Best place to buy gun safe on a budget?

[kthomas]

A bit of an oxymoron, I know. But where is the best value in gun safes?

Looking for good security, fire rating is a plus. Needs to hold at least 6 scoped long guns with a min inner height of 52", a few ar15's and assorted handguns.

I left my previous career and went back to school, so funds are tight. Would prefer to spend less then $2k, including shipping.

Where should I be looking? I found this site, not sure where it falls on the spectrum for value and security: https://www.deansafe.com/products/kodiak-gun-safe-kbf5940exso

 

[kthomas]

A bit above the budget, but another option:

AMSEC NF6030 American Security NF Gun Safe

Need an affordable, mid-level safe with plenty of bells & whistles? The new American Security AMSEC NF6030 is quality packed, yet affordably priced. Replacing the older SF series, the NF line has been bumped up to a 90 minute fire rating at 1200° and proven to maintain interior temperatures of...

www.deansafe.com

 

[Im2bent]

Costco

 

[kthomas]

Costco

I'm a Costco member, and did look at Costco originally.

I was tempted by the large Cannon safe they had, however a lot of reviews were pretty poor.

 

[Im2bent]

I've had my cannon from Costco for years. No problems

 

[Bigskyguy]

I bought my Cannon safe when I was between jobs and didn't want to spend a bunch. I live in low crime rural area so I didn't feel I needed a six thousand dollar safe, plus there are no safe companies within 300 miles. I bought a Cannon safe from Tractor Supply. It's actually a pretty nice safe, especially for the price. Scoped rifles will take up 2 spaces in any safe so keep that in mind when thinking about size.

 

[kriller134]

Buy the most steel you can afford. A lot of the cheaper safes claim to have thick doors but it’s mostly hollow with very little steel backing it. You’re going to need a really big safe if you’re looking to put 6 scoped rifles and ARs. Optics takes up a lot of space plus the shelving too. Rifle rods can help manage your space better too.

 

[Threadcutter308]

Oh, and if your new safe comes with adjustable shelves that use slotted vertical rails and those cheesy little pop in clips, do yourself a favor and put a little dab of hotmelt glue on the tabs where they go into the rail.

Do it BEFORE you load up your safe. Otherwise, you'll bump one of the shelves taking something out and half the little clips will go "sproing", pop out, the shelf will collapse and you'll have a real PITA on your hands.

 

[roostercogburn98]

Maybe find one on Craigslist or some local classifieds if you look around

 

[aslrookie]

FB marketplace

 

[D1gger]

Tractor Supply around here always seems to have some. I've never really checked them out other to see that they have a few in the stores.

 

[Mike Casselton]

I bought my Cannon safe when I was between jobs and didn't want to spend a bunch. I live in low crime rural area so I didn't feel I needed a six thousand dollar safe, plus there are no safe companies within 300 miles. I bought a Cannon safe from Tractor Supply. It's actually a pretty nice safe, especially for the price. Scoped rifles will take up 2 spaces in any safe so keep that in mind when thinking about size.

What he said^^^

Safe capacity ratings must be made with Win 94s or Daisy Red Ryders.
With modern optics you get about 40% of their rated capacity

 

[Mike Casselton]

Tractor Supply for good prices on Cannon

 

[Raffy]

I am currently looking for a safe alao. My recent research has taken me to these conclusions- American made is your best bet, and for reasons besides pointing to the "support USA" objective. Your going to pay right near the top of your budget after sizing down the size of your safe a bit and paying taxes, delivery, etc... The quality of the steel is very poor in safes built outside the US and doesn't hold up as shown in multiple companies comparison testing found easily on youtube. It convincingly narrowed my selection down to RSC devices made in the USA, for more reasons other than the first one, of wanting to support American work.

