purchased my Liberty Washington 40 several years ago and I really like it! Only problem is now its full!I shopped around at all the gun shows and really didn't find anything close to their quality.

rsnyder55

One more thing regarding safes and long guns. Make sure the cutouts on the racks for the barrels are offset from row to row. If they are lined up you lose half the capacity.I bought my Browning RL2436 twenty years ago and I have never regretted it.

Christian B.

What about something like this? This safeI know it isn't a fire resistant... but would it slow down or frustrate a thief? I'm in an apartment... and the sound of someone trying to penetrate it would be enough for my neighbors to call 911.christian

rhmc24

You can do it on the cheap, depending on how much security you want. Get an old refrigerator or freezer and devise a locking system for it. That can give a fair level of theft protection and more fire resistance than a plain sheet steel locker. Be sure to consider the hinges when you design your lock. Hope this helps.

Blokey

One thing to consider is a safe's weight. Where will you put the safe? Make sure the floor can handle the load. A gun locker is better than nothing in an apartment and anchoring it would be a good idea; weight is another deterrent to theft. I have to put my safe in the basement because with my wood frame house, it would very likely end up there eventually! I special ordered a Browning safe but changed the order when I received the new catalog and found out that I could get a similar safe but made of a heavier guage steel.