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MOST safes being sold are not safes. They are RSC's. Residential Storage Containers. There is even a sticker on the edge of the door that says so! You can easily amass a collection worth tens of thousands of dollars. Protect it like they are worth that.
Read this first;

 
3 minute video describes how Sturdy Safe builds their door linkage/locking lugs. These look very stout, but they do cost more than safes at the big box store:


If I could afford it, I'd get one of theirs, perhaps with no fireproofing to save $$, then build a hefty fire barrier around it.
 
This is another of the things that come up at least a few times a year on gun sites. There is no such thing as a bullet proof vest and there is no such thing as a gun safe that is safe. Everything is a compromise.
Gun security is no different. Everyone has to choose what they are "comfortable" with. Every time this comes up it's always replete with video of gun safes being defeated. Sounds great. If someone wants to spend the kind of cash a small bank spends on a vault more power to them. Most gun owners do not. So ANY kind of "safe" beats having the guns in a drawer because you want to spend many K on the safe and can't afford it right now.
For a long time we had one smaller gun safe and a lot of guns left out since they would not all fit. Had the advantage of a disabled family member living with us so never a time no one was home. The family member passed so now there were some (rare) times no one was home. Bought another safe. Then to add more piece of mind even an alarm system. Is this "Perfect"? Of course not. For those who have nothing, I always say buy something. Even if it's one of those stack on type lockers.
Another thing is MANY people who own guns do not own a home. If they are renting they probably do not want to buy a safe that weighs in at what a small car does. Come time to move they can be a hassle. So buy what you are comfortable with and can afford. Always can upgrade later. Also certainly does not hurt to have insurance. We have that too. Will it cover 100% of every gun I own if they were cleaned out? No but, it would give me back enough to go on a shopping spree. :D
 
Articles like the one linked always seem to me like an advertisement in disguise. I have a Liberty and am quite happy with it. Good luck.
 
I posted this as I recently bought a safe, a good one. I happened across this thread and posted it, as I know what they say in it is true. People will ask is "X a good safe?" And no one wants to say no. Or they don't know because it just hasn't been broken into. Your Liberty safe is a residential storage container. It even says so on the door. They're easy to break into. I had one opened once by a thief like a cheap can of beer. If you're ok risking that fine. But I think people should that they're buying that.
 
Wanted to mention, I often see older, good used safes for sale on Craigslist and Offer-Up. Such as Cannon, the older ones have doors that are 1/4" steel, and have tight clearances between the body and edge of the door. The gaps many of the so-called safes have are huge, which make it very easy to get a pry bar into.
These RSC companies advertise thicker safe doors of 11 ga. steel.

If you do an internet search for best safes, you get the same article that IS an advertisement.
 
I'm always interested to hear what people's solutions for more-secure storage look like, as I have a number of pieces I like to hang on the wall as art, but would really rather not lose to someone with few morals and too much time on his hands. Thinking of setting a floor safe and disguising it for a couple irreplaceable ones and layering the security more robustly like @FateOne brought to light.
 
I'm always interested to hear what people's solutions for more-secure storage look like, as I have a number of pieces I like to hang on the wall as art, but would really rather not lose to someone with few morals and too much time on his hands. Thinking of setting a floor safe and disguising it for a couple irreplaceable ones and layering the security more robustly like @FateOne brought to light.

This is another way to make it "safer", out of sight. Most break ins are the standard smash'N'Grab. Normally done by dopers looking for quick score, so stuff they can grab and go. First place they will go is of course the master bedroom. So many homes offer places to put a safe other than here. I have seen some pretty good setups in Garages too. Some kind of cabinet front to hide the safe. Something that many of these smash and grabbers may not even look at since it does not look like anything. I have one safe in the garage I keep covered only so when I open the roll up door for stuff people walking by do not see what is obviously a gun safe standing there. Why advertise it kind of thing.
Long ago knew a guy who had a legal ClassIII weapon. He lived in a mobile home. He had a pro make a box under the floor that covered with rug. He got raided by the Feds one day over some stuff him and another buddy were doing, pushing the limits of stuff kind of thing. The feds were in his little place for several hours. They did not find this gun. He was having a good laugh about that after they left.
 