A real safe is preferred, of course, but currently out of my price range and honestly a serious burgler doing a serious break and enter is not the main concern for my purchase, hence being happy with a RSC rated "safe". My main concern is child safety with growing kids under 5. Then smash and grab burglers and fire/water damage in catastrophic conditions. Any RSC device is not going to deter anyone from peeling it open like a big tuna fish can with some tools currently found in my own garage right now, as long as they know what part of the safe to go to in order to get in. But it will take enough work to make it obvious that something fishy is going on, in which case it will help to secure the safe to the floor and educate the children about gun safety, depression, suicide, etc.... Bolting the thing to the concrete is an important tipping safety measure and a major deterrent for smash and grabbers, as well as pro burglers alike. Also, anyone willing to spend the time is going to do it when Im not home anyway, and let's face it, you have to spend serious money to get to the level of safe security to deter a serious person from making it in to any safe no matter how much steel, and if I am not home they will have that time, and they already won by default. At that point security layers in your home is where it's at anyways.

Everyone and their dog says get the biggest safe you can first, otherwise plan on getting two. One now and one later, after you have filled up the first one! Seems reasonable.

The American made safes I had been looking in to are Liberty and Champion, with Champion having the edge to my needs. I know that other USA mades have more security from companies who build real safes like AMSEC, Sturdy, Graffunder, etc... are solid, but your price point probably limits you out of those. I believe that to be true, but haven't looked hard because my budget limited me out prematurely and I haven't looked hard at those. I believe there are a couple others, but look up youtube videos from Liberty and Champion to see their torture tests and decide if the improved strength and improved designs of USA made safes/steel is where you want to go.

Combination dials seem to run a bit less expensive than eLocks, so depending on the vendor you can shave money there if you like mechanical dials. Researching the locks that come on the safes has proven a completely seperate thing all to itself. Crappy locks often come on safes not built in USA so do a little due diligence there to ensure you buy a safe with a quality lock, not a made in china pile of garbage that is prone to fail.

Prices are going up across the board right now due to supply/demand with steel shortages and I am sure labor and other factors as well. Champion just sent a notification of this price increase to start in Jan 2022.
Apparently this is not uncommon lately and dealers are seeing this throughout the year, also. 300 miles is going to cost some money for delivery. My $.02. YMMV.

TLDR- buy USA MADE and make sure it doesn't say something like, "from components sourced worldwide" or some other gibberish like that. Good luck!

 

[Raffy]

Safe capacity ratings must be made with Win 94s or Daisy Red Ryders.
With modern optics you get about 40% of their rated capacity

Agreed. The sales guy I spoke to said a shotgun counts as 1, a scoped rifle 2, and an ar/ak style gun 3. Plus shove them all in so tight you ruin your guns. Making sure to use handguns to boost your numbers!

 

[krw]

I agree w above statements, I also think several smaller safes are better than 1 BIG one. Easier to find and get what your looking for

 

[roostercogburn98]

Guess I can repeat the cannon from TSC. I bought the 84 gun widebody one a few years ago. Holds stuff well, decent fire rating

 

[powerspc]

Craig's List or whatever the equivalent is in your area. There really isn't huge market for used safes, they're heavy and hard to move. My last safe (a Champion 50) was free as long as I was willing to come move it (owners were moving out of State, to bring the safe with them would have cost about the same as just buying a new one). If you think you have the resources and help to move something large and heavy it's at least another option.

[edit] If I was going to buy a safe the only ones I would look at would be Zanotti Armor. They are not budget safes, but if you ever have to move it they are the best knock-down safes you can get.

 

[Elnino31]

One of the nicer and reasonably priced safes I’ve seen lately was the Rhino Warthog. Good size, nice electronic lock (not the cheapos that most bargain safes use), and I think it was around $1600. It’s a solid safe for the money considering the fire rating and steel thickness

Liberty fat boy is also a good choice for the money

 

[Riverlife87]

I got a 80 gun cannon from Tractor supply, im sure there are much better but i feel like it was a solid deal. You can catch them on sale pretty cheap

 

[Simonsza1]

Another vote for tractor supply. Also Home Depot online has some decent deals sometimes.

 

[Anb618]

Cannon from Tractor Supply here. They have occasional sales, Black Friday being their biggest every year.
My only complaint has been that they come without a backup key. I just change the 9v for the electronic keypad every year when I change my smoke detectors and have not had an issue (yet).

