Gun Safe?

[Jackson]

So, where are some good places to shop for a gun safe in the Indy, or not-too-far-from-Indy, area? I've been to Gander Mountain, but they only seem to carry Liberty, or other safes made by liberty. I guess I'm just curious what my other options are.

Also, if anyone knows of some good online reading about what to look for in a gun safe and wanted to point me to it, it would be appreciated. I know different safes have different fire ratings and some manufacturers use different fillers and insulators. I'm just not sure what would be considered good, or even minimally acceptable.

I don't have a ton of money to spend, but it's also something I know I will keep for a long time. So I think an investment in quality now will save me some disappointment later. It's one of those things I think I should do right the first time.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Tim-g19]

Sams club has them sometimes, check sams club online if you have a membership. where I got mine.

 

[Hiram Abiff]

I am looking at one for my vehicle.

Gun Safe : Gun Vaults : Buyasafe.com

 

[campbellrex]

farm stores carry safes like rural king & tsc

 

[4sarge]

Johnson Safe

Try Johnson Safe Company. Custom makes any size and did have reasonable prices. When I bought mine from him, he had the most bang for the buck and he delivers. He has a small web site and lives somewhere between Zionsville/Whitestown area.

 

[dg101win]

I believe Rural King has a 20% off sale on safes right now,today or maybe tomorrow the last day of sale though. Menards handles Liberty brand,they usually have one on display but can order them.

 

[Jackson]

Johnson Safe

Try Johnson Safe Company. Custom makes any size and did have reasonable prices. When I bought mine from him, he had the most bang for the buck and he delivers. He has a small web site and lives somewhere between Zionsville/Whitestown area.

I actually drove up and took a look at their shop yesterday. They were very cool. Showed me around the shop. Let me look at some works in progress. Showed me a bit about how they make things and some of the safes they had been working on for other customers. They had one that had to be 7ft tall and 6 feet wide with double doors that they were in the process of working on.

Their finished products are easily on par, fit and finish wise, with the Liberties I'd seen at Gander Mountain the same day. From what I've been reading online and other places, they seem to be similarly constructed as well. Liberty uses some kind of one-piece design to minimize the number of welds. (Two, total, I think. One per end.) Johnson spot welds on the outside and hand Mig welds all the way around the inside of the seams on the inside. The guy who showed me around at Johnson said they use 7ga sheet steel to construct their safes. It didn't seem that thick to me. But if that's really the case, it beats Liberties 10 or 11ga stuff by a fair bit. I'm certainly not an expert on sheet metal.

I also really like the idea of going with a local business like Johnson. That aspect of it really appeals to me.

Even given that, though, I'm going to be doing a bit of shopping around before I make any decision. It's a big purchase for me and I want to do it right the first time. I will probably go to a couple safe/security places on Monday and see if they have anything interesting to offer that would suit my needs.

Thanks everyone for your input. I appreciate your comments. And am definitely interested in any other suggestions.

 

[pmpmstrb]

7ga is probably thicker than you think.

7ga=0.1793" (11/64") For comparison (12/64=3/16)
10ga=0.1345" (9/64") For comparison (10/64=5/32)
11ga=0.1196" (7/64") For comparison (8/64=1/8)

The decimal numbers are accurate, but the fractional are extremely close (like .0015 at the most). I wanted them all to have the same denominator.

Sheet Metal Thickness Gauges

 

[Jackson]

Yeah. I'm saying that it didn't seem thick enough to be 7ga. It seemed closer to what the liberty was. Maybe a touch thicker. It didn't seem like it was nearly 3/16th. But it may have been. That is what the guy said.

 

[pmpmstrb]

I wouldn't be surprised if the ga was off. Try buying car audio wire and actually getting what is advertised. That stuff is all over the place.

 

[jmb79]

I too am a very satisfied customer of Jeff Johnson. He built a very nice safe for us two years ago. He's a hell of a nice guy too.

One thing you always hear when it comes to purchasing a safe is to buy a larger safe than you think you'll need because you fill it up quickly. I heartily agree with this. I wish I could have afforded something larger. Now I'm saving my pennies for a second safe.

 

[esrice]

Website?

 

[mosesiscarryingapdw]

I am looking at one for my vehicle.

Gun Safe : Gun Vaults : Buyasafe.com

Get this one, but get the large. They are very reasonably priced, and work great as a locking case for your checked luggage if you fly a lot. No problems so far with it on multiple flights over the past year (well, except for Airtran a few weeks ago but that's an entirely different story). They also come with a retention cable so you can secure it to the vehicle's frame. Mine has been invaluable ever since I started carrying. If I happen to go into say a bar with friends and have a couple of drinks, I just lock it up until I get home.

 

[Shay]

I also own a Johnson safe and am very happy with it. Jeff went out of his way to make sure I was taken care of.

 

[nighthawk80]

I think this is his website: Johnson Safe
He come to a majority of the Indy 1500 gunshows.

 

[4sarge]

I think this is his website: Johnson Safe
He come to a majority of the Indy 1500 gunshows.

That's the one - Thanks

 

[Texas-M4]

I read where some states are offering tax rebates for the purchase of safes for home safety; of course, then your'e registered.

 

[JohnMcClane]

I also noticed that Meijer had some good sales from time to time. I ordered online and picked them up at the store for $0 shipping. Take a look...
Meijer.com

 

[rockhopper46038]

I've had good success picking up plate safes from Craig's List. I even scored an enormous TLTR-30x6 there last year, but haven't been so lucky yet this year.

If I hadn't found that safe I would have ordered one from Johnson by now.

 

[scoutsniper]

if on a budget i got a safe at mernards for 298$ with tax out the door. 18 stack on, 300ibs, fire resistant 30min, electric lock with manual backup. 3 bolt locking door. comes with shelving and such. its not the most amazing fabric inside but it works good and just enough weight to be a PITA to move about.

ill check check for brand and name when i get home. i cant remember right now.