Cheap safes?

[beauregard]

Dudes sell good safes here in the FOR SALE section every now and then, Craigslist too. One can find a decent 300 pounder for under $500. Thieves will get into or tow away anything they want, even your 1200 pound bank safe from the 1930's. With that said, look for something with intimidation factor.

[gatesbox]

There are a lot of small safe haters, and they have many good points...a safe under 800 bucks is going to have some limitations...I just bought a big sentry with a digital combo and it was about $500 bucks. Bolted. Down with heavy hardware to floor and wall. I Lao try to conceal the safe and have a smaller easy target decoy safe with my ammo in it..keeps the kids out and provides a two minute puzzle to any crack head crooks.

Even with an entry priced safe/cabinet there are things you can do to beef up theft protection. Almost all safe cracking exploits the use of leverage....good placement can take away nearly all leverage points...bolting in the back of a tight closet can take away the side leverage used to attack doors and anchor points. A well secured cheap safe is better than an unsecured expensive safe...they can both be rolled out of the house on marbles from your fish tank.....

[San_Diego_Shooter]

Gentlemen, it's an easy answer: Ft. Knox safes.
Look them up.
1600 degree fire protection for 90 minutes.
No compromises. No excuses. No regrets.

[TBDesigns]

Hmm not sure what to do. Right now I cannot afford $500 to $1000 safe for a pistol and a shotgun.

[GILMORE619]

Gentlemen, it's an easy answer: Ft. Knox safes.
Look them up.
1600 degree fire protection for 90 minutes.
No compromises. No excuses. No regrets.

I believe this thread is Cheap safes

[gatesbox]

Well if I couldn't afford bulk I would go for affordable and stealth...in wall unit concealed in closet, or perhaps converting an old water heater tank into a cabinet that no one would expect. I can't find any pics but I have heard of the old water heater gun cabinet and like the idea...I bet you could find a spare on craigslist for free, and if you are handy find a way to fix a door on it or cut it in half nd hinge it somehow like a clamshell.

[bsg]

Gentlemen, it's an easy answer: Ft. Knox safes.
Look them up.
1600 degree fire protection for 90 minutes.
No compromises. No excuses. No regrets.

i've always wanted a Fort Knox; i personally like the older ones... just because.

[bsg]

Check craigslist too. Safes are one of those things where if a person needs to move a safe, THEY NEED TO MOVE A SAFE. Good deals are available.

i agree. i got my old Browning ProSteel from CL and that old manual dial combination lock works like a smooth breeze.

to the OP; look on the used secondary market; your budget is prohibitive. with a few hundred more and tenacious, methodical search... you can find a safe that you can grow into and that will keep an honest thief honest. it may take you awhile at the price we're now talking about, but the deals are out there. many people will take cash and trade for what they are selling. you need to find a "don't wanter"... which is someone who really "don't want" what they are selling.

not too long ago i went to a yard sale and missed out on an older Browning safe at $40.00... by a few minutes. the folks were moving and the safe was dead weight for them. i felt a certain lump in my throat when i was told it was sold.

good luck.

[Beelzy]

Oh Lord.......For the money you wish to spend on a safe, just cleverly hide the damn thing.

Like in the A/C duct.

[cabinetguy]

im of the notion that a cheap safe is better than nothing, if collection becomes a hobby, you can upgrade down the line and use the first safe for ammo, documents and body parts.

[Rekrab]

TBDesigns, I can understand your mentality. However, after going through the same debate myself I eventually settled on a $600 canon safe from Costco. It gets the job done and was big enough for me to expand my collection. I only sold it because I was moving into a smaller residence and didn't want the hassle of carting it into an elevator, and then navigating the tight halls in my place.

I turned around and sold it for nearly the same price as I paid for it.

If you just want to keep kiddies out, sure get the gun cabinet. But start putting some money away on the side for a safe in the future.

[Ctwo]

Hmm not sure what to do. Right now I cannot afford $500 to $1000 safe for a pistol and a shotgun.

I think the DoJ lists one of the stack-on models as an approved security device, if that is an interest. There is nothing wrong with an economical steel cabinet for your situation. I got by for years with just gun locks.


Not to get caught up in symantics, but most gun "safes" are not safes, but are listed (if listed at all) as a Residential Security Container (RSC). In most cases, fire protection from a RSC is minimal and often ineffective.


Anyway, I've seen the stack-on on sale at Big 5 for $100.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/archive/index.php/t-173572.html

[Cokebottle]

That isnt a safe its a security cabinet thin metallic box with a keyed latch on the door.

Fixed it for you.

Seriously. To keep kids and nosey neighbors out, it'll do the job (borderline for a pre-teen bent on getting access to a gun).
But calling is "security" anything is a stretch.

[Cokebottle]

Hmm not sure what to do. Right now I cannot afford $500 to $1000 safe for a pistol and a shotgun.

By all means, go ahead and get the $100 cabinet.
It absolutely is better than nothing, but just understand that it's not that much better than nothing, and when you can afford to upgrade, do it and relegate the cabinet to ammo storage.

[TBDesigns]

I'm just not going to get a shotgun or rifle I'll just stick to my one handgun.