 

[Simonsza1]

Unless you basically double the cost the cannon safes are great for the money. Are they a Fort Knox safe? No, but there also a fraction of the price and still pretty dam good.

 

[mtang45]

Don't be me. About 30 years ago when I got my first safe, I thought my brother in law and I could move it into the house. That ordeal was nearly a major disaster that almost ended with the safe in the basement and not in the way we would have wanted it to get there. Not to mention the sore backs for a couple of weeks. Definitely pay for professionals to get it where you want it.

 

[dutchboy53]

Plus one for Costco
The best part was shipping was included

 

[kthomas]

For those suggesting Cannon, does this seem like a good deal?

https://www.costco.com/cannon-43.8-cu.ft.-executive-safe%2c-60-minute-fireproof-protection.product.100341405.html

Shipping is free, but only curbside. So I would have to pay to get it into the house, but that shouldn't be too exorbitant.

 

[Mike Casselton]

For those suggesting Cannon, does this seem like a good deal?

https://www.costco.com/cannon-43.8-cu.ft.-executive-safe%2c-60-minute-fireproof-protection.product.100341405.html

Shipping is free, but only curbside. So I would have to pay to get it into the house, but that shouldn't be too exorbitant.

Curbside is where they will drop it.
However $50 will usually get it inside the house if you are prepared when he arrives.
I used thin Luanne cut lengthwise and laid out to allow the hand truck to roll over them and not damage or stain the carpet.

They can be moved with sections of pipe, or golf balls as rollers

 

[davsco]

For those suggesting Cannon, does this seem like a good deal?

i got that one for $899 on sale back in apr 2019, see it on sale from time to time. it's definitely large! but it is a definite step down in toughness / sturdiness from my ft knox, of course at less than half the price. the delivery driver brought it into my garage, after backing his truck down our 300yd not-straight driveway. it's in a corner and i generally park my car in front of it.

 

[kthomas]

These are also currently on sale:

Shop - Spartan Safe

Products Archive - Spartan Safe

spartansafe.com

 

[Devildog]

A good friend of mine took this picture. He’s in the security systems business and sells safes as well. You get what you pay for but nothing is 100 percent, if your worried about theft I suggest a security system as well. A good safe is only going to slow down a thief that knows what he’s doing. Good luck.

 

[Allan havlik]

Cannon from Tractor Supply here. They have occasional sales, Black Friday being their biggest every year.
My only complaint has been that they come without a backup key. I just change the 9v for the electronic keypad every year when I change my smoke detectors and have not had an issue (yet).

You don’t want a backup key then a guy like me who picks locks for fun will ruin your day

 

[MadDuner]

All they buy is a little time - from burglars or fire.
You have to have a "system" to work with it before you'll actually get much security out of the deal.
That said - an inexpensive safe is still way better than no safe at all.

 

[kthomas]

View attachment 7767663
A good friend of mine took this picture. He’s in the security systems business and sells safes as well. You get what you pay for but nothing is 100 percent, if your worried about theft I suggest a security system as well. A good safe is only going to slow down a thief that knows what he’s doing. Good luck.

That's part of the reason why I haven't purchased one yet. It's bothered me how easy a Gun "safe" can be broken into, unless you spend 3x+ the budget I have.

But at this point I've decided that even a simple safe is better than no safe. At some point when I have more funds available, I'll upgrade to a proper safe. I've also thought about making a secret room to hold my firearms.

 

[Simonsza1]

That’s a browning safe which is very good. But hey I dont care what brand it is when you have a set of torches which they clearly did no safe will stop them.

 

[Simonsza1]

Also about 15 20” pieces of 1/2” scheduled 40 pvc will move any safe anywhere.

 

[Waorani]

Here's how to move a safe. Got a good deal on these a few weeks ago. Some rental places also have them. Make moving a safe a whole lot easier.

 

[MadDuner]

Here's how to move a safe. Got a good deal on these a few weeks ago. Some rental places also have them. Make moving a safe a whole lot easier.

View attachment 7767710

I used a set of those to move 16 safes at the same time. What a lifesaver! But there IS an art to getting all that to settle down while going up and down in the truck with a lift gate. The key is to make sure it’s not on the wheels when lift gate is in motion!

