What combo safes have OK steel under $1500?

[God's Country]

Don't over think it. Get the safe that suits your needs. Consumer grade safes are easily entered through the sides or top. Bolt it down, preferably in a corner. Spend a few bucks on a security system to work in conjunction with the safe. Not much more you can do.

[bortle]

What ever you decide on get one bigger. There's no such thing as a too big.

[Rural Ruger]

https://www.gunsafes.com/browning-pr...atch-dent.html

Thanks, I don't know much about Brownings but will look into...not one I'd considered previously.

I have a Cabelas 27 gun safe that's actually a Liberty Franklin series and is registered with and guaranteed by Liberty. They put them on sale occasionally and I think I paid about $1699 for mine but Cabelas gives a 5% veterans discount so it puts it in your price range. It has an 8M10 rating, whatever that is, and 75 minute fire protection at 1200 deg. I think it's a pretty good bang for the buck.

This is the one. Look for it to go on sale if you have time.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/CABE...6.uts?slotId=8

$1000 dollar range you cannot go wrong with a Liberty.. look on Facebook Marketplace and you can often find slightly used ones..

The Cannon safes at TSC are a good deal - when on sale! but I would take a Used Liberty over a new TSC Cannon safe for quality.

Look on Facebook Marketplace.. here is a nice Liberty in Wellsboro PA https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...2279534079054/

Liberty is definitely floating near the top of my list, just concerned how much is advertising and how much is actual quality. And it's a long deliberate decision, so I can wait for a sale. Same with used, hadn't given a ton of thought to it but will keep an eye open.

Realistically anything at that price point will have a bomb proof door and hinges...with thin walls. So pick one that you like and don't ask it to do more than it was designed for.

thats the way to go then just build around it or situate in where the sides are protected.

Buying a gun safe all depends on what you want to protect against. Any safe can be opened depending on the skill of the thief, tools available, and time allotted for the thief to work on the safe without discovery.

Here are the risks and protection levels I feel are appropriate for this discussion lowest to highest:

1. To help protect guns from unauthorized family and kids - most basic protection - an inexpensive non-fireproof safe with a mechanical or digital lock - $100-$200
2. To help protect guns from above and fire - same as above but fire rated $500+
3. To help protect guns from typical B&E (crack heads) and the above -midrange safe 300-600 pounds - fire rated - $800-$1000 (I'd stick with a mechanical lock)
4. To help protect against B&E (seasoned criminal) and the above - upper range safe (main stream vendors) $1200-$3000

You can harden any safe above by:
-Bolting it to the floor and wall and/or putting it in a closet (to limit maneuverability of the thief for forced opening).
-Lock up your power tools
-Add a security system.
-You can buy a remote camera system to send you an alert to your cell phone when any noise or movement is detected in the area of your safe. They also have the capability to record the event. Look at NEST: https://nest.com/cameras/nest-cam-indoor/overview/)
- Lastly and maybe most importantly, insure your guns so that if they are stolen, or lost in a fire, you can at least recuperate their value. Insurance is pretty cheap, $100 a year for approx. $15K of coverage: Look at: https://www.collectinsure.com

Don't over think it. Get the safe that suits your needs. Consumer grade safes are easily entered through the sides or top. Bolt it down, preferably in a corner. Spend a few bucks on a security system to work in conjunction with the safe. Not much more you can do.

Thanks all, entry through a thin-metal side is my primary concern. It'll be bolted to concrete and protected by concrete on at least one (possibly 2) sides, and also out of easy view. Realistically, 'slightly more motivated than the average crackhead' is the kind of person I'm trying to keep out, more so than hardened criminals. Just looking for something that can scratch from an axe or mattock hit or two, instead of being punctured. Insurance is already good to go, but I'd rather not need it

Thanks all for your thoughts and opinions...lots of good ideas and considerations.

[Rural Ruger]

Topping the list right now are the Liberty USA 30ct with 12g steel at $1,000, the Liberty 1776 36ct with 11g steel at $1,500, Sturdy Safe's ~10 to 15 gun 3/16" steel with fireliner at $2,150 (fireliner is about $350 of that, but I'm not going to put $1,800 into a safe and not spend the extra $350 to go all the way for protection), and Steelwater's 22ct 9g steel at $1,800. Liberty USA and 1776 are both TSC offerings and could, I'm assuming, be had for a little less if I wait for a sale. I'm digging everything about Sturdy except the size and price (which is 50% over my original top end); they use thick steel and can be made thicker yet from factory, are USA made, and seem to be one of the best at that price point. But the capacity sucks for the price, and the cost would cause me to hold off buying for another 6 months beyond original plan. Safewater also almost checks all the boxes except that they don't do a dial type lock...electronic with key bypass only. Price is about $300 higher than budget for the '9g steel + 2hr 1800 degree rated fire package' (which is impressive, despite my relatively small focus on fire endurance), but at the cost of the manual lock. Shipping is relatively mute on all, since I can haul the first 2 from TSC and the last 2 are shipped 'free' to my driveway.


