gun safe: how good is good enough?

[steviesterno]

ok, so I'm researching safes to upgrade from the little pistol versions I have scattered around, and I'm wondering where do you or where should I draw the line? I would love a crazy heavy, walk in monster, but I moved to a state with zero basements, and the garage would be too humid. I don't have the chance to do a full gun room, I already tried to convince the Mrs.

So how much do I really need to spend on a safe to hold maybe 12 long guns and some pistols. I'm at a size constraint of 27" wide, 20 deep, but 8 feet high. And I'm not sold of the idea of fireproof. from what I read, to get it really fireproof is crazy expensive. if you half ass it, a house fire can cause everything to melt inside it, which seems silly to me. I'm not super worried about theft, as the house is already alarmed, monitored, and security cameras are all over. And this would be upstairs, bolted to 3 walls and a floor. Also, In a total loss I have a good insurance policy, so I could just get the money and buy new gear. (it's also covered for when I leave the house to a certain extend, so a carry gun or 3 gun gear is covered for matches!).

I guess what I'm asking is can I really just get one of those metal stack on lockers? Or is that not any better than locked pelican cases? Any suggestions on a decent safe that can do what i'm looking for without breaking the bank?

thanks for the help!

[9x45]

Here is one of the most in depth articles on guns safes, and if you follow the links, several more articles. Be sure to read all of the articles.

Bottom line, an example of a "true" safe, is the $18,000 Graffunder, weighing in at 5,200lb, however there are alternatives.

http://gunsafereviewsguy.com/articles/myths-about-gun-safe-theft-protection/#myth-thicker-door-is-stronger

[steveac1]

What ever you decide on, bolt it to your basement slab if you can. If its too light thieves can carry it out and deal with breaking into it later. Don't get a digital dial, (EMP will fry it, just my two cents)

$600-800 will get you a good 30 min fire safe.

[bountyhunter]

There are some decent floor mount safes you can bolt to the floor studs. That's what I did.

[RevoWood123]

"Fire Ratings" are typically based off of a 1200 degree F fire for "X" period of time. What they don't tell you is what it actually means; which is, for "X" period of time in a 1200 degree F fire, the interior temperature will not exceed 350ish degrees F. Yes plastics will melt at temperatures like those, but paper doesn't char til 401 and does not ignite til 451 degrees F.

As far as breaking in goes, anybody with the rights tools and enough time can get into anything. What you are trying to do is slow them down til police arrive, or make them want to leave because it is taking too much time to get what they want. Keep in mind also, safes are good for more than just firearms; which is why I now have 2.

Safes can be used for jewelry, documents, electronics, cameras, financial stuff, laptops, hard drives, tools, etc. And if you are not done buying firearms, consider room to grow into it. If they say it holds 24 long guns, yes it has that many slots for long guns, but if you have scopes/bipods/ARs, they don''t all fit the same way and you won't realistically get that many in there (second reason I own 2).

Also look at warranties. What happens if you have an attempted break in and somebody makes the safe unusable after that? What happens if I have a fire and my stuff is saved, but the safe is ruined?

No, not all safes are built the same, and they don't all have the same warranty. I don't want to drag this on, because I easily could, but make an informed purchase that will last you. It is worth the investment. I work at a LGS and we sell safes. We have had attempted break-ins and fires happen to our customers who have owned safes and they have all been pleased that they did.

-Stu

[9x45]

I have 3 safes, 500 pounders, bolted and completely framed up around them inside hall closets.

http://gunsafereviewsguy.com/articles/what-to-look-for-in-a-gun-safe/2/

[Beastly]

I created a 'built-in' area for my big safe, put 2 layers of fireboard on the back/sides/top, and bolted it to a concrete slab. I still need to create a fire resistant front, but it allowed me to separate concerns. I also put important papers/digital records into a fire safe located INSIDE of the big safe.

Regardless of what you bolt to, make sure you can't get to the bolts with a long Sawzall blade - several tricks here including bolt collars. The bolts stripped in my first installation and I was able to easily defeat it with a Sawzall and access to the side of the safe. Installation #2 was much more robust.

[whitedog]

Check craigslist. I got a quite good safe for 300. Fire rated and I've got more than a dozen handguns as well as 8 long guns in it.....with room for small sentry fire safe for documents inside.

Just a thought.....

[steviesterno]

I like that idea, but I don't have a pick up. Just a smaller SUV so I'm afraid buying local might be tough for me. Thinking about ordering off amazon, as they deliver for free

[Beastly]

Line up a safe mover (ID one from local stores) and wait for a good deal on Craigslist. People get stupid when moving where they have a timeline and no hard plan for selling/moving a safe.