Gun Safe recommendations

[shamir]

I am buying a new house and need a new gun safe. Thinking of putting it in the garage with a workbench and finally getting into reloading. Any recommendations on a floor safe ? I will need to hold about a dozen guns, couple of pistols, and reloading supplies in a secure and fireproof way.

 

[msat10]

Look at the AMSEC BF type safes.

 

[SharpsNitro]

Look at Fort Knox, I've had one of their safes for over 15 years.

 

[Hairball]

You are likely to get as many opinions as you would in a "best rifle" or "best scope" thread. I own several and why I will not tell you which one to get I will put forth the following:

1. Pick out the size you want and then get the next larger or even larger one than that. You will be surprised at how much stuff you will find to put in there and even when safes claim to hold "X" amount of rifles. Cut that number in half if most of your stuff has scopes on them.

2. Most gun safes are labeled as a residential security container and while that's fine, just be sure you look at all of the features as each one is not the same as you can spend 1k or 10k on a residential security container.

3. You may want to determine what threat is most likely to occur. If fire is the most likely problem there are some RSC with much higher ratings than others. If theft is a major concern, look at safes with TL ratings (usually 15 or 30) as these are much harder to break into but they may not offer as much fire protection (depending upon model)

4. TL rated safes may weigh 2-3 times what RSC can weigh (again depending upon model) so if you plan to place it and never move it that's fine but if you need to move it from the garage to inside the house someday, you may have issues.

5. As you live in OR, garage temp fluctuation may cause water issues so make sure you research dri-rods or the like to help out.

6. Last but not least, bolt the thing to the floor at least on 2 points to keep it from getting tipped over and hauled off.

Hope some of this helps and if you want specific brands I can give you my opinions but you know how that goes around here.

Edit: I would add that while it may be easy for us to say get this or that, your budget will place you at a certain level so once you set the budget, shop around and see what you can find. You may also check the local classified ads as there are always people moving that don't want to haul large safes with them. Buddy of mine got a killer deal on a used graffunder.

 

[parkervbar88]

GUN SAFES "THE TRUTH" weaponseducation - YouTube <-- features to look for

 

[ChemE1975]

You mentioned reloading supplies in the safe. Do not put powder in the safe. You may already know that.

 

[oldfatguy]

Good advice already given. Only thing I can add is to buy the biggest safe you can possibly manage. They only come in one size.......too small.

OFG

 

[shamir]

You mentioned reloading supplies in the safe. Do not put powder in the safe. You may already know that.

I am a total newbie to reloading, so I did not know that. Why not?

 

[Hairball]

Because putting powder in an enclosed container in a fire is not a good thing and if you keep important paperwork in the safe, you can scratch that stuff if you have several pounds of h1000 sitting under it. I keep all of my powder in a gym style locker that allows it to vent in case of fire

 

[ChemE1975]

To be clear, gun powder in a safe is essentially a bomb. VERY dangerous. The safe will hold pressure and thus forces the powder to explode rather than just burn. You need to do some research on powder storage. You can also speak with your local fire Marshall about it. While we are on the subject, there may or may not be laws about his you need to store it dependent on the amount you have on hand. I'm not advocating getting the government involved in your business, what I am advocating is to get educated so you can be safe.

 

[Nik H]

I am a total newbie to reloading, so I did not know that. Why not?

No Powder or no primers...you are putting things into the safe to protect them. Your biggest worry is not really theft....depending on where you live. No safe can protect you from someone who wants want you have. A pro can get in pretty quickly (30 minutes). A safe buys you time. If you have an alarm in addition to the safe, you will be fine

Your principal concern should be fire. Safes can only buy you time. All are rated for a given amount of time at a certain temperature. The better the safe; the longer you have. All bets are off if you put something combustible in the safe.

I have had a Liberty Presidential safe for 15 years. It is bolted to the floor of my garage. I have a better dehumidifier than the wand that came with it. I live very close to the ocean (5 minute walk)...no rust on any of the firearms. There are other brands that are as good s well. Look at them on the websites and see which one fits best for your purpose....get SimpliSafe for an alarm unless you have one of the others already.

BR,

 

[WallNutt]

Three words........Sturdy Safe Company. More steel than most of the others hands down for the same money. Superb service and will custom build with heavy gauge steel to your specs for the same price as a flimsy Browning, Stack-On, Remington, etc etc etc.

 

[GMZ]

AMSEC RF6528


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[hooligan hooker]

OP, all good advice so far. I would also offer three thoughts:

1. If mounting in your garage, bolt it to the wall in addition to the floor leaving minimal clearance to the wall. This makes it harder to "wrench it" from the floor.

2. Digital keypads offer one more thing to go wrong. Stick with the dial.

3. If you don't foresee relocating anytime soon, see what your local locksmiths carry and can proficiently service. This may save you a headache later.


