Opinions about this safe?

A

aridan

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Toronto, ON
I have a dinky little 'safe' from Canadiantire, and it was OK to hide my 2 handguns in it - until now. I'm getting 2 more handguns, and will need a bigger safe. Does anyone use this Sentry safe from Costco for their handguns?
ht tp://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10308545

It is on sale for $160. I'm sure it doesn't measure up to a real gun safe, but it should be enough to pass an inspection, and to provide some basic protection. I think it should fit 8-10 handguns if I make some stands for them.

Since I didn't see any mounting holes on the back and sides, my question is: are there any, or do I have to drill through it? The link says 'may be bolted to the floor', but I want it in a closet on the 2nd floor, so it is not secure like drilling into concrete floor in the basement.

Lastly, does anyone know of a small self-contained (i.e. no wires) dehumidifier they could recommend?
 
For dehumidification, you can put calcium chloride (ice melt salt) in a cloth bag in a plastic container in the back corner. You can use one of those pizza tri-pod things (the little deals that keep the box out of the middle of your pizza) to keep the bag off the bottom. In a safe that small it should last a long time and will suck all the moisture out of the air. Use some thin weather stripping or a thin bead of silicone caulk (don't close the door before it's dry!) around the door closure to seal the safe well.

If you screw the safe to a floor joist with lag bolts, it will be plenty secure. Put washers around the bolts and a gob of silicone caulking around the washers to seal it from humidity/moisture. You could also drill the back and screw it to studs.
 
This safe is NOT FOR FIREARMS storage, that is what says in the owner manual for this safe and that is stated on their website ( you can download owner manual from their web too). Because it's air tight and fire proof (it contains wet insulation, in case of the fire it will dissipate moisture inside to prevent temperature damage for the content) , this safe is ALWAYS FULL of moisture (fire or not), your firearms will be rusted in a few days.
Beside this, I have broke one of this safes with my bare hands.
STAY AWAY from this POS, not good for anything (even paper documents, due to excessive moisture inside.) Even manual, states, DO NOT store anything valuable in this safe. SO.. what the purpose of it then?
 
edyshok said:
This safe is NOT FOR FIREARMS storage, that is what says in the owner manual for this safe and that is stated on their website ( you can download owner manual from their web too). Because it's air tight and fire proof (it contains wet insulation, in case of the fire it will dissipate moisture inside to prevent temperature damage for the content) , this safe is ALWAYS FULL of moisture (fire or not), your firearms will be rusted in a few days.
Beside this, I have broke one of this safes with my bare hands.
STAY AWAY from this POS, not good for anything (even paper documents, due to excessive moisture inside.) Even manual, states, DO NOT store anything valuable in this safe. SO.. what the purpose of it then?
Click to expand...
I never even thought about this 'moisture-prone' issue. Thanks man, you just saved me a lot of time.

What's a half-decent handgun safe then? Something that weighs about 100lb & is easy enough to bring home. I would go for the full-size Honeywell gun safe from Costco, but that's an entirely different ball game: delivering & installing a 200lb safe is not for my broken back, LOL.
 
I have one of these it works just fine for guns it is not humid inside and it will hold up to 10 handguns if you squeeze them in.If your worried about humidity buy a small dehumidifier tube at any gun store and stick it in the safe.I have had mine for three years no moisture issues or rusted guns.
 
Do you think they would build and sell a safe that is moisture prone people put documents in safes that are paper and allot more moisture prone than guns.No i don,t have a dehumidifier tube in mine its not necessary,but if your anal about moisture put one in.
 
I have one of the Honeywell's and I'm going to get another one if they ever come back in stock. I use the Liberty dehumidifier stick that you can get at any John Deere dealership.
 
I keep those little dehumidity packages (do not eat stuff) that I have found in shoe boxes, and put them in my gun cases. I keep one in the safe.
 
From owner manual of this safe (page 4, right beside: this safe is NOT INTENDED FOR FIREARMS storage, can not cut and paste cuz it's a picture format)

WARNING
DO NOT store delicate
items directly in your safe.
SentrySafe products which offer fire
protection have a proprietary insulation that
has a high moisture content. In addition
the SentrySafe advanced safes close airtight
to offer water resistance, which may also
cause moisture to accumulate inside your
safe. The desiccant packet included in your
safe during shipment, should be left in your
safe. DO NOT DISCARD IT. It is intended
to help absorb moisture which mayaccumulate inside your safe. Please open
your unit periodically to avoid moisture
accumulation.
If you choose to store delicate items such
as jewelry with working parts, watches,
stamps, or photos in your safe, we
recommend putting them in an air-tight
container, prior to placing them in the safe
for storage.
NOTE: Sentry Group will not be responsible
for any damage or loss of items placed in
the unit due to moisture.
WARNING
DO NOT store pearls
in this safe unit.
In the event of a fire, potential damage to
delicate pearls occurs at temperatures much
lower than the 350°F interior performance
measure which the UL classification
performance standard indicated guarantees.
Therefore, DO NOT store pearls in your
SentrySafe product.
WARNING
No computer disks, audio-visual
media or photo negatives.
This product is not intended to protect
computer floppy or diskettes, cartridges
and tapes, audio or video cassettes or
photo negatives. For fire-resistant storage
of these materials, ask your retailer for
the SentrySafe Fire-Safe Media storage
products

I mean it's your choice..

All papers next day was complitly WET in this safe, plus smelled bad.

We got 3 of this safes for our office, next day they were back to store, including one that jammed after I broke the handle off, trying to open it. Thanks G*d there was noting inside. Your experience may vary

http://www.sentrysafe.com/pdfs/OwnersManuals/513022.pdf (look for page 4, it's about fireamrs storage)
 
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I looked at those little safes before I got a Sentry 8-Gun Cabinet.

No moisture problem in almost 10 years and I keep it in an uninsulated room. IMO, just as secure from unauthorized hands (but not from pro burglars) as that little pistol safe but a lot bigger for your future purchases.

I have the old model 8-gun Sentry cabinet, with the perforated inside door panel. I hung hooks and loops (from Home Depot-used for peg boards) and 4 handguns fit comfortably.
 
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