So tell me about gun safes.
 

I'm going to invest in a gun safe for my long guns. It should be able to hold 12 guns.

Any thoughts about brand to get or avoid? Any input on digital vs mechanical locking mechanism? I would like to avoid something with a battery.

There are some pretty good threads in the archives HD...I'm just too damn lazy to look for ya :)

this and google sturdysafe

Gunsafes should be 6mm steel, bolted to the floor, and yes a good idea to avoid battery safes. Thieves pop the plastic cover off the numeric keypad, short the two wires and the door opens :eek:

http://<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ltK-bDbADa8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Good info here.

Dave

#1 - add up the $ of what you are putting in the safe. Don't be cheap with the safe
#2 - If you have space, get the biggest safe you can afford. You will find more things to put into the safe, and not just spoons.

Consider 2 safes. One small and quick entry. This is where the short term storage stuff goes. Wallet, "tea"-spoons, etc. The larger safe should be for long term storage, like for your serving spoons and ladles...

yup, what red-beard said. look into AMSEC, and buy the biggest you can afford/have the room to accommodate.

harder and harder to find non keypad safes.

Around here, you can talk to the companies that sell 'real' safes for banks and businesses. Put your name on their list for a used safe from a company that is upgrading. You can sometimes score a much better safe, cheaper. My neighbor has three in his garage. One is large enough for two people to stand in (but you shouldn't, you know) and he only paid about $1200 for it. ymmv.

How can that be true? It seems like the majority of safes today have digital locks.

Always buy larger than you think you'll need. No safe is ever big enough. But honestly, it's only going to keep the casual thieves out. A serious thief knows how to get in there, which is why no one but immediate family should ever know you have guns in the house or anything else worth stealing. When I load the car up, I keep the garage doors closed until it's all done. No neighbor ever sees me carrying rifle or guitar cases in the driveway.

No first hand knowledge. Just tips tricks and traps I've picked up on from the gun forums. This was from someone on the 1911forum.

Sometimes at general goods auctions there are good solid "real" safes.

I've been happy with a BigHorn (Rhino) and they're found at Tractor Supply around here. I got mine directly from them online though. Maybe not "the best", but meets my criteria. It's not gonna stop a pro, but that's what insurance is for. Fire is a non-issue for me, but it's rated 1 hr and not digital.

Somewhere on the Cabelas site they show a video of two guys with pry bars successfully breaking into a pretty sturdy looking gun safe in less than 10 minutes. Don't get that kind!

Many safes are manufactured overseas now, some better than others. Fort Knox and Liberty both make quality safes, are made in the US (most of them), and are available with mechanical locks. I have a Liberty Franklin 25. It's big enough for all of my long spoons and pistols plus other valuables, but I can still move it if needed with help and the right equipment (700lbs).

horse POO..........re: shorting the wires. when you short the wires..............you now have to get a locksmith to enter. thats on LIBERTY SAFES dont know about other sub par mfg's.

I have a sturdy safe. Ugly but Gud.


Sent via Jedi mind trick.

Don't shop in the big box stores! ;) look up your local liberty dealer and start there. There are tons of things to look at, like whether the door bolts go out on one side or all sides, etc. I spent some time with a co worker looking at safes here in OKC and was shocked by how different they were between Bass Pro, and H&H. They had a guy that all he did was safes, and he knew his stuff.

All the Liberty dealers around here went or are going out of business because Liberty keeps selling all their product to Gander Mountain.

Liberty claims they can't keep up.

Funny you mention this, I was in Gander Mountain today. Went on the Liberty website today to do some research, and they no longer take internet orders because they are so backed up!