An option to a pretty in house safe that a spouse doesn't want in her closet anyway, is a big construction site steel lock box as long as you have a dry secure garage.

They tough...they heavy...they can be bolted to the cement...they can also be filled with hundreds of pounds of ammo or reloading supplies making them nearly unmovable by 2-3 guys even if they defeat the cement bolts.

As an aside, always lock up you drill motors too! They say most burglers use tools they find in a victims home to break locks :eek:

Anyway, these big construction site lock boxes are not pretty but tough as can be and much less expensive then a fancy safe...
 
I have the Liberty Fat Boy Jr and really like the safe. I recommend getting the digital dial; the manual spinner is impossible to see in anything but perfect lighting conditions.
 
An option to a pretty in house safe that a spouse doesn't want in her closet anyway, is a big construction site steel lock box as long as you have a dry secure garage.

They tough...they heavy...they can be bolted to the cement...they can also be filled with hundreds of pounds of ammo or reloading supplies making them nearly unmovable by 2-3 guys even if they defeat the cement bolts.

As an aside, always lock up you drill motors too! They say most burglers use tools they find in a victims home to break locks :eek:

Anyway, these big construction site lock boxes are not pretty but tough as can be and much less expensive then a fancy safe...
Yep I have seen some of those things defeat theft at a construction site multiple times. In a place where the attempted thieves had time and could make a lot of noise for a while. Often beat hell out of the box but did not manage to get into them.
 
I have the Liberty Fat Boy Jr and really like the safe. I recommend getting the digital dial; the manual spinner is impossible to see in anything but perfect lighting conditions.

One thing to help with dial is an idea I got from Stomper. They make red night light things that are magnetic. I had never heard of them till he mentioned them. Looked at Amazon and they of course had many to choose from. I got a couple that are rechargeable with a standard cell phone charger. Are motion activated. So if we walk up to one of our safes they shine red light on the dial pad so we can see to open them without turning on a light or even shining a flashlight onto them. Pretty cool little items that are very cheap.
 
There's also a ton of information on Brown Safe's site. They make excellent safes too, but they are not cheap.


They do have good quality. I bought one of their estate vault doors and could not be happier with the quality as well as their customer service. They worked with me throughout the design, manufacturing and installation process. Great folks to work with.
:):):):):)
 
An option to a pretty in house safe that a spouse doesn't want in her closet anyway, is a big construction site steel lock box as long as you have a dry secure garage.

They tough...they heavy...they can be bolted to the cement...they can also be filled with hundreds of pounds of ammo or reloading supplies making them nearly unmovable by 2-3 guys even if they defeat the cement bolts.

As an aside, always lock up you drill motors too! They say most burglers use tools they find in a victims home to break locks :eek:

Anyway, these big construction site lock boxes are not pretty but tough as can be and much less expensive then a fancy safe...
PS. before the safety guys correct my comment on storing "reloading supplies" above, I only mean heavy things brass, bullets & lead.

Always keep you powders and primers separated, and a safe distance from heat and ignition sources ;)
 
You can't stop eveyone. Ever. But you can stop most of them. I'm sure most thieves don't carry plasma cutters around with them, and most homeowners don't have one laying around in their garage (I KNOW I'm going to get an "I do"). Most burglars are for the quick in and out. Ten minutes or less. If they see an RSC, they may go for it. They see a safe with tight gaps, and a flush fitting door, they will often pass.

I posted this so people don't get a false sense of security when buying a container to store their guns in. The info is fairly accurate. Call ANY reputable locksmith or safe company. They will tell you the same.
 
Way back about 1980, I bought a McWelco (McKinley Welding Hesperia, Ca.) safe from an add in the American Rifleman. It uses a flush fit door with an external piano hinge. There is 1/8" max gap between door and frame. Any pry tool will bend or break before causing any real damage. What about that exposed hinge? A weak spot? Not really, as the ends of the hinge are welded to the frame top and bottom. As well, the hinge side of the door has welded pins which engage holes in the frame when closed. Cut or grind the piano hinge completely off, the door is held by the pins. It is locked by two deadbolts linked to two Medeco "pick-proof" locks.

Cons: 1) It requires a key. 2) It is not insulated. 3) It is full... or is that a "pro"?
 

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