Safe?

[wisconsinteacher]

Looking at getting a better safe. We are looking around the $500-600 mark right now. What brands would you look into or stay away from?

 

[truck driver]

I would stay away from any with an electronic lock they have a easy to access reset switch and make them easy to get into.

 

[ScreaminEagle]

In that price range, I would get the safe that offers the most fire protection. Save a little more and you can get a nice cannon for around $1000

 

[dubyam]

If you're a Costco member, keep an eye on their sales. They routinely put Cannon brand safes on sale in that price range.

 

[Dr. Vette]

better safe around the $500-600 mark right now

Unfortunately, the words above are an oxymoron. I know that's a bit brunt, but it's true.

As noted, look at the $1000 mark if you want to do more than keep the kids from playing with the guns when you're at work, or hide them from the exterminator when he comes through. There are a plethora of models/brands/designs in the $1000-1300 range that will be a far better unit than anything in the range you list above.

Good luck in your search.

 

[JD338]

better safe around the $500-600 mark right now

Unfortunately, the words above are an oxymoron. I know that's a bit brunt, but it's true.

As noted, look at the $1000 mark if you want to do more than keep the kids from playing with the guns when you're at work, or hide them from the exterminator when he comes through. There are a plethora of models/brands/designs in the $1000-1300 range that will be a far better unit than anything in the range you list above.

Good luck in your search.

+1

JD338

 

[Guy Miner]

I figure the thousand dollars I spent 15+ years ago was the best thousand I've ever spent on my gun hobby...

It's about the price of a rifle & scope, or a decent handgun.

Or two Glocks... :twisted:

Most of the better safes are very difficult for the run-of-the-mill burglar to crack.

Guy

 

[DrMike]

Ya gets what ya pay for. Nowhere is that more true than with a gun safe.

 

[Oldtrader3]

My gun safe is a Browning Silver Medallion which holds 26 guns and weighs about 700 pounds empty. It is fire resistant and cost about $1500 in 2000.

 

[Dr. Vette]

Ya gets what ya pay for. Nowhere is that more true than with a gun safe.

Yah, that's why I bought an Amsec.

 

[rodell]

Check your local craigslist or classifieds. There are always some nice ones around here for sale. People don't want to move them.

 

[DrMike]

Rodell,

I see this is your first time posting; welcome aboard. You are correct that some decent prices pop up when people don't want to move a safe.

 

[wisconsinteacher]

Thanks for the honest responses. I thought 500-600 was on the low end. My wife and I were talking about them and that is what is available right now. Time to save up.

 

[Dr. Vette]

Rodell,

I see this is your first time posting; welcome aboard. You are correct that some decent prices pop up when people don't want to move a safe.

The problem is that few places are really good at moving a safe. To have someone come and move a safe could easily cost $400.

 

[DrMike]

Rodell,

I see this is your first time posting; welcome aboard. You are correct that some decent prices pop up when people don't want to move a safe.

The problem is that few places are really good at moving a safe. To have someone come and move a safe could easily cost $400.

I was fortunate when my last safe was moved; it only cost me $200. It was worth every penny; I would have gladly paid more.

 

[dubyam]

Rent an appliance dolly and promise beer and pizza for several friends. Get cardboard and tape it to your floors to protect and ease rolling. Then confirm your position and move the safe where you want it. If you're putting it on a solid floor (recommended) get some wood shims like used for door installs and shim the edges to keep it stable. Bolt it down and you're done. We moved my 25-gun safe into my house, including up four steps from the garage) this way with myself and two buds. Worked out fine.

I'll also argue that you should think about a bigger safe than you think you need. Usually you will end up somewhere between half and two thirds capacity in real usable space. Check around for blems or scratch and dents as sometimes you can get very good deals on them.

Now, all that said, a $600 safe like this:

http://www.costco.com/BIGHORN-19ECB-Saf ... leOptOut=1

is a decent option and will protect your firearms and valuables better than any $200 cabinet or whatever you're using now. Yes, I realize it's only a 30min fire rating, and it only holds 24 guns (so really only 12-15) but it is a solid safe within your price and if that's all you can do it's not a bad deal. Safes are kind of like optics. We'd all like Swaro or Zeiss but sometimes Bushnell/Burris/Nikon is our budget limit.

 

[dubyam]

And that price includes delivery to your house. I think it's just curbside delivery, but you only have to move it inside, not transport it across town.

 

[Al in SC]

advertised gun capacity is the biggest joke of the century. Count on about 1/4 to 1/2 of advertised capacity depending on how many have scopes on them. Most experienced fire fighters who have looked at safe contents after house fires tell me fire ratings are a misleading as well. I am told heat from a hot fire renders most safe contents useless after a fairly hot fire. Extremely high priced safes may provide enough protection but few people are willing to pay for those. Coverage under your home owners insurance may be a much better way for fire protection.

 

[Dr. Vette]

A few comments -

My safe is over 1200 pounds. I can't fit enough friends in my stairwell to move that thing no matter what.

Removing the bolts does give you a tad more space for rifles than leaving the bolts in place. Almost every bolt has 3-4 digits of the serial number etched on them, so it's not hard to figure out which one goes where when you remove a rifle. However, it holds a bit more than half of what it was rated to hold.

Bolt it down to the floor. You can find instructions online. Safes are far easier to break into when you can tip them over.

PS. I worked on a 72 Corvette for a friend for 4 years as my hobby (he was living in Japan at the time and it had been sitting for 17 years), and the money I made on that deal bought my safe. I bought the best I could afford, and none of it was "family money." You do what you have to do to make your goals. :wink: He got a good deal on the labor, and I got a great safe.

 

[dubyam]

I understand a 1200lb safe is different, Patrick. But the safe I linked, and many like it, are in the 400-600lb range, and three to four men can move them without much trouble. Not everyone can afford a $1000-1500 safe, regardless of how great one might be. I can tell you my $600 safe is perfect for what I wanted when I bought it over a decade ago. The only flaw it now has is that it's too small.

What I'm saying is, if the budget is only $500-600, there are reasonably good quality options out there which will provide security and good service for a long time.