MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
I love my Liberty...Only problem with it, is that I need a much bigger one than the current one I have.
Best Gun safe?
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I love my Liberty...Only problem with it, is that I need a much bigger one than the current one I have.
azsugarbear
Well-Known Member
Lots of good info on youtube. Bottom line is you need to match your expectations to your budget. Any safe that has less than 11 gauge steel for the door and sides can be easily penetrated. Prying a door open is easily done if there is enough gap between frame and door. Bolting any safe down to the floor doubles the protection a safe can provide.
If you just want a deterrent from average burglars who don't have any idea what your house holds, then any run-of-the-mill safe that is bolted to the floor should meet your needs. Plan on at least $800 for one on sale. If you want to deter burglars who come into your house knowing full well what you have, then you need a serious safe. Thick steel secures. Thick steel weighs a lot. So this type of safe will weigh 1,000 pounds or more and will run at least $1,800 or so. Like the other safe, it needs to be bolted to the floor. I have found that Sturdy Safes provide a very good bang the the buck in this department. Lots of PD's use them in their lockups. No frills and can be customized with additional features at the factory. Forget about the electronic locks. Go with a dial.
If you just want a deterrent from average burglars who don't have any idea what your house holds, then any run-of-the-mill safe that is bolted to the floor should meet your needs. Plan on at least $800 for one on sale. If you want to deter burglars who come into your house knowing full well what you have, then you need a serious safe. Thick steel secures. Thick steel weighs a lot. So this type of safe will weigh 1,000 pounds or more and will run at least $1,800 or so. Like the other safe, it needs to be bolted to the floor. I have found that Sturdy Safes provide a very good bang the the buck in this department. Lots of PD's use them in their lockups. No frills and can be customized with additional features at the factory. Forget about the electronic locks. Go with a dial.
Thanks for the suggestions was definately going with a dial..
I am strongly considering the "safe room" I have the perfect area for it actually.
I am also tired of remodeling and more inclined to go with a finished model. Was expecting to spend at least 2k
I am strongly considering the "safe room" I have the perfect area for it actually.
I am also tired of remodeling and more inclined to go with a finished model. Was expecting to spend at least 2k
WildRose
Well-Known Member
If you look online you'll find that there are companies that will prefab the "armor" so to speak for your safe room and then do the installation in one day. Security doors are not particularly expensive or difficult to install either.
The best thing about this approach is that it can easily be done in such a manner as to not draw attention of burglars in the same way that a "gun safe" or any safe for that matter does.
Kansaswoodguy
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2014
- Messages
- 773
I have an older Remington dial safe that's been ok but I ran out of room in that one so I bought a cheap Stackon electronic safe for the over flow. I'm sure there are down sides to the electronic ones but the being able to gain access in a matter of seconds versus the older dial safe is a truly wonderful thing to me. To me the safe just keeps the kids from playing with the guns. They may afford a little fire and flood protection, anti theft idk maybe a little. If I where to build a new house or had a floor plan that would lend itself to a vault being installed that's the route I'd take because after buying a really high end safe that may actually do something other than keep the kids out I think you may very well spend nearly as much as a vault/safe room anyway.
solid sheet doors are things to look for. Another one that makes theses are AMSEC. They also make vault doors.
Exposed hinges and concealed hinges...exposed hinges door opens increase with 180 opening. Concealed hinges only open to 110-120.
ProSteel makes Browning safes and have an excellent line of products. Same of the best safe bolt work I have seen is in Ft Knox and the higher end Brownings. Most of it is gear driven as opposed to cam driven.
Electronic or mechanical locks...if you don't anticipate ever having to get in quickly or with a light of some type go this route. There are electronic locks that don't fail as often as described here. There are electronic locks that manually retract (S&G). Safe bolt work tends to put pressure on the locking bolt of the lock and causes it to fail in most cases...the mechanical retraction ones seem to handle this pressure better..Liberty uses them on most of their models.
A 30 gun safe will hold about 15 scoped rifles
One other thing to consider...raised residential flooring is designed to hold 600# in a 3' sq area. You may need to add additional support under the joists
Happy Hunting
Exposed hinges and concealed hinges...exposed hinges door opens increase with 180 opening. Concealed hinges only open to 110-120.
