I cannot agree enough- If you think you will need a 20 gun safe, get a 30. Safes are often overlooked but I think safe storage of firearms is the first box one should "check" when getting into the obsession. The other thing to think about (before dropping $3k on a safe) is what are you protecting your firearms from? Re: Are you keeping them away from kids, thieves, fire, etc. When I chose my safe (30 gun Liberty custom job w S&G key pad) I wanted 1) Keep firearms away from children 2) Some sort of fire protection (I believe mine is 45 min or something) 3) deter would-be thieves QUOTE]
I feel that statement I am about to type has been said by many: I don't expect that I'm going to be compiling >20 gun, but that is a good point to consider. My main concern at the moment is safety from thieves, and possibly some slight fire protection. I don't plan on my house burning down, but who does... (fail to plan you plan to fail) I have been a little shocked by the prices of safes. Never really thought about it prior to my interest in 2a and gun ownership.
As others have said, buy bigger than what you originally think you need. double it if you can.
Find a nice out of the way space in your house and measure the area and any doors you need to get through. That and the weight is going to determine what you can have and where you can put it.
You might also consider several smaller safes to place in different locations for say home defense reasons or any other reason.
Your choice. But it would be best if the safe(s) can be as out of the way as possible...
So take your time doing your assessment. That will determine if you will have one or more safes.
My guess is you will get one to start and possibly build on from there depending n what you realize your needs will be.
Haha, can't imagine the happy owner of a new safe getting home to realize it doesn't fit in his house... DOH
But seriously, whats your general budget? Also, what kind of safe are you looking to get? Are you getting long guns or just handguns for now?
(I ask because I didn't buy a long gun safe untill I bought a shotgun because its a lot harder to hide a big safe than it is to hide pistol box)
Also, I bought a safe about the size of this one:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/winchester-10-gun-granite-safe-with-electronic-lock
And it is really easy to put it in a closet, but it also has a grand total of 1 shotgun and a couple of cases of shells in it. (and it is essentially full) I could probably fit 5-6 long guns in it tightly but it would be tight at that. The number listed on the descriptions is a gross exaggeration and the number of guns you think you will collect up to is probably an underestimate right now.
If you are just getting a handgun for now and you want it for home protection then having a big safe with 1 hangun in it and having it not be easily accessible when you need it isn't the greatest route. I do highly recommend the fort knox pistol box in that case, just make sure to mount the box to something because a 20 lb box of metal isn't stopping anyone from walking off with it.
Like I said earlier I was shocked by the prices of some safes. The one you posted above I feel is an appropriate price and adequate size for my needs at this time; the ability to store a bit of everything on the smaller scale of quantities.
Safes run in price and quality from a few hundred to a few thousand. Most will agree that you should get a bigger safe than you think you need because they fill up fast. Also universally accepted is to secure the safe to the floor, wall, or both. Most people secure their safe in a discreet location like a closet or someplace out of sight so as not to advertise you have a safe potentially full of firearms to guests, delivery personnel ect..
Yeah, I knew that aspect of safes. What good is it if someone can take the thing with them and have all the time to open it.....
Are those hidden safes considered legal in MA, The ones that are "hidden" in plain sight?
I think it's smart as some of you have said about a discrete location. I just want to make sure that it's readily accessible in time of need. AKA running into the basement isn't the best solution I think