Gun Safes

What do you have as a gun safe?

I'm looking to purchase a gun safe and I have done some digging on the internet. I am totally awed by the sheer number of types, sizes, costs and the fine print of delivery.

I've gotten a lot of valuable information from this forum and am just looking for some recommendations and experiences with purchase and ownership. I know the old addage of "just buy the biggest one" will probably work but I really don't want to spend $2-3K and worry about getting a 1-ton metal box into the basement. And, "what is it worth to not replace what you have" does apply to me just like everybody else. I don't want to lose any of my firearms. But, I live in a low crime neighborhood where there appears to not be a lot of breakins and I take all the necessary precautions to secure my home and firearms at all times. A safe will provide a much higher securty level for my firearms than I currently have.

I've been looking at the Sentry G5453 at Four Seasons (http://www.fsguns.com/safes.html). Seems to be a good price, decent weight (will be bolted down to the floor and wall) and mostly secure (the time to break it open would not be worth what is inside). The price is ~$500 and does not include delivery.

Has anybody had any experience with this model? Can anybody recommend any simular models or perhaps other dealers in the area?

thanks

bobr
 
I can only tell you what I've got.

I bought this http://www.amsecusa.com/gun-safes-BF-main.htm

I have the 6030 and I love it. It was easy to get into my house, well with a good appliance dolly. And I was able to pick it up at the gunshop with a buddy's pickup. Didn't have to pay shipping as it was delivered to the dealer. But it's rated pretty high for fire and break in. It's really set up to be able to configure how you like it. But then, it's a bit more than 500 bucks.
 
I bought the Sentry G5453 safe from FS about 8 months ago and I love it. Not fireproof but certainly a great deterent from theft. Its fairly heavy (the guys at FS will help you load it. Have some friends and some cold ones back at your house to get it into position.)

I threw a set of rope lights in there with a door switch and added a dehumidifier as well.

There are a lot more choices out there, but for the money it certainly provides a much greater level of protection than no safe at all. I'm thinking of getting another :D

Bugie
 
Need lighter gun safe

Good day -

I need a gun safe with a combination lock that can be bolted to the floor, but that also weighs around 100lbs..not the 250-1000lbs plus that i find everywhere. I need to store 3 long guns and 3 pistols and the safe is going into my attic. I need to be able to lift it up there myself. Again, also, it needs to have a combination lock...not a key. If there is a key, my kids will get into it and that is primarily what I want to prevent.

Can anyone recommend a gun safe with these specifications?

thanks
 
Just an option, but keys aren't one iota more accessible to kids than combination locks. All you need to do is to keep the keys behind a combination lock. That's the way I store all the damn keys that I've accumulated and still need to used. Got an inexpensive but secure safe with a combination lock and store all the keys there.

Ken
 
Unless it is a climate controlled attic space, be very careful. You could be looking at major rust from high humidity issues in the summer and/or from moisture in the Winter.

Attics aren't usually very good places to store things.
 
combos and attics

I definitely considered the small combo safe to store the keys. The problem I've run into in my searches so far are that all I've found for smaller safes are combo locks that also require a key...so I ask myself...what do I do with that key. It sounds like you've found a small safe that was combo only - I guess i'll have to keep looking.

in terms of the attic not being a good place to store the guns. That is definitely dissapointing to hear as it was a main point I used to convince my wife that the guns would be innaccesable to the kids. Wouldn't the attic sucumb to the same humidty problems one would find in a basement? therefore, it should be possible to use the same "in safe" humiditiy remedies people use in their basements? Or am I just kidding myself?
 
But basements usually stay at a more constant temp than attics.

And you might want to check. My safe is a combo safe, and there's a key on that. But when you look into it, the key is only used to lock the dial, and not get into the safe. It could be that that's all the key is doing on the ones that you looked at.
 
It also depends on how humid your basement gets. My last house - there was NO way I could have stored firearms down there. Even with a dehumidfier going, it was still humid. Attics are too risky because of the temp changes. What about a closet with a swinging door that you could put a combo lock on?

Just out of curiosity - how old are the kids, and have you taught them any safety rules, or done any firearms training with them? Or is it a case where you wife is just totally against it? (I'm being nosey, yes, but kids who are taught firearms responsibility and safety turn out okay. Janet Reno's Justice Dept. did a study on that which proves it. ...the only good thing to come out of her department I might add. :D )
 
kids and gun safes

So it sounds like the eradic temps in the attic preclude it from being a sensible place to store the firearms. I'll have to think about how to break the news to my wife. It just seemed like the "extra mile" that would even more greatly decreases the odds that any kids would be able to get at the guns - on top of combo safes bolted to the floor and trigger locks.

In terms of the kids - i have 2 boys - the first is 2 years old and the second is 2 months old- so it is not an immediate threat now - but will be. My wife and my experiences have taught us (much from our own and our brothers' behavior when we were kids) that if there is a gun in the house the kids are going to find it. I agree about firearms training for our kids, but I want to do everything I can in my own house to keep my kids from being the sad part of the stats - even with training. Also - we worry about other kids who come over...if they aren't trained it doesn't help anyone. Maybe I am being overly protective, but I just want to be sure I am doing everything I can and still keep my firearms in my own house.
 
There are ways to store your firearms in the attic, IF you use your head. Frequesnt cleaning and oiling helps. If you also use a gun safe, rig up a light inside, and run it 100% of the time. It will warm the air enough to dissapate condensation, like a welding rod box does. There are other things you can do. Adequate ventilation in the attic helps too.

