Safe Recommendations?

D

doofus47

New member
Hey all, I"m thinking of expanding my safe. It's a capacity 10 and I'm thinking of long term growth as my kids approach shooting age. Perhaps an 18 or a 24 capacity safe? I am not sure if either of these 18 or 24 counts AR-shaped rifles the same? I have several in my safe, but because of the pistol grip handles I have to cant them at a particular angle so the door closes. I think most safes that count "long guns" are thinking bolt-action type rifles, without scopes.
Requirements:
18 or 24 rifle safe (probably 24).
No electronic lock.

Any help or suggestions appreciated.

Thanks

d47
 
+1 Bubbau. I agree to get the largest safe now you can afford.

I purchased a Costco safe that was as large as the largest Liberty for about 1/3 the price, delivered and installed / bolted to the floor.

The fire department here has a fast response time, and I don't need to protect against someone driving a bulldozer through the outside wall.

Good luck!
 
Safe numbers are fairly meaningless; especially if you have guns like ARs with handles, rifles with scopes, etc. If you have any of those, figure 1/3 rd of the stated capacity. Take what you think is the number you'll need and double it going forward. Watch out for cheap safes; many look good, but are made in China - even from the name brands.
 
Some of the Chinese made residential security containers use sheetrock for insulation, have sheet metal to hold those "massive bolts" that secure the door. Do your own research.
 
You do not necessarily need a bigger safe, another option is to just get another small one. I've got 3 small safes today and am probably going to pickup a 4th. They are bolted down to prevent theft yet I can move them up/down stairs if need be, and it sure would take some time for a thief to open them all.
 
Consider...
The storage system that comes in most commercial safets are a "one size fits all" setup that really doesn't. There is an order of magnitude room for improvement in there that you can play with. Your average 24-gun safe might fit 24 Cricket's, but aren't going to fit 24 AICS chassis rifles... might not even fit half that many.

So, if you're truly looking to achieve perfection with your gun storage, you need to build the interior to match your collection.

There are plenty of places that will custom build whatever you want... as well as several production "systems" that will let you customize the interior.

Just google GUN SAFE BEFORE AFTER for pics of what you can do yourself.
 
Thanks for all of the input, guys. I hadn't thought of getting several smaller ones... and I didn't know costco had safes, ,or that safes might use sheet rock for fire retardant.

I'm still looking.
d47\
 
They are nothing special, basically just a run of the mill fire safe, but Winchester has a 14 gun model sold at tractor supply for around $330. They hold about 8 AR style rifles if packed very neatly, while leaving a couple room above for shelves of pistols, ammo, or mags.
 
I completely agree with riffraff. Multiple small safes make more sense especially if you want to keep some guns more readily accessible. I recently bought a large safe for my long guns with pistol sleeves on the door. But I kept a small safe in my bedroom closet for my home defense and guns.
 
I have 5 different safes and all seem to do the job. I have to comment on the Winchester safes though, as I had some problems with one. I sent pictures of my problems to Winchester and they sent me a new safe ! I have to say they were very nice to deal with and absolutely stood behind their product. Within about a week of my problems, they shipped a new safe to my door. I would recommend the keypad type lock on one though, as their other locks don't work very smoothly.
 
The tractor supply ones are a keypad that is really easy to set to your own code - again nothing special but very similar to the non premium grade fire safes that you find.
 
I have three safes, A small one in the bed room for hand guns, and two larger ones in the basement. All three are Stack On. They are not the sheet metal cabinets but steel plate. Are they the best on the market? I would say no. Will it keep the neighborhood kid out of my stuff I believe so. Will it keep the meth head looking to score out I think so. Will keep a profession crooks with good tools out maybe not. I have seen the you tube videos of the guys breaking into the safes with pry bars in a matter of minutes. I think the majority of safes on the market will keep our stuff protected. Figure out how big a safe you need and buy one twice as big and maybe start saving for your next safe.
 
Why would I buy a gun safe? The obvious answer is to keep my guns safe from being stolen. Winchester has a 14 gun model sold at tractor supply for around $330, and then I saw this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ViUdd-2LM It took these 2 guys almost 2 minutes to break into a $1000.00 safe. All 8 of my hand guns are scattered through the house hidden in plain site. My long guns are in the wall behind the full length mirror. You need a strong magnet to move the steel pins to open the hinged mirror. Although I never have to remember a combination, I just need to remember where I put that damn magnet. On a side note here I don't have any Kids in the house so I don't have a problem placing my hand guns around the house. When I go on vacation I put all the guns in the wall.
 
unclejack37 said:
Why would I buy a gun safe? The obvious answer is to keep my guns safe from being stolen. Winchester has a 14 gun model sold at tractor supply for around $330, and then I saw this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ViUdd-2LM It took these 2 guys almost 2 minutes to break into a $1000.00 safe.
Click to expand...


The key to how quick they got in was to be able and put the safe on its back. That way they could use all their weight to pry with. I’d like to see the same test with the safe properly secured. Also if you can place it where there is a wall next to the side that the door opens from, it helps in the prying attempt too.

Having a safe is only part of it. It needs to be bolted down and placement can make a difference as well. Mine is in a cubby hole with walls on both sides and bolted to the wall and slab.
 
Security needs to be in layers.
My system is dogs, locked exterior commercial steel door on spare bedroom, security system, safes. I have a job box from lowes for handguns.

It isn't Fort Knox but it is the best I can do. A pro can get past anything.

Last layer is good insurance.
 
Yep - you gotta bolt them down at least. I have 2.25 inches of plywood that is screwed together lining the floor of a closet such that in order to remove the plywood youd have to put it on its side or youd need to break the door jam framing off..

3 safes are then bolted down to that... door into room also dead bolts. A prepared thief might be lucky enough to get in and out un-noticed but itd still take huge risks, a smash and grabber may not even kick the first door in.

Any safe you buy at a store i bet i can open in 2 minutes with an abrasive cutting tool, torch, or probably even a sawsall, but the point is it takes preparation and noise or smoke to do so, as well as at least a little time and lots of risk - maybe enough to interest a hardcore criminal looking for cash and diamonds but pleanty enough to deter the typical drug addict in a withdrawal haze - they will run off with the first easy thing to find like the tv.
 
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