MetropolisLake Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) So basically I only have a few long guns and not very many more pistols. I have no desire for a huge collection. Mostly concerned with the local smash and grab meth heads and kids keeping their paws off of what little I do have as well as storing a laptop while I'm out of town. I'm well aware that most safes can be broken in to if somebody wants to bad enough so what's the point of spending a ton on a nice safe? That being said, is an inexpensive safe acceptable if it is bolted down, kind of in a keeping honest people honest kind of way? Am debating five things at this point: 1. A super cheap between-the-studs wall safe with something in front of it, mostly just to hide everything. $200 2. A Winchester 24 gun safe from Tractor Supply due to being able to get a discount, bolted down in the garage. $600 3. A Fatboy Junior 48 gun safe. $1,400 4. A white Liberty in the living room. $2,100. 5. A Fort Knox Protector, upgraded and painted white and shown off in the living room. $3,200. Not sure which way to go. Feel kinda dumb getting a huge safe for 3 long guns and a laptop. The Winchester may be perfectly fine for now, could probably easily sell it in the future. Edited February 7, 2014 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightUp_OG Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Go with the Winchester. Looks like a nice safe for the money. 550lbs is good but bolted to the floor is better and a 30min fire rating is nice too. The other option is to look for a nice used one locally. I bet you will fill that thing up faster than you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetropolisLake Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Go with the Winchester. Looks like a nice safe for the money. 550lbs is good but bolted to the floor is better and a 30min fire rating is nice too. The other option is to look for a nice used one locally. I bet you will fill that thing up faster than you think. http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/winchesterreg%3B-gun-safe-24-gun-capacity?cm_vc=-10005 It's that one. The fire rating concerns me the most, it's not that great. Although being out in the garage would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightUp_OG Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) You pay more for the higher rating. I thought about that s well and went with the 90Minute but I also got lucky and found a used Amsec from a widow who was downsizing. But the insurance will take care of the fire damage (God forbid) and at least you can keep the tweekers away from your guns. Edited February 8, 2014 by StraightUp_OG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetropolisLake Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) The other thing I've been noticing is that not all fire ratings are the same. I mean, is a 45 minute rating at 1200 like on a Liberty any better than a 30 minute rating at 1400 on the Winchester? I have no idea. Edited February 7, 2014 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 You are right that most safes can be broken into, but they have to find it first. I spent the dollars for a good safe, bolted it down in the detached garage where it would see the least amount of heat should the place burn to the ground and disguised the crap out of it. The only clue that I even own firearms is the Dillon 550 on the bench. It will take someone a while to figure where the safe is and then even longer to get into it. In fact, no one except my wife has even seen inside that safe in the past 14 years. So buy what you are comfortable with, place it in a good secure spot, and use a little discretion on who knows you have it. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeislarge Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Put an old refrigerator in your garage with a padlock on it. They're heavy, hold a lot of guns, are hard enough to get into and most tweakers wouldn't even look at a fridge twice. Most thieves would assume you're trying to keep your kids out of your sodas. And, as an added benefit, there's actually some built in fire rating!!! Get an nice old and ugly one off Craigslist cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EkuJustice Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I would go with the winchester. It's a good safe for the money and if bolted down will keep most of the thieves out. I carry a Ryder poicy for my guns and figure if they break the safe open it will cover it but a safe is Definately a deterrent to in and out thieves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetropolisLake Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 I have wondered if a safe is a deterrent or a magnet. Is it best to act like it will be a pain to get into it, or just hide stuff? Some people wouldn't touch it while others would concentrate on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Athouse Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Somethings better than nothing. Once you move that heavy hog to wherever its going you may be tempted to just leave it there until you move someday and not ever upgrade. Its better than putting them in the corner of your closet or under the bed like dad did when I was a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerassassin22 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I love my Fatboy Jr. I wouldn't get this one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowrider Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I fear fire damage more than thieves. I'm upgrading my Cannon to an Amsec pretty soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclebud Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I also have a Liberty fatboy jr. My only suggestion would be to get a bigger safe than you think you need. They never hold as many guns as advertised. Scoped rifles take up a lot of room. Get the organizer that mounts inside of the door. Holds a lot of pistols and has some (cool pockets) on the bottom to hold important papers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodownzero Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 