Best Gun Safe for the $??

Looking at gun safes, need opinions. I only have one Daisy air rifle to put in it but I'd like a 24-36 (maybe 48) gun safe with decent fire rating and good reputation without breaking the bank. What lock electronic, combination or any other features do I need to look for? Would like to stay under 12-1300$

Liberty Fatboy Jr.

They charge more for the electronic lock. I would have paid more not to have it. I wanted the non-electronic lock.

http://www.gandermountain.com/search/fatboy jr

My only input here is that the contents will grow to fill whatever size safe you purchase. So buy one twice the size you initially think you want. If you're looking at a 24-36. get the 48. Voice of experience speaking here, and I give the same advice to friends who are trying to decide what size detatched garage to build. Take the size you want, multiply by 2, and it still probably won't be big enough...

^^I agree with this (above). The Fatboy is my 2nd safe

We just got a Cannon Safari for my daughter. Its certainly not the best in the world, its average I would say. But with her alarm system and neighborhood, plus bolting it to the concrete floor I thought it would be okay. It was $449.00 at Dunhams. It does not measure up to my huge Treadlok gunsafe at my house, but I understand Treadlok is out of business.

1 word...Drake...pricey, but well worth the $$$. It helps to support a local business too. They are in Roxboro...336-597-5059...

buckshooter said:

1 word...Drake...pricey, but well worth the $$$. It helps to support a local business too. They are in Roxboro...336-597-5059...

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This. At least call him and ride by his shop to look at his product.

I have been considering the Liberty Fatboy Jr....who has the best prices in the Raleigh/Cary/Fuquay Varina area?

buckshooter said:

1 word...Drake...pricey, but well worth the $$$. It helps to support a local business too. They are in Roxboro...336-597-5059...

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What he said.^^^^^

Hell I considered a drake safe, too.

How much is the going price for one? In the OP's price range?

There are a lot of folks who have a "safe" that think it is invincible. Some are a little better than others, but most all the consumer grade safes offer only basic protection. If properly bolted down, all of them are going to stop your basic smash and grab type criminal and protect against small fires. With the right tools, they can all be broken into and the fire rating doesn't matter much if your house burns down (everything in the safe will be destroyed). With that said, I'd look at the different models from the different manufacturers and pick one that offers the features you want. I bought a Browning safe because it is made in the USA, has the DPX system that allows you to store scoped guns on the door, and the shelf design is much nicer than anything else on the market. I wouldn't get too carried away about the thickness of the steel or the "fire rating" in your price range. There's not going to be a lot of real difference in safes at that price. I paid $2k for my safe and I can sleep well knowing that when I leave home the typical burglar is not going to get into it and that children that come into the house will not be able to get access to my guns. I don't kid myself into believing that my guns are safe from professional criminals or a total loss fire. If you want that kind of peace of mind, you're going to have to shell out WAY more money than that.

So, my vote is for Browning. I just could not find a nicer safe in the $2k price range.

There are a lot of folks who have a "safe" that think it is invincible. Some are a little better than others, but most all the consumer grade safes offer only basic protection. If properly bolted down, all of them are going to stop your basic smash and grab type criminal and protect against small fires. With the right tools, they can all be broken into and the fire rating doesn't matter much if your house burns down (everything in the safe will be destroyed). With that said, I'd look at the different models from the different manufacturers and pick one that offers the features you want. I bought a Browning safe because it is made in the USA, has the DPX system that allows you to store scoped guns on the door, and the shelf design is much nicer than anything else on the market. I wouldn't get too carried away about the thickness of the steel or the "fire rating" in your price range. There's not going to be a lot of real difference in safes at that price. I paid $2k for my safe and I can sleep well knowing that when I leave home the typical burglar is not going to get into it and that children that come into the house will not be able to get access to my guns. I don't kid myself into believing that my guns are safe from professional criminals or a total loss fire. If you want that kind of peace of mind, you're going to have to shell out WAY more money than that.

So, my vote is for Browning. I just could not find a nicer safe in the $2k price range. I like the electronic lock for ease of getting into the safe....actually my wife insisted on it. Mr. Talton told me that its not a matter of if the elock quits, but when. He said he had them on his safes but that he knew someday he would have to drill into them. He said the convenience outweighed the fact that the lock would eventually quit working for him.

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The biggest one you can get through your door!

Location is a big factor on how far to drive to get one. I have one of the Browning lines that is a good safe. Eastern Outfitters carry a nice safe that I can tell.

I would stay away from the electronic locks.

