Gun Safes???

[Ten Ring]

Hello all,

I have a wonderful wife that enjoys me bringing home new toys as much as I do. With a baby on the way and an ever expanding collection, it is high time I protect my investment and find myself a quality gun safe/safes.

For the home, I figure it should be fireproof or reasonably so. In addition, I'm wondering which locking and/or hinge systems to favor or stay away from.

In addition, I recall seeing a quick acces long gun lock box than mounts under a bed frame. It is similar to the quick access handgun box with the finger buttons combination. Of course I didn't note the manufacturers name or web address when I saw it and have not seen it since.

Lastly, I should have a lock box for my vehicle one for my pistol, and/or one for a short barrel shotgun (similar to the under the bed lock box?). For the vehicle, the lock box should be able to be permanantly mounted. The long gun box would fit perfectly under the flip up rear seat in my F250SD. That's were I put the travel box and it fits perfectly.

I've been doing google searches and trying any and all adds I see in the many gun pubs but the search goes on. I've been lurking for about a two months since finding TFL in one of my google searces. The info I've gathered so far has been invaluable!

Thanks in advance for the valuable info.

Rich

[Ten Ring]

Just scrolled down and saw the post re: car safes...

[Te Anau]

I got a Winchester safe made by the company below.I would HIGHLY recommend getting a safe that has EXTERNAL hinges.You can use a car jack to remove the door and make the thing movable without having 4 guys.
http://www.granitesafe.com/home.html

[Te Anau]

And heres an excellent primer on safes.
http://www.southernsecuritysafes.com/index2.htm

[Samuel2001]

Try U. S. Safe Co. they sell CANNON safes. The best safe out there!

You can reach them at (909) 461-6994 or ussafe.com

These guys really know their safes, are reasonably priced and will ship anywhere in the U.S. for not too much! You'd be surprized as to how reasonable they are!

Cannon Safe Co. was the first co. to hang a 1" door on their safe. they are also one of the very very few safes to pass UL fireproof testing on the first go arround! Most just keep adding fireproofing material till it passes. That way they can make them with the bare minimum in fireproofing. Cannon safes have full length hinges, so their doors do'nt droop over time!

These are some of the many reasons that made me choose my Cannon safe over more expensive safes.

Good Luck!

[leadcounsel]

www.sturdysafe.com
Do your research on your $1000-2000 purchase.
Cannon and the others use drywall fireboard in their safes and their safes are thinner steel and cheaper locks.

Sturdy uses thicker steel, better locks, and significantly better and lighter ceramic fireproofing, not drywall fireboard. As a result their safes are more fireresistant. And, they spend money on their product rather than advertising. As a result, you get a much better safe for the same money, or less in many cases.

Good luck.

[Vitamin G]

Sttudy safes look pretty good, but i'm immediately put off by the total lack of prices on the website. It said I have to email them my mailing address to recieve a brochure and price list???

[44Dave]

i bought my FORT KNOX safe at the sport show here in town every springand couldnt be happier with it, had it delivered in my basement for an extra 100$$ next day at 6:30 am b4 i had to go to work!!
internal hinges to me look better and cannot be compromised ever......after you choose which brand...there is only one thing left to decide and i can speak from experience here..get the biggest one you can afford because soon it will be full

[Logs]

I bought a Cannon a few months ago. This one is taller than most and gives you an extra shelf for Handguns. Paid $1,050 at a local shop and then $250 to have it delivered and brought down a set of stairs to my basement. I got the electronic lock and it is awesome. GREAT WARRANTY also.

[leadcounsel]

Good thing that photo has labels for "closed" position and "opened" position because I don't think I could figure that out. LMAO!

[John_W_L]

I have one made by AMSEC in California.It's 40"across and 30" deep and 72" tall.It weighs about 800 lbs and is Black with Gold Pinstriping.It has a 60 min Fire Rating and besides the Gold lock and Gold wheel you can Keylock the dial so no one can turn it.Buy big. It doesn't take long to fill them up. Everything from Auto Pink slips to good Tequila.

[Don Gwinn]

I sent off for the price list and brochure from Sturdy. Wait until I have a few spare minutes at home and I'll post the prices. They don't seem out of line, but I'm no expert. Start at $700 for the base model without interior racks or shelves and go on up to about $1600, I believe.

[leadcounsel]

I generally research the heck out of consumer goods before I buy, and I felt that Sturdy was head and shoulders above all the other safes out there.