Anyone have any experience with Sturdy Safe or Steelwater? Is there any real advantage between, say a 12 gauge steel safe and a 9 gauge one in terms of being able to cut through it?

[RenoV8]

Once you buy the safe, make the installation a priority in that you want to mitigate access to the sides and top of safe. Make them go thru the front, which will require more effort than grinding their way around the perimeter. If you can install the safe in a closet or within a recessed wall works real well. I did just that and also wrapped the recessed wall area with a lot of added lumber, insulation in the form of layers of sheetrock. Make sure to use the largest bolt you can use to fasten it to the ground and make sure to use large heavy gauge washers on the bolts. The bolt head will, with enough force get pulled thru the hole in the bottom of the safe/ The washers will make it very difficult to push thru. Alarm systems help...a camera facing safe with off-site or locked up DVR. Also...there is a guy in PA who makes Burglarbomb.com That is the ultimate surprise...and can be incorporated into an alarm system.

[Berncly]

Topping the list right now are the Liberty USA 30ct with 12g steel at $1,000, the Liberty 1776 36ct with 11g steel at $1,500, Sturdy Safe's ~10 to 15 gun 3/16" steel with fireliner at $2,150 (fireliner is about $350 of that, but I'm not going to put $1,800 into a safe and not spend the extra $350 to go all the way for protection), and Steelwater's 22ct 9g steel at $1,800. Liberty USA and 1776 are both TSC offerings and could, I'm assuming, be had for a little less if I wait for a sale. I'm digging everything about Sturdy except the size and price (which is 50% over my original top end); they use thick steel and can be made thicker yet from factory, are USA made, and seem to be one of the best at that price point. But the capacity sucks for the price, and the cost would cause me to hold off buying for another 6 months beyond original plan. Safewater also almost checks all the boxes except that they don't do a dial type lock...electronic with key bypass only. Price is about $300 higher than budget for the '9g steel + 2hr 1800 degree rated fire package' (which is impressive, despite my relatively small focus on fire endurance), but at the cost of the manual lock. Shipping is relatively mute on all, since I can haul the first 2 from TSC and the last 2 are shipped 'free' to my driveway.


Anyone have any experience with Sturdy Safe or Steelwater? Is there any real advantage between, say a 12 gauge steel safe and a 9 gauge one in terms of being able to cut through it?

Lots of good advice in the thread.
There have been previous safe threads with good information you may want to search for and review.

As with anything else, you get what you pay for, and you need to decide how much you can really afford.
You should get the best safe you can afford, so make a realistic budget and work backwards from there.

People tend to buy gun safes for guns, and then over time they migrate other valuables into the safe.
So the average gun safe ends up holding cash, jewelry, passports, important financial and personal documents, and so on.
This inadvertently concentrates everything you have of personal and financial value into a single space.

As a result, if the safe fails to protect from theft or fire, the losses are much worse than a few rifles and optics.
So you should get the best safe you can afford to reduce your risk.
In my opinion, decent safes start at $2500-$3000 and go up from there

For my own personal needs, any safe worth buying is 10 gauge steel or better, with a mechanical lock.
Fort Knox makes good safes but they can be more expensive than some other brands.

Place whatever you buy in a corner, bolt it down, and build a closet around it so it can't be moved without tearing down the closet.
Cinder block will increase your fire protection if you incorporate a metal fire rated closet door.
A metal fire rated closet door with a good lock on it will also increase your security.

Fire does not need to melt the safe to destroy its contents, it only needs to heat it long enough to overwhelm the fire rating and cook the contents.
Fire is also very good at making its way through holes and igniting the interior, so make sure to seal any electrical wire access holes.
A good quality safe will have a gasket around the door that will automatically expand when heated to make the safe airtight and increase its fire protection.

[normanvin]

I've been debating the safe/cabinet topic for some time and several recent events suggest the need for a legitimate safe, but I haven't seen anything that quite fits the bill just yet. Most of my research is leaning either towards 'what not to buy' or 'thousands over my budget'. Found a handful of options from TSC and privately (Stack On Elite, Mesa, Liberty USA series) that seem sorta OK, but look like they emphasize fire protection over steel thickness.

Are there any offerings with combination locks, long lugs and decently thick gauge steel that are under $1,000? Under $1,500? Combo lock is a must in my mind, and the thicker the steel body and longer the lugs the better. Capacity is very negotiable from 10-???, and I know the saying about buying more than you need . And fire protection is preferred, but not mandatory (unfinished cement surroundings, and I'm 1 mile from the fire station). Oh, and no stairs to worry about with a move. Not necessarily looking for un-breachable, not looking for 70 gun capacity, just looking for something that is tougher than average.

Or is it a pipe dream on my end at that price?

TiA, RR

Liberty safes. Piestracks is a dealer. Sometime around June they have a safe sale.

[Gun]

What ever the budget, multiply by 1.5 (1.75 even better).

I learned this when I sold stereo systems in the 80's.

The difference, stereos are easier to steal.

[Rural Ruger]

All, thanks again for the input. Settled on a Liberty and very happy with it so far. Did check with Piestracks and they seemed decent enough to work with, but went through Richland Shooters due to familiarity and a great deal.