Gun Cabinet or Safe?

S

StarfuryZeta

New member
Hi there.
As a relatively new gun collector, I am wanting to secure my collection of pistols and long arms in some way. My wife wants something out of the way (so she doesn't have to see it). I have a one story on a slab in Florida. Humidity is an issue, and garage storage is out of the question.
So, I was thinking either a Stack-On cabinet for my closet, or an actual small safe. I have also found some 'disguised' safes (armoires, chest, etc.) that look like furniture. My wife likes the look of those if I have to get a safe and it can't fit in the closet, but they cost a lot.
How are Stack-On cabinets? I'm mainly worried about securing the weapons away from being seen, and ease of access. Fire protection isn't a high priority right now. We have no children yet, but when we do, don't want them getting into them until properly trained and educated.
Price versus security...safe vs cabinet. This is a dilemma.
Thanks!
 
If I am thinking of the right cabinets, they do not seem very secure. They will slow down a thief, but only until they get a crow bar or tire iron. They are mostly (IMHO) good for keeping guns from kids and visitors.

Longer term, a good fire rated safe can be used for storing your wife's diamond anniversary jewelry, baby pictures, computer backup tapes, tax returns, and guns. Most safes have a humidity stick available, so maybe the garage will be okay. (Let me know, since I live in Florida too and am safe shopping over the next few months.)

[This message has been edited by galt (edited August 29, 2000).]
 
Virtually all gun safes can be broken into within 15 minutes by a pro. Happily, most burglars aren't pros and won't spend that 15 minutes concentrating on your cracker box.

If you've got the money and the time (key ingredient), buy a safe and build a armoire type cover for it. A mitre box and moulding from Home Depot will do the trick.
 
How Long do you plan on living in your current home? If only a few more years, get by with the stack-on if you can't afford the big safe. Then, your next house must have a strong room. Strong room is the best way to go. Concrete or Stainless Steel. Stainless must be cut with a plasma torch, and they aren't portable. So a thief will really have to want to get in.

If you go with a safe, here's a good contact:

Johnson Safe
8750 E 200 South Street
Zionsville, IN 46077

1-800-969-7993

They use ceramic insulation. Not drywall. Drywall will hold moisture, and ceramic won't. And ceramic has a fire rating of 2300deg for 1 hour.
 
Star, Do yourself a favor, If you can afford a safe get a safe. You won't regret it. And depending what safe you purchase they are nice enough to be placed just about anywhere.
Took me awhile to get mine and it sits in the basement family room. My only regret was not buying the next bigger size or getting the extra one they bought along for me in case the one I ordered did not go down the steps. As far as I'm concerned the safe is the way to go if you are serious about your guns ;)
For what it's worth :)

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We preserve our freedoms by using four boxes: soap,ballot,jury, and cartridge.
Anonymous
 
I'd purchase a safe for the following reasons:
1) Bigger hassle to bust into
2) Fire Protection
3) Long term investment

I actually had bought a stack on, then returned it when arrived because I felt it wasn't sturdy enough. I do know they also make a corner model, maybe that would be an option. I ultimately bought a safe though and am happy, though it is already full :( I empathize with the limited space, been there done that.

On another note, you may want to check out http://www.truckvault.com/bedvaults.htm They offer vaults that go under beds, so it's outta sight, outta mind. Haven't used them, just one company I researched before buying my safe.

Good luck.
 
IMHO, if you can afford the safe, get it. The peace of mind has to be felt to believed. On the other hand, I also have a stack-on for guns I'm currently shooting or working on/with. The stack-on style gun cabinets will slow down or stop a large per centage of burglars. It's a large enough % for me, you may have different circumstances.

One option - get what you can afford now, save for the safe.

In any event, the sooner you get something better than the closet, the better. :)

Giz

I cannot believe I had that many typos!

[This message has been edited by Gizmo99 (edited August 30, 2000).]
 
An alternative: Gitcherself a good strong steel door, the kinda thing you'd put on the back door of a pawn shop. Assuming you have at least one walk-in closet that is used for storage. Take all the crap outta there, and line the walls with a layer of chicken wire, liquid nails, with durarock on top., then another layer of chicken wire/glue, with regular wallboard. The resulting sandwich is significantly harder to bust through than regular wallboard or durarock by itself... Door must open in, so it's pretty much gotta be a walk-in. Fit the door with the sorta locking system you'd buy if you lived in New York City. Result: Big darn safe(room).
 
That bed vault looks like just the solution for me; Too bad they didn't bother providing any price information, the way they did for all their OTHER products!

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Sic semper tyrannis!
 
I didn't really care for the bedvault because I couldn't figure out how they secure it. The lock I saw on the drawer front sure didn't look substantial and I can't see it stopping a thief when they can just go through the top to get the drawer.

I've been considering a Homak or StackOn that is narrow enough to slip into the closet (90* opposed to the door). This would really hide it, especially a black one, but I'm concerned about the overall usability in that application.

Basically, a cheap (relative terminology) cabinet is not a safe, but it's better than nothing. I don't care for them, but I think I need to get used to the idea of buying one.

When I do upgrade to an actual safe, the cabinet would still be useful or could be passed off to someone who isn't in that great a position....like I am now.

Plan: join the local gun club and see what the members have to say/sell. Who knows, maybe I'll find a guy wanting to sell his small safe at a great price so he can upgrade to a larger one. That's my hope. Just pray I don't procrastinate too long and suffer a burglary.

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When Reason Fails.....
 
First, I do appreciate all of the advice. Thank you!

