Any recommendations on the best bang for your buck gun safes? Looking at 24-36 capacity

I like Champion Brand myself. But with any safe you get what you pay for so results will vary

Good luck in your search

What's available local?

Shipping is expensive.

Buy bigger than you think you need....You'll probably find a bunch of stuff besides guns to put in it.

Buy at least twice the capacity you think you will need

I’ve been considering the 26 gun safe at harbor freight for $499

A room in the house with a lock on the door.

If you want cheap look at Canon sold at Tractor Supply. They serve the purpose and are fairly inexpensive but they don't have the quality of a Champion, Fort Knox or Liberty safe. I got a 36 gun Canon wide body safe for 699 a few years ago.

liberty makes a very good safe. not cheap but not ridiculous either. you get what you pay for.

Exactly, buy bigger.
Which is best, the devil is in the details. How thick are the walls and door, number of locking lugs, etc. Lots of brands make them for different price points, be sure to compare apples to apples.

Sturdy Safe.

Just get some big heavy lock boxes.

Most gun safes are just lock boxes with a little carpet and sheet rock inside.

To get any meaningful fire protection you have to spend an assload of money...and the safe will be small.

You can be inside most gun "safes" in a few minutes with a cordless grinder and a cut off wheel.

So, a locking cabinet is going to keep the guns safe from honest people and cost way less.

Sturdy Safe.

They have greatly expanded their cosmetic options as of late. Maybe still not as 'pretty' as others, I believe they offer much better protection.

I know a 45 gun safe wont hold 45 guns .

The last one I bought is a Zanotti. It’s well made and modular so it can be assembled anywhere….a closet for example. The heaviest component is the door.
Whatever you decide on, as everyone has said, get larger than you think you’ll need. Or just plan on getting another later. 😊

Champion, Liberty, Fort Knox, and Sturdy Safe are American made. Most others are Chinese. A decent quality safe or safes backed up with a gun specific insurance policy is the best way to go IMO.

Jim's right on the money.
Few have worthwhile fire protection.
Very few don't have thin enough sides that one can't quickly
start a cut with a grinder and peel it with a pry bar.

A safe buys you time and noise.
Things a theif doesn't usually want to spend.
Live in an apartment or duplex, you're fine with a locker.

Live out in the sticks?
You and your wife gone at work everyday?
Or, church? Religiously?
Ain't a safe you are likely to buy that can stand a couple hours
of a guy with a few tools.

Which brings us back to wasting money on false security.

Grafunder
Browning Superior
Fort Knox Rino

Personally I just use a Lyon locker. If someone wants to get into your safe, they will do so, given enough time.

This

What the other guys have said. There is not a safe on the market that will stand up to a 10 amp, four inch grinder and cut off wheel. That big heavy door and ten one inch SS locking lugs look good, except that is not where the thief will make entry.

But a good, HEAVY, safe will give some fire protection. Mine weighs 800 lbs. (36 gun Chinese safe) Maybe 100 pounds of that is steel and wood shelves. The other 700 lbs is sheetrock.

All that Gypsum is not there for insulation. You would have to have 8 inch concrete wall to protect the contents from heat via insulation in the event of a house fire.

The Gypsum actually prevents the contents of the safe from combustion by producing water vapor and displacing the Oxygen inside the safe in cases of extreme heat.

That is how the fire protection rating for temp protection and duration are determined. That is how long it will take for all the Gypsum to be consumed and water production to cease.

The caveat is, even if the fire dept can put out the house fire quick enough to prevent combustion of the safe's contents, you may take one look at the water soaked and rusted remains of your firearms and wish they had just burned up.

A good friend had a house fire several years ago. His guns were all salvaged. But he spent almost the cost of replacement getting them all refinished and reblued.

But at least the safe will keep curious little fingers away from your arsenal. And will deter the quickest of "snatch and grabs".

I think your last point is well taken, Idaho. That makes sense to me.