A safe will not prevent fire damage no matter what the marketing says. If you want fire protection, bury your guns or something. What I would (and have) bought is INSURANCE. Other than a REAL safe, that is, one with a commercial or UL rating as a safe, most of the metal boxes sold are can be defeated with tools already in your house. Insurance costs me about $20 a month and covers them to declared value with no deductible and no hit on my homeowner's insurance if a gun is stolen; no cost for a claim. Even though $20 a month is not cheap and I don't have a whole lot of guns, I feel good about the fact that I could replace all of them--with their customization and extra features--if they were stolen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowrider Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 A safe will not prevent fire damage no matter what the marketing says. If you want fire protection, bury your guns or something. What I would (and have) bought is INSURANCE. Other than a REAL safe, that is, one with a commercial or UL rating as a safe, most of the metal boxes sold are can be defeated with tools already in your house. Insurance costs me about $20 a month and covers them to declared value with no deductible and no hit on my homeowner's insurance if a gun is stolen; no cost for a claim. Even though $20 a month is not cheap and I don't have a whole lot of guns, I feel good about the fact that I could replace all of them--with their customization and extra features--if they were stolen. Are you sure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeislarge Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Wow, awesome. They should've included a fridge though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodownzero Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 (edited) A safe will not prevent fire damage no matter what the marketing says. If you want fire protection, bury your guns or something. What I would (and have) bought is INSURANCE. Other than a REAL safe, that is, one with a commercial or UL rating as a safe, most of the metal boxes sold are can be defeated with tools already in your house. Insurance costs me about $20 a month and covers them to declared value with no deductible and no hit on my homeowner's insurance if a gun is stolen; no cost for a claim. Even though $20 a month is not cheap and I don't have a whole lot of guns, I feel good about the fact that I could replace all of them--with their customization and extra features--if they were stolen. Are you sure? Can't really be sure--every fire is different. They didn't explain their methodology so I can't say for sure. But I don't buy it for a minute. With insurance, I don't have to worry. I get all new stuff at current replacement value. I don't have to wonder if the fire compromised a firearm's chamber that is going to be right next to my face. I don't think it's impossible to protect from fire, just difficult and expensive, and more than most consumers are willing to pay. The same goes for theft, really. Edited February 8, 2014 by twodownzero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reinz Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I hate super cheap anything. But love the idea of hiding between the studs. However, how readily available will it be if you have to cover that big hole up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetropolisLake Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 I guess for the fire aspect I would mostly be worried about old family pictures, laptop, backups, etc. I wouldn't buy a $4,000 safe to only protect a small gun collection from fire. If you have a fire big enough to scorch a safe then you will be making a claim already. Might as well get a new gun collection out of the deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyZip Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Wow,need one for my place now that my collection has grown over the last seven years. Think I'd go with the 600 bolt down,and get insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Fire ratings on safes are not standerdized. You need to know how each company computes the fire rating on the safe. You can find information on fire ratings on the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetropolisLake Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 The only thing I'm skeptical about with the Winchester is the electronic keypad. Read the reviews. Several people had big trouble. Wish it was a combination lock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 yeah I prefer manual combination or even key lock over electronic, but what do you expect when the winnis is $650 compared to comparable size safes that are $2000 or $3000? it has to have cut corners in some areas. good manual locks and even good key locks can be expensive. hence why lots of cheap safes are digital. having said that, for the money that winni safe looks like good value. I'd get that one and some insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightUp_OG Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 My very expensive Amsec (Read Not a Cheap Safe) has an electronic lock and I have had ZERO issues with it. I just change the battery once a year and forget about it. I like it as it makes combo changes a snap. So blanket statements without supporting data are just opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77Litespeed Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I just bought a safe, mostly for the same reasons you are talking about. I ended up getting a Sturdy Safe. Most of the money goes towards steel. The thick steel and construction makes getting into it much more difficult than most of the same cost or lower cost alternatives. Nothing fancy, no super fine finishing work, just great functionality. I chose not to get fire proofing for a few reasons. One was to save a few bucks since the fire station is less than a mile and that all the houses are right next to each other. I have insured the heck out of it all too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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