My gun area is upstairs, and there is no attic. Yes, I have some humidity problems, especially in the summer.
 
I can understand your wanting to be protective, tfour. However, kids who grow up being taught about guns, and when they are allowed to touch them become more responsible than other kids. (It really has been proven) And, if other kids come over, since your not making the guns taboo by showing your kids and making sure they know when they are allowed to touch them, there won't be an issue with the other kids, because your kids will know to tell them. "No you can't see them now."

Anywho...FWIW. :D
 
I'll second Lynne. I grew up in a Gun Shop.

I wasn't allowed toy guns or BB guns, since they taught "Bad Habits". I was allowed to go out with a 22 Pellet Rifle alone at about 10, after a LONG lecture about it being a REAL gun, which it was.
 
I'm the same way. I grew up with them behind the doors, they were in closests, cabinets, etc...

I was told that I do not touch them unless one of the "Adults" were around. I did have a BB gun that I was allowed to shoot in the basement at a box filled with newpaper. I had targets that I put on that box. Other than that, all other guns were off limits. If I were caught showing them to the other kids, or messing with them when I wasn't supposed to...my grandfather had a weeping willow tree that I would have to go and pick up my own switch. And you didn't want to have to do that.
 
I had a BB gun, and I knew the difference. I also knew that if I were caught with my hand in the gun cabinet, I would catch a beating (probably similar to the one my grandmother gave me with the broom when she caught me shooting at finches with my BB gun) and that's something I didn't want. I was taught about gun safety VERY young. I would go hunting with my grandfather, and you'd better be safe if you EVER wanted to go again!

Adam
 
Still curious about what safe to buy

Thank you all for your experiences and insights about the proper approach to introducing children to firearms. Much appreciated!

However, I am still interested in a gun safe with a combination lock that can be bolted to the floor, but that also weighs around 100lbs..not the 250-1000lbs plus that i find everywhere. I need to store 3 long guns and 3 pistols.

Does anyone know of such a safe?

Thanks!
 
There's a guy down your way somewhere's in Mass that sells Zanotti safes. He does a lot of gun shows, even comes up this way. Seek him out at Springfield, during one of the shows. You should find him very easy to deal with, and I think he'll deliver the safe as well.
 
Yea, he's always at the Marlboro show. That's what made me think of it.

They are pretty neat looking, and I was thinking about one. But I wanted a safe with a high fire rating. Being that I'm in a house that was built in the 1800's and still has tube and copper wiring. I figured that I better look into that instead of other factors. :D
 
The local guy that Nickle was referring to can be found here:

http://bhw.com//bullseye/safes.htm

He's in Littleton, MA.

The smallest safe on that page is 400# and $1100!

Now, I have some unsolicited advise for tfourrunner:

- Guns multiply for us like shoes multiply for our Wives/Daughters!

- When you buy a safe, ALWAYS buy one 2x as big as you think you need . . . you'll fill it in short order.

- You will not find any "gun safes" that weigh about 100#!! Those are steel cabinets with a lock on them in that weight range. Even a small safe that stands less then 2' high will weigh more than 100#! A real safe of any sort is "armored" and thus has some real weight to it.

- If you want to restrict to ~100#, go to Four Seasons, Collectors and/or Wal-Mart and look at the steel cabinets made by Homak and maybe Sentry. They offer "zero" fire protection, no real burglary protection either but will keep prying kids out of them (as long as the kids won't use tools to break in).

http://www.homakmfg.com/security1.asp
 
Eureka!

I think I just found one...the Stack On GS8. It weighs about 115 pounds, has a combo lock, can be bolted to the floor etc. It hold 8 long guns with a shelf for what looks like about 2-3 handguns.

Now I just need to call the company and find out where they are sold.
 
Re: Eureka!

tfourunner said:
I think I just found one...the Stack On GS8. It weighs about 115 pounds, has a combo lock, can be bolted to the floor etc. It hold 8 long guns with a shelf for what looks like about 2-3 handguns.

Now I just need to call the company and find out where they are sold.

I think that Wal-Mart and Dick's Sporting Goods both may sell StackOn. Check their websites and then give them a call (a store near you) to see if they stock the model you want.
 
It weighs about 115 pounds, has a combo lock, can be bolted to the floor etc.
Realize that something like that can be easily defeated with an axe, a heavy screw driver, a crow bar, a sawzall. It's better than nothing, but don't kid yourself about the amount of protection that it provides.
 
Talking about safes that you assemble yourself on-site, there was an article in one of the gun magazines a few years ago about how to convert a closet into a vault. If anybody recalls it or has information on this sort of project, I'd like to know. I can get the high security doors easily enough, and the work itself is hardly rocket science, but it's always nice to have a map to look over ahead of time (as well as some first-hand advice on where the mines might be located). I've pretty much reached the point where bringing in another safe or a bigger one is looking silly.

Ken
 
Re: Eureka!

tfourunner said:
I think I just found one...the Stack On GS8. It weighs about 115 pounds, has a combo lock, can be bolted to the floor etc. It hold 8 long guns with a shelf for what looks like about 2-3 handguns.

Now I just need to call the company and find out where they are sold.

As others have said, they're less than great for security, but they NOTHING will stop a determined thief.

The biggest downfall is the size. An 8 gun cabinet fills up pretty quick.
 
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