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[bdubb]

Just because everyone else is tossing out names, I'll toss out the Graffunder...


If you're building a house though I would consider a reinforced room or vault instead of a high end safe. Could still use a fire safe in that room for extra fire protection, but the best way to store weapons in my opinion is in a place that can't be found easily. A safe in the garage is easy to find, so make it heavy and anchor it to the slab. That is also why I mention Graffunder as it's going to take a little more ass than the typical thug with broom sticks or golf balls to knock over or move a 5,000 lb safe. Also, in the garage be sure not to store something like a cutting torch in plain view and right next to the safe.

 

[wapiti16b]

Three words........Sturdy Safe Company. More steel than most of the others hands down for the same money. Superb service and will custom build with heavy gauge steel to your specs for the same price as a flimsy Browning, Stack-On, Remington, etc etc etc.

I'll second the suggestion of the Sturdy Safe Company and add the xtra fire insulation to it as I did on mine . They have a video of a total burn down and the safe and its contents were intact !

 

[47chevycoe]

I found a like new liberty fatboy on Craigslist for almost half price. Might be worth looking in to..

 

[Moose]

I have a Liberty and it is a good safe.Hairball had a lot of good suggestions about a safe.

 

[Dragonfly77]

I've been extremely happy with my Fort Knox Defender 6637.

 

[rd_kng]

I also agree with the Fort Knox. Great choice and good company to deal with. I would also recommend larger than planned.

 

[dylanmj]

If you have a lot of time to read forum posts, The Safe Guy (who works for AMSEC) goes into a lot of detail about safe properties and what differentiates them. You can draw your own conclusions based on your research, but the arguments he presents made a lot of sense to me, and when I invest in a safe it will be an AMSEC BF:

https://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_46/...7-archive-updates-in-first-post--.html&page=1

 

[jdonovan]

above first, if you've got 20k to spend, then you can talk to 'real' vault people. They sell and install the same stuff that goes into your local bank. Its available, but not cheap.
1st tier - graffunder or brown
2nd - any TL-15 rated safe
3rd 1/4" or thicker plate safe

below this level by on price, because you're really only keeping out the smash and grab guy with a screwdriver and a hammer.

also get a monitored alarm system and insurance that covers the FULL REPLACEMENT value of whats in the safe.

_ANY_ safe is only buying time.

These days with cordless saws, drills and grinders, anything less than 1/4 plate or special composites (like amsec BF) can be breached VERY quickly by the most novice of thieves.

REALLY consider anywhere but the garage for a location. Even if you bolt it down, 2 guys a stolen pickup and a chain, and that safe is out of your garage in < 60 seconds.

 

[Downtown]

Another recommendation for Sturdy Safe. Great people to deal with and a great product one step down from TL safes. As far as powder, my local code says above a certain limit, a vented wooden magazine is proper.

 

[XOR]

Best value in a gun safe for the security is the Amsec BF. Other major brands do not compare. I used to drill open safes and the model I personally recommended to people were the Graffunder if you have the coin, or the Amsec BF or higher rated Amsec if you don't.

But even then, I think the Amsec BF is just as secure as the B-Rate Graffunders (lowest level) and if I had to buy again, I'd get the Amsec BF because I think they have better fire protection than the Graffunders do based on door insulation and construction.

I won't discuss how many gun safes are compromised. But I will say if your door isn't at least 1/4" REAL plate steel (not wrapped around drywall to look thick), then you are vulnerable to some simple things. 1/2" thick plate steel is better and the walls should also be good solid construction.

If you have a safe already you might also want to think about these tricks:

1) Install a monitored smoke alarm above your safe. Connect it to your burglar alarm panel. Most fire circuits are active 24/7 regardless of whether the system is armed or not. The idea is someone hitting your safe with a cutting tool is going to make a lot of smoke. The smoke alarm above the safe can alert authorities and send people scrambling if it goes off.

2) Place the safe in a closet if you can so it is out of view, but also the door will be recessed somewhat which makes getting tools onto it harder. Also harder to attack the walls. You can also place it in a corner so the door opens away from the wall. This way someone with a crowbar can't work the opening edge without hitting the wall with the bar. If you have the safe in a garage, keep it covered so people don't see it when your door is open, etc. Don't let workers in your home see your reloading/gun area either.

3) ALWAYS bolt the safe down. I don't care how heavy it is. I know of 1100 lb safes that were stolen from properties where a 200lb safe right next to it that was bolted down remained in place (the 1100 lb safe was actually empty and the 200lb safe had the cash. Go figure.).

4) You can buy some magnetic signs to decorate your safe that might put people off. I put an Explosives magnetic sign on my safe and reloading locker. It might not stop someone with a grinder from going at a safe, but you'd have to think they'd be a little nervous with something like this on the front. Plus it may actually be useful to firefighters in an emergency to let them know about potential danger: