Best gun safe?

[billdeserthills]

When you get into the higher end safes, they have a liquid concrete compound as a fire lining which is legit. The safes that use sheetrock probably work somewhat, but not near as well.

I understand the concrete is one reason for guns rusting, as it tends to hold a lot of moisture

 

[Rickenbacher39]

After thinking about it extensively and I do that a lot,
the best safe is the one you have in your home.
Just do research and read reviews, use common sense, look at them in person
if you can (we did) and then make your decision. Then buy the next model one step up.
We looked for 6 months before we purchased ours.
It paid off for us. It was expensive but then again so is peace of mind.

 

[Flopsweat]

I understand the concrete is one reason for guns rusting, as it tends to hold a lot of moisture

I heard that it was gypsum (drywall) that releases a lot of moisture. Guess I'll have to look it up.

Edit: Yeah, it's gypsum. By design. Fire resistant drywall calcines (heats without fusing and releases water), which keeps the temperature inside the safe down until the moisture escapes. Odds are you won't be allowed near your safe for several hours after the fire is put out, so your guns all get a nice all-day sauna. This is why the more expensive safes tend not to have drywall insulation.

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

It can only release what it has in it. It's not going to produce humidity.

Once your new safe has got some dehumidifiers in it, it'll soon dry out and settle down.

 

[billdeserthills]

I heard that it was gypsum (drywall) that releases a lot of moisture. Guess I'll have to look it up.

Edit: Yeah, it's gypsum. By design. Fire resistant drywall calcines (heats without fusing and releases water), which keeps the temperature inside the safe down until the moisture escapes. Odds are you won't be allowed near your safe for several hours after the fire is put out, so your guns all get a nice all-day sauna. This is why the more expensive safes tend not to have drywall insulation.

Anybody who has ever mixed up a bag of concrete knows it contains water. Anyhow the 'fireproof' safe means that papers stored inside are not supposed to char--paper chars at 350F
That is why for storage of computer media records you'll need a media safe, which I believe keeps contents below 170F

 

[BeerWaggin]

I have Fort Knox for a couple of reasons...
The first, I knew that I was going to be moving in a handful of years and the Fort Knox guy told me he'd move that safe for nothing as long as I was moving within an hour of my house.
Second reason, Liberty wouldn't put the safe inside the house like I wanted. That may have changed in the past 10 years, but I don't think so.

I'd much rather have a bunch of 40" wide safes than one big arse one. The big guys aren't that easy to move and don't like going up or down stairs. Although I did help roll a Liberty Fat Boy into a buddies house, as the Liberty guys wouldn't put it in his house.

Sportsman show is coming up and both Fort Knox and Liberty will be there. They typically have a show sale of some sort.

 

[F2CMaDMaXX]

Liberty will deliver inside if specified.

 

[Seventh DOF]

There are many excellent quality traditional gun safes. But, with the introduction of the cordless angle grinder, they're not as good at securing your property as they used to be. If it were me, I'd spend less on the safe and more on other measures.

 

[Flopsweat]

Anybody who has ever mixed up a bag of concrete knows it contains water. Anyhow the 'fireproof' safe means that papers stored inside are not supposed to char--paper chars at 350F
That is why for storage of computer media records you'll need a media safe, which I believe keeps contents below 170F

I should have also mentioned that while you can remove a lot of the moisture from concrete with desiccants or a heater, you won't get it out of the gypsum - fire will though.

 

[billdeserthills]

I should have also mentioned that while you can remove a lot of the moisture from concrete with desiccants or a heater, you won't get it out of the gypsum - fire will though.

The few gun safes I have worked on that had drywall inside only had one crummy piece behind the door panel and that was supposed to make them fireproof for up to 20 minutes

 

[01rednavigator]

I love my Fort Knox!!!

 

[Flopsweat]

The few gun safes I have worked on that had drywall inside only had one crummy piece behind the door panel and that was supposed to make them fireproof for up to 20 minutes

I think I read that 1/2" drywall is not rated fire resistant. You have to get up to 5/8". So who knows, it may have just been for show.

