ltwguns.com

hey guys. im in the market for my 1st. "big safe". i was looking for some suggestions on brands ect. ect.

im looking to spend about $1000-1,500. mainley because im not looking for a huge safe. ive beeing checking out the browning safes.

probably something like a 60x30x27

thanks for any help

http://www.patriotsafe.com/?gclid=CKm8q ... SAodkxn8yA


or


http://www.heritagesafe.com/

_________________
My future's determined by Thieves, thugs, and vermin
My rights are denied by Those least qualified
Everything's backwards In Americana

I would get a minimum of 30 Cubic feet and an electronic keypad.
Also, a high fire rating is nice.

_________________
"The most effective armor is to keep out of range"-Italian proverb

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Fort Knox makes a good quality gun safe.

yeah, i like fort knox, actually LOVE fort knox. but... they are a little to pricey for my budget. oh, and believe me. im not the "shy" type when it comes to spending $$$ and their still expensive!lol.

also my collection will never be that big. i know a lot of people say that and end up buying more safes but thats not me. i prefer to have "quality over quantity". and i really need more handgun space than long gun space...

My main safe came from a Wynn-Dixie supermarket. It's typical "gun safe" size (refrigerator-sized) but a lot thicker/heavier.

I'd try to find a commercial safe like this if at all possible.

With the typical gun safe, the door may be thick, but it seems the walls are around 10 gauge. I used to know exactly how thick that was, but not now (I think it's between 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch). The walls on mine are right at an inch, and the door is thicker. The floor is heavier yet. The main body has a second skin surrounding it of pretty light material, but it's only there to contain a fire-retarding material. It has a UL rating of (if I recall correct) TL-30.

While the average safe may appear thick enough to keep most people out, I saw two that were breached, and from their appearance, it looked like it was easier to get in than I thought. I'll PM you and tell you how it was done on both- I think you'll understand I'd rather not put it up here for the world to see.

The problem with the type of safe I have is finding one. You don't just go to Cabela's and pick it up.
I got lucky finding mine through a friend. His Dad is kind of a safe nut, and seems to be able to sniff 'em out. He runs the gas company for their part of the state, so always has a lift truck to get them out of places. He has got several serious safes just for the taking.
But anyway...
He has found some by asking around when a bank, supermarket, etc is being remodeled or torn down. I've since seen similar safes in the local ad paper's "Business Equipment" section. The prices I've seen for these secondhand safes are usually in the ballpark of the typical gun safe and often less.

Another option:
A couple of years ago, I saw some safes in Army Surplus stores. They were evidently Paymaster safes from the stenciled markings. They were roughly a 24-30" cube, which is too small for long guns, but great for handguns. They were around $100. I bought one, and it's OK, It had sheet metal dividers and shelves in it, and aftert I took some out, it worked pretty well for my purposes.

You can also find some good deals at GSA auctions or state auctions. Here in Oregon they list everything on line and I have seen both large and small safes quite frequently and sometimes there sold for next to nothing. Just have a locksmith go over it, change the combo and your good to go!

Barry,

I don't know if you have heard Johnson Safe, which is made in Zionsville, IN? He is the one that is at the Indy 1500 Gun and Knife Show and his safes look really nice. He uses ceramic tile for the "fire proofing" instead of drywall. They look really nice and are priced reasonable. Just for future reference.

I have his contact info if anyone wants it. The information that he gave me states that his safes are fire rated at 2300 degrees F for 1 hour!

WOW!
2300 for one hour?
Most are 1200 for 30 min, best I found was 1800 for 1 hour.
Thats really some safe!
I am in Michigan, I bet delivery would make it unrealistic.
I have a box truck with a life and I could pick em up but then I have no clue in hell how I would get them in the house and down the stairs. I would not want to have a couple buddies doing it in the house with the floors and wall work.

I am just looking to get two new safes as I am moving.
I am devoting one room to my insanity (guns, art, knives and all my crazy things I buy) I want two nice big safes to keep guns and other stuff. I just need to measure the width of the hallway so someone can tell me how big I can go and still be able to get it into the room (the room is mid hallway so it has to go halfway down the hall and then to the side through a doorway)

_________________
Kentucky Colonel, Tennessee Squire & Combat Leprechaun
"You won't rise to the occasion - you'll default to your level of training." Barrett Tillman

A typical home fire is estimated to reach between 800º F and 1200º F.

_________________
My future's determined by Thieves, thugs, and vermin
My rights are denied by Those least qualified
Everything's backwards In Americana

My vote is for the Fort Knox . I love mine .