Having just bought a cheaper one, wish I had perhaps spent more money. Field and Stream (Chinese, but aren't most?) Advertised as an 18 long gun safe, fireproof for 45 minutes, and waterproof to two feet. No way it will hold 18 unless they are miniatures.. Perhaps 12 to 14 really crammed in. Be aware that what they say they can hold is wildly optimistic at best.

I looked and compared a lot of brands of gun safes. The thickness is key. I do noit mean just the front door as some have. I am talking sides and top. The tops are usually chopped with ax by standing on top. You can not chop 3/16 or thicker. I seen many pics where the whole top was opened like a can opener. The fire protection is mainly for char factor for paper. I ended up going with Armour Vault with 1/4 inch thick and no fire protection. I was told your guns can not withstand a house fire and still be good. My son bought a Liberty and he is very happy with it. There are a lot of brands, just do your homework. Buy what is best for you. I went and picked mine up at manufactures business. It was going to cost $350.00 to ship. I could drive and get it for $60.00.

Most all safe add have somewhere in the small print. **depending on optics/accessories and types of firearms..... as far as what they hold.

Maybe hole 45 short, single barreled shotguns but not AR's and Scoped bolt guns

Sturdy Safe is the most for the least.

IIRC there was a form insurance investigator (for lack of the proper title) that posted on a similar topic. He stated in over 50+ house fires with firearms he stated he hadn't seen any that weren't nearly a complete loss (see Idaho Shooter's post). Based largely on that, I'm likely going to just go with a lockable cabinet.

I have a fairly large 1250lb empty weight safe. Local guy builds them. I've moved it once and if I had to do it all again I'd go Jim C's route.

Between the fire and the safe likely winding up face down in the basement after falling through the floor and then soaked in water used to put out the fire I can’t imagine many if any guns being salvageable especially not blued long guns with optics. I like to buy American made products for anything over a few hundred bucks. A decent preferably US made safe that keeps kids and smash and grab thieves out and an insurance policy to cover fire is the best peace of mind.

What ever size you think you will need, get the next size up. Becareful of the cheaper ones. Like others have mentioned you get what you pay for.

Just buy plenty of insurance and a cheap one as none are truly fire or burglar proof. GW

I’m a locksmith and open plenty I’d go Amsec or liberty presidential trust me get the dial

My experience is that they can’t hold but half the long arms they advertise without being jammed together and difficult to get from the back row without removing three others.

I agree with getting twice the capacity you think you need. And if you are young and expect to grow the armory, get bigger yet.

There’s a big selection of arms now in Afghanistan that are not in safes and apparently free for the taking. There are however a couple of difficulties.

That's about right.

I had an AMSEC 36 long gun safe. And it held 36 scoped rifles but you had to place them just right, and I never sustained any safe dings at all. I didn’t waste my money on ‘fireproofing’...I wanted the money I had to spend to go to the best ‘burglar proof’ safe that my money would buy. I was very happy with it. I had it for 20 years.

Fort Knox.

I bought a liberty fatboy jr. a couple months ago. It was kind a “had to” to keep kids away from guns. I like it, it is a nice layout. I hate the electronic lock. It is nice, but I think all Gun safes are kind of overrated in terms of theft and fire protection. I’d kind of prefer to have a secure room with a good steel door.

Sturdy.

American made by good folks in CA.

Toured the facility with the owner a few years back.

A fine gentleman making a solid product.

I prefer 72" tall lockers ..more space up top for pistolas....and wider= better.

Cheap gunsafe. Put a couple of Savage Axis rifles and an 870 in it.


Hide the good stuff behind a false wall different part of the house.

Bolt it to the floor

Buy a tall one.

Seriously.

Your shelf has that slot for a couple long guns.
PITA to use, and only a couple fit.
And you will find you have more long guns than you think.

Most pump or semi shotguns, any bolt with a 26" barrel, muzzle loaders...
Buddy told me this.
Didn't listen. "I don't have many that long,"
Got my safe, he was right.

Most 'safes' arent. They are classed only as '"securable cabinets ''usually having only a 1/4"or less steel in walls and/or door. They are quick work for a disc cutter and many also susceptible to door flipping( pry attacks). Some brands can be pried open with screw driver, others can be virtually pry proof, but generally the fact is the metal thickness is what it is and for a determined burglar with portable powertools they are always going to be quick work. Id choose something economical with some sort of reputation for anti-prying at least.

Real secure options if you want them are ''real safes" as used by commercial companies, banks, supermarkets etc for cash holdings. They range from 1/2" steel walls to dual skin walls and concrete mix, up to bank level safes with walls several inches thick.Weight varies from a few hundred pounds to a couple of tons. Very expensive new, they can be found real cheap on the used market, particularly if a bank branch or store is closing down. Some will even give the safe away free if you pay to remove it. Large locksmith or safe selling companies will often have used refurbed units on the floor for sale at a fraction the price of new ones. Obviously check the weight before you buy to ensure what you can move and place in the home. Manouvering large safes on a solid floor can be done rolling them into position on broomsticks or metal pipe sections pretty easily.

For any safe, particularly lightweight fake gunsafes a few suggestions are
1. back them up with alarms or home security system
2. Hide or disguise them once in place. especially gunsafes with the gimmick spoke handles. Vauilt spoke handles are only needed for vault doors where the bolt work weighs hundreds of piounds. On a security cabinet they are nothing more than a sales gimmick and advertisement for theives. Cut them off or in some cases they can be unscrewed leaving a basic hub or knob .
3. Place safes in a corner of the room so walls protect two sides of the safe, with the door opening away from the nearest wall. This is as flipping the door( prying it open) requires levering it the other way and it cant be done as easily with a wall right next to it
4. bolt it down, even heavy safes get stolen. Also flip attacks are easier if the burglar can topple the safe and pry it standing over it
5. Use other furniture in the room to further limit access to the safe. Bolt any other cabinets, beer fridge, applicable sofa next to it
6. Add internal racks and chains to firearms inside if you want. A burglar who cuts a handhole in a door or wall of the safe to withdraw contents may have to enlarge the hole to get tools inside to deal with the second layer of defence.
7. Dont store power tools near the safe or lock them out of sight too, opportunistic theives may use what is easily at hand
8. Dont brag about your safe or show it to your buddies. Word spreads easily. The wrong person at a diner or work overhears you have a fancy glossy safe , you may get a visit one night. Three of the highest security grade safes ever made, the Wormald 8000, Chubb Isolator and TRTL 60x6's which need expert teams and heavy machinery to crack can still be opened quickly if the owner has a gun pointed at his head

"8. Dont brag about your safe or show it to your buddies. Word spreads easily. The wrong person at a diner or work overhears you have a fancy glossy safe , you may get a visit one night. Three of the highest security grade safes ever made, the Wormald 8000, Chubb Isolator and TRTL 60x6's which need expert teams and heavy machinery to crack can still be opened quickly if the owner has a gun pointed at his head."

This is my fear.
We have the safe hidden and very few know about it at all.
We also have a smaller very heavy fire safe out in the open with insurance papers and such inside, maybe they will be happy with that.
Told my wife if anyone is threatening her just open it, nothing is worth getting killed over.

We have a very modest small home. Not much bait for a serous bad guy. We do have numerous crack heads though and they are really stupid when they got the jones on but most of them are looking for the easy steal and easy sale.

My last house had a basement, I thought about building a walk in safe using a safe door with concrete block filled with poured cement. Worked through a few ideas then ended up moving. Just have a AMSEC safe now that does the trick.

Most safes will just keep your average crack head out. Serious thieves are hard to stop. But in reality they want be trying to steal what few firearms I have. They think bigger. Hasbeen

All us campfire crackheads know about it now!

Names changed to protect the innocent....

My #1 defense(hope).
Our house is also modest, 1k sq/ft ranch.

In an 8 house development everyone knows for the fancy houses in it.
Talking to people, they never even know our house is here. It's overlooked,
looking at the big houses.

Why in the world would anyone hit this place?

I have Fort Knox and have been happy with it, Liberty is also a nice safe. Many different models with different levels of metal thickness. Like was mentioned, get a bigger safe than you think you will need as they seem to fill quickly.

Sturdy Safe.