Not sure where to post a question about safes, but this seems appropriate enough?

I am looking to invest in a gun safe mostly for fire protection and safe storage from children. I like the extra features such as a gun rack on the interior of the door, adjustable shelving and a little extra height for extra storage. I would like to keep my bow and other valuables in it besides just guns, so theft prevention is also consideration.

I would like to hear opinions onanything youcare to share to help me withmy research and decision; fromthe various brands, tocombination dials vs. digital keypad, and your experience with the different types ofaccessories such as dehumidifiers.

If you have agun safe and have an opinion please let mehear about it.

So far I have checked out a few sporting stores with brands like Browning etc... and I have looked online at the Browning website and Cabelas Website. I have about $1200 to budget at this point, but would hold off and save more if it meant better features or a brand or model that shined above the rest (I don't need the best, just something that will get the job done).

Without being too specific... at this point in time I would need room for less than 10 handguns and 10 long guns, but am also thinking about room for future growth in investment opportunities.

Thanks,

J

Check out FORT KNOXX safes. There upper level safes have one of the best fire ratings on the market. Take notice of the weight of their Titan series safes...incredibly heavy. Have some friends who are arson/fire investigators who say the higher fire ratings DO make a difference, as opposed to the marginal safes. The Fort Knox safes are not cheap, but I suppose you get what you pay for. Besides if they protect your valuables and enable them to survive a potentially disasterous fire it was money well spent.

You don't buy a Safe cause it's pretty or hownice it looks! You buy it by the label rating!


Safe Ratings
Burglary Ratings
[ul][*]B1 — Theft resistant (minimum security)[*]B2 — Underwriters’ Laboratories Residential Security Container label[*]B3 — Non-rated anti-theft (incorporates features of high security safes
without a UL rating)[*]B4 — Underwriters’ Laboratories TL-15 label[*]B5 — Underwriters’ Laboratories TL-30 label[*]B6 — Underwriters’ Laboratories TL-30X6 or TRTL-30 label [/ul]Fire Ratings
[ul][*]FR — Fire resistant unrated insulated safe[*]1/2 hr — UL class 350. Protects valuables for up to 30 minutes with outside temperature of 1550 degrees.[*]1 hr — UL class 350. Protects valuables for up to 1 hour with outside temperature of 1700 degrees.[*]1 hr+ — UL class 350. Protects valuables for up to 1 hour with an outside temperature of 1700 degrees, plus survived drop test from 30 feet.[*]2 hr — UL class 350. Protects valuables for up to 2 hours with an outside temperature of 1850 degrees.[*]2 hr+ — UL class 350. Protects valuables for up to 2 hours with outside temperature of 1850 degrees, plus survived drop test onto rubble from 30 feet [/ul]UL Underwriters' Laboratories (UL) - UL is a non-profit, non-bias agency that tests and rates the safety and performance of consumer products. Safes that have earned specific UL ratings will carry a UL label which designates the product's security and fire-protection ratings.
[ul][*]Net Working Time - This is the UL term for testing time which is spent trying to break into a safe using tools such as diamond grinding wheels, high-speed drills with pressure applying devices, or common hand tools such as hammers, chisels, saws, and carbide-tip drills. If a safe has been rated with a 30-minute net working time, (TL30), the rating certifies that the safe successfully withstood a full 30 minutes of attack time with a range of tools.[*]Theft resistant - This rating means the safe provides a combination lock and minimal theft protection.[*]Residential Security Container rating (RSC) - This UL rating is based on testing conducted for a net working time of five minutes, on all sides, with a range of tools.[*]TL-15 rating - The TL-15 rating means the safe has been tested for a net working time of 15 minutes using high speed drills, saws and other sophisticated penetrating equipment.[*]TL-30 rating - A product carrying the TL-30 security label has been tested for a net working time of 30 minutes with the same types of tools mentioned above.[*]TL-30 x 6 - The TL-30 (30-minute) test is conducted on all six (6) sides of the safe.[*]TRTL-30 - The TRTL rating designates a safe which successfully resisted 30 minutes of net working time with a torch and a range of tools which might include high speed drills and saws with carbide bits, pry bars, and other impact devices. [/ul]Fire Ratings
[ul][*]Impact test - The UL impact test calls for the safe to be heated to 1550 degrees for 30 minutes (1638 degrees for a 2-hour fire rated safe) then dropped onto concrete rubble from a height of 30 feet. The safe is then turned upside down and reheated for another 30 minutes (45 minutes for a 2-hour fire rated safe). During this process, it must maintain its integrity and protect all contents in order to pass the UL impact test.[*]Explosion hazard test - All UL fire-rated safes must undergo this test, during which the unit is inserted into a pre-heated 2000 degree oven. If the safe is not constructed properly, the rapid heating will likely cause an explosion.[*]FR - Fire resistant, unrated insulated safe - This product is awaiting UL approval.[*]Class 350 1/2-hour fire rating - During this test, the safe is heated for one-half hour to reach an exterior temperature of 1550 degrees. Because paper will begin to char at approximately 400 degrees, the unit being tested must maintain an interior temperature of less than 350 degrees during heat-up and cool-down testing in order to earn its rating.[*]Class 350 1-hour fire rating - To earn this rating, the safe is heated for one hour to reach an exterior temperature of 1550 degrees, then put through the cool-down test. During this time the safe must maintain an interior temperature of less than 350 degrees.[*]Cool-down test - This procedure is a key part of UL's fire testing procedures. After a one- or two-hour fire rating test, the safe is left in the oven for cool-down time with the heat turned off. Because of the intensive heat of one- and two-hour tests, the temperature inside the safe will continue to rise for up to one hour after the oven is turned off. To pass UL testing, the safe's interior temperature may not exceed 350 degrees at any time during heat-up or cool-down procedures.[*]Class 350 1-hour fire & impact label - The safe has passed both UL impact testing and Class 350 1-hour fire testing (see above).[*]Class 350 2-hour fire rating - The safe is heated for two hours to reach an exterior temperature of 1550 degrees and must maintain an interior temperature of less than 350 degrees to earn this rating. Class 350 2-hour rating and impact label - The safe has passed both UL impact testing and Class 350 2-hour fire testing (see above). [/ul]

