My, uh...errrr, collection is growing quite nicely and it's time for a new safe to store things in. Unfortunately, I'm limited to a certain size safe because of where I want to put it. My local LGS has the Franklin Liberty 25 on sale for $1250 (originally $1799) and they also have the Champion Triumph 25 for $2000. I had my eye on the Franklin for some time, but they just started carrying the Champion line and it's now a bit harder to decide. It's obvious that the Champion is better constructed. My question, I'm wondering, is if anyone has either safe or opinion(s) between the two. Money isn't the issue, just wondering if for some storage of my collection and some other things, are there any other advantages over one or the other?
Safe Decision (what to choose)
- Thread starter Sagellih
- Start date
kilimanjaro
New member
Unless fire resistance is much better, I think for security purposes they are both the same. I don't have either one, though, so take that with a grain of salt.
My take is, bolting it down securely, having a secure door to the room the safe is in, and an alarm system, together with the usual window and door enhancements on the house exterior, and your personal OPSEC, are the things to consider.
Having said all that, I'd spend the money on a safe that is built better, where that is obviously the case.
Make sure they deliver it early in the morning before the tweakers are up and around to see it.
My take is, bolting it down securely, having a secure door to the room the safe is in, and an alarm system, together with the usual window and door enhancements on the house exterior, and your personal OPSEC, are the things to consider.
Having said all that, I'd spend the money on a safe that is built better, where that is obviously the case.
Make sure they deliver it early in the morning before the tweakers are up and around to see it.
I'm sorry that I don't know anything about the specifics of either model you're looking at, but I have a few opinions on gun safes having owned three of them thus far...
Fire-proofings and ratings just don't mean much, if anything to me. In my opinion, the kind of fire that is going to ruin guns is not going to be stopped by a safe and even if the flames are kept at bay, the heat will not be, or not for long and depending on the severity of the fire and the location of the safe, the following water damage is going to be just as ridiculous an assault. And as someone that has experienced home and house fires
eek my best advice is to plan your entire life & world around AVOIDING them rather than hoping or expecting that your safe can fend off their attack.
Now, when I say that, I'm not trying to say "quit throwing lit matches in your living room and smoking crack in the bedroom"
, I'm talking about the less obvious things such as possible chimney fires, dryer vent fires, electrical wiring and the things that many folks aren't well aware of until they have some very specific reason to become aware of them. 
My next thought about gun safes concerns long guns and their propensity for just wrecking the real estate in gun safes.
I'm a handgun guy in a big way and I'm always going to be that way. Handguns are what I enjoy the most so my safe exists for those and while some long guns make it in when I have the space, they are the first to get booted out when space is at a premium. I suggest a much lower cost metal gun locker or gun cabinet for long guns. If I'm spending $1200-$2500 on a safe, eating up my space with a Mossberg 500 or a run of the mill AR seems ludicrous to me. In that vein, a Liberty Fatboy Jr has been a HEAP of safe for the money for my uses. It's got a lot of usable space for comparatively low money but it's not what a guy who wishes to protect a slew of long guns would want.
And you simply must plan to bolt it down, no matter WHAT you buy. If it's not bolted down it's subject to attack and at the bare minimum, a threat will knock it over or tip it over even if they never get inside. Just consider for a second the idea of your favorite life-long firearms inside a huge metal box that's been knocked over by a thug. So in your plans, know that you need it placed somewhere that you can secure it well.
Fire-proofings and ratings just don't mean much, if anything to me. In my opinion, the kind of fire that is going to ruin guns is not going to be stopped by a safe and even if the flames are kept at bay, the heat will not be, or not for long and depending on the severity of the fire and the location of the safe, the following water damage is going to be just as ridiculous an assault. And as someone that has experienced home and house fires
eek my best advice is to plan your entire life & world around AVOIDING them rather than hoping or expecting that your safe can fend off their attack.Now, when I say that, I'm not trying to say "quit throwing lit matches in your living room and smoking crack in the bedroom"
, I'm talking about the less obvious things such as possible chimney fires, dryer vent fires, electrical wiring and the things that many folks aren't well aware of until they have some very specific reason to become aware of them. My next thought about gun safes concerns long guns and their propensity for just wrecking the real estate in gun safes.
I'm a handgun guy in a big way and I'm always going to be that way. Handguns are what I enjoy the most so my safe exists for those and while some long guns make it in when I have the space, they are the first to get booted out when space is at a premium. I suggest a much lower cost metal gun locker or gun cabinet for long guns. If I'm spending $1200-$2500 on a safe, eating up my space with a Mossberg 500 or a run of the mill AR seems ludicrous to me. In that vein, a Liberty Fatboy Jr has been a HEAP of safe for the money for my uses. It's got a lot of usable space for comparatively low money but it's not what a guy who wishes to protect a slew of long guns would want.And you simply must plan to bolt it down, no matter WHAT you buy. If it's not bolted down it's subject to attack and at the bare minimum, a threat will knock it over or tip it over even if they never get inside. Just consider for a second the idea of your favorite life-long firearms inside a huge metal box that's been knocked over by a thug.
So in your plans, know that you need it placed somewhere that you can secure it well.I have owned a Liberty Franklin 45 safe for 10 or 12 years now. It has been a very functional safe with no problems. It is fire rates which really means it has drywall in it. I am not saying that the liberty safes are the best on the market, or the worst for that matter. I all I am saying is that it is a nice safe for the money.
Any safe can be broken into if you have the right tools and enough time. That's one reason my safe is in the basement and my power tools are in the garage. Check out the videos to see how much abuse the liberty safes can take.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXa9THD3b6c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEWtVaPlqag
Jim
Any safe can be broken into if you have the right tools and enough time. That's one reason my safe is in the basement and my power tools are in the garage. Check out the videos to see how much abuse the liberty safes can take.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXa9THD3b6c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEWtVaPlqag
Jim