Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game safe buying advice

I've been shopping around and I think I screwed up by not buying a safe earlier in the year at a sports show. It seems like that was the best pricing. I don't know if safe stores lower prices through the year and towards the holiday season. I know in some gun stores they wait for increased prices over the years to make the old safe more desirable. I have also noticed that used safes on classifieds are being offered at almost new safe prices. I don't understand because many don't have the re-locker lugs and multiple locking lugs. Also I'd want to change the combination on a used safe and that would cost extra money. They also tend not to have as high of a fire rating.

So, I went out last week to a safe store and there were some promotions to move this years models or after show specials. They were giving $200 off a $1799 safe, both Browning or Liberty have the same amount of money off right now for that price range. I am leaning more towards functionality over higher fire rating and the difference over 10 gauge or 11 gauge steel. Apples to apples I'd buy the Browning over the Liberty for the door rack system (the DPX). I am leaning towards a Browning silver series safe at $1599 + tax. Before I was thinking of a Bighorn safe for $999 at Costco but it isn't nearly as purdy.

Unless I spend a bunch more money I don't think I'm going to be moving up much or into another category.

Any advise or experience before shelling out the money?

Buy the biggest one you can afford. The capacity of the safes are measured with unscoped break action 22s. Scopes and bolt actions eat up a lot of room. Go for weight. Not many people are going to steal an 800# safe from your basement. Buy from someone that will install (transport/move) the safe, and be sure that includes your basement if that is the intended location. $100-200 is money well spent when the installation is complete. Personally, I'd lean towards higher fire rating than thicker steel. If a professional visits I'm not sure 1 gauge thicker steel will stop him but an extra 30-60 minutes of fire rating might help if the house burns down. Sure, ball bearing hardplates and 25 bolts in the door might be nice but if cost is a concern I think the larger size would be where I would (and did) spend my money. As to used, if you were paying less than half it may be worth considering but other than that, forget it. Just my opinions. Good luck.

I'd check out the AMSEC BF series. I have a 1000 lb safe bolted to concrete. It's US made and if any thief attempts to break in, damaging the safe, they'll give you a new one free of charge. American Security has a good video up of how easy it is to break into some of the other safes. I think Liberty is the one on their video - took just a few minutes.

Sort of like optics, I bit the bullet, cried once, and am glad I bought the better safe. Good luck.

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Eric

Visalia safe co. Well worth the money.

Do a search on here about gun safes. I insurance investigator or something like that had some interesting comments made regarding fire and break in of gun safes. IIRC, he stated that in over 50 investigations he'd never seen a safe that had been successfully broken in to. Similarly, in over 50 investigations he hadn't seen a safe make it through a fire without damage, some total loss, to the contents. Not so much from the heat, but from the air causing rusting etc.

My safe is a "28-gun" Browning, over-flowing on one side and shelved on the other, which I keep filled ammo, handguns, jewelry (not mine) and other stuff. although one of these days I plan to remove the shelves and free up get the other 14 gun spaces. Too many guns in the closet instead of the safe.

When I was looking I investigated fire ratings but in the end decided against the extra cost on the basis that if the house burns I have far greater problems than some easily replaced guns. Might feel differently if I had some really rare/expensive guns but most guns and scopes were purchased used and I have insurance.

In the end, only you can decide what is best for your situation.

Lots of good advice here.Buying bigger is my first recommendation,buying heavier is my second.There is some good info on accurateshooter.com about safes,well worth the time to read. Lightman

Thanks for the advise. If there is any more feel free to post.

I have heard from nearly everyone I have talked too, to get the largest safe you can afford. I think another important factor is a company that is going to replace the safe in fire or even a attempted break in (currently I don't know that many companies). I had one gun shop owner tell me that he wouldn't put anything in a safe that he was worried about fire protection. It goes with that there is going to be some degree of damage...so have good insurance. Then I start thinking if that's the case, then really the safe is just to keep the kids safe and not to get too crazy.

Eric if I had the money that's the safe I'd buy. It is a great value. You are correct that buying good stuff feels better in the end.
Thanks for the advice

I have an old Browning safe and lost the combination to it. Took some effort, a fax from L.E. or registered locksmith stating I was the legal owner, to get Browning to release the combination to me. PITA at the time but I understand their point of not giving out numbers to just anyone. They did still have the combo though after 15-20 years and I did get what I needed. I have mine setting next to an outside wall of my house and if there ever was a fire you could make a doorway with a chainsaw in about 2 minutes and save it and all my important papers and stuff pretty easy and quick.

+1 on the American Security safes.
Go with the biggest you can afford, they fill up fast.
Fire rating was important to me and the Costco or bargain safes typically have lower temperature ratings and/or time rating.

Kallen, no problem! Mine was about $2K installed, with a custom finish. I think it was the BF 6030.

I had it painted gloss white to blend in with the garage wall, so my wife didn't realize how big it actually was.

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Eric

Kallen,

Where in northern Ca are you? I just bought a new Browning safe from Birds Landing in Rio Vista Ca. I bought the Browning because of the door rack system. I had a liberty and liked it but out grew it.

I'm in the Napa area. Rio Vista isn't far, do they have much over there? Is that the hunting club over there?

I found one safe on craigslist. It's a Cannon t-36 for $1800. The price seemed OK till I found that it didn't have the updated lights inside, electricity, and there was only one configuration. There is a top shelf and the rest is all long rifles below...no cubbies. Also I would have to make arrangements to get the safe out of the persons house. All the sudden paying a pro to move it, or me doing it, and taking on the liability didn't seem like a great deal.

I'm noticing that the used safes are usually cheap ones that people are upgrading or there are the safe that are too large to move so it is easier to sell than go through the headache of moving it back and forth.