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Quality gun safes

T

Takem406

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2013
Messages
163
Location
West Central Montana
I've got a few nice guns and I'm about to inherit my grandfather's extensive collection. I'm long over do for a safe!

I live about 10 miles from town and I have absolutely no faith in my local volunteer fire department (I used to serve on another department in my County that would work with these clowns.). That being said I need fire protection for an extended period of time.

I've been looking at Liberty pretty extensively, but I'm open to suggestions.

I'm thinking I won't be able to get single large safe. My stairwell to my basement is narrow. I was looking at a local Liberty Fatboy Jr but it's too big for my stairs and their 90 degree turn/landing.

Thanks guys!
 
I did a lot of looking a few years ago and went with the AmSec brand, BF series.

AMSEC Safes – Gun Safes, Security Products, Cash Management » BF Series Gun Safes

They are one of the few that doesn't use wallboard as a "fire retardant", and are very highly rated. I purchased a large one but if I were to do it again I'd buy 2 smaller ones instead. Part of that is due to the weight of one large one, and partly due to the fact that I've already outgrown it. I'm not going to buy another until we move, which will probably be in the next couple of years.
 
I just had a custom safe built based on my own personal measurements by Sun Welding.....you can pick size, steel guage, lock type, fire protection, etc........very reasonable considering (much cheaper than AMSEC and Fort Knox, etc). Google search and check out their website. Although based in California, they can reasonably ship anywhere in the country. If you buy two smaller ones, you can probably get them on the same pallet. The money you will save buying direct, will likely offset the freight. Just something to consider. Good luck finding the right application.
 
Amsec look a lot tougher than Liberty. I didn't see any prices however. I did see a couple dealers in my town, which surprises me for Podunk Montana! There must be some mistake...
I liked their under the bed safes!

Thanks guys, I'll check out the custom outfit too.
 
If you dig, you can order AmSecs on line and have them delivered to your home.
The killer is finding the right people to move a 1000 pound safe into your basement. Even the pros have problems with this part.
 
geo4061 said:
Do AMSec's have a seal like the Liberty's? That is why I have a Liberty.
Click to expand...

I do believe so.

I talked to my local Amsec dealer today and they are getting in two safes next month. Around $2500.

Yeah they sure don't seem keen on taking a safe into a basement. The local moving company I think would do it but it will cost a couple hundred. But I don't have room for a safe upstairs.

They also had these Blue Dot Second Amendment safes. Not sure on them. They are cheaper and the reviews say the combination lock sucks.

Also another lock and safe shop had Big Horn safes, any word on these?

Still not sure on the fire rating. I really liked Liberty saying their National can take around two hours or more of fire. Is that over kill? I remember one of my first big house fires I went to... We found a couple new Rem 700's on the dinning room table that were perfectly fine. They had survived the blaze. But the fire was mostly in the roof. I guess there is a lot of variable in how a fire will start and burn. I'm sure an hour minimum would be perfectly fine... A gamble...
 
I played it "safe" and bought a Browning Medallion. Very nice unit with solid construction and advanced fire resistance.
It cost $450 to have it delivered and set up in the basement. At 1,150 lbs empty, I didn't want to put it on the first or second floor without supporting the floor. Just too much weight on such a small footprint.
 
There is no standard for fire ratings. None, nada, zip. Every manufacturer can quote you whatever they want with regard to fire rating. If you doubt this, spend some time using your Google-foo and check it out. As I noted before I decided I was not about to trust a few layers of wallboard to be the fireproofing in my safe, and the AmSec is one of the few that use something different - actually a version of concrete. It also makes them a lot more difficult to break in.

Here is one reference:
Gun Safe Buyers' Guide

Virtually all gun safes use a seal in the door that expands with heat.

Generally speaking the safe company will have delivery people who will do a far better job at delivering your safe than a moving company as it is all they do. Delivery and installation was part of the package I negotiated, but if you decide to have one drop shipped you'll have to work out installation arrangements.

I would generally put AmSec, Fort Knox, Graffunder, Granite Security and a couple others at the top of the list.

If you have time, I would highly recommend going to YouTube and watching videos on gun safes. Just type in gun safe and see what pops up. I think you'll get quite the education.
Start here:


Oh, and no I have nothing to do with any of the companies.
However, I wanted to buy the best safe I could for the dollars spent and did a lot of investigation. If that information can help you, that's great.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have a Vault Pro, very nice safe. You have to pay for what you get, but they have options. They're built to your order specifically. Great customer service also.
 

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