I just bought a Cannon 48 gun safe on Black Friday at Tractor supply. It is not the best on the market, but for $700 it was a good deal in my mind. It is fire rated for 30 minutes but the room it is in is totally brick and block except for the door and a small section of cabinets. Its going to work well for my small collection and for the important papers in the house. Most important in my mind, well over the theft and fire protection, is that I don't have to worry about my kids getting their hands on a gun without me at their side.

I have looked at Drake's in the past. The only problem at the time, was that they were about 9 months out on deliveries. I think that is a testament to how well liked his products are, but i had two small kids in the new house and hand to buy something off the rack. If I plan accordingly with a new house addition, I will have to keep the lead time in mind.

newlifetaxidermy said:

There are a lot of folks who have a "safe" that think it is invincible. Some are a little better than others, but most all the consumer grade safes offer only basic protection. If properly bolted down, all of them are going to stop your basic smash and grab type criminal and protect against small fires. With the right tools, they can all be broken into and the fire rating doesn't matter much if your house burns down (everything in the safe will be destroyed). With that said, I'd look at the different models from the different manufacturers and pick one that offers the features you want. I bought a Browning safe because it is made in the USA, has the DPX system that allows you to store scoped guns on the door, and the shelf design is much nicer than anything else on the market. I wouldn't get too carried away about the thickness of the steel or the "fire rating" in your price range. There's not going to be a lot of real difference in safes at that price. I paid $2k for my safe and I can sleep well knowing that when I leave home the typical burglar is not going to get into it and that children that come into the house will not be able to get access to my guns. I don't kid myself into believing that my guns are safe from professional criminals or a total loss fire. If you want that kind of peace of mind, you're going to have to shell out WAY more money than that.

So, my vote is for Browning. I just could not find a nicer safe in the $2k price range. I like the electronic lock for ease of getting into the safe....actually my wife insisted on it. Mr. Talton told me that its not a matter of if the elock quits, but when. He said he had them on his safes but that he knew someday he would have to drill into them. He said the convenience outweighed the fact that the lock would eventually quit working for him.

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Not to pick specifically on Browning but most mass produced commercially available safes......Do your homework. How are they constructed? Most are a welded metal box lined with a layer of sheetrock with a locking system. That is where the security or lack thereof comes from. The rest is eye candy or convenience (even the type of lock falls into this arena) to entice you to buy.

How thick is the metal box? Most max out at 10 gage metal sheet which is .1345" to .1405". That is correct, just a bit over 1/8" thick. Many are 12 gage, .1046" to .1106", less than 1/8" and some drop down to 14 gage, .0747" to .0797", just over 1/16"

There are a couple of manufacturers that offer thicker metal but that is generally by special order. And the thickest I have seen offered is .1875" which is 3/16". Definitely a step in the right direction IMO but it comes at an increased cost over their standard models.

And now to get back specifically to the Browning. When I bought my Drake several years ago, Greg had a Browning in his shop that he had replaced after it was broken in to and totally emptied of it's content of long guns. This was done by the thief without disabling the lock or opening the door. The thief took some type of small circular saw and cut through the sheet metal on the side of the safe. He cut three sides of a rectangle about 8"wide by 10" tall, inserted some type of pry bar (probably an ordinary screwdriver) in the top (horizontal) cut and pried it open enough to get his hand on the flap and pealed it down like a sardine can. He then punched through the sheet rock liner and removed the guns through the hole. The entire operation could have been done in 10 to 15 minutes easy.

Now, having said all of this, Greg Drake uses .250" which is 1/4" thick steel for his metal box, door and all. Can it be broken in to. Sure it can BUT it will take more/heavier tools and more time than it took to get in the thin wall Browning (do not remember with certainty but I think it was 12 gage). At that time, Greg had never had one of his safes compromised by a thief. At least one had tried but was not successful.

Actually seeing the thin wall safe that had been emptied was a real eye opener for me and it was a no brainer for me to buy a Drake. Greg will also put an electronic lock on his safes if you insist but he prefers to standard mechanical lock.

If you live anywhere close to Roxboro and are in the market for a safe, you owe it to yourself to ride up to his shop and take a look at his product. I like to support local business when they offer competitive products at competitive prices. IMO, Greg has both!

BTW, if you are building a new house that includes a built in gun vault, Greg will design and build a vault door for you.

Note: I am not associated with Drake Safe Co. in any other way than a satisfied customer. I do see Greg a couple of times a year at NWTF banquets and if I was buying another safe, I would definitely be seeing him.

Heritage, hands down. http://www.heritagesafe.com/

But you won't find one in that price range that is better than anything that tractor supply sells.

