What safe should I choose?

[jcarrow]

Ok, here is my situation...I think that I should be getting a safe now or in the near future. Right now the only guns I have are a Glock that I use a cable lock on and a air rifle. I am picking up a 22cal rifle tomorrow and going to start working on building up a AR15. I live in a town home so space is limited a little bit. The town home is pretty safe not having any windows on the ground level going into the home, but we do rent out one of the rooms to a roommate who is new. I am pretty sure that should have some sort of way of securing the guns instead of just the closet. I don't want to spend a ton of money on the safe. The 3 guns probably only cost me $800 total.

So my question is how much protection should I have. Is a fire safe necessary or will just a gun cabinet work?
How secure is secure enough? Will a simple Homack or Sentry cabinet work for $179 or more secure Sentry for $400?
Do I go with electronic that can mess up and lock me out, I dont think that I am paying enough for a high quality electronic, or a mechanical, or a key?

[WWDHD?]

IMO, the lowest cost safe that I would recommend is maybe a Liberty Centurion. If I remember right, theres four sizes and the third and fourth largest in size are US made, if that matters to you. Liberty if pretty good with delivering their safes and setting them up inside your house for a fair price. If you can place the safe inside of a closet or somewhere less noticeable it should serve your needs. Generally not a good idea to put any gunsafe in your garage for a lot of reasons. These safes will keep out kids and smash-and-grab burglers but not someone who have knowlege of the safe and is prepaired to use tools to pry it open. Not easy but it could be done. Thats why Keeping the safe out of sight and bolted down is a good idea.
Costco has an OK looking safe on sale next week online for $700. Its a Chinese made Big Horn that has a good rep. Problem is they will only drop it on your doorstep and then you have to move it inside yourself.
Try to think of how big your gun collection might be. Handguns don't take up much room but long guns do. Ammo can take up a lot of space too. I have a 32x24x60 Sturdy safe and its plenty big enough for my needs. I'm not convinced that the fire lining does much in most safes if a fire gets hot enough but reserch it and decide for yourself. To me gunsafes are all about securing guns from BGs (IMO). Good luck.

[shotcaller6]

safe

This; http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...=1&topnav=&s=1
or maybe something like this with more burn time might be a better choice considering you have a roommate you are unsure about, as well as a secure bedroom lock.http://www.patriotsafe.com/Warrior-1...x-18_p_35.html

[jcarrow]

Thanks for the input..

BTW the Liberty Centurions are made in China, just saw that on the website. The others are made in the USA...

Grrr would like a safe like this but don't think I can spend that much right now....

[jerkyg]

I just posted on another...that Lowe's has the liberty safe...named brand. I paid $327 for the smaller one....but, the big one is around $700. No Wal Mart safe...heavy duty. Check it out. When I was walking out of Lowe's and saw it and the price...I turned around and told them to load it up in my truck. Love it...

Stay safe...

[jcarrow]

I paid $327 for the smaller one....

How did you get that price? Listed price is $397. I know about the 10% off coupon from USPS, but that only puts you to $357. Did you pay $327 after tax?

[drdarrin@sbcglobal.net]

You only have a few now but what about the future? I bought an average sized manual lock safe 8 years ago and now it's packed with my toys and my wifes. I would not buy anything with an electronic lock or which uses conventional locks (think masterlock type locks).

I look at it this way, I'm going to be putting possibly thousands of dollars worth of stuff in this thing. I want it big, heavy and as fireproof as I can get it. You will likely never have fewer firearms, unless someone takes them from you.
Don't be penny wise and pound foolish?

Just my $0.02....

[captvalk]

Sturdy Safe

Just received mine today. No damage and definitely looks and feels STURDY. It arrived within the two hour window I chose for delivery. The only gliche was a "missing" pistol rack. Apparently, I was supposed to click to buy it online, but based on the website language, it appeared to me that it came with the order for free. No problem, I called to report the "missing" rack, and Sturdy understood why I might not understand what they intended, so they shipped it for free (they will fix the website so others won't reach the same conclusion). I was totally impressed with the entire purchase process, beginning with Terry (the owner) spending a lot a time answering my questions. For me, after weeks of on-line research for my price range ($1000 to $2000), I was torn between Sturdy and AMSEC. In my mind, Sturdy beat out the AMSEC BF models, but I don't think you could go wrong with them either. Hopefully, I'll never get an opportunity to test my decision. [I just reread the initial question and note that the JCarrow was really just interested in an entry level safe. I apologize if this is non-responsive.)

[jerkyg]

GUN SAFE

Hi J,

I got that on sale. That is why when I was walking out of the store...and saw the price...I went back in and said...load it up...LOL

And even at $397...it is a steal...

Stay safe...

How did you get that price? Listed price is $397. I know about the 10% off coupon from USPS, but that only puts you to $357. Did you pay $327 after tax?

[jimbos44]

tractor supply has the winchester safe for $699

[billped]

Don't spend more on the safe than your guns are worth. Get a cheap gun locker and you can get a bigger/better safe if or when you get more guns.


Bill

[socalsteve]

A safe is good for more than guns.

I boguht a large safe notfireproof because i live in the city with fire depts nearby so chances of a burndown are slim.

But, I put a smaller fireproof safe inside it for important papers, computer files, etc.

Then there are the shelves where i keep knifes, camera's, flash drives, laptop, etc.

Now when I leave home I feel secure - even if I'm burglarized the expensive small items the smash and grab thieves want are locked up.

Peace of mind.

[jcarrow]

Thats what I was thinking, Ive only got $500 worth of stuff in there.

[bsg]

get a safe you will grow into... not one you will grow out of.

for the budget you have mentioned ($179-$400), i'd suggest you look into the secondary market for a safe. a used safe purchase can buy up to two or three times the safe for the same money. it may take some tenacity and patience, but the end result can be rewarding.

i got my current safe from CL. i have seen some decent deals on the forum here as well.

[Dan-0-]

That Cannon safe sold at Costco for around $600 delivered should be coming back around soon. If you can wait for it, that seemed like a pretty good deal.
Also I heard that Ammo Bros in Ontario had scratch & dent models from Cannon periodically on sale there.
You may want to give them a call. I wouldn't go down there looking to spend money, they had some damn nice safes last time I was there. You might wind up spending $1250-$1500 on something you didn't really want. There is also a safe manufacturer right next door to them that had some sweet safes. They were more money, but very nice.