Best place to buy a sturdy, inexpensive larger pistol safe?

daddySEAL · Post by **daddySEAL** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:47 am

I've aquired so many pistols that they won't All fit into my safe anymore.
(A Gun Vault - The Multi GunVault 2000 Deluxe Electronic Safe, similar to this one:
http://www.everysafe.com/Gun-Vault-G...X-GVT1003.html )

Are there any places around that sell sturdy "bolt down" safes with touchpads for anywhere near $150 (that has inside dimentions 12"x 16"x 14" or a little larger?....hopefuly about 1.5 cu. ft)
My wife wants to use my old one for jewelry and irreplacable family keepsakes when I get a larger one.

(used, even?....Pawn Shops?)
I hate and don't use Ebay!

chewy555 · Post by **chewy555** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:04 am

Check Sportman's Guide. I saw a few pistol safes on there, and most were under the price that you said. Not sure about the size of them.

Post by **Keith B** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:23 am

I bought this safe https://www.honeywellsafes.com/sites/pr ... duct_id=18 at Pep Boys for $79 after a $20 reabte. All you have to do to bolt it down would be weld a couple of heavy L-brackets on the bottom sides or back and set floor anchors or lag bolts into the studs.

It also is fire resistant (not proof) so documents can be kept in there if the fire is not too intense.

Kalrog · Post by **Kalrog** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:55 am

I got my safe from Sam's. Granted it is a full sized version, but there and Costco have great values on safes.

daddySEAL · Post by **daddySEAL** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:32 pm

Cool,Keith B
....PepBoys?

That one is about what I need for a good price.
I called the company and their customer service person told me that some of the other models the company makes are setup with wall and floor mount bolt down systems. (angle iron and lag bolts would defeat the burglar foiling intent, I think).

thanks

stevie_d_64 · Post by **stevie_d_64** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:36 pm

Make sure that if its fire "resistant" you need, check that UL rating sticker that should be in the door frame somewhere on that safe to get an idea on its capability...

Which in reality won't make much of a difference in the long run if the structure around it is on fire...It'll kinda depend on where you put it in or around the structure...

If its a larger safe you need, I'd almost save some money and throw it on a standup armoure (echhh speeling??) type safe...

Lots of options and discussions on that issue...

daddySEAL · Post by **daddySEAL** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:50 pm

thanks, stevie_d_64

Is searching around I'm finding that there is almost nothing that is fire "proof"(as you mentioned)...just resistant. I'll try for a high fire rating, but my main concern is theft. The ratings on theft protect are rated too.

I'd Love to have a stand up vault for my (5) rifles and shotgun AND All my pistols(currently 10 and "climbing", so it would need a major area fire handguns and cases of ammo.), but the ones that have both a good fire resistance rating and Great theft protection ratings are 10 times the cost(and would take 5 guys to move into my closet from their weight).

I think I'll look for used ones and compromise on size....but keep my homeowners firearm floater/rider insurance coverage high.
(my budget is incredibly tight and a $1500 vault is not going to be possible)

AEA · Post by **AEA** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 3:22 pm

You can usually find the 1500.00 refrigerator sized safes discounted to about half that if you look around.

I bought mine for 750.00 + 100.00 for delivery and setup (30 miles).
At that time, it was delivered to a 2nd story Apartment and placed in the Laundry Room cubby hole!

It is a Liberty Colonial Model D-23
Fire Test Exposure: 1200 F
Maximum internal temperature rise: 275 F
Rating: 30 Min.

Oh, and I recommend that you get a safe with a real combination lock and not battery operated push buttons.
They are OK for small safes, but for large safes, you should have a REAL Safe Lock.

Mark G26 · Post by **Mark G26** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:29 pm

Kalrog wrote:I got my safe from Sam's. Granted it is a full sized version, but there and Costco have great values on safes.

What price did they have and how big?

daddySEAL · Post by **daddySEAL** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:01 am

thank you, AEA
But even that price is WAY over my limit at the moment.
I'm buying a house and can just b-a-r-e-l-y affort the mortgage payments and pay on my credit card without going delinquent!

I appreciate it.
For now, I'll just try to protect my 10 handguns, and hopefully later the few long guns I have.

thank you very much though,

dS

AEA · Post by **AEA** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:51 am

No problem.......hope you consider what I said carefully when the time comes to buy a safe........

In the meantime, although a bit inconvenient, I may have an alternative suggestion for you.

Most Banks will give you reduced rates on Safe Deposit Boxes if you have certain accounts with them or have been a customer for a long period of time. Could you afford to get a safe deposit box of the size to store your most expensive pistols in for a temporary solution to the possibility of them being stolen?

Kalrog · Post by **Kalrog** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:33 am

daddySEAL wrote:But even that price is WAY over my limit at the moment.

The similar style ones from Costco and Sams run in the $700 range so that might be a bit more possible - or maybe possible sooner even if it isn't possible now.

You do what you can though - so use the handgun version until you can get the big momma. I use mine for documents and guns. Helped it be a bit more justified to get slightly larger.

daddySEAL · Post by **daddySEAL** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:35 am

thank you, but I could only go about $200 plus, in my budget for a small/medium sized(about 1.5 cu. ft?) safe for my handguns.
(I also prefer electronic keypads, or touchcoded entry with key backups, rather than dials too...like the one I showed that I've outgrown)

Just not enough for a decent rifle safe.
(actually, my few rifles aren't that expensive...but have sentimental value. My pistols aren't "that" expensive either..but there are many more of them, and I love them all...10 different makes, models and sizes)

thank you, I'll remember, AEA.
Academy, Home Depot and Lowes also carry safes....Sears too, I guess.

stevie_d_64 · Post by **stevie_d_64** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 10:36 am

IIRC, the rating on my safe is about 1400 degrees for about 25 minutes...

I figure the house could catch on fire, me exiting the perfectly good burning structure, rundown to the station, pick up the engine by myself, be back in about 3 minutes, dump 750 gallons of water, while hooking up the supply, by myself, and still have the house burn to the slab in that amount of time...I'm not kidding...

The only thing left standing would be that dirn safe...

Just my luck...

If you find a UL rated gunsafe with better numbers, that would be good...But I figure the safe I have is a good benchmark to use when you go shopping...

Heat will still conduct through the metal walls, so if you put documents in there, make sure they are not touching the sides of the safe, and keep that kind of stuff more towards the center of the safe...

Just remember, nothing is foolproof, but your stuff stands a better chance in that, than nothing at all...

daddySEAL · Post by **daddySEAL** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 11:36 am

thanks, stevie_d_64
Ha Ha!....as long as I was home when the fire started, I'm pretty sure(if I couldn't put it out myself)...the FIRST thing I'd do would be to open the safe and save all my "babies"...and stash them in the car, before heading to the Fire Station....Ha!

I'm not limiting my search to only "gun safes".
Any kind of bolt down, fire resistant, security safe of the size I need that will easily/safely hold all my pistols(and ammo too, I guess)is what I'm looking for.

thank you though, friend