Only thing made by them (in the Fortress sub-brand) I could find close your your state price range:
http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toy...pspla&ef_id=UUHpXwAAAGSztg-C:20131205153908:s


Unfortunately for me, the local Heritage dealer (God's Country Outfitters) went toes-up due to a divorce. That really sucks since they regularly had sales on safes.

The posts above demonstrate how any safe basically sucks. There are low-cost practical alternatives (unless you live in the California DOJ-ruled area of the west) to a gun safe:

http://forum.pafoa.org/general-2/62309-low-cost-gun-safe-alternative.html

Those greenlee cabinets are darn-near indestructible......

What are your options if the location the safe is going has narrow dimensions? I've got a location picked out for one, but the doorway is tight - 23". Why would anyone ever build a doorway that narrow?

I see Liberty's min. dimension would be 24" and Cannon offers 22" without handle. Heritage doesn't offer anything close. Would you pull off the door frame or try to find one that would fit?

QuietButDeadly said:

Not to pick specifically on Browning but most mass produced commercially available safes......Do your homework. How are they constructed? Most are a welded metal box lined with a layer of sheetrock with a locking system. That is where the security or lack thereof comes from. The rest is eye candy or convenience (even the type of lock falls into this arena) to entice you to buy.

How thick is the metal box? Most max out at 10 gage metal sheet which is .1345" to .1405". That is correct, just a bit over 1/8" thick. Many are 12 gage, .1046" to .1106", less than 1/8" and some drop down to 14 gage, .0747" to .0797", just over 1/16"

There are a couple of manufacturers that offer thicker metal but that is generally by special order. And the thickest I have seen offered is .1875" which is 3/16". Definitely a step in the right direction IMO but it comes at an increased cost over their standard models.

And now to get back specifically to the Browning. When I bought my Drake several years ago, Greg had a Browning in his shop that he had replaced after it was broken in to and totally emptied of it's content of long guns. This was done by the thief without disabling the lock or opening the door. The thief took some type of small circular saw and cut through the sheet metal on the side of the safe. He cut three sides of a rectangle about 8"wide by 10" tall, inserted some type of pry bar (probably an ordinary screwdriver) in the top (horizontal) cut and pried it open enough to get his hand on the flap and pealed it down like a sardine can. He then punched through the sheet rock liner and removed the guns through the hole. The entire operation could have been done in 10 to 15 minutes easy.

Now, having said all of this, Greg Drake uses .250" which is 1/4" thick steel for his metal box, door and all. Can it be broken in to. Sure it can BUT it will take more/heavier tools and more time than it took to get in the thin wall Browning (do not remember with certainty but I think it was 12 gage). At that time, Greg had never had one of his safes compromised by a thief. At least one had tried but was not successful.

Actually seeing the thin wall safe that had been emptied was a real eye opener for me and it was a no brainer for me to buy a Drake. Greg will also put an electronic lock on his safes if you insist but he prefers to standard mechanical lock.

If you live anywhere close to Roxboro and are in the market for a safe, you owe it to yourself to ride up to his shop and take a look at his product. I like to support local business when they offer competitive products at competitive prices. IMO, Greg has both!

BTW, if you are building a new house that includes a built in gun vault, Greg will design and build a vault door for you.

Note: I am not associated with Drake Safe Co. in any other way than a satisfied customer. I do see Greg a couple of times a year at NWTF banquets and if I was buying another safe, I would definitely be seeing him.

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I would agree with a lot of this. Drake safes are very well-built. I'd be willing to bet that the increased build quality is reflected in the price. I certainly don't believe that the original poster can get into a Drake that will accommodate the number of guns he wants to be able to store for $1200-1300. Since I can't find a pricelist, I could be wrong.

Quite honestly, even at 1/4" thick, most "gun guys" have all the tools needed to breach even this type material in their garages. So, a thief doesn't have to plan ahead or travel very far to get what he needs to breach even a 1/4" safe. Now, when you start lining the inside with stainless steel or other torch resistant metals, then you start getting some real security. Even then, with the right tools, the right amount of time, and a lot of determination, that safe is going to be opened. The Chinese made, spot welded, 12ga safes don't compare with even the American made 12ga safes. The American steel is much higher quality than the Chinese steel. My Browning is 10ga and has fully welded seams vs the spot welded Chinese safes. While I doubt that my 10ga American made safe will peel like a sardine can, I know that it can be broken into. I would agree that it is probably a little easier to get into than the 1/4" Drake safe, but both of them are going to require a determined criminal with a little time on his hands. If the OP had said money was no object, I would have recommended an F-rated Graffunder (1" thick steel body).

