Need a little safe advice!

[CC Italian]

Ok, so I am looking for a bedroom safe! I already have a long gun safe that can hold everything if need be but I want something that can be in my bedroom that can hold at least three handguns and a couple boxes of ammo. Nothing big but I want some weight to it.

I am looking for something that weighs at least 150-400 pounds and hopefully has three locking bolts with a keypad(usually I like mechanical but I want quick access in the bedroom). I am trying to stay under $400.00 dollars but will go a little higher if need be. Here is some of the stuff I have seen in the size catagory that I like even if it is a little to much cost just to give you guys and idea of what I am looking for.

http://www.lackasafe.com/products/home- ... d-gun-safe A little on the high end but nice!

http://www.stack-on.com/categories/fire ... oducts/240 Seems more my price range but I wouldn't mind something a little bigger like the ranger safe above. I think they run about 320-350.

http://www.libertysafe.com/safe-home-sa ... s&pg_id=23 Lowes sells this safe for around 450 if you can find it but I don't know anything about it.

The only problem I have with these personal safes is that they cost alot considering their size for a few hundred more I could get a full size but I want something close to the bed. Like I said I don't want a "strong box" or gun vault something with weight that can be bolted down and hopefully a burglar would not waste time trying to break in even though I know they can get in quicker then you think. I am grateful for any input!

[CC Italian]

Come on! None of you guys have a smaller personal safe or office safe as they call them? Also, do any of you guys know of any other brands I should look at that might have this size safe that I am missing?

[boba]

Do you really want a "safe" somebody can put on a dolly and roll away?

If you're trying to keep them out of little hands, something biometric like a console vault might be a better choice.

[CC Italian]

I was told by a lock smith that it is easier for them to break open a safe then take it out if it is bolted to the ground? Maybe not? He said professionals can get into almost any house hold safe within minutes, especially once its not bolted down. He told me to get something they can't cut through quickly, like most of the sentry home fire safes that cost under 120 bucks and have cheap locks that can be opened very quickly with a basic drill. He said he can get into small fire safes very quickly but most burglars don't want to mess with a bolted down safe with a good lock and bolt system if it is going to take them more then a few minutes, unless they know you are going to be gone for a certain amount of time and they know it for sure. He told me to spend money on the lock and thickness of metal and bolt it down. He really stressed the lock and bolting it down!

I guess I could ask him but I just wanted to see if any of you guys had a experience with them. I have a 16 gun safe that is bolted down and weighs a good amount. 400 pounds if I recall but I was just looking for a small secondary safe.

I have no little prying hands to worry about just wanted a stout little safe!

[OldCannon]

The Stack-on will suit your purpose well. Just make sure it's bolted to the wall or floor and you'll do just fine.

[CC Italian]

Just thought I would share with what I got after talking to the locksmith. First off when he was talking "small cheap safes" he meant around $1,000!! He went on and elaborated on how easy it really is to break into some of these 400-700 pound safes that cost between 600-1200 dollars, especially if they are not bolted down!!He said a safe and a RSC (what 90% of all people have in their homes are totally different) He named almost every major safe you can buy at any department store! When I told him my price range he told me find the cheapest one that has 12 gauge steel and bolt it down. If they want it they will get it but it will take them longer! He told me that he has seen many 24 gun Lowes and home depot safes opened and the home owners were gone no more then 30 minutes! None of them where bolted down because the owners wrongly thought that the safes weight made it harder to break into then a smaller safe. It is harder to get into a $300 stack on 10 gun then a Liberty 24 if the Liberty is not bolted down. His own words!

Anyways I got a cheap Costco mini Winchester. I know they are supposed to be easy to break into but it will be bolted down! Looks just like this except it is only 45 minute fire and weighs 20 pounds less. Better then nothing and it cost 300 bucks!

http://winchestersafes.com/Home7-GraniteGloss-1.aspx

Welds are decent but nothing to write home about. So now it will take them 10 minutes to get in instead of 3 and yes Winchester was one of the names he said was easier to get into also.