I have been looking for one as well. Depending on your location you can save quite a bit of moneyIF you can find a used one for sale. I've seen a couple Brownings go on eBay for $500 or more less than a new one. Only catch is finding one close enough you can go get it yourself. I looked at a Cannon at my local Tractor Supply store. It was $689 I think. It was pretty nice for the price. It took the employees about 10 minutes to open it for me. They weren't used to the 4 left turns, 3 right turns etc, turning of the tumbler. I guess the electronic locks are nice but some say they won't last as long as a tumbler.
I want to get one to keep my kids away from my guns when they get older. I wouldn't feel comfortablewhen their friendscome into my house. Kids are kids, I'll admit I was in my dads gun cabinet plenty of times and he never knew it. I lived in the country then, now I live in a small city. My kids will learn all about gun safety when they get older. I know I could probably get into my pine gun cabinet with a butter knife if I tried hard enough. (Not good)
I had a chance to buy a used Browning Medallion locally for $800. They are very nice. It had some marks on it but was still in great shape. I tried to trade and bargain with the guy and ended up losing it.[:@]
I'm tryin to decide if I want to wait and try to get a Browning or whatever else I can find used or buy the Cannon from Tractor Supply (they have 10% off specials from time to time).

Try eBay, craigslist or other forums like this one. They are out there, you just have to be lucky enough to live nearby. Good luck.

Mike

Well, I have one of these. Mine is a Model B-17, which is no longer listed on the web site. I think the number has been changed to the B-45 (40x72x27). Weight is 1800+ lbs.

http://www.graffundersafes.com/products/safes-weapon.html

These safes are awesome and I would put them up against anythings else. Ulrich and his son (or son-in-law) I can't remember delivered the safe. LUCKILY, I live fairly close to where these are manufactured, so delivery was not too bad.

The ONLY problem I have is that I am planning to move this spring and I don't know how I am going to move it. I think I am going to try to pay Ulrich to move it. No one has moved more of them than he has.

Here's yet another area of the shooting sports where there are too many freakin' choices!

I bought my safe 2 years ago, when my boys were 10, 7, 4, and 2 years old. Enough said. I found out one could go from a glorified filing cabinet all the way up to a DEFCON 5 level, with a million and a ½ choices in between. It can become incredibly confusing in a real hurry.

I live in a house that's got an alarm, with smoke detectors hard-wired into the system. I live on a not-uncrowded cul de sac that's < 2 miles from the police and fire stations. Given that, I didn't feel I needed something that could endure the fires of Hell for 6 straight days, nor one that could resist a diamond-tipped saw for many hours, nor one that was too heavy to pick up even with a skid steer. I ended up with a lower-tier Heritage safe with the standard dial lock, and it's done what I needed it to do. I gave $1,695 for it (I forget the capacity, but I think it's near 27 or 30 guns), and another $150 for a 3rd party guy to get it from their place into my home office. As I recall, it's right around 900 lbs.

I had looked at the Brownings at Bass Pro Shops, but a little study showed that they've got higher prices while lacking the features of many lower-priced safes. For instance, ask the people selling the Brownings why they have clear plastic tubing over the locking lugs on the floor models. It's because the lugs don't automatically retract as you close the door, so they can slam into the door frame & chip the paint.(Unless they've upgraded them in the pastcouple o' years.) On mine, the lugsdraw back into the door, and you merely turn the handle to lock it onceit's shut. Little stuff like that.

I've been told that if you keep the safe in a place that's visible from the windows, many times a burgaler will skip the whole house & move on to something easier. Even if that's not true, it doesn't make sense to drop that kind of $$$ and then hide it! I don't view my safe as a show piece, (actually, it usually scares the women I date the first time they see it...)but it is visible to anyone who happens to be sauntering through my flower beds.

Another thing to remember is that unless one of your houseguests has spent years & years in the safe business, it's highly unlikely they'll have ANY idea whatsoever what level of safe you bought, so you might as well go with the lower priced one so long as it meets your fire requirements. No one will be snickering behind your back, "oh look, he bought the cheap one...", unless you've got the truck box fromyour pickup standing on its side in the corner ofthe room.

And there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to getthe sales folks to throw in a dehumidifier for free, and maybe some gunsocks too. The dehumidifier is just a cheap curling iron that keeps the safe's interior too warm for condensation to form. If you're spending that kind of money, they should be quite willing to work with you.

Good Luck,

FC

Check out this link....pretty informative.


http://www.6mmbr.com/gunsafes.html

Exactly st8! That's what I said in my post. You buy a safe by it's Label. This is the business I was in for over30yrs.

"DON'T leave power tools or cutting torches near your safe."

Dat's phunny.


I have another one.

"Don't leave your combination taped to the front of your safe."

Rebel Hog,
Based on your experience, what is your opinion of the Titan series of safes from Fort Knox. I in no way claim to be an expert on this subject, but did try to do some informative reading and research before making my decision. My safe was a generous gift from my in-laws, who insisted due to my 4 year old in the house. Honest opinions appreciated....no hard feelings regardless. Thank You for Your Time.