Long gun safes... need one nothing crazy any advice?

[RoyJackson]

All great suggestions!!
My comment will be about weight.
You'll have to position the safe at the location you determine...and, you'll have to ensure the floor can bear that weight.
Just things to consider...


While you're looking, check out Craigslist too.

 

[clemsonfor]

I got a Century safe at walmart about 6 yrs ago for the reason you mention. I have maybe 10 guns in it? Id have to count. Its not fire safe which i wish it was now. Bot really for the guns but more so for documents etc. I dont hav very many "fine" guns. Most are actually under $300. I have a few family plain guns but dont want to loose them either.

I have mine in a tight spot in a closet, have yet to bolt it down but need to. In the last house it was bolted though. All im trying to do is slow them down. Its not super heavy, maybe 350#s?? It has 5, 1" locking lugs and an Electric lock. You can get into it yes, but there gonna have to either bust it out (once i lag screw it in) or cut it up with a grinder to get into it.

 

[RobertBrown]

Do not forget to add a Golden Rod to whatever safe you purchase!

Golden Rod?
I had to find out exactly what you were talking about. After a little Google time I was able to determine what a "Golden Rod" is.
You make an excellent point, as I suspect that more guns have fallen prey to humidity then fire and theft put together.
Turns out a "golden rod" is a dehumidifier for a safe. This device makes more sense for some areas than it does for others but it's relatively inexpensive. I don't know what the operating costs are as it requires 120 vac. I would suggest you add an inline circuit breaker as a precaution.

 

[RobertBrown]

The power requirement does make one wonder how you would get 120vac to the plug. I suppose some new safes have a recepticle pre wired. Must be the case it or would make little sense to consider the purchase. Im assuming the device is mounted inside the safe, eitherway it would require some type of breech.

 

[Storm56]

The Golden Rod's come with the wall plug off. Most safe's have a hole for you to feed the wire thru, then you install the plug. The power usage is small, probably less than 10 watts. I was never able to detect a difference in the electric bill by running two. The decadents require either replacing or drying them in your oven which would be more expensive than the rods I am sure. Plus the Rod is simple, plug it in and forget it. The decadents require an ongoing maintenance and check program.

 

[MotorSeven]

The Cannon's at TSP have an outlet inside. I put led rope lights and a Golden rod in mine.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Check out Champion safes... most of their models are made in U.S.A.!

Gun Safes | Home Safes | Fireproof Safes - Champion Safe Co

 

[Mickey_Fx]

I'm presently going through the search for a gun safe. Do all the researching you can. Not all safes are created equal. Don't know your budget but to get a upper end, decent qlty safe you will need to spend in the range of $2k or more. Pay attention to the materials being used. Lower end safe may not have anything thicker than 12 ga steel being used. A fire ax can chop through 12 ga steel. Oh, many/most of the lower end models are being imported from China which is not an automatic condemnation but you do need to pay attention to materials and construction.

Depending upon where the safe will be located, 12 ga steel may be OK for sides but IMO never for the door. Need at least 1/4" and what if any additional steel is behind the face of the door in the lock area. Should be thick and heat treated and SST is desirable. Bolt the safe down to the floor. If they can't get it tipped over and pulled out from surrounding items, that will make entry harder.

Some kind of defroster is needed as a lot of newer safes the door isn't tight when closed. Moisture can move in/out with ease.

Oh, for the lock, I'm not a fan of the electronic models. Far too easy to over ride them. The real lock is an electric solenoid and if one get passed the outer steel one can jumper the 2 wires that operated the solenoid with a 9V battery and you're in.

Oh, one last thing. Find out the design for the lock/bolts. Some are such that a good blow to the entry bolt can cause failure. Same consideration if a hole is drilled in the side in-line with one of the door bolts. A rod and a good blow from a hammer can defeat the bolts and you're in like Flynn.

Good luck on your search and purchase.

 

[wrooster]

Depending upon where the safe will be located, 12 ga steel may be OK for sides but IMO never for the door. Need at least 1/4" and what if any additional steel is behind the face of the door in the lock area. Should be thick and heat treated and SST is desirable.

Past a certain price point, no thief attacks the door directly. Why? See this post:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/217701-gun-safe-9.html#post2500603

Second, it is far more efficient (from a thief's perspective) to attack the frame around the door, rather than the door. Look at the pictures here:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/217701-gun-safe-10.html

Observe how most of these inexpensive RSC's were opened: tools are used to spread the jamb, and the result is that the door swings open. The door was not attacked, the door frame was. In fact, a stiff door and a weak door jamb is a horrible combination -- as the door edge itself provides a good leverage point!

Summary: it is CRITICAL that the frame surrounding the door is stiff enough to resist a prying/spreading attack. It doesn't matter how well-constructed the door is if the surrounding frame can be deformed enough to allow the bolts to escape the jamb. For this reason it is very important to understand the steps the RSC vendor took to increase/improve frame stiffness.

Find out the design for the lock/bolts. Some are such that a good blow to the entry bolt can cause failure. Same consideration if a hole is drilled in the side in-line with one of the door bolts. A rod and a good blow from a hammer can defeat the bolts and you're in like Flynn.

Wrooster