Decent Safe for under $1000

Look up Amsec TL15 and TL30 safes. Try to look at them on their site alone if you can.

You'd be looking for something along the lines of those, but they've changed a little through the years (but not much). I'd say they
re the most common ones. Note the price on them and keep that in mind; you may have to call, I forgot. Anyway, watch CL diligently like I said and you'll find someone wanting to get rid of one for one reason or another: they don't know what they have, they're moving, whatever. Get that one. It'll come along, trust me, but like I said, save up some for it just in case. A $10,000 for $2000 isn't a bad deal and it happens ALL the time with these.

Again, good luck.
 
There are companies that move safes. If you get a real safe, consider moving one. If your RSC weighs less than 750 pounds you can probably move it by yourself. I have. Though at my age I better stop as I hurt my lower back last time. The muscles are strong enough, but I guess we just break down elsewhere when we age. A couple of big guys and a little thinking/planning should be no problem. A 4,500+ pound safe? Just call a pro, spend a few hundred bucks, and be done with it.
 
Well, they don't look the best. They do look industrial. I suppose you could easily paint and pinstripe it though to suit your tastes. Other than that, it's a box with a door and has the same (if not better) lock than the gun safes do.

No, it won't fit in your car. Best bet is to rent a moving van with a tommy gate that has a rating suitable for that safe. So if the safe is 1900 lbs., you need a one ton tommy gate.

If you have a garage with a concrete floor, you're fine. You back up the truck to the garage, drop the gate with the safe in it, roll it into place with the small dolly you rented, then drop it on low blocks. Have friends help or get ingenious (block and tackle?) to lift or rock the safe to remove the blocks it rests on. There's a mat that you should put between the concrete and safe, regardless of what you use.

If you have a house with a concrete slab floor and want it inside, then just back up the truck and drop the gate to the front door. Lay out heavy plywood flat on the floor to make a path (I'm not sure what you are supposed to do if you have ceramic tile or wood flooring here, but this works on carpet and concrete). Basically, do as above, except here you drop it on the carpet ultimately.

In either case, you could stop by Mako or some other quick auto-body paint shop and get it shot however you like (airbrush would be cool) if you plan on displaying it or it being seen. I agree, the institutional colors they come in are boring. On the other hand, there's always covering it up somehow, just getting ingenious.

Anyway, you don't have to know much. Just be patient, look on CL in the nearest big city/county search(es) and hold out on a safe that's the right size for you (they come in ALL sizes, makes and models). You just need the model number on it (usually riveted in doorframe) to match up to the UL rating (usually riveted in same place). And you want that UL rating to be, ideally, TL15 or TL30 or better. It's pretty simple, actually.

Now if you don't have a concrete floor, things can get tricky... But if you have a stick floor house, you'll likely need to reinforce the floor for any decent gun safe anyway. So why not have a good contractor come and just reinforce it for the heavier TL30 instead?

I don't get it, I'm just trying to help you. I'm not even trying to sell you anything and I even commend you on locking up your firearms. Now I've had the other gun safes, nice shiny ones too, and nothing beats a jewelry safe, nothing. Been around the block, and I do know a bit about security. So that's why I'm saying the UL rating is key, and for price, those two ratings will be the ones you can afford if you save up and are patient and negotiate well and watch CL everyday.

But do what makes you sleep tight at night when away from home. That's what counts, right? Seriously. So good luck in your purchase, that was just my $1.02. Take it easy!

Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate your advice. I just explained what was stopping me from doing it. My main concern is against the common crook (teenager) that comes in and out. I think the bolted down cannon will be good enough for that, do you agree?

When I collect enough valuables that a safe is actually needed, I'll deff be taking your advice and getting a more expensive and 'professional' safe, from CL. So I have heard what you have said, I just don't think I need that level of safe for that extra $$. (even though it's a deal for the item itself since it's used on CL, it's still more than I wanted to spend)
 
Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate your advice. I just explained what was stopping me from doing it. My main concern is against the common crook (teenager) that comes in and out. I think the bolted down cannon will be good enough for that, do you agree?

I say no. That Cannon safe should be fine to keep your kids out if they don't want to get in trouble. But I would say a dumb teen with a crowbar or the tools in your garage should be able to get into that safe in 20 minutes. Again, check out some videos, images, and stories, about these things. That thing is 12 or 14 gauge steel if it's that big and only weighs 580 pounds, including sheetrock. But we all have our priorities and I'm not going to judge you, just tell you how it is. This is about the same size, weighs 515 pounds more and is 10 gauge steel at least: Winchester Silverado Premier 38 Gun Safe That would be my starting point in RSCs that are brand new.
 
Finally a nice safe went on sale again!
Cannon TS6040DLX Wide Body Safe, 48 Gun Capacity - Tractor Supply Online Store
It's the 48 gun wide body cannon safe. Cost 1050 with shipping and tax. Get it while it's on sale!

