Safe Recommendations

[justinj320]

Can anyone recommend a good floor standing gun safe? I'm looking for a quality but no-frills fireproof safe that can hold at least 4+ rifles, handguns, and ammo. Thanks!

[MT1]

Why so small? If "4+" is based on the current number of firearms you own, go larger. Many here will tell you to get something double the size of your current needs. This will allow room for future purchases. You will also be surprised how many other items you will wish you had room to store in the safe such as passports, jewelry, financial documents, old photos, cameras, basically anything with monetary of sentimental value.

There are a lot of good names out there. Determine what qualities you need. The most important quality to me is the fire rating which is generally rated in the number of minutes it will protect the contents.

Next ask yourself the level of security. If you have good home owners insurance, firearms that are easily replaced, and are most concerned about keeping the kids out; a simple non fire rated safe might work. If you have high value guns or family heirlooms go for the highest fire protection.

Read the manufacturer reviews. Which company will be onsight within reasonable time to assist in recovery after an incident? Which one will provide support when you forget the combination?

It's been a long time since I was in the market for a safe so I don't have a specific one to recommend. Years ago "quality but no-frills" was a tough combination to find. These days safe manufacturers and features are as numerous as car shopping options. Not knowing your budget limit also makes it tough but I am sure you'll get some recommendations from others on here.

Good luck.

[JoshIronshaft]

Do you mean a metal cabinet like the ones made by Stack-On? I don't think I have seen a real gun "safe" made for just 4 long guns. For a smaller safe, and bang for your buck, grabbing one of the safes from Tractor Supply on Black Friday seems to be the cool thing to do. I got a Liberty Fatboy from Gander Mountain with their no interest credit card deal. Liberty quality is top notch. I've been in my safe multiple times everyday for the past 2.5 years and still haven't changed the battery or had a complaint about it, other than wishing it was bigger! As said already, you will put all kinds of things in there that have value. I keep all my various car and motorcycle keys in there, which is the main reason I get into it every day. I also have family heirlooms, documents, jewelry, etc. Also, most homeowner's policies only cover up to $5k or so for guns. You need to purchase additional insurance or trust your safe.

[normanvin]

Fireproofing is rated in hours. More hours means more money.
I use liberty safes. My local gun shop is a dealer and I have always gotten good deals on the safes. Yes i have more than one.

My local gun shop will be having their annual safe sale in the next month or so. it is not unusual for them to sell 90 or100 safes in a 3 day period.

[Rosco the Iroc]

Why so small? If "4+" is based on the current number of firearms you own, go larger. Many here will tell you to get something double the size of your current needs. This will allow room for future purchases. You will also be surprised how many other items you will wish you had room to store in the safe such as passports, jewelry, financial documents, old photos, cameras, basically anything with monetary of sentimental value.
Good luck.

This^
Save yourself trouble down the road, have room to expand.

[ungawa]

I don't think there is a gun safe that would pass a UL fire safe test. The handful of testing "agencies" gun safe companies use were largely created for the gun safe sales business. They heat up an oven, stick it in for 30 minutes, 90 minutes, whatever, take it out and open it. That's not the way a house fire works. The temperature of the contents would continue to rise for hours after the fire is out. The tests are bogus and not standardized so you don't know what they mean and can't compare them. The only thing you know is the safe won't withstand a good house fire unless it is in an area that isn't exposed to a lot of heat or doesn't get a chance to heat up. I feel better having some fire protection but I know the protection is limited and not quantifiable. You can get a fire safe for your documents for $100 at an office supply store that will keep them safe. As far as your guns are concerned, there is nothing you can do but pray. Unless you buy some used commercial safe that is UL listed for fire.

[rodspade]

If I were shopping for a gun safe, I would demand that it have a UL RSC (Residential Security Container) certification. If they just say the lock is UL certified, that's good, but tells you nothing about the rest of the box. Look for a UL "Residential Security Container" sticker on the inside edge of the door. It just means that one guy without power tools will need more than 5 minutes to break it. If I'm spending hundreds of dollars on a "safe", that's the minimum I expect.

Also, make sure you bolt it to the floor.

[bortle]

I don't think I've ever seen a 4 gun safe. What is it 12" wide? Just get a jumbo and start filling it up. You can put other things in there too. Money, important papers, jewerly ect. ect.

[Bang]

Fire-resistant safes have the equivalent of wallboard liners that retard the time it takes for heat to get to the contents. The liners take up space that lessens gun capacity per cubic measurement. Manufacturers assume the fire responders will be using water to extinguish the fire and use a door seal that expands when heated to further seal against water damage which can be as devastating as heat.

If you have a basement, and install the safe there, you can get away with a lower fire rating because the air feeding the fire will be much cooler in the basement. You can also get away with a lower fire rating if you have a fire department that typically arrives at a fire call in a short time.

If you live in the sticks and have no basement, the higher-priced safe is needed for fire rating and toughness against burglars trying to open it. In other words, every consumer has his own set of circumstances that should be considered when planning the purchase.

I have seen safes for sale in gun stores that are barely more than metal lockers painted and accessorized to look like more than they actually are. The door sounds heavy when thumped, but knocking on the top and side of it, it sounds like the metal on a motor vehicle. This is the weakness of that design. It can still be a substantial deterrent if bolted down and in a place limiting swing room of a hammer or pry bar.

Take a look at the photos of gun safes on line. Usually a 24-gun illustration (for example) has about 8 or ten rifles and shotguns in it. You might get 24 guns in it if two-thirds of them are handguns and no long guns have scopes and there are no AR-15s.

Safes take a lot of study to learn the ins and outs (pun intended). I don't know what the market is currently, but a few years ago there was a high demand-high waiting time to get a new one.

Another consideration is weight. Lighter safes may be a self-install deal, but it is highly recommended that heavy safes be professionally brought into the premises via what is generally called white glove delivery. Also, be sure the location can bear up to the weight.

[Palerider]

I really like my Browning and the rack to put long guns on the door is useful. The only thing I'll add is I special ordered for the mechanical lock. Almost everyone that stocks safes has the electronic version and I figured with my luck it'll shit the bed when one day. Mechanicals can fail as well but I'm more comfortable with it. The extra time to access is not a big deal since I'm not in/out of mine multiple times a day where the convenience would make a big difference.