Buying a Safe... what lessons have you to share?
 

I'm about to purchase a gun safe. I have about 12 long guns and a few handguns. I think I want to get a mechanical combination lock and figure I need to get more volume than I think. I don't really want to spend more than about 1500$ and think I have found a Liberty Fatboy Jr that is a 64 gun that meets my criteria. With all that said, let the wisdom and experience flow freely so that I might learn from you guys.

The Liberty FB sounds really good at 1500.00! You definitely need to err on the side of more volume, no matter what the brand is they way over-state the max volume. I got a 24 gun safe and it will not hold near that many long guns, especially scoped guns! Check out gunsafes.com free shipping and no taxes if it's out of state. Academy wanted 200.00 for delivery, five miles away! Gunsafes is if I remember right in Utah. Shipped free to SE Texas!

I bought my last one from Tractor Supply, it's the tall Cannon. It was around $800 if I remember right, I really like it for the price. I would definitely get the electronic lock over the mechanical. Our Browning safe with a mechanical gave us nothing but trouble, multiple trips by a locksmith to finally fix it.

I have a fatboy jr, and you'll like it. Buy the biggest and best you can afford. my fatboy jr has an electronic lock, no issue with it. I also have a cannon 24 gun safe with a mechanial lock and no issues with it either. Both are great. The problem with buying is a safe is when you see you have extra room you'll fill it up... then need another safe.... haha
-Jake

Get bigger than you think you will need. Tractor Supply has some good deals on gun safes as mentioned above.

So true! The first one I've had for a long time was one built by a friend of my Dad that holds 12 long guns in a straight line across it's width. It has a covered, welded padlock area that houses a heavy padlock that is only accessed by the key in the bottom. The bottom half then drops down and off to allow the top half to be removed so the door can be opened. The Cannon I bought a number of years ago to put another 12+ long guns and hand guns in was from Cabelas. It has an electronic lock and then a mechanical spinner to release the deadbolts and open the door. It has been foolproof and was a little under $1000, including delivery, and that was a big reason I bought it from them.

I have a 30+ year old Browning safe with a good mechanical lock that still functions flawlessly. My only regret is I didn't buy the fancy design model back then as the extra cost spread over 30+ years is really minimal (less than $5/year).

I'm glad you guys had good luck with Cannon. I bought a Cannon with an electrical lock 2-3 years ago and the gears messed up around a year into it. I called Cannon and their warranty is only good for a year. I got in under the wire (the Cannon rep was cool) and they sent out a local locksmith who was very good at what he does. I shot the breeze with him while he worked and he showed me the problems with the mechanical design of the door lockers, etc. on the Cannon. He told me he could get the door fixed again but he highly recommended I then sell the safe and buy a Liberty.

He explained the quality that Liberty and a couple more expensive safes put into their safes and door mechanisms and showed me why they were better (quality, size and fit of door mechanisms, etc.). He fixes all safe models and said most gun safe companies are using different suppliers now and only a few are made in America with the quality control that works and lasts well.

IMHO, I think you made a very wise decision on buying that Liberty.

not sure if the fatboy is a fire safe but i would get a fire rated safe for sure !

Sometimes having multiple smaller safes rather than one extra large safe is an advantage. They're easier to move - one at a time - but if a thief is stealing the whole safe, they have to break TWO free, and moving slow with one is a lot faster than moving a little bit faster with two (breaking one out, moving it, loading it, breaking the other out, moving it, loading it). Cracking two locks is slower than cracking one, cutting into two doors is slower than cutting into one too.

However, one BIG safe is often cheaper than two small ones.

You're on the right track, however - most safes don't functionally hold anywhere near their rated capacity, unless you're nothing more than a collector of shotguns. If you need anything out of the safe, or own scoped rifles, you'll spend most of your in-safe time lifting guns in and out to get to something in the back row. A 64gun safe for 12 long guns either means you have a boat load of handguns, or are probably buying too big.

My set up right now, right or wrong, time will tell for me, seems to be working well for us. There's no safe big enough to house all of our guns, short of a vault room, so we are stuck with multiple safes. I'd never buy a 12 gun, but I think I'll buy more 36-48gun safes before I buy another 64 gun. For long guns, I basically cut the capacity in half, but I throw a lazy susan inside. This lets me have equal access, easy and fast access, to ever gun in the safe. Handguns pack pretty tightly if you add shelving top to bottom.

