Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Gun Safes. My Quandary!

So it is time that I buy a gun safe. I have become increasingly frustrated with having most of my firearms at my Parent house and having to go out of my way to get them just to go to the range.

So After spending sometime on Craigslist and backpage looking at used safes that were not all that impressive I decided that buying new was the way to go.

I went to Cabela's, Sportsman's Warehouse and finally checked out Costco.com.

I planned on spending about 600.00 at 1st and soon realized that safes in that range were not very impressive. However after much thought and reading on the interweb I decided to pull the trigger on the Bighorn that Costco currently has on sale for 619 delivered to my door. For my money I thought it was the best I could do. Though the thought of buying a safe with out 1st fondling it made me a bit queezy.

On a whim I went to a local safe store on the way home from work. I spoke to the guy and maybe I got suckered in to a good sales pitch.... but after looking at some of the safe there that had been beaten up I was convinced that I made the wrong choice at Costco. I am home and and I have already called and Canceled the order.

So Now I am here asking for advice. (by advice feel free to call me stupid or any other names that may or may not be applicable!

So here are the contenders In order of price.
Costco Bighorn 19ecb 619.00 to my door
Champion Model T 710.00 (including tax) and I pick up (not a problem Ive got appliance dollies, and stupid friends who enjoy lifting stuff.
Champion Medalist Model m-22 (this is a 2010 model and he wants them out of his shop) 888.00 (including tax) I pick up.

I am not made of money, but I do want something that offers the best value for my dollar. the Champion Safes are made in Mexico, the Bighorn is made in China. The Champions have a reinforced door jam, the Bighorn, well I just dont know what that one offers. The Champions offer Higher and longer fire ratings with a 5 year (model T) or Lifetime on the Medalist.

I can not afford the upper models of Liberty safes and the Used Centurion I looked at wasnt as well built as the Champion (I thought)

Where would you spend the money?

Thanks for reading my A.D.D riddled post!

Not a bad buy, but probably depends on how MUCH security do you need.

Here's a pic of the Bighorn.




Features:

I honestly didn't think it was either, but for whatever reason I am super paranoid about having my house broken in to (again) and having my gun stolen (this time). I understand with any safe all you are buying is TIME. While I think I would be happy with the Bighorn. the Model T at 90 dollars more I think is a better buy, but only by a slim margin.

The fire rating on the Champions buys more time. 4 holes for bolts in the the Champion buys more time (Bighorn only has 2).

And like we all know, all we are buying is time, if the SOB wants it bad enough he will take it. I would however like him to work for it.

Having sold safes at one time in my life I have a slightly different take.

There is no gun safe I cannot get into. There is almost no gun safe I could not steal if I really wanted it. If you are not going to build it into an underground steel and thick reinforced concrete vault it can be stolen.

So get a decent fire resistant safe that is big enough to hole all your guns, bolt it to the floor and you have done about all you can do. You can spent thousands of dollars more and it may slow me down five minutes.

BTW. Talk to your tax man but if you keep your tax records in your gun safe you may be able to wright it off.

Okay Scott, I'll bite. A 400lb safe in a basement, bolted to the floor with a one-inch thick piece of all-thread in a foot of concrete so that the safe will spin if you pry the jamb. How are you going to attack it without a torch, and if you use a torch, I've got a big-ass surprise for you.

Really! well, who knew it could make a little bit of money for you!

HA!

Peal it with a pry bar and a hydraulic device much like fire department jaws of life.

Many safes are made of mild steal and can best be attacked from the side. Some can be attacked with a cordless sawsall.

Some are locked with a lock so simple they can be opened by manipulation in a half hour or so leaving no marks or damage of any kind.

So Scott,

I understand what you are saying.

If I can assume I am guessing you are saying buy the Bughorn and save the cash?

You think all that is a quandary. Just wait until you get one and within a year you realize it is about half the size you really need. That quandary hits everyone that has a gun safe.

Still cannot figure out how the guns breed in the dark.

It is exactly like a shop. If I built a hundred by four hundred shop it would half as big as I needed in six months.

Found mine (~400#) on c/l for $350. (Not sure of the fire rating.)

If you have a fire, you're going to be making an insurance claim, anyway, so paying extra for a really great fire rating doesn't make sense, to me. A small fireproof box, inside, can hold valuables/papers/cash.

I am saying but a reasonable safe that will hold all your valuables with a little room to grow and don't loose any sleep over your decision.

I have been out of the lock and security industry for about 28 years so I have no clue which is the best buy today. It sounds like the Costco would be OK but the better model that was last years bight be a better buy. Just don't worry about it being able to resist a serious attack because I have yet to see one I cannot open if I really wanted to.

My gun safe is a two hundred dollar non insulated safe and it has done a great job of keeping kids and casual sticky fingered people away from my guns for nine years. I would have bough it bigger and fire resistant if I could have afforded it at the time.

Thanks Scott..

Dathan

Any time.

It should make a lot of sense to you. Most homeowners plans are woefully inadequate if you have very many guns. The same with jewelry or other small valuables. If your limit is $10000 on guns, it doesn't take long to reach that.

I had a house full of antiques and guns years ago. Had a cherry rope bed valued at ten grand and a pre civil war hutch with original glass worth almost that much. I put an insurance rider on every peace. It was not that much more and it covered replacement cost. I would think a list of your firearms and a specific rider on them would cover the cost.

One advantage of getting rid of all the clutter and living a simple life is you don't have near as much to loose.

Look at your dec sheet, I am not sure what mine says off hand about fires and firearms, but my maximum Theft claim on firearms of 1500 bucks and 200 on jewelry. I saw that and called my agent right away.

now its 10k on firearms for theft and and 5k on jewelry. Again not sure what fire losses are covered at (they are different) but Ive found out the hard way the Insurance company is never on your side and your agent is normally a spineless sack of [bleep].

I need a second mid-size safe. I am buying this one tomorrow when it goes on sale for $549. I looked it over and it's workable.

Bob

I found out the hard way that the more an insurance company can screw you the more they cam make. They are anything but your friend!

I'd go with one of the two Champions that you list. I looked up the economy Liberty safe (mid-sized/ LINK below), and the Champions have a better fire rating. As others have said, buy as much safe as you can afford. I'm referring to the quantity it will hold. My gun room is starting to look like a safe store :-). Good luck! -Tom T.

LINK:

http://www.libertysafe.com/safe-centurion-safes-ps-20.html?tab=colors