Gun Safe Dilemma

M

machohugeaxe

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Peel Region, Ontario
Hi, looking at gun safes, seems like they're either flimsy and cheap, or solid and expensive. Further issue is they'd cost too much to ship, and as you go past the flimsy ones, they become a bit too heavy to pick up on your own as well. Is there a middle ground here? At this time I'm thinking either I drive to pickup something that is under 200lbs and under 500$, or shell out for the full delivery/installation for a more expensive one. Any thoughts?
 
Link enough of the cheap ones together and they're not too shabby but the best bet is a reinforced safe/vault room if you're handy, can't remember the door specs for the life of me but you get the idea

Best of luck,
Jake
 
Hello
I have gone with the cheapest option available. As long as they are lockable, and can be secured to the floor and wall, I am good. I even use old lockers as my blackpowder muskets need a lot of height. I know that they are perhaps easier to break into than more expensive options, but what are the chances of such an attack in my neighbourhood, and who would go to such lengths for the types/value of firearms I own? How much more protective are the expensive vaults? Fire protection is also way beyond my means.
So I buy what works to store firearms legally and keep them out of sight. PS Always buy double the size you think you'll need.
 
Buy what you can afford, that looks like it's decently built and you're able to get it into the room you want it.
You're attempting to keep unsophisticated thieves and "idle hands" from accessing your firearms. Sophisticated thieves can break into the most expensive (and heavy) safe - given enough time.
-and if you do wind up with your guns stolen - the cops will charge you with "Unsafe Storage" - regardless of what safe they were in.
 
I have inexpensive Stack on's for all my guns, bolted to the wall, but the house has a monitored alarm system with cell back up, best insurance that all my valuables are protected, not just my firearms.
Just think how much damage will occur during a break in, some people had their houses trashed.
 
What sort of capacity are you looking for? Keep in mind the advertised capacity is usually based on the guns being crammed in like a sardine can, and scopes, pistol grip, etc. will reduce usable space too. Generally they say approx. half capacity in reality should be expected.

For that weight/budget, the heaviest thing you could probably get would be a “10-12” gun model, and it would weigh about 250-300lbs. Something like the Liberty ProVault at cabelas used to go on sale for about $599, but with inflation many safes have gone up a lot. I got the S&G dial lock “10” gun safe from cabelas, I was able to load/unload it into my SUV by myself, but stairs were a different story lol.

Edit to add
I wanted a safe with mechanical UL listed lock (less things to go wrong) and the size is adequate for me.
 
Buy once..cry once. Buying cheapo is giving you a sense of security but it is ‘safe ´ just in the name.
Cheepo is good for protecting children to access firearms but it’s about it. Forget about fire protection or thief protection.
 
Most, if not all, of the lower cost safes are made out of 14 gauge steel so they will all be pretty flimsy. Hunter Gun Vault from Canadian Safe is the lowest cost 10 gauge I know of, and that will be more solid. Smallest Hunter Gun Vault weighs over 300# so that's good to keep in mind.

I took the approach of hiding my safe in a room that is locked when I'm not home, and it's also anchored to concrete. There's always a way to break into it or steal the whole thing, but it will take some effort, proper tooling and skill.

An actual TL rated safe would of course be the best option, just keep in mind that even the smallest ones can weigh 1500-1700#.
 
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I got a big ass Cabela's 32 gun. They loaded it in my truck with a fork lift. Myself and 3 others were able to get it into the house without a ton of trouble (Not up any stairs though). Its totally manageable with some help and worth the extra cost IMO.
 
Not sure if you are a welder or know someone that is , buy some steel and weld it up. Complete vault/safe doors are available to drop onto your hinges. Just a thought , firebrick and mortar are also available which have the bonus of added weight.
 
I looked into building my own and abandoned that plan before I had even priced all the materials for the box. 10 gauge sheet is pretty expensive and steel plate really drives the price.
 
I got a buddy who got an old 1970s pepsi vending machine for free. His plan is to turn it into a gun safe. Google pop machine gun safes, pretty interesting lol.
 
While I would love to have a nice 24+ Liberty safe for my guns, my budget at the time did not allow for that. What I did find was a Honeywell gun safe at Costco for like $399. It's rated for 14, but is more like 8 loaded across the back. Maybe 10 if you put two in sideways on either side. And a shelf for some pistols. All my nice stuff goes in there. I have a separate cabinet (one of the cheap ones) for a few beater rifles/shotguns and a pellet pistol (I also have an airsoft Beretta in there).

I'd definitely recommend the safe I bought but haven't seen any at Costco in while, maybe check the website if you have a membership.
 
Honestly nothing wrong with the liberty safes out of cabelas. They also go on sale often enough. Get the size bigger then you think ypu need. They truly don't hold as much stuff as advertised unless your packing them.in.
 
Any sub 2000 dollar safe is going to have multiple failure modes imo. Something as simple as prybars will open a liberty safe in less than 5 minutes. I would either buy something really expensive that I know would hold up to a long attack, or something relatively sturdy to keep out opportunistic criminals. Get something big enough for you, and heavy enough that someone can't just walk away with it. Bolt it down, hide it, don't tell people about it.
 
aboynamedsuita said:
What sort of capacity are you looking for? Keep in mind the advertised capacity is usually based on the guns being crammed in like a sardine can, and scopes, pistol grip, etc. will reduce usable space too. Generally they say approx. half capacity in reality should be expected.

For that weight/budget, the heaviest thing you could probably get would be a “10-12” gun model, and it would weigh about 250-300lbs. Something like the Liberty ProVault at cabelas used to go on sale for about $599, but with inflation many safes have gone up a lot. I got the S&G dial lock “10” gun safe from cabelas, I was able to load/unload it into my SUV by myself, but stairs were a different story lol.

Edit to add
I wanted a safe with mechanical UL listed lock (less things to go wrong) and the size is adequate for me.
Click to expand...

This is a great point and one in which I wished I knew ahead of time when I bought my safe, which was advertised as an 18+4. Well, I have 8-9 guns in there and true, they are not slim little .22s with no optics/grips/flashlights/accessories, but honestly, 8 is somewhat comfortable, 9 is crammed. Nowhere close to 18. That fact really floored me.

I got mine at Costco (fire and waterproof safe, about 270 lbs) - they did deliver it (via a wobbly pump truck that was meant for something half the depth - and one guy who was handling it - he asked me to help him - and he delivered...to the end of my driveway...and my son and I had to figure out the rest (didn't want all the neighbours to see the large cardboard box "GUN SAFE" at the end of my driveway as they drove by...and naturally due to my small stature we called some relatives over. quickly to move it inside and put it in place..
 
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