Choosing a Gun Safe for Long Rifles and Pistols

[SynnerG]

As my collection grows I find myself needing a gun safe for my babies. I have a number of long guns as well as pistols and I'm wanting something that'd be difficult for some burglar to just throw a dolly under it and haul it out to work on later. What are some brands people prefer, or more importantly stay away from? Do all vaults only have a tumbler lock or are there ones with key entry instead? The only place in town with safes in stock is MC Sports, and most are paper thin sheet metal that I don't really trust against burglars or fire.

Thanks for any input!

 

[IndianaGTI]

I like my Winchester gun safe by fireking. There is a huge difference in safe price depending on amount of time it will protect guns in a fire. My safe weighs close to 1000 pounds so I think the only way it is going very quickly is with a wrecker attached to it. That being said, almost all fireking safes used to be delivered by two guys with the right equipment. Anyone with the right equipment can always take your safe.

I saw a safe that was broken into once. It was similar to mine, but instead of having 12 1" chrome bolts, it had a top and a bottom flat bar. The thieves spent 3 days trying to get into the safe. They cut the hinges off to no avail. They tried to cut the metal door and the gypsum just cooled the metal so they couldn't cut through. eventually, they beat the door in with a sledge hammer to the point that the flat locking bars no longer locked. Then, they just removed the door. I feel pretty confident that you cannot get into my safe that way.

The last thing to look for is how to keep humidity out. I have to use silica gel since my safe does not have a power outlet or a hole through the safe for a power cord. I have 3 pounds of silica gel in my safe that I bake periodically to refresh. You can also get a dehumidifier rod if you have power.

 

[BUCK HINKLE]

I don't know how long the drive is for you but I visited Johnson safes in zionsville and I was very impressed he does beautiful work and I his prices are In line with big companies. The owner walked us through his shop and talked to us for over an hour..
He was very nice and he seemed very easy to work with you will have to wait because he builds to order and by hand, but the quality is fantastic.

You can peek at his work @ www.johnsonsafes.com ..

 

[shooter1054]

I have a Liberty safe. I am confident that it isn't going to come out of my basement easily. It took 2 of us to get it down there. I got one with a mechanical lock instead of an electric lock. I know that any mechanical device can and will eventually fail. My belief is that mechanical will fail less often and will be fixable easier than electrical. You can SEE a broken part, you can't always see a nonworking circuit board. just my free advice. It is worth what you paid for it.

 

[SynnerG]

Good to know GTI. I guess I'm looking for a middle of the road safe. I rent the house I live in right now so I won't be there forever and I don't want to damage anything trying to get a behemoth in the doorways and all that. But I also don't trust the high school gym locker types that you can just pry bar open or something in an instant. I'm okay with the robbers having to earn their loot, lol. And I'd guess probably just the minimal amount of fire resistance. I say this mostly because I live with two other responsible guys and one works a night shift who pulls in the drive from his work as I head out to my work, so there's always someone at the house 24/7 that I'm not worried about unchecked accidental fires and the like.

I'd probably go the silica gel route if it's cheap enough to get a hold of in bulk quantities.

 

[SynnerG]

I don't know how long the drive is for you but I visited Johnson safes in zionsville and I was very impressed he does beautiful work and I his prices are In line with big companies. The owner walked us through his shop and talked to us for over an hour..
He was very nice and he seemed very easy to work with you will have to wait because he builds to order and by hand, but the quality is fantastic.

You can peek at his work @ www.johnsonsafes.com ..

Hmm, Zionsville would be a bit of a drive, but I do see on his site that he goes to the Indy 1500, so hopefully I can run into him there, just to ask some questions anyway.

 

[malern28us]

I own a Liberty Safe. Good value for the money.
I picked mine up when they had them on sale at Big R.

 

[woodwalker]

I own a liberty good safe at a good price. I got mine from Bedford Office Supply. great guy to deal with and excellent delivery

 

[pjcalla]

I'd probably go the silica gel route if it's cheap enough to get a hold of in bulk quantities.

You can use cat litter. Just make sure it is the "crystal" type. Look on the back of the jug and it will say 100% silica gel.

 

[teddy12b]

I've gone back and forth on safes for a long time. Currently I've got one of those tin safes that are good enough to keep kids out of it, but wouldn't take a burglar 5 minutes to get into. We may be moving soon so I'm not planning on upgrading anytime soon either. If I was in a home I thought I was going to be in for the rest of my days then I'd buy one of the heavy steel safes.

On the heavy steel safes from what I can gather the price differences come down to size, and fire rating. As far as I'm concerned if my house burns to the ground every gun in my safe was just had a completely foreign heat treatment and I don't think I'd trust them again without a very serious inspection by a great gunsmith. That's why I don't care so much about the fire rating because I figure the guns toast anyway. I'd value size and strength.

Personally, I used to be a fabricator, so I'm considering building my own some day. Mine wouldn't be a fancy show piece, but it'd be big, sturdy, cheaper, and so much easy to move into position in the smaller pieces.

 

[GLOCKBOY]

I like my Browning fireproof

 

[ol' poke]

Hmm, Zionsville would be a bit of a drive, but I do see on his site that he goes to the Indy 1500, so hopefully I can run into him there, just to ask some questions anyway.

I have a Johnson safe. She's a beauty.

Tell him what you want. Automotive paint in any NAPA color. S&G locksets in digital or manual. Lights & dehumidifier, etc.

Enjoy some chocolate while you drool over the safes.

ol' poke

 

[shootinghoosier]

Yeah, I have a Johnson Safe and really like it. Only wish I had bought a larger model. I spoke with Jeff Johnson at the Indy 1500 show and learned that he credits you 75% of the original purchase price if you buy a bigger safe from him (75% does not include tax, delivery charge). Now he has me really thinking about a bigger safe.

 

[jsn_mooney]

I have a Cannon safe that I am very happy with. Got mine at TSC- when they run them on sale, they beat out everybody I compared them with.
I put a "golden-rod" de-humidifier in mine and I haven't noticed any moisture problems in 3 years now.

 

[SynnerG]

Hate to bring a thread back from the dead, but I started it, so I see it as okay. :-p Anyway, just a question to Johnson Safe owners, the fire rating is impressive, but are they also rated against water any? With the unpredictable weather and the strength of rain storms we get here in southern Indiana, I can never be too sure about flooding. I didn't see any mention on his site, so I was just wondering if anyone knew from owner experience. Thanks!

 

[85t5mcss]

Best bet is to call Jeff and ask him.