Gear thread? Talk to me about safes!

[tharper]

Afternoon guys and gals... I am going to be in the market before terribly long for a gun safe. For years it's just been the wife and I, but with our first minion making it's debut in June, I really need to see about getting a safe. I don't have a huge gun collection, so I do not need a big one by any means. I'm not looking to spend a fortune on a Liberty or anything like that. Just need room for a few pistols, some rifles, and an antique WW2 sword my grandfather willed me when he passed. I would probably say budget 300-500 range. Prefer something I could actually bolt to the foundation in my closet if I so choose. Thanks for the advice in advance!

 

[tharper]

I know my price range seems exceptionally cheap, so give me options and I can wiggle around and see what I want to spend

 

[HiredHand]

Safes almost never hold as many guns as advertised. You'll also end up wanting to put more inside of it than you originally planned on. Just something to consider.

 

[HiredHand]

This article is worth reading. http://www.6mmbr.com/gunsafes.html

 

[tharper]

Thanks for the info!

 

[djcorrell]

For you budget, get a JoBox. There are some nice articles out there about these. A friend had a custom one that was great. This is a better "container" than what you will get with a "safe" in your price range. You are on a budget, but that means that you won't mind doing a little work. Best case, find a used one at a pawn shop. These things get sold for nothing all the time. Repaint it to match the interior colors, or wrap it in finished plywood. You can easily anchor it to the slab, great idea. Use wedge anchors, not the lead lags. (check youtube for test vids). Buy a sheet of 3/4 plywood. use it to make the racks for long guns and pistols. Part of it will be used to make a padded top, covered by your wife in her choice of fabric. Screw from underneath to mount(short ones). You can add a vapor seal to help smoke damage and mitigate humidity. The top design is already water resistant.(ie in case of fire or tornado). If you want to add an additional layer of fire protection to the inside, the material is available, but not cheap. Don't use standard sheetrock, it contains a lot of moisture. Most of the heat in a house fire goes up.. A basic steel cabinet survived with pictures intact when her house went up, get the dozer total, the water damage on the things left made them mostly un-salvageable. The water damage was as bad as the fire. I have seen these done right and they are great on a budget, and you get a place in the closet to sit.
My advice to most people is to spend 10% of the money on the safe, in relation to contents. I will try to post some additional info, when I have time. I hope this helps. You have brought up a great question and set of requirements, that a lot of people have; however, they are seldom addressed.

 

[djcorrell]

http://gunsafereviewsguy.com

 

[Mr.Glock]

Those JobBox's mentioned above are great for storing ammo. Bolt em down, lock em up! I would suggest to line them with either fire board or welding blankets. They will keep free up space in your crowded safe of ammo. I know a couple guys use them. Bolted down to the floor would be the one thing I would do first. One of the guys I know had a break in at this house and they tried to get into the job box and the large safe sitting right next to it to no avail!

I don't know what would be cheaper, welding blankets or fire board??

 

[tharper]

For you budget, get a JoBox. There are some nice articles out there about these. A friend had a custom one that was great. This is a better "container" than what you will get with a "safe" in your price range. You are on a budget, but that means that you won't mind doing a little work. Best case, find a used one at a pawn shop. These things get sold for nothing all the time. Repaint it to match the interior colors, or wrap it in finished plywood. You can easily anchor it to the slab, great idea. Use wedge anchors, not the lead lags. (check youtube for test vids). Buy a sheet of 3/4 plywood. use it to make the racks for long guns and pistols. Part of it will be used to make a padded top, covered by your wife in her choice of fabric. Screw from underneath to mount(short ones). You can add a vapor seal to help smoke damage and mitigate humidity. The top design is already water resistant.(ie in case of fire or tornado). If you want to add an additional layer of fire protection to the inside, the material is available, but not cheap. Don't use standard sheetrock, it contains a lot of moisture. Most of the heat in a house fire goes up.. A basic steel cabinet survived with pictures intact when her house went up, get the dozer total, the water damage on the things left made them mostly un-salvageable. The water damage was as bad as the fire. I have seen these done right and they are great on a budget, and you get a place in the closet to sit.
My advice to most people is to spend 10% of the money on the safe, in relation to contents. I will try to post some additional info, when I have time. I hope this helps. You have brought up a great question and set of requirements, that a lot of people have; however, they are seldom addressed.

Absolutely great advice. I really appreciate you taking the time to spell all of that out. Definitely something to think about. I've had a few friends have their entire safe stolen because they didn't anchor it down. If someone breaks in and wants the damn thing, they're going to really have to work for it. I have a few months at the earliest before I have to really do anything. Not super concerned about a newborn getting into anything immediately, so I have time to make a good decision and do plenty of research. Any other advice is really appreciated. This is why I love OSA.

 

[BillMac]

Check out Bear Safes in OKC on North Meridian. They will let you put one on layaway and pay it out. They say that by the time people get ready for them, they many times go on to the next size up. Many choices. Price may be higher, but the layaway helps.
http://www.bearsafes.net/