 

[gnochi]

Most cheap gun “safes” take 5 minutes with a crowbar or 30 seconds with a sawzall to break in. If they’re cheap with fire protection, they’re using gypsum (which contains a ton of water to release steam) that’s sourced from China and includes all sorts of things that make your guns rust faster in addition to being structurally useless. A good safe will have thick steel - and only the thickest layer matters, not a stack of thin layers - and use concrete for the water content required for fire protection.

If you’re on a budget buying new, you’re better off with individual locks and distributed stash spots a home security system, and collector insurance (Eastern or Collect Insure). It’ll still keep honest people honest and add some aggravation to someone breaking in.

If there aren’t any used Amsec/Graffunder/etc locally, and you can stretch the budget a bit, go with something from Sturdy Safes (skip the fire protection, theirs misses the point entirely) or if you might move in the next couple years I can personally attest that the Zanotti Armor Safe series is secure and the modular setup makes moving it achievable. With those exceptions, if it isn’t a UL-rated Residential Security Cabinet, skip it.

Also, if the fire protection doesn’t have a UL rating attached, the manufacturer claims are literally useless.

Finally, spend some time here before buying the chinesium at Costco or Tractor Supply: https://gunsafereviewsguy.com/

 

[kthomas]

Most cheap gun “safes” take 5 minutes with a crowbar or 30 seconds with a sawzall to break in. If they’re cheap with fire protection, they’re using gypsum (which contains a ton of water to release steam) that’s sourced from China and includes all sorts of things that make your guns rust faster in addition to being structurally useless. A good safe will have thick steel - and only the thickest layer matters, not a stack of thin layers - and use concrete for the water content required for fire protection.

If you’re on a budget buying new, you’re better off with individual locks and distributed stash spots a home security system, and collector insurance (Eastern or Collect Insure). It’ll still keep honest people honest and add some aggravation to someone breaking in.

If there aren’t any used Amsec/Graffunder/etc locally, and you can stretch the budget a bit, go with something from Sturdy Safes (skip the fire protection, theirs misses the point entirely) or if you might move in the next couple years I can personally attest that the Zanotti Armor Safe series is secure and the modular setup makes moving it achievable. With those exceptions, if it isn’t a UL-rated Residential Security Cabinet, skip it.

Also, if the fire protection doesn’t have a UL rating attached, the manufacturer claims are literally useless.

Finally, spend some time here before buying the chinesium at Costco or Tractor Supply: https://gunsafereviewsguy.com/

This is the shit that's kept me from buying a gun safe for a long time.

A proper safe that provides any theft protection beyond a simple smash and grab costs many thousands and thousands of dollars, and weighs almost as many pounds. I never felt that there was any real value proposition in any moderately priced safe.

Now you have me rethinking buying a cheap safe again. I agree on insurance. Instead of a safe, I've pondered about building a hidden compartment/false wall, maybe I'll look into that option more.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[kthomas]

I could make a hidden compartment using something like this:

Unassembled Paint Grade Flush Mount Bookcase Door

DESCRIPTION PASS THROUGH SPACE Build Your Own Hidden Door! If you have been dreaming of a Murphy Door but don't have measurements to cut for clearances, or access to carpentry equipment; our unassembled bookcase door kit is a great option. Constructed with Paint Grade MDF Arrives ready to...

murphydoor.com

 

[gnochi]

I could make a hidden compartment using something like this:

Unassembled Paint Grade Flush Mount Bookcase Door

DESCRIPTION PASS THROUGH SPACE Build Your Own Hidden Door! If you have been dreaming of a Murphy Door but don't have measurements to cut for clearances, or access to carpentry equipment; our unassembled bookcase door kit is a great option. Constructed with Paint Grade MDF Arrives ready to...

murphydoor.com

Do it!

 

[kthomas]

Do it!

Now that I think about it, it would be a much more efficient use of space. Could build a bitchin little hidden room that can store a lot more guns and gear, could completely tailor the interior for my use (gun safes have shitty interiors), and would probably be a lot better for theft protection.

