Best Gun Safe for the $??

LadCo12

Eight Pointer
I bought Greg's 36UU model and had it custom painted hugger orange. It was 3 years ago and I paid $2350. It's 36" wide 72" tall and 25" deep iirc. Also he will customize the interior too. Mine has a slot for my bow.
 

NC hunter

Guest
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.
 
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DBCooper

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I suggested the Fatboy Jr......because I had the same parameters (what I want v. what I was willing to spend) when I was looking. I wound up with the same one you did.

No complaints. I've owned it about a year.
 

dc bigdaddy

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
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.

Let me know when you need some help to move it. I'll help you tote all of your guns. Just make sure you lock my truck and take my keys when I get there. :cool:

oh, I'll bring the boss man also, I'm sure little man will like the JD logo.
 
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NC hunter

Guest
DB it fit. I thought it was funny I looked at a lot in stores and online and the very first post is where I ended up....lol
I didn't know we were a dealer until Fri. am, parts manager had it transferred from one of our bigger stores to look at that afternoon and it came home with me.

dc bd All I have to go in it is 1 Daisy air rifle. I found a couple early 20's kids from work to help me this afternoon. Tractor and loader to deck, 9 - 1 1/8 dowel rods 18" long, 2- 2x8 ramps at door sill, 2pcs 1/4" thick nylon (gator belly pan split) about 4' x 24" on carpet. Not too bad of a job. I'll see if I can't find the boss man a lil something with JD on it.

Again thanks all...
 

LawDog

Ten Pointer
Gander Mtn has some sales going on right now on Liberty Safes. I think I am going to buy the Liberty Fatboy Jr.

As already mentioned there is no such thing a burglar proof safe...if they have the time and tools they are going to get in. However, the more expensive safes have thicker steel, better locks, etc. and they are priced accordingly. Remember criminals are opportunists and they don’t want to get caught...make them work for it and they move on. Any safe is better that no safe.
 

hawkman

Eight Pointer
I'm looking, too. Budget is a concern. 700 is (sort of) my target. I don't need a larger one yet (see recent posts on buying one 2x the size). However, space is also currently a limitation and I need something - I'm thinking most of safety for kids (and visiting friends).

So, safety is my biggest concern, then security from theft and fire. I also want to be able to put an external hard drive with photos in it, along with some documents. Geez, I'm going to need a bigger safe.... :)
 
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pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Stack on makes some decent ones in that price range. They arent great, but they are good for the money.
 

double

Twelve Pointer
Just remember they rate the size by single barrel shotguns. A scoped rifle or ar equals 2 spaces
 

Billy

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
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.

Excellent analysis, especially the mechanical vs electronic issue. Pros and cons to each. I have the electronic. My son-in-law has the mechanical Drake. He is planning to get his converted to electronic because of how hard it is to access, even when not scared and excited.
 

Mallard Cutter

Six Pointer
Each to his own , but I have a Lincoln Liberty safe and have owned it for about five years. About the electronic lock, I replace the battery about once a year and have had 0 issues with it, I couldn't imagine standing there spinning the lock like my brother does every time I want to get into it as I am in and out of mine on a daily basis.
 

ArmyMutt

Eight Pointer
I like my Drake safe. Bought the biggest one they make. He had one in stock and ready to go. Delivered it to my house and put it in position. I love it. Heavy as hell, so don't plan on moving it. I didn't get all the drywall compound cleaned up from the builders. The safe rocked a little when installed. After a month, it didn't rock any more.
 

Newsome Road

Ten Pointer
I have a $700 cannon from tractor supply. It keeps my kids and crackheads out. I'm not convinced there is a safe out there that will keep professionals out or prevent damage in total loss fires so I didn't see the point in spending more. YMMV.
 

double

Twelve Pointer
Bank vaults do not even keep dedicated criminals out. Run what makes you feel safe but for all normal real world scenarios there is no difference in a TSC safe and a Drake or other high end safe. By real world I mean a thief breaks into your house while you are at work. He is going to grab what he can easily making the least noise possible. Now if a true professional has cases your house knows you collection and intends to have he will have it no matter how you have it secured.
 

GSOHunter

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
My friend is a locksmith and routinely has to open safes after extreme house fires. There are two tips he has that everyone should follow.

1. Keep valuable documents away from any of the sides of the safe. He has seen many "fireproof" safes where the documents were touching the edges and the paper combusted due to the extreme heat of the metal.
2. Keep all the documents in a dry storage inside the safe. Water from the fire hoses usually penetrates the safe.

The safe is to keep kids out, workers honest and the average thief out. My friend can get in to just about any safe within a matter of minutes if he really wants to. I forget who it was on here but they had a safe that required 3-4 full grown men to carry it. A crew broke in their house and walked out with it.
 

Dolfan21

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

I actually just saw a nice safe there yesterday for 299 I am thinking of picking up. I forget the brand but can look it up if interested. I think it was a 24 though, may not be big enough for you.
 

apexhunter

Ten Pointer
I've had an AMSEC safe for over 20 years and love it. It is a bare bones high quality safe with 1/4" thick door, 3/16" thick body (older model remind you), mechanical lock and simple textured paint. When I bought it I wanted security versus fancy paint & decals and the AMSEC fits the bill perfectly. For documents I have a smaller fire safe for security and fire resistance (uber sensitive documents are kept in a safe deposit box). As stated before virtually no safe will protect firearms and valuables if the whole house burns down but a good one will keep honest people honest and resist most damage with a mild fire.
 

darkthirty

Old Mossy Horns
I have a browning safe. I like it. Number one selling point to me was the layout of he interior. I didn't really care about ratings and such because a hell bent thief will tow down the road with his car if he has too. Unlike dang near every make and model of safe I looked at, the interior of the browning is laid out the best and will come the closest to holding the actual number of guns it rated for.

They are not thief proof but their isn't nickels difference in ANY of them your gonna buy at a standard retailer as far as breaking in them or burning up. But I know this, their ain't many out there with the thought out interior that the browning has.
 
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