I have become a "Safe" gun owner

My Amsec 600+lbs. safe was drop shipped to my place of business. I then used a fork lift to haul it 1 mi. to my home and set it in the garage (part of the house).
Bruce. In the U.S. we don't have to keep all our guns in a safe. Though my safe is full, eight long guns and pistols are stashed in various places in house, business and vehicle loaded and handy.
 
Let me observe from recent experience that before you permanently secure a safe to floor/wall, understand how the locking mechanism works and how it may fail.

I have a moderately cheap safe, adequate for discuraging petty burglars from taking the contents. One of my magazines happened to fall in the way of the lock, preventing opening. If I had bolted the safe to the wall as planned, I would not have been able to slide it into the room and tip it over, dislodging the obstruction.

Know how your safe works and how it may fail, either by letting people in or keeping you out. Have some idea how to deal with the problem.
 
Great thread!
About ten years ago I got tired of paying the insurance premiums both to the NRA and my insurance co. and decided that I would rather have my firearms than the money and would purchase a safe. At that time the cost of insurance was less than 25 cents per hundred per year but I figured I could start saving money after three years if I purhased a good safe.

After looking into it I bought a Fort Knox Yeager model that held most of my toys. Had it shipped to a local moving company and they delivered it and set in place at a modest price. Again "two guys with knowhow and the right equipment." But, you can't put one of these things just anywhere pros or not. I sold same safe to my Brother-inlaw for the price of a Fort Knox vault door "another story" and when he built his new home he had it installed during construction because he wanted it upstairs. That vault will remain where it is!

Be careful moving heavy objects around and think it out. One drawback to a safe is that the rifle you want to take out and fondle is the one in the back! You will have to almost unload the safe to get to your objective. Of course then you get to fondle quite a few of your treasures!

Sorry for the ramble, It must be the heat!
Good Shooting, Hank
 
4V50 Gary: About that combination. Well I can tell you that the last number is 95. ;)

Hank: About that drawback. I prefer to think of a chance to get my grubby mitts on them as a positive thing ;)

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[This message has been edited by Hal (edited July 30, 1999).]
 
Rog that Hal. Just imagine walking into a "room" where they are all visable and awaiting your touch!
Hank
 
I'll add my experiences.

First safe, small AmSec w/firelining. Me and the guy I bought it from moved it into my bed room. We had to carry it up a flight of stars... no problem it only weighed like 400 or so pounds. That night while loading it I notice that the door doesn't completely shut... there is some movement when it is locked. WELLLL wanting a secure fit I try adjusting the little stopbolt. After about 15 attempts I can't get it exactly right... it is either too tight or too loose.

I call my wife and tell her to lock me in the safe. (ALRIGHT... no comments on my mental capasity! I thought it was a good idea at the time!). So I crawl in the safe with a flash light and allen wrench. I just bearly fit in, I'm crotched, feet against the left side, knees against the right, arse on the left, head bent (I'm 6'... the safe was something like 5'). She locked me in.

I adjust the bolt so that the door closes snug without no play. I tell my wife to unlock the safe. This is where the problem began! As most of you know Sergent & Greenleaf combination locks are very precise. You have to clear the lock properly then hit the number right on after the correct number of revolutions.

So after my wife missed the combination the first few times she started to get worried. :) This caused her to get jittery and start missing numbers by one or two, which is enought for the lock not to open. After about 6 attemps at this she starts to get frantic... thereby causeing more reason on not getting the combination correct.

I'm cramped in this small safe, it has firelineing. I'm here to tell ya that firelineing keep the heat from a fire out... it also retains any inside heat build up! My body heat, coupled with my breathing (the only vent is a .75" hole at the top for mounting and a 1" hole on the bottom for a power cord) brought the temp up in the safe to I KNOW at least 98 degrees.

Well, after about 30 miniutes inside the safe it is getting, shall I say, uncomfortable. My wife is frantic by now, wanting to call the fire department to come cut open the safe. I'm having no part of that seeing what I paid for the safe and it only being a couple hours old.

Like a Police Negotiator I try talking my wife into a calm emotional state. I have her sit down and have a smoke. Then, I walk her by the numbers... "Clear it left 5 complet rotations! Stop on 34. Turn it right passing 34 two times. Stop on 65. etc"

She finally get the combination right. I'm released from my safe after about 45 minutes. Even though it was something like 85 degrees in the house it felt very cold when I got out.

I have since sold that safe and purchased a much larger AmSec (1400 lbs worth). When I got it I though I'd make a joke and said to my wife "Well, I have to adjust the door, you going to lock me in in?" It only took a day or so for the hand print on the side of my face to disappear.



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Schmit, GySgt, USMC(Ret)
NRA Life, Lodge 1201-UOSSS
"Si vis Pacem Para Bellum"
 
Dad Gum Gunny! You are really one heck of a man! If my wife got me in a situation like that she might go shoping or something like that!
Best, Hank
 
Hal,

May I ask where you get your safe from? The Brownings I got were from GS Sales in Kent and they had offered a fee to place it where you wanted it. For stairs, there was a $/stairstep fee. I didn't need to put the safe up or down stairs so I just had to pay for them to drop it from their truck and move it to the wall. They use those refridgerator dollies with swing out rollers when it's tilted. There was no way in heck I was going to move the 750 pounder with or without help.

- Ron V.

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Ron,
I bought mine at Dick's Gun Room in Cuyahoga Falls. They don't deliver anything, but gave me the phone number of someone that would deliver and setup the safe. I ended up loading it in the back of the pickup and doing it myself. Since it was the small (350lb) one, and I was going to put it downstairs it wasn't much of a problem. If it had been the next size up (650lb), I would have paid for the other guy to wrestle with it.

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Want to feel your age?Check it out. http://web.superb.net/boy/age1.html
 
Oh, I think I bought my Win Mod70 Custom Sharpshooter from there (when they use to make those).

One thing I've done to help reduce (but not eliminate) the amount of moist air from entering the safe is to buy some adhesive backed (closed cell) weather stripping and apply it where the safe door and body meet. The door might be a little harder to close but it will be sealed. 'Closed cell' meaning like the stuff around your car door, not the open cell sponge-looking type.

- Ron V.

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