decent cheap gun safe?

[mikegideon]

I agree with you, but I like the idea of having some "fire rating" too. It would be one less then to deal with in case of a fire. I am sure that adding the lights would breach any "fire rating", unless it was equipped with it originally.

I am in the same position you are in, looking and wondering how much bang I need for the buck!

Nope. My safe has a plug so you can add an electric dehydrator. I don't use it, but it doesn't ruin the fire rating.

[Gun Smith]

The Safe House in Nashville is a TGO vendor. That's where I got mine. I highly recommend them.

The Safe House - Commercial and Residential Safes - Safe Movers

I just checked out their website. They seem like they are pretty good. However, If I were getting a safe, the last thing I would want is some big truck plastered billboard announcing to the world that I am getting a safe. One of the major components of security is privacy as has been mentioned throughout this thread. A bad guy could reason that if someone is getting a safe they must have some pretty good stuff. And, as mentioned, any BG with enough determination can get to what you got.

Another thing about safes. A friend of mine used to be a cop. He would discourage folks from getting and using safes. He said some bad guys would break into a house while owners were away. Find the safe and not be able to get inside it. The bad guys would come back when the owners were home and make them open the safe. Now you may say like I do, "If I'm home, ain't no BG gonna make me open my safe!". But, I know the BG could make my wife. Also, the BG could make me if he had a gun or knife to my wife's throat. All that to say, a safe may actually be inviting more trouble than it's worth. Just food for thought.

[bigwakes]

I just checked out their website. They seem like they are pretty good. However, If I were getting a safe, the last thing I would want is some big truck plastered billboard announcing to the world that I am getting a safe. One of the major components of security is privacy as has been mentioned throughout this thread. A bad guy could reason that if someone is getting a safe they must have some pretty good stuff. And, as mentioned, any BG with enough determination can get to what you got.

Another thing about safes. A friend of mine used to be a cop. He would discourage folks from getting and using safes. He said some bad guys would break into a house while owners were away. Find the safe and not be able to get inside it. The bad guys would come back when the owners were home and make them open the safe. Now you may say like I do, "If I'm home, ain't no BG gonna make me open my safe!". But, I know the BG could make my wife. Also, the BG could make me if he had a gun or knife to my wife's throat. All that to say, a safe may actually be inviting more trouble than it's worth. Just food for thought.

I think the bigger problem is a BG getting my firearm collection that was not in a safe and using it against some other unarmed citizen. While the above scenario would suck, I'm glad I have my safe.

[mikegideon]

I just checked out their website. They seem like they are pretty good. However, If I were getting a safe, the last thing I would want is some big truck plastered billboard announcing to the world that I am getting a safe. One of the major components of security is privacy as has been mentioned throughout this thread. A bad guy could reason that if someone is getting a safe they must have some pretty good stuff. And, as mentioned, any BG with enough determination can get to what you got.

Another thing about safes. A friend of mine used to be a cop. He would discourage folks from getting and using safes. He said some bad guys would break into a house while owners were away. Find the safe and not be able to get inside it. The bad guys would come back when the owners were home and make them open the safe. Now you may say like I do, "If I'm home, ain't no BG gonna make me open my safe!". But, I know the BG could make my wife. Also, the BG could make me if he had a gun or knife to my wife's throat. All that to say, a safe may actually be inviting more trouble than it's worth. Just food for thought.

Wow. I got mine as much for fire proofing as for security. Sure, my neighbors saw them deliver it, but it was on a special trailer. It's certainly not my only line of defense.

[Spiffy]

i went with a Centurion by liberty. Price was right (~$400) and it seems to be pretty solid. I think it would stop most but not all. It weighs in around 360 lbs empty. In addition to that, its mounted in a closet. This means they would have to find the safe, penetrate it, and make the haul without the dogs chewing on them and the alarm going off 30 sec after entry. I feel ok about it. I only worry when i am out of town for a extended period of time

I have a Centurion for my upstairs safe. Got it on sale Thanksgiving Day at Gander Mountain. It is normally $700.

Safes are something you want to buy bigger because your collection of guns and other valuables will grow. Consider if you have to leave the house for a few days what all you could put in it in case you were robbed.