I live in Utah and south of Salt Lake is Utah County, haven for safe manufactures/distributors. I really liked the Fort Knox people and their warehouse selection. If I had access to a good selection of Browning safes though, that would be what I would get I think. A friend of mine used to help manage the Safe department up in Morgan, Ut and still speaks very highly of them. They are not cheap though.

_________________
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

Ft. Knox -mine is great.

JeffVN

Yep, I have. Nice looking stuff and some super-duper fireproofing. They were to be my first choice, had the one I got not been found for me. They would be the first place I'd look if I were going to go out and buy a gun safe instead of searching out another one like mine.
In fact, I was looking into getting one of their little "cube" safes made (to hold handguns) when I found one of those safes that was in all the surplus stores a couple of years ago.

Take a look at this article before you decide:

Gun Safe Buyer's Guide

Anybody had any experience with Pentagon safes? They look pretty good, price is right....but I've never seen one in person to verify if they are good or not.

http://www.pentagonsafes.com

I ordered this last week, $1040 with a dehumidfier *shipped* to your driveway:



1800degrees for 1 hour

10 locking bolts, on all sides of the door that are larger than Liberty's similar safe (colonial, and it only have bolts on 2 sides of the door)

electronic key pad with master key option


It is shipping tomorrow, I'll post a review

nice, i cant wait for the review.... (with pics i hope. )

i can't wait either, two men and a truck dropped my previous safe down 20 cement steps and demolished by liberty colonial, and only have me 3/4 of the money to replace it..

and i remembered this safe company was making great safes, and jumped on it

its only 2inches smaller than the colonial but offers:

more bolts
more fire protection
electronic locking system
lifetime no question asked warranty
delivery included

Check out Zanotti. I just ordered their ZAIII, 5'H x40"Wx30"D, weight 750 pounds w/o interior. Ask for Mark Zanotti, the owner, a great guy to work with. Tell Mark that Chief Jim Hill recommended him and perhaps I'll get mine before May. Mark told me that they can't build their interlocking safes fast enough for the U.S. Government, as they are sending them to the sand box as fast as they receive them. Best regards, SRT

http://www.zanottiarmor.com

Zanotti will be my next safe. I have to move around too much for work and need a mobil break down type of safe. I do worry about just how fire proof they are, since it seems fire gets more guns than the burglars.

Any info on their fire rating with all of those seams ?

Browning's safe video is very impressive on their safes.

_________________
God Bless
45Fundi

According to Zanotti's literature, "Our safes do a good job for about 20 minutes at 1200 degrees."

Thanks SRT

_________________
God Bless
45Fundi

Which model (size) of the Patriot safe did you buy for 1099. Was it on sale? I wasn't able to find that on their website.

Thanks

I wholeheartedly recommend Cannon products for two reasons. We use them in the shop, I have one at home, and Cannon's president Aaron Baker is an LTW supporter.

As far as fire protection goes, you'll usually be fine as long as the fire is confined to your neighbor's house. A fire in your home, especially in close proximity to your safe WILL result in substantial damage to your firearms. I've done a lot of insurance work over the years, and most firearms from fires are scrapped.

Keep records, get appraisals and buy insurance.

_________________
Heirloom Precision, LLC.
480-804-1911

Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.

TR

Make certain that the safe door has locking bolts on both the top and bottom of the door. I saw a video demonstration where two men, one with a pry bar and the other with a digging bar, breached a gun safe in less than two minutes becasue it did not have bolts top and bottom.

I have two 6 foot high safes for my small collection The brand names aren't all that important. I recommend you shop for a maker as close to you as possible to minimize shipping. Also, high gloss paint and electronic keypads are extra expense. My most recent safe came from Sportsmens' Warehouse and is a Browning promotional model. Watch all sporting goods chains for these promos since they are great value for the money.

Getting it in your house is the true problem. I had 5 buddies help on mine and it was a snap. One even had a big furniture dolly while another brought his Chevy Silverado 2500. Remember though, buddies that don't have experience moving heavy stuff are dangerous to themselves.

_________________
Bob

Smiths and 1911s are what it's all about!

i love my Liberty safe< good warranty< lots of options.

get a tumbler or keep extra batteries near by. look for UL listing.

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pass the mayo please..

this wife is mine there are many like her but this one is mine.

getting in the house is no problem. ive contacted a bank vault/safe moving company.

it will be $250.00 to get it in the basement. (that is with the stair climber/crawler)

Now THAT is money well spent.