What safe you buy depends what you want to ask it to do. $1500 for a 64 gun will keep out the guy that broke in to steal your TV. The guy that came for your guns will get them. A fire in your house - or the water & chemicals from the firemen that show up to put it out - will get in.

The best safe you can buy is made of paper. Insure the firearms for full value and you'll have better odds of ending up on top if something happens than if you rely upon ANY steel safe.

Be smart about your investing here, as Einstein once said, "it's all relative" - wrapping a $1500 shell around 12 nagants and mossy 500's and a few H&R 22lr revolvers doesn't make a lot of sense, you could replace all of them for less than the cost of the safe. Wrapping a $1500 shell around $200,000 worth of rifles and revolvers doesn't make much sense either, there's simply too much at stake.

I bought mine about 25 years a go. It is a liberty with mechanical dial com. It is a 30 gun model and holds 30 guns but I put mine in by how much I use them. All the scoped rifles go along the out side walls and all the non scoped guns go back to back down the center.

Do not rely on those moisture absorbing packs you can put in the dryer, You will get tired of drying them out and they stop working.
]BUY a good Golden Rod.
I bought the 36 inch model a year after I got fed up with the packets. Installed it in the back of the safe fed the wire out and plugged it in. Never noticed a increase in electric bill, open the safe and get a pleasant odder of Hopps #9, gun oil and warmth.

It is so nice and warm in the safe I keep all my primers in it.

I also suggest you put it on a concrete floor and bolt it in place. Mine was sat in place holes marked and safe moved so holes could be drilled with a hammer drill then double inserts pounded in place.
Sat safe back in place and bolted it down. It isn't going any place till those # 8 bolts are removed.

My advice is if you plan on buying more guns make sure you buy a safe big enough. I made the mistake of buying one that after several years was too small to hold all my firearms. Now it only holds my more expensive firearms and I have a cheaper one that holds all my others.

The best advice here given so far is buy a bigger safe than you need or think you will need. As far as an electric or manual lock, I have had my safe for 14 years and have a battery operated push button combination lock and I have never had one problem with it and I don't have to stand there and spin a combo lock left and right several times, I can get in very quickly.

I have a Cannon 36 gun safe with electronic locks I got on sale from Tractor Supply for $600. It weighs 500-600 pounds and I doubt many would be able to move it without an army of grunts considering where it is and how hard it was to get it there. One can spend much more for a liberty but IMO the main reason I have it is to store and protect my gun investments. No matter what you spend there could always be a better safe. Mine is far better than storing the guns in the closet. The Cannon is fire rated and has a power strip for things like the Golden Rod which keeps the climate steady inside the safe. In addition to the Rod, I have a rechargeable moisture remover. When the window says the medium is water soaked I take it out of the safe and charge it over night from an el outlet. I do this about every 2 to 3 months. The guns always stay nice in the safe.

One thing I learned is just because the ad says the safe is a 36 gun for example, don't count on it holding that many guns. Depending on the configuration of the gun rests and what kind of guns you have, for example rifles with scopes, side X side shotguns etc. I store my guns barrel down in my safe and I cannot get as many as it is rated for inside, it is Browning Bridger. I didn't think I would fill it when I bought it, however, I did.

not only is it good to have a heavy safe but also get one that bolts to the floor. knew of a guy that bought a heavy safe to keep his guns in. thieves couldnt get the guns out so they took the safe. he bolted the next one to the floor.

If they want it bolting it fast will not help, new standard way of stealing a gun safe is
wrap a long chain around the safe, throw the rest of the chain out a window hook it to a 4x4 and drive off outta sight with it, stop,unhook, load it on the truck and go
so unless its in a basement with no exit door, if they want it, they will get it
RR

thanks guys... got the liberty fatboy jr 48. It seems sufficient for what I wanted/needed. I opted for the manual lock. I appreciate the feedback from everybody. Thanks.

Make sure you use a dehumidifier.
-Jake

I have the 18" golden rod, tried the gel packs you have to dry out every so often. Had to set reminders to do that. the golden rod you plug in and just check to make sure it is still working when you pull a gun from the safe. The check is that rush of warm air when you open the door.
these are places I have found with the best prices in no order.

