So my BIL called me today to inquire about what kind of gun safe he should purchase. Comparatively, he has pretty minimal needs requireing space for about about 10 long guns, 4 or 5 handguns and a few personal items with a budget of around $500.00. Having not bought a new safe in more than 20 years I was not much help other than telling him to read all he could online. I told him I would reach out to you guys for your thoughts as I'm sure at least a few guys here have made such a purchase recently.

Thanks,

twofish

Set an alarm on craigslist for "gun safe". Whenever one is posted you get an email. Cheapest way to buy.

Tractor Supply has really good sales on Canon and other low-dollar safes. For $500, that would be where I'd go.......

When I moved to Colorado two years ago, I sold a large heavy duty gun safe (to save the moving expenses). I looked around in Colorado for a new safe and lucked out. A local Tractor Supply was having a sale on their last 2 Winchester 42-rifle capacity safes for $450 each. I bought both as the actual capacity is less than the listed capacity (unless all you have are single barrel shotguns or the ilk). I bought both; they have 60 minute fire protection and while not as burglar proof as a top of he line Fort Knox/Liberty/etc., they do the job. They keep grand-kids out and will slow down a burglar.

Unless you live in a very isolated area, are away for long periods and, have tools handy that a burglar might need (big pry bars) to force a safe open, these safes are a good buy. Most burglars are quick "smash and grab" types and don't carry acetylene torches and pry bars with them. and, if the worst does happen, I've got insurance.

I did a little research on fire resistant (proof) safe's a few years ago. The following is what I learned and confirmed thru a local safe manufacturer.

In the first place, if your guns are in a house fire and the place burns down around the safe, most info I got was that the guns would be heat treated and the metal probably too soft to trust. I am sure this varies from fire to fire however. Some fires may be much hotter than others and thus the heat damage much different.

Secondly, the water used to put the fire out will began the oxidation of the metal immediately because of the resultant steam and heat. If any guns aren't destroyed by the heat, they must be immediately disassembled and completely cleaned and re-oiled to prevent rust.

Lastly, a burglar is very stupid to enter a safe thru the main safe door. The safe doors are built like, well, a safe. The side walls however are relatively thin sheet metal covered with fireproofing. As I understand it, (and have personally seen on one occasion) it is much easier to drill a series of holes near the top side-walls of the safe in an upside down, squared off, U shaped pattern, cut between the holes with a saw and and use a pry bar to bend a flap down just large enough to reach your hand in and pull the guns out one at a time. Fancy dials and combinations are just that, fancy. The way into a safe isn't thru the door. The door certainly is important for security from children, etc. but the exterior materials are where the emphasis should be placed.

Oh yea, one more thing, if the safe isn't bolted to something like a concrete floor, a burglar can be move it out of your house full of guns in the same way that it was moved into your house when it was new and empty.

Brand of safe does not tell you what you need to know. Many of the safe manufacturers have different grades of safes. The difference in grade is things like thickness of steel, fire rating, number of bolts in door, kind of paint,etc.
So look at the details, not the brand.
And I would recommend buying bigger than you think you need, as they tend to “fill up.”

Thanks guys, keep em' coming. Recommendations of particular models and sizes will be appreciated by my BIL. Had not thought about Tractor Supply at all. We have one here not to far at all.

Thanks again,

twofish

I highly recomend holding out for an extra tall model. Mine has two shelves above the long gun storage. The bottom easily holds pump shotguns with thirty inch barrels., while the shelves above hold an amazing amout of necessities.

And, our local farm and ranch stores often have special deals on scrarch and dent models. My safe was sold as such, but three years later, I have yet to identify the defect.

Might be out of your price range, but I really like Sturdy Safes. They are definitely worth looking into.....

Sturdy Safe

I have a 60 Champion and a cheaper 90 Cannon . The Cannon has been fine, the Champion is great, very solid and heavier than the Cannon.

If I was looking for best bang for the buck in a $500 dollar safe I'd do as the first two coments on this thread mentioned and either buy used on Craigslist or if I wanted a new one ASAP buy one at Tractor Supply.

