Gun Safes- What to look for

[plink]

I think it's about that time. Kinda digging around trying to figure out what I need to be looking for in a safe. I've checked on used ones, and half the time the price doesn't seem to be much better.
-Door lock bolts thickness- minimum?
-Do you need door lock bolts or do steel plank style work just fine?
-Insulation? What's cheesy, what's good? (I'm guessing this is like buying sleeping bags. "Rated for 0 degrees" Is it really?)
-I don't like my safe to run on batteries, but if you have an argument for a digital dial, please share.
-Thicker steel = better steel. Yes?
-What am I missing?
-Good brands, bad brands?

[Mn01r6]

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

First result on google, which I read when looking at buying a safe.

[XDM45]

I think it's about that time. Kinda digging around trying to figure out what I need to be looking for in a safe. I've checked on used ones, and half the time the price doesn't seem to be much better.
-Door lock bolts thickness- minimum?
-Do you need door lock bolts or do steel plank style work just fine?
-Insulation? What's cheesy, what's good? (I'm guessing this is like buying sleeping bags. "Rated for 0 degrees" Is it really?)
-I don't like my safe to run on batteries, but if you have an argument for a digital dial, please share.
-Thicker steel = better steel. Yes?
-What am I missing?
-Good brands, bad brands?

This is what I have.... viewtopic.php?f=52&t=34679
A good educational video on safes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltK-bDbADa8

[cobb]

Water proof for when the local FD dumps hundreds of gallons of water into your home and the floor drain plugs after the first fifty.

[2in2out]

Good point, Cobb. Except, it's thousands of gallons. On a fully-involved house fire, we'll use 10,000 gallons, minimum. I've been on fires where we've used 75,000 gallons, but those are pretty rare and usually a larger structure like a barn.

[sawgrass]

A great place to look at safes of various quality is Safe and Knife Company in Rogers. Just down the street from Cabela's.
The guys name is John Borchardt. Phone # 763-533-1303

I believe that he is an honest straight shooting guy. He will help you buy the best that you can afford and explain the differences without being pushy.
Delivery is included in the price. I've had both companies that he uses deliver. Ruth's Piano Movers is the best as they have as many guys as it takes to pick it
up and carry it!

[JJ]

A great place to look at safes of various quality is Safe and Knife Company in Rogers. Just down the street from Cabela's.
The guys name is John Borchardt. Phone # 763-533-1303

I believe that he is an honest straight shooting guy. He will help you buy the best that you can afford and explain the differences without being pushy.
Delivery is included in the price. I've had both companies that he uses deliver. Ruth's Piano Movers is the best as they have as many guys as it takes to pick it
up and carry it!

+1

I've been in there a couple times and John is a very nice guy, and they have quite a few safes in stock. Someday I will be able to afford one of those concrete lined ones he has in stock

[dtapper2]

I own a Cannon currently and if I were to buy another, I think I would go with a Liberty. They are great safes and offer extremely good protection. There are videos of torture tests out there. Buy once, cry once. Buy the biggest one you can fit in the location it will be going, I've never heard anyone say "I should have bought a smaller safe".

[EJSG19]

I think it's about that time. Kinda digging around trying to figure out what I need to be looking for in a safe. I've checked on used ones, and half the time the price doesn't seem to be much better. Blanket rule is as always, you get what you pay for.

-Door lock bolts thickness- minimum? On most safes, a smart thief may realize there is less total steel to cut through if he goes in the side panel rather than cutting every single hardened door bolt. Honestly, if your thief brought all the necessary tools to cut the bolts or through the side, he is taking your stuff no matter what kind of safe you bought. This scenario seems pretty unlikely given the size of plasma cutters, torch rigs, big grinders, etc.

-Do you need door lock bolts or do steel plank style work just fine? How secure is "secure" for you? Bolts would seem stronger, but if this is just to keep kiddo out, maybe not necesary.

-Insulation? What's cheesy, what's good? Most fire rated safes just have a layer of "fire board" or sheetrock/gypsum board in them. Mine is not insulated for two reasons. I can build a much better insulating layer around the outside of it if I choose, and two, if the Fire doesn't cook my stuff, the fire department will give it a nice 5 day bath and ruin it anyway. Personal preference . (I'm guessing this is like buying sleeping bags. "Rated for 0 degrees" Is it really?)

-I don't like my safe to run on batteries, but if you have an argument for a digital dial, please share. I'm with ya. Electronics fail, and using a huge gun safe as a "quick access" safe doesn't make much sense to me personally anyway. Lots of scenarios come to mind where having an electronic lock makes me nervous.

-Thicker steel = better steel. Yes? Yes. But the hardness of the steel is also critical. Is the safe plain old mild steel or is it hardened to resist drilling, grind, cutting? There are lots of grading systems for steel hardness. The AR one is popular (AR400, AR500, for example) and there are several others, so it takes a little legwork to make comparisons.

-What am I missing? Safe configuration - how many long guns, how many drawers, how many shelves... there are rotary safes, safes that break down into a door and 5 pieces (Zanotti Armor makes those) so you can move the safe yourself. Waterproofing safes (some seal watertight all the time, some have weatherstrip type material that swells when wet. Weight - some houses floor joists aren't meant for the load of a big safe. Get with somebody who KNOWS their stuff here. If you have 2''x6'' floor joists on 24'' centers, I probably wouldn't recommend a 2000lb jeweler's safe sits on that floor!

-Good brands, bad brands? Mine is a Zanotti Armor. It gives up some in total security, but in my situation that is fine. What it does offer is the chance to take it apart and move it to a different room relatively easily. It is still far better than a simple Stack On locker in terms of theft deterrence, but it is no jewler's safe. Good Luck in the shopping!

[plink]

Thanks for the replies so far! I was kinda wondering about Safe and Knife. I passed by at the wrong time of day to stop in though. I do want something more than the gym locker keep the kids away style, but I'm not looking at one of the giant ones that can double as a bomb shelter either. If I don't like the shelving I'll probably just tweak that ala plywood.

[mrp]

Thanks for the replies so far! I was kinda wondering about Safe and Knife. I passed by at the wrong time of day to stop in though. I do want something more than the gym locker keep the kids away style, but I'm not looking at one of the giant ones that can double as a bomb shelter either. If I don't like the shelving I'll probably just tweak that ala plywood.

You might want to take a look at the Cabelas Thanksgiving sale:

http://www.slickguns.com/product/cabela ... -and-deals

I don't have any opinion on the specific products or prices, but it's a place to start.

[goatroper]

Get it much bigger than you had planed!!!

[grousemaster]

Cabela's "Pro-Vault", made by Liberty, is a great value.

[aaron878]

I would disagree with the idea that mechanical locks are better than a key pad. The technology is established enough in the keypad to be just as reliable as a dial lock, more secure, and more convenient. Not to mention the dials wear out and you can't change the combination conveniently. I bought my gun safe used , and the thing will open if I get within 2 digits of the combination for each number.

[plink]

Anyone know the Cannon Safari series? It claims a little better fire protection than the comparable Provault. (30min vs. 20min @ 1200deg) It's an electro lock, but maybe that's ok. So long as I can change the battery from the outside. (Some you can apparently--not sure about this one)