The wife and I are going looking this coming week. I would like a safe, but my wife wants to 'not be able to see it'. Unfortunately, none of our closets are really big enough for a huge safe...but we'll see if I can afford one. The stack-on cabinet, according to measurements, would fit perfectly in my closet in the bedroom at a 90* angle to the door, with room to open and maneuver. I'm thinking of this as a 'stop gap' measure to save up for a nice safe I can bolt down in the garage. As I have a small collection right now, I shoot what I own.

One question for safe owners, did you get a normal safe big enough for your guns, or did you get a gun safe specifically (with all the racks and shelves inside)?
 
I bought a real gun safe, specifically a Granite Security brand. I'm very happy that I have it, and it's nice looking enough that my wife allows it in the bedroom in the corner.
 
I specifically bought a 11/22 gun safe from Bass Pro. They had it on sale for $899 during last holiday season. It's green and doesn't really look that bad. The wife did allow it in the living room of the old house, but it's in the garage now.

Good luck shopping.
 
I went through the decision process you are going through a couple of months ago. I decided that if I was going to spend the money, I was going to get a real safe and have some real security. The Stack On type cabinets are better than nothing, but not by much and offer no fire protection at all.

I ended up with a large Cannon safe that I am very happy with. It came with what they call a "flex" interior so I can use as many or a few shelves as I want.

One hint, buy a safe that is bigger than you think you need. I followed this advice am I'm sure glad I did. I was originally looking at a safe with 20 cubic feet of interior space but ended up getting the 40 cubic feet model. It's already full and it's only been here a week. :)

Joe/Ga
 
Consider AMSEC - American Security Products (no, I don't work for the company but I did a lot of research into their products before buying one several months ago -- I also live in Florida where the hot & humid weather is a problem). Consider the following products:<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI> Model 6022 - Weight: 405 lbs. - 60"H x 22"W x 16"D = This model will fit into most standard closets.
<LI> Model 6032 - Weight: 555 lbs. - 60"H x 30"W x 21"D = This is the model that I purchased. It would have almost fit into the closet except for the handle, so we placed it in the master bedroom closet. It doesn't take up TOO much room in there plus I have the guns closer to me at night.
<LI> Model 6030 - Weight: 675 lbs. - 60"H x 30"W x 26"D = Looking back, this is the one that I should have got because it wasn't that much bigger.</UL>In addition to safes, they also offer something called a "Gun Security Chest" (model #: HC1854 - weight: 300 lbs. - 18"H x 54.25"W x 22"D). Instead of standing up tall, it lays flat and comes with an optional wood cabinet that goes on top of it with a cushioned top so that it can double as a piece of furniture -- a seat that will fit well in any room. It isn't as strong as a safe but it's stronger than a Gun Cabinet. Based on what you said, this model might be the best option for you.

However, I have to repeat what others have said: If you can afford a safe, get a safe. The cost of a safe in relation to a security chest to a cabinet is directly proportional to how easy it is to break into them -- your typical robber will not have the skills or be carrying around the tools to break into a safe quickly & easily and he's not going to be able to carry something away that weighs 600 pounds either. The same thing can not be said with regard to a cabinet. Regards,

FUD
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Share what you know & learn what you don't

[This message has been edited by FUD (edited August 31, 2000).]
 
I bought a Liberty gun safe a couple of months ago and put it in the master bedroom. It`s behind the door and can`t be seen unless you`re in the room. It doesn`t look too bad there and your "arsenal" is at hand at night. These type safes have removable shelves so you can set them up according to your needs. I have more pistols than rifles so shelf space was a priority. It is true that you will run out of space if you`re not careful. :D
 
I have three Stack-On type cabinets. They are in the guest room closet where they are out of sight -- and out of mind -- to any potential burgulars. Not only are they out of sight, but they are bolted both to the floor and to the wall framing! There is only a 1" space between the cabinets and the walls on either side so you really can't even get a grip on the suckers to try to pry them out.

The biggest one, a 12-gun unit, holds the long guns and most of the handguns. The other full size 8-gun cabinet is just used to store the ammo! (I modified it with shelving.) On top of that cabinet is a small stack-on-top cabinet for the 'overflow' of handguns.

Then in the master bedroom I have a quick-access multi-gun GunVault for the defense gun(s).

For fire protection of valuable papers and such, I have a fire resistant lockbox inside a bottom drawer of a metal filing cabinet in the den. And that is bolted trough the floor into the slab!

On top of all of these security measures, I have a remote monitored premisis alarm with a dedicated wireless phone connection (cell phone) for reporting alarms.

I'd like to get a real safe, but that isn't in the budget as yet. I'd need a 66x40x30 and that would end up costing around $1,700! My total investment for the four metal cabinets is under $400! I realize that a safe would be better, but no nearly as flexible use!

The other option is that in our next house I'll install a walk-in safe. Since we don't have kids, I could modify an existing spare bedroom or partition a room in the basement with poured concrete walls (reinforced, of course!) Then all I'd need is a safe/door. I could mig weld up a plate steel ceiling and still use the normal house ventilation to keep the room ventilated and maybe use a room dehumidifier. For security purposes I could call it a hurricane/tornado safety room! I could still use all of the metal cabinets for ammo storage and reloading supplies!

What, me paranoid?

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Remember, just because you are not paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you!
 
Get a real safe. Bolt it to the slab. Thing sheet-steel cabinets can be broken into way, way too easily.

Jared
 
I've heard "bolt it to the floor" (or slab) over and over. Any tips on the proper way to do this? Any tips on not damaging the carpet (which sounds impossible)?

I've observed a lot of safes aren't painted on the bottom, just raw steel. Will these rust? Has anybody ever had carpet stained?
 
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