If you beef up for fire you get a stronger safe with it. I went with 90 min. of fire protection. Mt safe weighs around 1200 pounds. A 2 hour safe the same size as mine would weigh 1 ton. He has to decide what protection he wants. A safe is a layer of protection. I suggest an alarm system for his home is a break in is his biggest concern. We have an alarm system and we use it every time we leave. A thief won't usually tarry with an alarm going off.

Buy one with a combination lock, not a digital lock.

That's all I've got to offer.

Thanks fellas, this is all good stuff and I appreciate it. I sent him a link to this thread where he can read your thoughts and experiences first hand.

Thanks again and keep em' coming if you have any thoughts or opinions regarding this.

I'm with colodog, Get a combination as if the digital goes out and they do you have to wait on the manufacture to replace it which can be time consuming. My two safes are American Security and not a bit of trouble in 20 years

I have lots of friends that have had problems with digital locks in the last few years.500 is a very low budget for a gunsafe. sentry may be his best bet.

Make sure the safe has four holes in the corners to drive concrets anchors into the slab, also position it where the opening side of the safe is closest to an existing solid wall.

I work for a bank...a safe with holes drill in it to bolt down is not fireproof, cause u put holes in it . best thing I learned was to clean the floor where the safe is to go (concrete being the #1) and silicon it to the floor once it sets up it > sucksazz to get that thing loose !

When I went looking I went for thickness of the side walls, top, bottom and the construction of the door, then price. I chose Sportsman's steel safe. It's hell for stout, weighs 1350 pounds. Most of the pretty safes can be opened with a can opener, the side walls are not much thicker then the can your beans came in.

Jim

Get one a lot bigger than you think you need,and get a tall one so you can store ammo on top shelves. You won't have room in a short one if you own shotguns.

1. Get a safe twice as large as you think you need. Seriously.

2. Do NOT get an electronic lock.

3. Secure it to the floor/wall FIRMLY.

On the subject of fire rating and materials used to retard fire in a safe . . . . be careful with safes that are coming out of China. Chinese manufactured safes use drywall as a fire retardant. Unfortunately, Chinese drywall contain quite a bit off formaldehyde (sp). If/when exposed to fire or heated, the formaldehyde begins to 'off gas'. The 'off gas' is toxic and will coat firearms with a residue that will almost immediate begin to cause corrosion - aka rust.

Get the highest one you can find!! Maybe two!

Thanks again fella's.

A safe, not bolted in, is just a heavy purse. Fire rating is not going to matter on the side secured.

Check with a safe dealer that can make deals. Semi local to me is a liberty / browning dealer. Stocks over 150 safes.

I bought a liberty back during the summer. He’s a dealer and said liberty had to move safes because Gander MTn was one of their biggest buyers and were going under. So they had a good sale going.

I spent an hour in the showroom with them explaining the pros and cons of each model. Fire ratings. Metal thickness. Locks. Etc.

They also repair and service safes. So mention x brand and they can tell you this is the most common problems they see, instead of a blanket “they’re junk” reply.

Another vote for Sturdy. Its not within the $500 budget though....

They build a great no nonsense product right here in America

a safe should NOT come with pre drilled holes for bolting. you should drill your own exactly where you need them. I wouldn't set a safe directly on concrete either,it will rust in most cases if you do.buy a rubber mat,door mat or something like that insulate it from moisture. or put 4 plastic blocks under it to let it dry out .best place to put one is in a closet where you can't get to the sides or top. a real thief will never try to get in the door. the doors are built really well . safes with external hinges will open farther than 90deg ,safes with internal hinges will not go past 90deg.

yes,buy one twice as big as you need it to be,then call it a home safe and claim it on your taxes. you can do that.

If I was going to buy a fireproof safe it would be a Browning. If you have a large collection of guns, or plan to build one, invest in a high end browning like a ProSteel Silver (extra wide) for $3,999 retail (65 gun)

Well he texted me last night and said he had finally decided on one. Browning FMJ 23. He got it from Academy Sports with a $200.00 off coupon and a $50.00 rebate which best I can tell would have cost him around $550.00 plus tax. Thanks for everyone's comments and recommendations.

Browning FMJ 23







twofish