20 minutes isn't getting you jack. Any really hot fire is going to be hot for more than 20 minutes unless the fire department has one of DJT's magic wands. That fire rating was probably stolen from a cookie recipe - 450 for 20 minutes.

 

[Mbeef61]

Another questions I'd like to ask is WHERE is everyone purchasing their safe? I have 2-14 safes full. I'm looking to step up in size as well as better fire rating

 

[gunsmithkinks]

I like sportsman steel safe company. Kevin the owner builds the safes that our government uses such as the CIA, FBI, ATF, SECRET SERVICE etc. Uncle sam buys good stuff. They were building safes before most other companies knew what safe building was about. They have any size of safe to fit your needs. They have excellent fire proofing, and double or triple step doors, and full lifetime warranty. They been building safes since 1974 if i remember correctly .They are one of the oldest builders if not thee oldest, in the industry. They are very well built and they will build custom safes for your needs also. They also have huge gunrooms they sell and vault doors.

Gun Safe | Gun Safes for Sale | Sportsman Steel Safes

 

[x2ndxall]

I like sportsman steel safe company. Kevin the owner builds the safes that our government uses such as the CIA, FBI, ATF, SECRET SERVICE etc. Uncle sam buys good stuff. They were building safes before most other companies knew what safe building was about. They have any size of safe to fit your needs. They have excellent fire proofing, and double or triple step doors, and full lifetime warranty. They been building safes since 1974 if i remember correctly .They are one of the oldest builders if not thee oldest, in the industry. They are very well built and they will build custom safes for your needs also. They also have huge gunrooms they sell and vault doors.

Gun Safe | Gun Safes for Sale | Sportsman Steel Safes

We've got an Iron American 55 in the office. I don't know much about it, but I feel like it's pretty secure. Heavy af.

 

[Reacher120]

There are many excellent quality traditional gun safes. But, with the introduction of the cordless angle grinder, they're not as good at securing your property as they used to be. If it were me, I'd spend less on the safe and more on other measures.

Major concerns: Can it be moved easily? Safes weighing500-1200 lbs, not so easy. You can bolt a light one to the floor; maybe not an option in an apartment do to damage to floor, but you can easily bolt to the wall with 6-8 lag bolts and repair sheetrock no sweat. Even a light safe wont be moved. You can also buy two cheapo's and bolt together side by side for larger capacity, easy to move by yourself later.
Spend some of your savings to add "other" measures; wireless camera's with phone notifications, (Ring, Simply Safe, etc).
Doesn't solve everything, but may solve "compliance" issues, and give you some piece of mind until your circumstances change.

 

[StopPolloition]

I have the Snap Safe Titan and bought it many years ago, before the acquisition by Hornady. I see it is now more expensive. I was able to carry this up a couple sets of stairs in pieces. The heaviest part is the door. Once it is bolted together, it is pretty secure. The interior was a bit cheesy looking, but I redid the inside with some new felt and a SecureIt retrofit kit.

 

[kmk1012]

Another vote for Tracker Safes! I've got two of their 30 gun safes and really could use another. Never buy a safe only big enough for what you have now, look far into the future for expansion.

 

[cigars]

I found this Gunvault in the goodwill bins. It cost me 11 bucks. There were no keys with it so I took a center punch to the lock cylinder. It took about five seconds to open with no damage to the chasis, just the cheesey lock. I changed the battery, reset the finger print scanner and programmed in my fingerprints. The biometric lock works great. I emailed Gunvault about a replacement lock cylinder but I haven't heard back.
I can't believe this piece of shinola runs $200.

 

[coop44]

Really tired of these " what's the best....? " threads. You will never get a definitive answer, just opinions. Truth is no safe is invincable, should only be considered a last layer of security. With your building secured and alarmed, safe room secured, all you are doing is making a thief take more time to get your stuff. Too much time and they may give up.