[RobertNashville]

...If I were getting a safe, the last thing I would want is some big truck plastered billboard announcing to the world that I am getting a safe. One of the major components of security is privacy as has been mentioned throughout this thread. A bad guy could reason that if someone is getting a safe they must have some pretty good stuff. And, as mentioned, any BG with enough determination can get to what you got.

Another thing about safes. A friend of mine used to be a cop. He would discourage folks from getting and using safes. He said some bad guys would break into a house while owners were away. Find the safe and not be able to get inside it. The bad guys would come back when the owners were home and make them open the safe. Now you may say like I do, "If I'm home, ain't no BG gonna make me open my safe!". But, I know the BG could make my wife. Also, the BG could make me if he had a gun or knife to my wife's throat. All that to say, a safe may actually be inviting more trouble than it's worth. Just food for thought.

Taking that logic to the extreme, we would not have locks on our doors or security systems and probably make sure we had absolutely nothing anyone else would ever want to steal from us.

There are risks of bad guys doing bad things no matter what we do or don't do...overall, I think making it as difficult as possible for them makes the most sense.

[Guest carter]

Well... I have desided on a safe... "Closet Model" 16 gun safe 2 hour fire 1880 LEO SPECIAL Free Pistol Rack talked to allen and he cut me a good deal on the sale-sale price...not cheap by any means... still over $1000 but i think i am getting my moneys worth...

[Guest clownsdd]

Cosco has a pretty good price on a decent safe. It's a Winchester (I believe they are made by Cannon), for about $600

Wouldn't spend a dime at Costco.

As of Sept 2010

"By obtaining a Costco membership card, our members agree to comply with the Membership Rules and the Privileges and Conditions of membership.

Costco does not believe that it is necessary for firearms to be brought into its warehouse stores, except in the case of authorized law enforcement officers. For the protection of all our members and employees, we feel this is a reasonable and prudent precaution to ensure a pleasant shopping experience and safe workplace. Our policy is meant to protect our members and employees in all warehouses around the world. This is not a new policy and we do not customize the policy for each individual city/county/state/country where we do business.

[tnhawk]

I have several safes, each located in different closets and will probably need to add another one in the future. I like having them seperated as it will require additional time as they are dealing with the dogs and alarm.

[East_TN_Patriot]

All of these responses have been on target as far as I am concerned, but there are a couple of points I think it's important to mention.

First, I've seen the "Security on Sale" video before and there are some major issues with it. If you install your safe improperly, it will make it a lot easier for someone to get into it. The reason they were able to get into that safe as fast as they did is because they were able to turn it over and work on it with a 5 foot wrecking bar that they could pry with. If you load it up with guns and ballast, bolt it to the wall and/or floor, and put the opening side of the door close to a sturdy wall, it is much more difficult to work at the safe.

Second, the post about the cop discouraging people from buying safes is just crazy. I was a cop and I've never heard any police officer suggest that a gun owner shouldn't use some sort of safe to store their firearms. In fact, based on what police and criminologists know about burglars, they are typically local slugs who commit crimes of opportunity. They look for easy targets that provide the chance to grab something quick and easy that they can in turn sell off at a pawn shop, on the street, or on the Internet. They are most certainly NOT going to chance coming back to an occupied home where they know the people own guns and are probably readily armed. The other most common kind of burglaries are committed by someone you know. They are people who have been around your home enough to know what you have and where you keep it. For the average person, this is the threat you are protecting against and any decent quality safe will very likely be sufficient. If you are someone who has a massive gun collection, then you should probably invest in the high-end safe. Professional thieves aren't targeting average folks, but are looking for targets that they know have the big score. They aren't going to risk a prison sentence by breaking into a small apartment or small home in order to snag a couple of thousand dollars worth of guns. Heck, realistically, our personal electronics and jewelry are probably more valuable than most of the guns we own and they are on display in our living rooms and bedrooms. Also, probably the most popular way of "securing" firearms collections has been the traditional locking gun cabinet made of wood with glass doors. We haven't heard about a rash of gun thefts from these sorts of cabinets (although they provide zero protection from anyone who actually wants to steal the guns). For me, fire protection is more important than having a safe that will stand up to a 10,000 fork life (which was a cool demo BTW). As others have stated, layers of security are what is important. In the end, each of us has to balance need with budget and pick the best safe we can afford.

[Guest Guy N. Cognito]

All of these responses have been on target as far as I am concerned, but there are a couple of points I think it's important to mention.