[03Lightningrocks]

This guy said that bolting down = harder to break into??? That makes no sense. How would bolting the safe down make it harder to break into? It does make it harder to carry it off. Maybe I am missing something here?

[Excaliber]

This guy said that bolting down = harder to break into??? That makes no sense. How would bolting the safe down make it harder to break into? It does make it harder to carry it off. Maybe I am missing something here?

.

It's easier to throw a lot of body weight into prying with a heavy bar when the safe is on the floor.

The cheap safes have relatively thin steel walls that give fairly easily when subjected to a serious prying effort. Their weight comes mainly from the plaster-like fire insulation they contain, which does nothing to enhance resistance to opening. The more expensive ones like the Fort Knox series (3 - 4X the price of the ones you looked at) have substantially thicker steel that's harder (but not impossible) to pry into and more locking bolts that require more pry points before the door loses locking integrity.

[03Lightningrocks]

It's easier to throw a lot of body weight into prying with a heavy bar when the safe is on the floor.

OK... I can believe this. Thanks!

[CC Italian]

Yep, that is exactly what he said! They can use a lot more body weight and leverage once it's on it's back an away from the wall with those large pry (jackson) bars. Two strong guys and a pry bar less then 5 minutes unless it is something like a Fort Knox. Fort Knox is what he recommended by the way. He said they are not going to want to mess with that unless they have a lot of time and they know it has something worth more then 2-3 pistols.

[CC Italian]

He also said Mesa safes were good for the money. Never heard of them but then again I am not to familiar with safes other then the normal names you see every day.

[OldCannon]

I'm reminded of the adage: "Never ask a barber if you need a haircut."

Buying safes can be an extraordinary expense, and for many people, the costs you see pitched from safe dealers is enough to put people off completely. I recommend reading this guide (http://www.6mmbr.com/gunsafes.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) before buying. One thing the guide doesn't do is help you understand how to scale your decisions. If you are ONLY gong to get a couple pistols and a defensive rifle/shotgun, a heavy duty Stack-on style safe, bolted to the wall/floor is perfectly fine. If you think you're going to be purchasing more guns, then a bigger safe makes sense, but I always suggest multiple, smaller (single-wide) safes in different areas.

As for fireproofing...I think some heat protection is good, but all you have to do is read the stories on here about people with gun safes that went through last year's Bastrop fires -- the guns were destroyed totally from the intensity of the heat.

My view on safes is a bit simpler: _Most_ people need a safe to prevent the "smash and grab" type thief from getting away with your guns. That's why _all_ safes must be bolted to the wall/floor . Otherwise a safe is just a heavy shopping cart for quick-hit thieves. You also need a monitored home security system. They work hand-in-hand.

[CC Italian]

Couldn't agree more! In fact I asked my brother about installing a surveillance system( he is very good with that stuff) and he said he can do it easily and for a few hundred bucks. This and I am also thinking about getting a large male German Shepard. My lab is great for barking but she is not a guard dog! She is mostly bark and no bite.

Edit: Akita is another one that I have thought about but they are very protective of family members and are not as good as family dogs. A family friend has one and all I can say is that that dog loves her mommy (owner) and is very protective of her. Wouldn't want to mess with a 130 pound Akita!

[OldCannon]

Couldn't agree more! In fact I asked my brother about installing a surveillance system( he is very good with that stuff) and he said he can do it easily and for a few hundred bucks. This and I am also thinking about getting a large male German Shepard. My lab is great for barking but she is not a guard dog! She is mostly bark and no bite.

Edit: Akita is another one that I have thought about but they are very protective of family members and are not as good as family dogs. A family friend has one and all I can say is that that dog loves her mommy (owner) and is very protective of her. Wouldn't want to mess with a 130 pound Akita!

Honestly, the barkers are better. I have to labs who perform their jobs admirably. It's my job to do the biting, and I'm better at threat assessment

[03Lightningrocks]

I never quite understood why anyone would go cheap on a safe to protect thousands of dollars in firearms. 3500 dollars is not a lot to spend if your protecting 30K in weapons.