***** http://www.westmarine.com/buy/golden...12_360_002_501

http://www.deansafe.com/golden-rod-3...ifier-rod.html

http://www.btibrands.com/product/dehumidifier-rod-18/

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-to...-prod1703.aspx

:D Al

Arjuna, out of curiosity, what were your selling points for choosing the JR Fatboy over the full size?

Good advice on a golden rod.

RR, I hadn't heard of that truck snatch thing but it makes sense. Locally, a couple clowns spent most of a weekend trying to break into a Fort Knox safe with crowbars, etc. without success and then they were arrested. The owner happens to be the local Fort Knox dealer so he has the safe on display in the showroom to help sell the safes. It was impressive. There have been a couple of smaller gun safes stolen but they were the smaller size and weight safes that 1 or 2 guys could easily carry. YMMV in your area but that's what I've seen after 25 years as a cop locally.

Although a truly determined and skilled thief could likely steal anything if he wanted to badly enough and had the time, I've noticed that each level of security tends to frustrate thieves with lesser skill sets. A safe means the smash and grab guys can't quickly grab a few of your guns when they hear you opening the front door, etc. A heavier safe means 1 or 2 guys can't easily carry your gun safe out. A safe bolted to the floor means a guy with a heavy duty hand truck and a buddy can't steal your safe. Not putting your safe in the garage with easy access to it by opening a garage door means thieves have to hunt for a safe in your house and have a much longer chain. I guess if you upgrade to a bank type vault weighing several tons that thieves would need a bulldozer or large skip loader to steal it.

I'm not trying to bag on RR as I think his point about a truck and chain is well taken. A gun safe probably shouldn't be in a garage or other part of the house where that chain could reasonably reach. Although no method is entirely foolproof, I think it's still a wise idea to invest in the level of security that you can afford and makes sense for you. And a golden rod. :biggrin:

RR, wouldn't that be kind of noisy? sure would draw a lot of attention in my neck of the woods. also take too long. good chance of getting shot at by neighbors.

I'll admit I didn't read through 3 whole pages of responses, just going to share what I've learned. To begin with, buy the absolute best quality you can possibly afford. Now that brand is out of the way, buy something as big as you possibly afford, even if you have to save for it. The weight & size make it harder to just hook a chain to & drag the whole thing out, or roll out. Then either bolt 2 of them together or lag bolt them to the floor and/or wall with at least grade 8 allthreads in 1/2 or 5/8". Don't forget to put something in there to control humidity in the safe to keep your stuff from rusting and opt for double fireproofing if you can. You're also going to keep all the valuables and important papers in there. Now configure it so you can effectively hold the most guns, either by shelves and/or handgun racks. Personally I like to hang all the long guns from a overhead lazy suzan for more capacity, less space usage.

I own SentrySafe Pistol Safe (you can read the review on it here https://secretstorages.com/ . It allows me quick access, just in case. My safe comes with key and combo lock. It fits my 5 handguns easy. Besides guns, I keep some valuables and documents there.

you may want to visit a commercial safe store and see if they have any used TL30 rated safes for sale
a decent used commercial safe it a quantum leap in security over almost all gun safes sold.
a TL30 safe in good used condition can frequently be purchased for $3000-$3500 , and if you check most of the BETTER gun safes have less than a 1/4" steel outer body, some insulation (dry wall) and an inner 1/16" steel
yes the door and frame may be significantly more substantial, but an experienced thief will know the difference.
a commercial safe generally has thicker steel and its filled with special concrete and frequently a mesh of hard re=bar, and matrix of hardened steel rods in the 2"-4" void between the inner and outer walls
these safes can easily weigh over twice to three times what the better gun safes weigh and generally will require special tools to move,
like a special pallet jack,
once bolted to the floor with several 6" 5/8" red head expansion bolts they are not easily moved,
but the safe company can usually supply experienced installers with the correct tools for an additional charge or they may include installation in the cost of the safe,
if the area you want it installed is reasonably accessible (garage or at least easily accessed first floor ?)
https://www.safeandvaultstore.com/products/safeandvaultstore-3524bl-tl-30-two-hour-fire-safe-3524bl?variant=28540282765&utm_source=google&utm_m edium=cpc&adpos=1o2&scid=scplpshopify_US_795430720 1_28540282765&sc_intid=shopify_US_7954307201_28540 282765&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi4ykpPzH4AIVFHdeCh3J_gmSE AQYAiABEgKfePD_BwE

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com...26/#post-77046