Texas Hunting Forum

Advice on safes

Posted By: WolfeEddy

Advice on safes - 08/28/14 04:28 PM

I need some advice on gun safes. I'm having a house built and in the master closet we're building a nook that's 4' deep X 2'2" wide, perfect spot for a gun safe. Builder told me to look at Academy or places like that and we'll get whatever I want. I don't know what I want other than it needs to fit in that space. I found one from Mesa but don't have very much knowledge or experience in the department. Any help or advice would go a long way.
http://m.homedepot.com/p/MESA-Capacity-A...2ECSD/202018337
This is the one I'm looking at.
Posted By: billybob

Re: Advice on safes - 08/29/14 12:04 AM

Not much advice but I just bought a first alert at costco for $499
Posted By: twinbubba

Re: Advice on safes - 08/29/14 10:37 AM

What ever you get I recommend you get a mechanical lock not one of the electronic gizmos. I have a Liberty safe I really like.
2'-2" sounds pretty narrow, my Liberty is 30" wide.
Posted By: WolfeEddy

Re: Advice on safes - 08/29/14 11:55 AM

Thanks for the help
Posted By: Huntmaster

Re: Advice on safes - 08/29/14 02:07 PM

Pay as much as you can stand--and then buy better than that. Research! Thickness, lock,
Tightness, etc.
Posted By: jeffbird

Re: Advice on safes - 08/29/14 02:52 PM

However big you think is big enough, buy double that capacity.

Your wife will want some room for jewelry and family stuff.

Definitely buy a mechanical dial, not the key pad.

The key pads go out due to wear, breakage, and batteries, then it is a major hassle.

Also, I saw an article that said burglars look at the wear patterns on the key pad and can sometimes open it just by random tinkering.

Safes have objective ratings from UL and some other labs. Try searching for "UL safe ratings" and read up.
Posted By: Lone Ranger

Re: Advice on safes - 08/29/14 05:02 PM

My vote goes for the mechanical lock as well. I have 2 safes, a Browning Gold Medallion and a Winchester Silverado. Both are excellent but the Winchester Silverado is quite a bit cheaper.
Posted By: White Falcon

Re: Advice on safes - 08/29/14 08:54 PM

Mechanical lock, Liberty safe, and bigger than you think you need!!
Posted By: Zach S

Re: Advice on safes - 09/02/14 02:07 AM

Originally Posted By: White Falcon
Mechanical lock, Liberty safe, and bigger than you think you need!!



I second this. Bought a Liberty Safe and ended up selling it within 1 year and got one double the size.

good luck and check out various sales they have on the Liberty safes (if you go with that brand). I watched the sales and got 30% off on mine.
Posted By: Gravytrain

Re: Advice on safes - 09/02/14 12:23 PM

I would dislike not being able to fully open the door if it were to sit all the way in
the cubby against the back wall.
Posted By: BOBO the Clown

Re: Advice on safes - 09/02/14 12:34 PM

Buy the highest fire rating possible
Posted By: Texas buckeye

Re: Advice on safes - 09/02/14 05:27 PM

I will also recommend Liberty safes, they have good fire protection and in my research seemed a little better (well, a lot) built compared to most safes. I was comparing between a cannon and a liberty, and glad I went liberty.

I would ask you builder to see about making the space bigger. 2'2" is tiny for a safe where the walls will be 2-3 inches on a side and that will leave you with less than 2 feet inside space. Will guarantee your wife will want stuff in there, unless she is getting her own safe, and that will use up about half of your gun space. Go bigger, you won't regret it. Go smaller, especially on something "built in" and you will regret it.
Posted By: TEXASLEFTY

Re: Advice on safes - 09/06/14 12:30 AM

Originally Posted By: BOBO the Clown
Buy the highest fire rating possible


And that = Fort Knox.
Posted By: toolman

Re: Advice on safes - 09/06/14 04:00 AM

There are several things to consider, including size, fire rating, lock type, warranty, price, and shipping/delivery. After weighing all of these and seeing what happened to a friends' guns in a Cannon safe, I ended up buying a Steelwater with a UL fire rating of 1 hr. @ 1875 degrees. I got the biggest one they had (rated for 45 guns), and it was only $1600 delivered inside my garage, and the customer service is awesome. It also came with a free dehumidifier and has a lifetime warranty.
The biggest problem that I see, like everyone else is the width limitation. My safe is 42" wide and the door will open a full 180 degrees (the ones that open only 90 deg. limit the space somewhat due to the door thickness).
http://www.steelwatergunsafes.com/
Posted By: tuckerracing

Re: Advice on safes - 09/06/14 03:26 PM

I just purchased a Superior Safe, Supreme Series 44 gun capacity. Has one of the best fire ratings I could find 1865 degrees for 110 minutes, Extremely Heavy weighs 1550lbs empty, 3/16 steel body, 3 fire seals, 1/2" multi plate door, 18 active door bolts that are 1-1/2" thick. When I searching for one fire rating was top on the list, I actually saw a show on Discovery Channel that turned me on to the Superior Safes, they are expensive but I feel it is well worth it. Had my house broken into a few months ago and I wish I would have had it then.

http://superiorgunsafes.com/products/thesupremeseries.html
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