First, I've seen the "Security on Sale" video before and there are some major issues with it. If you install your safe improperly, it will make it a lot easier for someone to get into it. The reason they were able to get into that safe as fast as they did is because they were able to turn it over and work on it with a 5 foot wrecking bar that they could pry with. If you load it up with guns and ballast, bolt it to the wall and/or floor, and put the opening side of the door close to a sturdy wall, it is much more difficult to work at the safe.

Giant +1. I giggled a bit when they pushed that safe over and started prying with that giant bar. I'd love to do that test again, this time with the safe bolted to the floor, loaded with weight, and stuffed in a closet.......the way most of us would have it. I'm sure they could get it, but it would take a significantly longer period of time.

NO safe is burglar-proof. While some of us have chosen to invest in a high-quality safe, it is not necessary for everyone. Any safe is better than no safe at all. When I bought my first house I bought one of the Sentry Safes on sale from Lowes. It was pretty sturdy and thick. It bolted to the floor. My goal wasn't to keep theives from getting my guns EVER, but to delay them and slow them down..... mainly so my own guns couldn't be used against me in my own home.

As others have said, the safe is just one layer of protection. Security doors, alarm systems, cameras and dogs can all be layered to provide good protection in your home.

[East_TN_Patriot]

Giant +1. I giggled a bit when they pushed that safe over and started prying with that giant bar. I'd love to do that test again, this time with the safe bolted to the floor, loaded with weight, and stuffed in a closet.......the way most of us would have it. I'm sure they could get it, but it would take a significantly longer period of time.

Plus I noticed that they didn't do the same test on one of the safes they sell. They may do it in another video, but I admittedly didn't look and I figured that if I needed to dig, it wasn't worth looking for.

Update: OK, in the name of objectivity, I looked at their YouTube page and I didn't see any sort of video showing the same test on one of their safes. I suspect that if I had a little know-how, a huge wrecking bar, a stout buddy with a heavy pry bar, and enough room to flip over their safe and work at it for a little while, I would be in theirs too.

Edited December 30, 2010 by East_TN_Patriot

[Spook]

Thanks for the good insight and info from all. I am also planning to purchase a safe soonest. Like many others I'm trying to balance cost with effectiveness. Along with "securing" my guns I also want the fire protection for other valuables to be stored in the safe. I visited The Safe House recently and they have a fine lineup of quality safes and I think the service would be good, too. Most recently I stopped by Bass Pro and they had a nice Winchester for $999 plus shipping ($200) which fit my requirements. The guy said I could buy the same safe online. However, when I got home (an hour's drive away) the safe was not on their website. I'm still lookin'.

[East_TN_Patriot]

However, this video is a little better. I can tell which safe this (I think it's the Centurion carried by Liberty Safe) and I even considered buying one. This is pretty unreal how easy it is to defeat one of these. I wonder if a combination lock is more secure than a push button electronic one?

[RobertNashville]

I may be wrong but I don't believe either Liberty or Browning buy imported safes.

Edited December 30, 2010 by RobertNashville

[Guest Guy N. Cognito]

However, this video is a little better. I can tell which safe this (I think it's the Centurion carried by Liberty Safe) and I even considered buying one. This is pretty unreal how easy it is to defeat one of these. I wonder if a combination lock is more secure than a push button electronic one?

An interesting display.

Of course, these people have an intimate knowledge of safes and spent some unknown amount of time studying the design.

[gl19gobang]

add in nosey neighbors for additional security, in this case we appreciate.

i have two winchester silverado series a 45 and a 22...very nice fire rating for the price.....a thief would have to get through my frontline defense a dauschund (hes mean as chit) 2 german shepards (144 and 126#'s respectively).......my local sheriffs response time of about 10-15 minutes (i have set it off 3 times myself)----then if he is good and takes my collection...he will have to smile because he is on camera!!!

[gl19gobang]

yeah, your right, we have to do the best we can with whatever resources we have. hopefully most intruders are dumb crackheads which they usually are these days. dumb but dangerous.

Taking that logic to the extreme, we would not have locks on our doors or security systems and probably make sure we had absolutely nothing anyone else would ever want to steal from us.

There are risks of bad guys doing bad things no matter what we do or don't do...overall, I think making it as difficult as possible for them makes the most sense.