I've just had mine delivered and it's in my garage at the moment, with 3 friends coming tomorrow to aid in moving it.

Shipping was $325, but it was built into the entire cost of $1850 (oh, and no taxes, which saved me about $150 right off the top). If you deduct for shipping, for about $1525 I got a 35 cubic foot safe (about 29 interior feet) with 7 gage steel, a commercial grade lock, exterior hinges (which are an advantage for many reasons, including removing to door to ship it back for warranty work if someone tries to cut into the door, and also the door opens further than those with interior hindges, but exterior hinges don't compromise the security whatsoever because the deadbolts are on each side of the door), and wool, ceramic, and glass blanket fire lining which makes the safe comparably lighter and significantly more fire resistant.

The competition has nothing to compare anywhere near this price!

I'm eager to get that thing inside and set up. I'll keep the site posted on my happiness with the product.

[leadcounsel]

Sturdy safe report...

The safe arrived very timely, within 2 business days from CA to CO. I was very pleased. Delivery included only a drop at my home, so it sat in the garage for 2 days while I could coordinate with 3-4 of my strongest friends, a 1000 lb rated steel handtruck, and 2 1000 lb rated ratchet straps to aid in moving the safe into the house.

Safe dimensions 5'x3'x2.5', weighs 875lbs. I considered paying a moving company an additional $200+ to move it, but being the frugal guy that I am, decided that my friends and I could do it for the price of a few pizzas and beers (I"m not above bribery).

My goodness that thing was a bear to move. We had to remove 3 doors from hinges to fit it into rooms and be very creative on moving it through the house. For people who think that a burglar, or even a pack of burglars, and going to just pick it up with a dolly and scoot it out of my house, I have news for you. Unless they are olympic class weightlifters with professional tools and there are at least 3 of them, that safe, now full of stuff, isn't going anywhere! If one or two guys could break into my house and move it, I'm not standing in their way because they are likely super villians that will be disappointed with the humanly/earthly contents.

It took all for of us strapping young men to move the safe up a couple small 1/2 steps into a main floor room. I considered going down the 14 stairs into the basement, but I cannot imagine how dangerous that move would be, not to mention nearly impossible without some intevention from God himself. Someone would likely get very seriously hurt in the move, and it would be inevitable that the safe would one day need to be sold with the house for lack of interest in removing it.

Satisfaction with the Sturdy safe. The safe is pleasing to the eye, but definately a bare-bones looking safe. Very business like without the frills of the Liberties and Cannons of the world. Just one simple polished dial and a single lever handle, both commercial grade shiny chrome and very very solid (more on that later). No fancy keypad or 5 pronged wheel. The exterior finish was a grayish blend with blue and white flecks and nicely done. The steel was very thick 7 gage and solid as can be with no welding spots anywhere. Just one continous piece of steel. I would grade the exterior an "A+" for functionality and a "A-/B+" for cosmetics. The interior finish was equally business like. Very plain thin carpeted pressboard shelving. I would grade the shelving units an "A-/B+" for functionality and a "B" for fit and finish. The main complaint is that the rack for the longguns was one piece of tubular steel with 5 arms extending out, and those arms are padded with rubber cutouts for spacing the longguns. I found that the welded arms were less than level, which was admittedly disappointing. But, it works and is only noticable to the guy who spent $1850 on the safe and unlikely noticable to anyone else.

Now, for customer service. When buying the safe the customer service was excellent. Let's see how they deliver when I have an "issue." The issue is either with Sturdy or, more likely, with the delivery company Conway west. It appears that the safe was dropped on its face in transit because the lever is bent 10 degrees inward and the combo dial is also bent (as a testiment to the strength of the safe and the metal on the lever handle and the combo dial, if the safe indeed fell on its face, they didn't bend much and are still functional, which is impressive given the weight of the safe). I will be contacting both companies today to see how we can resolve this. I will update when it's resolved, and maybe take some pictures to post.

[Fremmer]

Good review! Let us know how things are resolved.

[leadcounsel]

Sturdy is promptly sending, at no charge, a new lever (it's steel with chrome plating) and dial (brass with chrome plating) with instructions on how to install both. Sounds easy enough.

Terry at Sturdy said that it sounds like the safe didn't fall on its face, but was instead hit by something, maybe another load on a forktruck or something.

He suggested that I attempt to use a hammer and block of wook to knock the dial back into place as the interior is brass and strong and plaible and still usable. He also suggested I can attempt to bend the handle back straight, but it may crack the chrome finish.