That is a great safe. I actually just got back for a tour of Cannon's San Bernardino headquarters and production facility. The amount of pride in that workforce is unbelievable. That last thing you want is a joker welding your safe together. Their work it top notch. That looks like a Cannon Series model. I describe it as their "flagship safe". They have a few higher end models with slightly thicker 10 ga steel and higher end interiors, but overall it a nice safe.

It does not look like that model you listed has the new EMP lock. The EMP lock is a dual access lock that has both a keypad and manual combination dial. The idea is that if a nuclear device goes off or any kind of device that lets off an electromagnetic pulse, you will still be able to get into the safe via the manual combination dial.

We should have videos of our trip up in the next few weeks.

Chase B.
 
I know this is going to piss some people off.

You are not going to find a good safe for under $2500

Everything mentioned has both shitty fire protection or shitty tamper resistance.

Almost every safe you see in big box stores or Cabelas/Bass Pro is a waste of money.(Heavy wastes of money)

They offer little to no REAL fire protection and little restistance to anyone with a pry bar/digging bar or angle grinder.

Here is what I would do.

1.Get a cheap Metal stack on and put it in a closet. This will keep kids and anyone from just taking the guns and organize them in one spot. Keeps honest people honest Should be around $100 Bucks
2. Get a Dakota XP or similar modular safe. Put it inside a closet or place it cannot be moved. This will give you a little more protection as they will have to tear up the walls to get to it. The real benefit is that it breaks down (heaviest piece is the door around 200lbs) so you can lift and move this yourself in pieces.
3. Look on cragslist for Used GSA security containers or Old Safes. Look for real UL/TL rated or GSA rated safes. You can gut the interioir and build racks or storage space. These will be heavy as shit, but they will provide very good theft and fire protection. They have pourd concerete walls that will insulate from fire and make drilling/dismantling them a real bitch to a theif. Only thing that will defeat these is High skill (not going to matter) and time.
4. Save up for a AMSEC TL rated or similar safe. You are going to spend around $3K with moving costs and god forbid you plan to move it.


All the shit you typicaly see arent safes, They are RSC's or residential security containers. Youtube some videos of how fast and easy people break into them before you drop $500 on a chunk of poorly designed and crafted steel box.

I'm not an expert on this subject, but the research I've done in the past has led me to the same conclusions you stated. As such, my approach to this problem has been much like you suggested for others: I have a metal stack-on container concealed in a closet where I decided it would be least likely to be found, and I'm saving for a REAL safe at some point in the future.

In fairness to the argument FOR bargain RSC's, I think a lot of people would do well to consider their most likely threats. Having investigated hundreds of burglaries in my career, I can say that the vast majority of burglars breeze through a house and get out quickly... maybe 5-10 minutes maximum, if that. Most burglars don't have the skill or desire to attempt a safe job, and many will be deterred by a container that is heavy and looks like a safe. However, it's not so easy to hide these big containers in many homes, and there's nothing like an 800-lb safe in the living room to advertise the fact that your home contains something of value! As such, in my opinion, increased security becomes more and more important as the safe becomes more and more visible.

Again, it all depends on your situation. One of my friends lives in the mountains, and isn't really concerned about theft. He is VERY concerned about fires up there, and would be far more likely to throw down the big money for a very fire resistant safe that isn't very burglar resistant.
 
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Main reason why i would get a safe is for fire and not so much for someone taking your shit. Check your insurance policies people. Insurance companies usually dont cover shit for firearms and if you do pay the extra premium, then spend that money on a good safe.
 
Main reason why i would get a safe is for fire and not so much for someone taking your shit. Check your insurance policies people. Insurance companies usually dont cover shit for firearms and if you do pay the extra premium, then spend that money on a good safe.

This. Most policies do not cover much and some even with an endorsement only cover $2,500. Depending on your insurance company and policy, to get the coverage you want you will most likely need to look into getting a personal articles policy. PAP's will cover anything from theft to accidents (Even if you drop that expensive scope etc) and they are usually pretty cheap for the amount you can insure. Most PAP's do not have deductibles either.
 
I'll be the asshole of the convo, let's not forget security has a whole. As in what is on the perimeter of ones property, house, internal( sharks with frickin laser beams), home security. All add into the equation of keeping what your hard earned dollars paid for. #safespace
 
Just keep in mind that a determined thief with and angle grinder can cut thouugh a $1000 safe in 30 minutes or less and your stuff will be gone....a $1000 "gun safe" really is just a security container. It'll keep your kids and dumbass teenagers that break into your house from getting inside but thats about it......
 
A safe with additional layers of security (security system, cameras, PAP policy etc) is probably the best way to go. With an alarm system going off and the police on the way those burglars shouldn't have 30 minutes to spend on your safe.