ProSteel makes Browning safes and have an excellent line of products. Same of the best safe bolt work I have seen is in Ft Knox and the higher end Brownings. Most of it is gear driven as opposed to cam driven.
Electronic or mechanical locks...if you don't anticipate ever having to get in quickly or with a light of some type go this route. There are electronic locks that don't fail as often as described here. There are electronic locks that manually retract (S&G). Safe bolt work tends to put pressure on the locking bolt of the lock and causes it to fail in most cases...the mechanical retraction ones seem to handle this pressure better..Liberty uses them on most of their models.
A 30 gun safe will hold about 15 scoped rifles
One other thing to consider...raised residential flooring is designed to hold 600# in a 3' sq area. You may need to add additional support under the joists
Happy Hunting
oldfortyfiveauto
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2011
- Messages
- 393
A common theme here is that the safe really must be bolted down to make a thief's like more difficult. I noted in an early post the location matters. My Zanotti is pretty well pinned in by concrete on two sides, shelves on the third and in a small pantry under the basement stairs. Pretty much a challenge to tackle.
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maninthemaze
Well-Known Member
I have a Stack-on Elite series 28 gun safe and I love it. To date it holds everything I need it to, including cd's with family photos on it, and other important papers. One of the reasons I purchased this safe was the fire rating, but more importantly, the water rating. It is waterproof up to 2 feet of standing water. When the fire department shows up, they will be spraying tons and tons of water. I don't want my stuff to survive the fire only to be water damaged. It also has an electronic keypad and a backup in case the keypad dies. Everyone can talk about how many locking bolts they have and how their hinges are internal, which is fine and good. But give me 15 minutes with a cutting wheel on my 4 1/2 grinder and I can be inside any safe out there. The dump trailer that I built has 10 gauge steel floor, which is just over an 1/8" thick, so I know all about cutting through the steel plate these safe are made out of. And since the fire retardent would be between my cutoff wheel and it's contents, there wouldn't be any damage to anything inside. And the fire retardent used in most safe is just drywall. My point is, do your research, but somewhere there is a point of diminishing gains for the money. Don't fall into the hype that this one is better than that one just because the name on the door. Good Luck
Typically gun safe are not suitable protection for paper and certainly not media. Paper turns yellow before 350°. Paper (record) protection safes usually have 1-2 hour ratings at 1700° instead of the 12-1300° protection a gun safe gives and the inside temp won't reach 350°. Data safes will not allow the inside temp to reach 125° in that time.
your important papers will be on the edge destroyed if the temp reaches 350° your data will be at 125°
your important papers will be on the edge destroyed if the temp reaches 350° your data will be at 125°
Bear Safes! It has no visible lock (Combo or otherwise) that can be destroyed by an intruder. The locking mechanism is recessed in a top of a secure pocket in the door. The key for the lock cannot be duplicated even by a locksmith without information from the manufacturer of the safe. The inside can be customized to meet your storage needs. I've had one for years and love it!
don't they use an American Padlock puck style lock?
I remember the Master Padlock commercials where they said they were "Tough Under Fire" where they shot through the lock. I also remember at that time on the back of the American Lock catalog showing "The Bullet Stops Here" and just a splat mark on the lock.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
Master's may survive a bullet but they can't survive a set of bolt cutters.
The only padlocks the military considered "secure" were the series 200. They are made from a specially hardened too steel.
200 Padlock/7050 Padlock
There are some padlocks available today that are almost impossible to get to with bolt cutters that work very well.
https://www.uline.com/Product/Detai...gclid=CLKIjd7cgdECFQccaQodTwYHfQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
You weld a cut off piece of pipe onto the safe/box around the latch and it makes these just about bombproof.
No lock or safe is completely secure, they can all be defeated by someone determined to get in so the objective is just to make it difficult enough for them to give up or to take so long as to get caught.
Hey guys, you need to look more closely at the Bear Safes. This is not a "Pad" lock system that you have suggested. It is a puck style lock but, the locking system is hidden within the armor of the safe much like the locks of traditional safes. A "Master-type Lock" it is not!
right more like this it is far from the laminated plate Master Locks but yet still classified a padlock. American makes several of the puck style locks....BTW American Lock is now owned by Master.