Whether the old ones will work or the new ones are needed, he told me to keep both sets; no need to return shipping on them. Seems like a NO BS company!

I've very happy with Sturdy 100% satisfied.

I have a call into the shipping company but it has not been returned yet. Probably moot at this point anyway.

[rnovi]

I went Cannon safes here. C23 firesafe model. Bout 620#. Works for me!

[MicroGalil]

Sturdy safe makes one of the best safes money can buy. It depends on how much you want to spend, of course, but sturdy makes an excellent product at a reasonable price.

I know a lot more about safes, now, than I did when I bought mine, a couple years ago, and I have not regretted the purchase AT ALL.

Any safe can be compromised, given enough time, but sturdy safes that cost $1500 new are so far superior to the competition at that price range that is is almost laughable. Once lagged to the floor, good luck getting in, unless you have a lot of time and know-how, which burglars usually don't have, and if they do possess these attributes, no safe is impermeable to the culprits.

DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK, you will find this to be true. The thick gauges used for the walls make the difference. The welds are impeccable, the fitment is impeccable, the locks used are first rate, indeed, everything about these safes screams quality. The company's guarantee screams assertiveness and responsibility to the consumer.

I can not imagine a consumer feeling anything except: "I should've ordered a bigger one..." Once the unit arrives.

I would not hesitate one second to buy another sturdy safe if I needed another. This company has my loyalty and that loyalty is deserved, considering the quality of the product and quality of customer service.

[Adirondack]

I will echo the comments about Sturdy Safe; they truly are an outstanding company.

I work as an engineer in the metals industry and I do know a bit about metal fabrication. Everything about their safes exudes quality: from the materials used, to their fabrications techniques (I.e., hot welds, hard plates, robust linkages etc.) In my opinion, they are more concerned about making a strong functional safe than a pretty one (although I think this is a strength because the last thing I want is a burglar that thinks there is something of significant value in my safe.)

I will gladly buy another safe from Sturdy and probably will within the next couple years.

[bcarver]

All safes(not lock boxes) will stop 98% of burglaries.
No safe will stop 100%.

Place it on a pad and install a electric dehumidifier and a light.
switchs or rheostat can be mounted on pad.
Bolt it to wall. No rolling it away or tipping it over.
avoid electric lock...it just ups the price.
Buy bigger than you think you will need. They overflow. The cheapest guns come out first.

One good gun can cost more than a safe.

[Mike In Charleston]

I would rather not gotten one with an electric lock but I was having a time crunch and a couple of neighborhood break ins. This Cannon was listed for $50 less than the web site indicates so $649 plus tax. My 110 lb lady and myself got it in the door but getting it set up wasn't a pleasure.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/cannon-...n-safe-3809071

[scott1q1]

Keep an eye on costco sales, we just got a really nice looking Rhino safe for $999.

After doing a good bit of shopping I found it hard to compare features like fireproofing and wall thickness amongst brands, but this thing weighs 832 pounds and is very nice looking.

The company was very friendly and had no problem with substituting a combination lock for the electric one featured on the website.

Managed to get it in front of my basement door with a friends help, going to rent a pallet jack today and get it inside

[dungeon_denizen]

I enjoy the info posted on this site and just wanted to post a quick note about my experience. I picked up my Sturdy Safe last week in Fresno and I have to say it was a real pleasure to actually meet and talk with Terry ... I found him to be genuine and down to earth, and he is absolutely customer focused. I have no background in metal fabrication or welding, but I found him very knowledgeable by far, and very patient in explaining things to neophytes such as my son and me. He showed us around the shop and gave us demonstrations that amazed us.

I had done some reading and checking on the internet before choosing to buy a Sturdy safe. The thing that really got my attention was the video on the Sturdy safe site where Terry is cranking on the safe with a pipe wrench trying to break the locking mechanism ... VERY impressive IMO and worth watching - no clutches or pins to break. The other thing is that the Sturdy safe I chose is 7 gauge - most of the ones I checked were 12 or 10 gauge bodies (if the specs listed this info). And this product is made here in the USA by good folks. I definitely would buy another.

[brotus2]

I have a Fort Knox I bought in '87 from the company out of Orem, UT that still advertises in the back of the American Rifleman. It's 4X4X6 and filled up. Like the poster said - get the biggest one you can 'cause you're gonna fill it up over time.

If you have guns it's because you love guns. If you have guns and don't have a gun safe, you're flirting with physical and mental disaster.