At what point would you buy an expensive safe?

**300zx_tt** · January 28th, 2020, 06:55 PM

Title sums it up, I want to know at what $$ value in your collection did you end up purchasing a solid safe? (liberty Franklin 50 for me) I have a cabelas 18 gun now that’s packed full of stuff and I have several not in the safe.

So Ladies and Gents at what dollar value did you face the music and drop 2k+ on a gun safe?

Edit: I have all of my high dollar/ sentimental guns in my current safe. 2 pythons, a pre 64 Winchester, and a few shotguns that were my grandfathers, few other guns that are somewhat valuable. That’s the stuff I want to protect most which is why it’s in the safe. I’d estimate the stuff not in my safe at a 4-6k. Less than the cost of a franklin 50 in gloss black

I feel slightly foolish having that $$ value of guns not in a safe. I’m house shopping now so once o move I’ll most likely be getting a big boy safe.

**tlnzz1** · January 28th, 2020, 06:59 PM

All depends on how much you can afford to loose not having a safe.

**normanvin** · January 28th, 2020, 06:59 PM

To me a safe is more than protecting a dollar value. You can have ten two hundred dollar guns that needs a home.

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**imashooter2** · January 28th, 2020, 08:07 PM

I have heirlooms that don't have enormous value to anyone but me. I would hate for them to be riding under a dealer's front seat. Good is subjective. A crappy Sentry locker will defeat a smash and grab junky. The finest safe money can buy won't defeat professionals with time. Consider fire as well.

**HKusp 45** · January 28th, 2020, 08:08 PM

The second I could afford it

**Rural Ruger** · January 28th, 2020, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by HKusp 45

The second I could afford it

This. Mine was a planned purchase since the collection hit $1k, and actually purchased somewhere around a $2k collection. But having a kid and seeing a friends house burn down kicked it into overdrive (I.e. stopped spending on more guns, started safe shopping).

**free** · January 28th, 2020, 08:25 PM

Your question is a bit askew. Your thread topic specifies a higher end safe, but your OP says spend $2000 or more. It does not have to be either OR. You can save a LOT of money buying a used safe, and there are plenty available.

My first safe was a Browning from a big box store..got it for something like $900 out the door. I put maybe $2500-$3000 worth of guns in it.

My second safe was a Remington (made by Liberty) from Craigslist. New it would cost $4500 plus tax and delivery and whatever else. But I got it for $1100, all in with the cost of having it re-keyed and changing the combo. It has the same guns in it as the first one.

**300zx_tt** · January 28th, 2020, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by free

Your question is a bit askew. Your thread topic specifies a higher end safe, but your OP says spend $2000 or more. It does not have to be either OR. You can save a LOT of money buying a used safe, and there are plenty available.

My first safe was a Browning from a big box store..got it for something like $900 out the door. I put maybe $2500-$3000 worth of guns in it.

My second safe was a Remington (made by Liberty) from Craigslist. New it would cost $4500 plus tax and delivery and whatever else. But I got it for $1100, all in with the cost of having it re-keyed and changing the combo. It has the same guns in it as the first one.

I wanted to at least put a dollar value on it... I have been looking for a safe that fits the bill used but no luck so far. I’ve found a few other deals on nice stuff that is the same size as mine but that wouldn’t do me any good unless I ran 2 safes.

**free** · January 28th, 2020, 09:04 PM

I sold safe #1 above before relocating to PA, simply because I didn’t want to move it thousands of miles.

I bought safe #2 sight unseen on CL. Arranged to have to brought to where my wife was living in PA, told her what to look for, etc. She (or me) didn’t have to lift a finger to have to put in the garage. Once I arrived months later, I inspected the safe and found it was much much better than what was advertised. In the overall scheme of things, it was as if I teleported my safe thousands of miles, upgraded it significantly, and for only marginal cost (:

I routinely see TL-15 and Better rated safes going for cheap on CL. Way better deals than new gun safes, and with typically more security. I have seen a lot of safes that I dearly wanted, and would have happily bought, but I have no need for them and nowhere to put them.

Put some effort into CL and you will find your huckleberry.

But as for your question and threshold...my first safe cost about 1/3rd of the guns I put in it. By that standard, if I had $10K worth of guns, I wouldn’t blink at spending $3K on a safe. If I had $20K plus in guns, I wouldn’t blink at spending $5K on a safe, ignoring all other factors.

As for running two safes...if you have room for one, you have room for two. It also cuts your risk of someone breaking into one.

Worth pointing out: I like safes. Ever since I was a small child (;