edad3
Guest
Great thread. Very informative and relevant.
My employer is a safe dealer. With employee discounts I ended up with a Liberty Fatboy Jr. 48 with a John Deere logo, a couple hundred under my original budget. Setting in my shop right now till the weather breaks and I can open up a spot for it in my mancave....thanks for all the help there are a lot of nice ones out there.
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.
If you are a member of Costco, check them out too. They have decent sales on them from time to time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltK-bDbADa8
Seriously though.. Watch this video....
I am a Liberty guy myself.