Getting a "Gun Safe"

Dicks Sporting Goods has a very nice "22 gun" Stack-on fireproof/waterproof safe for 699.00 I paid 150.00 to have it delivered into my basement. It is rated at 1400 degrees for 30 minutes.

I am using it for my handguns, a rifle and mostly for important papers.

Just another alternative.
 
Most "gun safes" are actually:

"RSC: Residential Security Container. The minimum rating which should be used to protect assets from theft. This rating is usually not accepted for business use.
Ability to withstand 5 full minutes of rigorous prying, punching, chiseling, and tampering attacks by UL technicians with a hammer and screwdriver."

They are not safes as rated by Underwriters Laboratory.

The RSCs are 10 gauge steel or less, the door may be thicker.

The best gun safes are made by Graffunder and cost accordingly.
http://graffundersafes.com/

AMSEC makes a safe with 1/2" steel door and 1/4" sides with some fire insulation. http://www.amsecusa.com/

If you are looking at $1,500 for a Fort Knox with 3/16" steel compare that to a $2,000 AMSEC.

Of course, your present investment in firearms may not justify an investment in this range.
 
Would you rather clean off some possible rust, or try to fix warped steel and burnt wood?
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There isn't a 50/50 chance for either occurring. Guns rusting in the wrong kind of safe are much much much more likely than losing them in a fire. And if there is a fire, that's what insurance is for. But they're your guns, so do whatever you want with them. I'm just providing information, and whatever people want to do with that info is up to them.
 
I'm not really worried about the humidity issue. I have a Frigidaire 70pt dehumidifier in the basement that keeps the humidity at 45%. I doubt if the humidity level in the safe would be so high as to cause problems.

bubsy
 
ah, rust

I keep my shop 'moist' (WARNING: PRIMERS WILL EXPLODE) to reduce static charge.

I keep some guns in Bianchi Blue-Bags; I keep a few dessicant packs in the safe, too.
All my guns rust, except the one finished in NP3.
 
Buy a desecant to put in the safe - they are relatively cheap (~$13), reusable and appear to work fine for me. I also installed rope lights on a timer to keep the temperature up in order to help prevent condensation from the humidity. Again it was not expensive (<$50) and has the added benefit of having lighting in the safe.
 
2 thoughts.
Find a place that sells regular safes.
Most have large better rated safes for less than "gun" safes.

The only real difference for the price was that all "gun" safes have a warranty for attempted break in's. Regular safes do not.
You pay for that warranty.

Second. Golden rod is what people put in for humidity issues. Or just wire up a 20 watt light bulb and leave it on in the safe. Does the same thing.
 
I'm not really worried about the humidity issue. I have a Frigidaire 70pt dehumidifier in the basement that keeps the humidity at 45%. I doubt if the humidity level in the safe would be so high as to cause problems.
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The goldenrod is cheap and works well......but they're your guns
 
I have read not to use fire-proof safes that are meant for document storage for guns, because the insulation used in these types of safes causes the interior to be humid, and will lead to increase chances of rusting.
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Well, I did the same thing for a lot of years, as the few long guns were just not worth the price of a large safe to me. A fairly decent size Sentry fire-proof was my pistol safe for well over 20 years, until I acquired enough long guns to warrant a large safe purchase. I always had them in gun-socks inside the safe. In all that time, never a bit of rust with normal inspection/cleaning.
 
Gun Safe

I am fairly new to the gun world and seem to have become an addict very fast... Now it seems to consume a large amount of my time:D,,

Anyways I have 3 children and for a very obvious reason needed a safe, and wanted a very good one... I put a wanted to buy on craigslist within 2 weeks presto I had a 2 year old 2700 dollar safe in my shop for 650.00 bucks:eek:
 
Liberty is one of the larger makers. My National Security is now a part of them.

I have nothing bad to say about them. They make safes for other companies under house brand names, the way many mfg.'s do
 
My Liberty Centurion CE12 got delivered on Tuesday. Seems fine for what I need to use it for. Thanks again for everyone's suggestions.
 
safes with electronic panel

Hi,
Over here the laws are quite different than the US.
once you receive your license you may carry (concealed only, open carry is allowed only during competions or for LEOs)

However, regardless of how secure your home is you are required by law to keep guns either on you, or in a safe that meets certain criteria.

My option to have firearms secure yet accessible in a hurry is to have safes with a combination panel ( they do have a key that you can use if you happen to forget the combination, once you open them wih the key you can reset the combination code:))

I have 3 safes, and all use the same combination.

Surely one can find this type in the US.

Brgds,
Danny
 
Own or rent? What is your budget?

Like everything else in this world, you get what you pay for. My father has a large Fort Knox. Go bigger than you ever thought you would need. In my next house, I will be purchasing a Graffunder safe for it.
 
I think a gun safe is something that you buy once in a lifetime and as far as I know the best safes are made by Sportsman Steel Safes CO. It will aslo fit your budget. I don't have one but I have a friend who was very picky about it, spent couple of months researching and ordered that brand.
 
It's something you buy once in a lifetime...

... but then you realize you have acquired one or two too many guns to fit in the first safe...

... and your significant other realizes the benefits of a big, heavy, fireproof safe for storing her breeding documents for her 5 and 6 digit valuable horses...

... and next thing you know you are looking to trade in on a bigger safe, or just buy a second safe.

Now it's a twice in a lifetime purchase.

But then you think about obtaining an FFL, and stocking and selling...

Now it's becoming a calculus problem....
 
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