Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Gun safe

Your opinion on gun safe quality. Best to worse

I used AMSEC’s for decades. I was always very happy with them.

You definately don't want the ones on display at Walmart. Lotsa folks like Liberty, I bought a Treadlock 25+ yrs. ago, combination lock is the way to go too many problem stories about the electronic keypad models. Many time dealers with gun safe displays at gun shows will make great deals just before show closing on Sunday afternoon. They gave me a deal I couldn't pass up rather than have to pack it up and haul it back to the shop.

I recommend Sturdy...made in the USA by some good folks in CA.

Not the cheapest, but you're getting what you pay for.

Sturdy safe is a good value for what you get and offers custom add ons. They also sometimes have deals under list price if you call. From some friends experiences with electronic locks I would always buy a mechanical lock. Also always buy bigger than you think you will need.

Fort Know is prolly the highest rated. I ordered their Yeager top of the line safe named in honor of gen Chuck Yeager. In fact I believe my Yeager is the last one with that name to come off their production line in 2008 the Dealer I ordered it from had to convince them to build just one more Yeager for me and they agreed to. They took the Yeager, chrome plated all the internal gears, bolts, covered the back of the door with tempered glass so you see them the re named it the Legacy and jacked the price up. Mine has a custom paint job and I had my choice of internal of external hinges it normally comes with two I paid for four external hinges to give it strength and give it the old west look. Paid a little over 8 k for it in 2008. I have that and an older Browning Pro Steel I bought new in the 1980's. Fort Knox, Liberty, Browning all great safes.

There was a thread about a week ago, I wrote a page, short version.

Get a tall one if you have many shotguns with 26" barrels, add 26" rifles in your cvount.
You probably have more long guns than the little slot Wil hold.


After all the BS about weight and door thickness, look at side, back and top thickness.

A stooge ain't breaking into any safe, a smart dude will go in through the side or back.

Time, tools, noise.
Where do you live? Neighbors close?
If you live remote and everyone works, a determined burglar could
have hours to work, with tools. Very few safes will hold for 1 hour.


But,
time, tools, noise. (And knowledge)
Unless you were targeted by a pro, due to having really expensive stuff,
It's likely a smash and grab thing. The metal cabinet type safes bolted
down will stop those guys.

Unless, you provide the tools.

The guy who used to own Juniata Trading sold a lot of safes.
He told me they only had one known safe get cracked.
The customer was a contractor,
lived rural,
on vacation,
had a concrete saw near where the safe was.
The safe was cut open, contents and the saw were gone.

Done know where Western Pa is,
But Juniata has 1 or two big sales each year.
They get a bunch of safes in and sell them pretty reasonable then.
New ownership, not sure if that will continue.

All listed are Residential Security containers. rated at 5-10 minutes to break into.

Brown Safes .........you get what you pay for.

Guys you've never heard of recommending safes you've never heard of. No doubt some of the no-name safes are the absolute best. That said, Grizz is spot-on about brands that are known. Be careful where you put the safe. No safe that I know of is worth a damn in a hot fire and located where the house can fall in on it.

No matter what you buy some are easier to break into than others. Where you put it matters too. If the top of the safe in easy to get toI think I could have it cut off in less than 10 minutes with one of these. It'll cut through 1/2" steel plate as fast as I can cut 3/4" plywood with my wood saw.

Nothing is safe anymore.

No complaints with my Sturdy Safe.

Sturdy Safe

I've been happy with my Fort Knox. Its also a Yeager model. Its shipping weight was right at 2000# so anyone stealing it will need some experience and preparation. Its not been tested by attempted break-in or fire.

The closest thing to a real safe is probably a Graffunder.