 

[Elnino31]

If you have a hidden room. You should have a cheap safe to occupy a thief’s time. They’ll think they hit the mother load when they find $250 cash, a 10/22, g19, and a an R700 topped off with a leupold 3-9

 

[kthomas]

If you have a hidden room. You should have a cheap safe to occupy a thief’s time. They’ll think they hit the mother load when they find $250 cash, a 10/22, g19, and a an R700 topped off with a leupold 3-9

I've thought about that as well! Not a bad idea to have a cheap decoy safe with some cheap firearms. If they make it to my reloading/gun room, it will be obvious I have firearms.

Good idea to have that deception.

 

[Anb618]

This is the shit that's kept me from buying a gun safe for a long time.

A proper safe that provides any theft protection beyond a simple smash and grab costs many thousands and thousands of dollars, and weighs almost as many pounds. I never felt that there was any real value proposition in any moderately priced safe.

Now you have me rethinking buying a cheap safe again. I agree on insurance. Instead of a safe, I've pondered about building a hidden compartment/false wall, maybe I'll look into that option more.

Decisions, decisions...

Wanna know how often residential burglars bring or attempt to use crow bars/pry tools to access a legitimate safe interior?
10 years in LE, I’ve never seen it happen on an actual safe. Only once, and that was on a sheet metal storage locker that wasn’t properly bolted to the floor.

Another response mentioned “5 minutes with a crowbar or 30 seconds with a sawzall…” and that’s bullshit from ANY modern marketed safe for most burglars if it’s properly anchored. The 5 minutes claim is only reasonable if they can flip the safe on it’s back and use body weight/leverage to pry. I’d love to see someone try that on any 14ga or better bodied safe standing upright that is properly anchored where they can’t apply leverage easily.

 

[Rant Durden]

So I want another safe, but would prefer a combo lock. The one I have now has the electronic pad and I’m afraid if we’re broken into the pad will get destroyed and I won’t be able to access my stuff.
Any ideas for that situation?

 

[MadDuner]

It’s only a time wasting deterrence for the burglar.
Nothing is absolute.
It’s like everything else in this world - buy the best you can afford if you can.

 

[Raffy]

Wanna know how often residential burglars bring or attempt to use crow bars/pry tools to access a legitimate safe interior?
10 years in LE, I’ve never seen it happen on an actual safe. Only once, and that was on a sheet metal storage locker that wasn’t properly bolted to the floor.

Another response mentioned “5 minutes with a crowbar or 30 seconds with a sawzall…” and that’s bullshit from ANY modern marketed safe for most burglars if it’s properly anchored. The 5 minutes claim is only reasonable if they can flip the safe on it’s back and use body weight/leverage to pry. I’d love to see someone try that on any 14ga or better bodied safe standing upright that is properly anchored where they can’t apply leverage easily.

An angle grider to the side will do it, but will take more than 5 minutes to cut a big enough window to get my guns through. I swear 99 percent of crooks are too stupid to make their crooked path work for them. A real thief anticipating a safe will bring a small oxy-acetylene torch and it really would take 5 minutes for every safe that doesn't have concrete poured in the walls of it.

 

[Raffy]

So I want another safe, but would prefer a combo lock. The one I have now has the electronic pad and I’m afraid if we’re broken into the pad will get destroyed and I won’t be able to access my stuff.
Any ideas for that situation?

Many electrinic locks that I have seen while shopping around keep the combination saved inside the safe seperate from the keypad. I would check it out on your specific model. If the keypad is smashed in the locksmith just gets a new keypad, hooks it up, you enter your combo, and your in.

 

[Doctorwho1138]

I have a cannon safe. It’s used mainly to keep the kids from getting to the firearms. I didn’t even have a safe for years. My house has steel reinforced doors and a security system. My alarm has gone off a few times and the police are there within 10 minutes. It just buys you time. Plus my property is completely fenced with a security gate and cameras everywhere. Mine is the 85 gun safe. I have been pleased with it for what it cost. I am adding one of those Murphy bookcase doors to my house. They are pretty cool.