I need something bigger and more substantial than what I currently have, and was hoping y’all could give me some suggestions. With Christmas coming up I think it’s about time and also think I might find a good deal somewhere. Would like to have something fire rated and pretty nice but doesn’t have to be name brand and cost a ton. Where do y’all suggest me looking? Do you prefer digital or old style turn knob? Do you just pay to have someone deliver them?

Thanks!

Where are you located?

I would scour the Black Friday adds today (you can do this online at BlackFriday.com where they have most ads already scanned in) for Academy, Tractor Supply, BassPro and Cabelas. If there isn’t something in there you like on sale then there isn't any urgency to buying soon and you have time to look for what you really want. Having said that, there are usually some great buys on safes, especially at Academy if memory serves me correctly. I think the top end brands are Liberty, Fort Knox and maybe one or two others but I haven’t bought a safe in 20 yrs so I could definitely be wrong. I prefer the turn dial however I also have a drawer safe that’s pushbutton. No idea which is better or lasts longer. I would guess the turn dial.

McKinney

Do people deliver them to you, or how does that work?

There are companies that do so and also depending on where you buy from, none of the big box stores obviously, like a Safe specific store in the Metroplex will likely deliver as well for a fee. If your a “one man band” without friends with strong backs it’s totally worth it IMO. I think there are also safe specific dollys that can be rented to make it easier. All depends on what you have or don’t have to load it into and what it has to traverse over, down or up to get to its resting place.

Buy bigger than the safe is rated. They all fudge on size. A 40 gun safe will not comfortably hold 40 guns. I moved my Liberty safe myself with help from my son. I used schedule 40 PVC and rolled it using 3 pieces. It was not hard. Obviously it depends on the size and weight of the safe. I think mine weighed 400 lbs.

Thanks guys... good information. I’ve seen videos of people using the pvc pipes.

We don’t have any stairs but do have tile floors. I got two scraps of carpet from the carpet store, placed on the tile, then used those hard plastic coaster disks for moving furniture under each corner. Just slid the safe it all over the house moving the carpet piece I front of the safe to where I needed it to end up.. Super easy. Just left one of the carpet pieces under the safe so when I need to move it back out it will slide out easily.

I think manufacturers rate the capacity of their safes using iron-sighted .22 rifles.

Security Products

I’m a fan of the old school dial lock just because it feels classy

The major benefit of electronic locks is how quickly they can be opened as compared to dial-type locks.

Greg, my pops just bought a browning out of the safe place in Frisco. They are coming to install on Tuesday so I will get the name and text you the info. They are installing and everything for a damn good price in my honest opinion.

Safe company in garland

IMO, if you live in an area with a decent fire department and good neighbors, you probably don't need a top-end safe because it's far less likely your house is going to burn to the ground, or that thieves will be able to spend hours in your home.

did mine and moved it twice. its no problem for them
i got touchpad. no problems, battery lasted forever

i went for the huge Liberty, worth every $$

DONT DO CHEAP

TSC puts all theirs on sale for Black Friday

Wow. Thank you guys... lots of good info. I went last night to scheels and today to cabelas and academy. I will look at the safe company in garland tomorrow.

So far I like the Browning the best. Says it weighs 500lbs and I’m curious just how heavy that is as I’ve never tried to lift anything that heavy. Last thing I want to do is get in a bind and hurt my back. Saw a company that will pick up and deliver for additional $300 and thinking that might be the way to go. Thoughts

1) No flatbed trailer ....... hire it out.
2) Lots of stairs.... hire it out
3) No friends.......well, you can hire those too and then answer 1& 2 again.

If you have access to a flatbed trailer, friends and no stairs....... I say do it yourself. However, for $300, I would gladly pay for someone else’s back to do it than mine regardless of 1,2, or 3.

Pay the money to have someone deliver and install it. If something goes wrong, they're on the hook for repairing any damage. It is also cheaper than an ER co-pay if you jack up your back doing it yourself.

Y’all sound like smart men with wisdom! I’m not 25 anymore and $300 is not much to have the piece of mind. Thanks for helping guide me to that conclusion

I got mine from tractor supply on a half off deal, they loaded it with a forklift on a pallet in the back of my truck. Drove it home and me and 1 buddy got it out of the back of my truck into the garage. “Walked” it across the garage to the corner it was going in. Getting it out of the truck was actually pretty simple just use leverage. Lay the safe down on its back, slide it to the end of the tail gate until it starts to tip then just let gravity do the rest and it’ll slide down and you just stand it up. If it’s not wrapped in cardboard or something, put something down to slide it on.

What’s the best safe bang for your buck?

That’s a really good idea with the rollers!