For the safes that are the size he wants in his desired price range, it is really going to boil down to features. There really isn't much difference in how they are made between a liberty vs browning vs heritage vs amsec, etc. at that price point. Some have nicer interiors, more flexible storage options, exterior finish, etc and that is where you make a decision in that price range.

I think the mechanical locks are better as far as longevity goes. Most likely a mechanical lock will never give you any trouble and the electronic lock will likely give you trouble someday. Security wise, I believe the electronic lock is every bit as good as a mechanical. In the pitch dark (with no flashlight) or in a hurry, I guarantee that I can open that electronic lock MUCH faster than someone can open a mechanical lock. Just because a mechanical lock has a key does not mean the key opens it. The key only serves to lock the dial from spinning. My wife keeps some jewelry and papers in our safe. She had a lot of trouble in the store fiddling with the mechanical lock. She can open the electronic lock just as quick and easy as I can. After wrestling with the decision for a while, the pros of the electronic lock outweighed the cons. Had my wife been able to easily open a mechanical lock, I would probably have sacrificed the speed for longevity. I can certainly understand why a person would choose the mechanical lock over the electronic or vice-versa.

Regardless of the decision the OP makes, any safe is better than throwing the guns under the bed or in a closet...even the Chinese box store safes provide better protection than no protection at all. If he can get into a Drake for the money he wants to spend, I would say go for it. If not, Browning, Liberty, Heritage, American Security, etc offer quality, American built options.

sky hawk said:

What are your options if the location the safe is going has narrow dimensions? I've got a location picked out for one, but the doorway is tight - 23". Why would anyone ever build a doorway that narrow?

I see Liberty's min. dimension would be 24" and Cannon offers 22" without handle. Heritage doesn't offer anything close. Would you pull off the door frame or try to find one that would fit?

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http://www.zanottiarmor.com/

or

http://www.snapsafe.com/

These aren't the most secure safes on the market, but will fit through your door. You just have to assemble them in place.

Here's another good place to look. He may even have a used one.
https://www.facebook.com/griffinsafes

Thanks guys, you have given me something to think on. Budget is not set in stone but not a lot more.
This is what I'd really like but reality slaps me in the face: http://www.patriotsafe.com/Collector-39-2-hour-fire-1880-Tactical-Gun-Safe_p_569.html

Get off of that hip and get it

NC hunter said:

Thanks guys, you have given me something to think on. Budget is not set in stone but not a lot more.
This is what I'd really like but reality slaps me in the face: http://www.patriotsafe.com/Collector-39-2-hour-fire-1880-Tactical-Gun-Safe_p_569.html

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That is not a bad price for a safe that size. Just for reference, my Drake is taller and wider. Can not tell about the depth because they list that dimension including the handle but my Drake is at least as deep. Not sure what the current price is on the Drake I have but I paid several hundred less than the asking price of the safe in your link. I know the price of steel has gone up several times since I got mine from Greg and I am sure his price has gone up. Before you write him off, call and talk to him. He may have a trade in or two to sell in addition to new ones.

We bought a very early model Canon trade in from him that did not even have a fire liner. We bought the safe and sheet rock and lined it ourselves for a lot less than your budget. He occasionally gets one of his safes back when a customer moves up to a bigger one. It does not hurt to ask.

I don't know if this helps or not. I just received it and thought of the OP.

http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toy...e/6608044/product.html?TRACK=DSPTA&cid=221848

the cannon safes at tractor supply, they have a few different sizes, but for the money they are great! I have one and love it, actually thinkin about selling mine and getting a bigger one, but they look good, and are fire rated and everything

I just went through this search. I needed something that would hold my expanding collection. I really wanted a Drake, but the 6 to 9 month wait just wouldn't work. I settled on a Liberty Lincoln, and am quite happy with it.

Remember buy once, cry once!

If you are a member of Costco, check them out too. They have decent sales on them from time to time.

I have several Fort Knox safes and a Winchester at the house and a Liberty in my store. Fort Knox is hands down the best IMHO.

DBCooper......Not in the OP's price range. I bought a 36 Gun, 5 years ago.......5 1/2' tall, 36" wide, 25" deep, $1,800 at the time. Greg has a flyer, with prices. All you have to do, is call, leave your name, and address, on his answering service. He'll send you one. He'll also, paint it, any color you want. If they make an automotive paint you like, get the part # for it, and he'll paint it. His # is 336 597 5059