TexasCHLforum.com

Having a small collection of five handguns, with more on the way, I have become increasingly uneasy about leaving unsecured guns at home when my wife and I both leave the house. This year on our annual out-of-town Christmas trip, I loaded all five pistols in a range bag and kept them locked in the trunk of my car, taking them inside my sister's house upon arrival. Fortunately, she had a bedroom closet safe to keep them out of the grandchildren's hands.

Last Sunday, one of our close friends (a mile away) experienced a home break-in and robbery while she was at church. The thief ripped a solid metal door and frame out of its opening and proceeded to steal TVs, musical instruments, jewelry, and other valuables. Recently widowed, she had fortunately sold her deceased husband's gun collection. I really felt bad when she confessed that she had not set her burglar alarm and also had an unused safe that would have protected her jewelry. This made a deep impression on me.

After doing a lot of internet research and visiting every gun shop and available safe store in our city, I ordered a Liberty Franklin FR25 Safe to keep my guns, papers, jewelry, silver, etc. safe from harm. My primary concern was the possibility that, if our house were burglarized, my guns might fall into the hands of BGs. I found that the local Liberty Safe dealer was able to give me a great discount on one of his pre-ordered safes. Now I won't have to hide my guns all over the house.

What about you? How many of you own gun safes? Do you have a full size for a large gun collection or do you use a small pistol safe? Feel free to mention the brand of your safe if you would recommend it for consideration.

This SHOULD go without saying, but....

If you have a safe of any size, make sure it's bolted to the wall/foundation. Otherwise it's just a heavy shopping cart for burglars.

Yep. I keep everything of value in mine. These days that includes ammo.
....and yes, it's bolted solidly to the foundation. It's practically part of the house.

This past February my wife and I bought a Liberty FatBoy Jr. It took 6 big 'ol boys and myself to get it to the bedroom. We live in nearly a hundred year old house, so bolting it to the frame floor isn't really viable. If some one wants to use it as a shopping cart they're more than welcome to try. I live at the beginning of a dirt road and everyone on this road knows what cars should be parked in my yard, and we all talk to each other.

moving a safe is not as hard as one would think. most of them are rsc's that can be gotten in to pretty easly if you have a clue and some tools.
none the less most people tring to break in to them seem clueless enugh.

I have a safe bolted in the corner of a small closet. I shopped for a safe that would fit wall to wall. It is bolted to three walls and the floor.

After I placed the safe in the closet, I reduced the door opening by 6" using screw together metal studs. The safe will not fit back out of the door (hope I don't move soon).

I had the alarm company install a sensor on the closet door as well.

I am realist and understand no matter what you do you are in actuality just trying to slow somebody down.

Hopefully the fact the same weighs 400+ pounds, is bolted to three walls in an alarmed closet, and won't physically fit back out the door it came through will slow them down a bit.

Here's a link to a really good primer on safes: http://www.6mmbr.com/gunsafes.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; My first safe was a Zanotti, and it is now my ammo safe. My Bride and Children pooled their funds and got me a Graffunder for Christmas 2 years ago. It required the movement of my "Den" to a first floor location(it is a brute). Be careful with small pistol safes as several were shown to be easily opened by a 3 year old with a butter knife. I think Forbes had and article that covered testing of 10 or 12.

Putting my security hat on any safe that weighs less than 750 pounds should be firmly secured to the floor.

And the fewer folks that know of its existence, the better.

Congrats on the new toy.

Y'all should consider a few things for added deterrent.

1. If you don't have a home alarm, get one. Mine is TES Security. Have them put your closet that the safe is in on a second zone. Have them add an exterior siren mounted above the door and several bright strobes around the room in that closet along with a keypad somewhere close by. If you can figure it out, have the light disabled but that goes into too much details but doing it makes the room near theft proof. Having the damaging 135-145 decibals blaring into their scull along with no lights and strobes disorienting them will cause one of three things..

A. They leave.
B. they vomit all over the place then leave... DNA score.
C. They have a full blown seizure and die.

2. Buy one or two of the safes from Home Depot that are easily moveable. Throw some chain and brick in it and lock it up then have that in a location that is easily seen. This sometimes give the thief the SCORE!!! Mentality and he grabs and bails leaving all your goods behind. If he stays number 1 will surely mess his plans up..


Anyone want to try to steal my stuff? LOL

We should all own a gun safe. Its never a good idea to leave firearms where anyone can simply just grab them and go.

Ericstac,

Ever set off your alarm system accidentally?

If so, did you get sick?

The way I look at it, If you can afford the guns, you can afford the safe. Not even delving into the safety aspect of it.

Mine is definitely bolted to the floor. It's not a huge safe (20 x 30 x 60 about 600#) and when I saw the little guy that delivered it with a fancy little dolly and how easy he made it look pulling it all the way through my house, over the threshold even, I was sure it had to be bolted down. He said it had to be at least a 800# safe to rate two guys.

I should be getting a new safe soon. Still trying to make up my mind on which one to get.

Topbuilder wrote:The way I look at it, If you can afford the guns, you can afford the safe. Not even delving into the safety aspect of it.

I remember when I was closing my small business, I had pondered many times "Why did I spend $1,000 on a safe that I keep $150.00 in?"

Of course, that was cash and not weapons that we don't want getting into the hands of other people.