Need a Solid Gun Safe, Actually Worth It?

[barnetmill]

Safes do have their place and well it does depend on your domestic and perhaps legal situation, but I always at least have one loaded gun either on me or within immediate reach. If you must have all guns locked up relative to children and local-state legalities I would choose a tiny quick release type that is hidden and just contains say a respectable pistol in caliber suited to what you might have to deal with. A decent pistol can solve most reactive problems and of course a shotgun is even better.
When I step outdoors around the house or work on my place it is at least a full 9mm pistol in bandoleer type holster with at least a 15 round mag. Lately I have updated from the open sight $200 dollar sigma VE to a brownell purchases glock like frame with after market milled slide, longer barrel and a holosun optic. My eyes are getting old. My 1911's are more valuable and are locked up. Also, A loaded used $85 pump shotgun behind the door that works real well. When you need a gun, likely you will need a gun very badly and going to a safe might be too slow. But I am a loner and so thieves are the only reason I have for locking up guns.
I remember I was retrieving hanging wash that had dried and looked down in late october in NW Florida and there is a water moccasin just a couple feet away from me. It was molting and likely pretty much blind. I shot its head to a bloody stub with 9mm fed +P+ law enforcement loads. Each shot removing a piece of its head until I adjusted my aim to the base of head and removing what left of it from the snake.
Having just got up this morning I am wearing a similar rig at the moment. 15 rounds of +P+. I have set up a gun in 40 with extra heavy springs and as soon as I do some load development, I will have a more suitable gun for a misbehaving black bear.
Below is a neighbor that should of had a gun instead of only a yorkie. He should be located with in a mile or so of me of me due to the location listed on the film.

Update on the snakes. Last wk i again went out to deal with hanging some wash there was this immature 'cute' water moccasin (cottonmouth) still with the yellow-green tail tip. He/she got impacted by a load of CCI 38 spl #9 shot. We are hitting Nov and I will still keep a .38 in my pocket for while longer loaded with shot.

 

[dennishoddy]

That actually is a copperhead snake. We have killed 10 around our home over the years. Two dogs bitten, one survived the bite, but the other suffered spasm's that were so bad we had to put him down.
The Green tail is another of the dead giveaways besides the pattern. They use the tip of the tail to lure insects to eat.
I like snakes around our rural home to keep the rodents in check, but not the venomous type. They get the same treatment and go off to a friend that uses the skins for bow camouflage on the self-bows he makes.

 

[barnetmill]

That actually is a copperhead snake. We have killed 10 around our home over the years. Two dogs bitten, one survived the bite, but the other suffered spasm's that were so bad we had to put him down.
The Green tail is another of the dead giveaways besides the pattern. They use the tip of the tail to lure insects to eat.
I like snakes around our rural home to keep the rodents in check, but not the venomous type. They get the same treatment and go off to a friend that uses the skins for bow camouflage on the self-bows he makes.

It is water moccasin. The copperheads and water moccasins are closely being in the same genus. When young they look similar. Water moccasin has a darker head and dark horizontal band back of the eye. We do also have a few copper heads about, but not many.
Baby copperhead snakes. Note the more Hersey kiss type of bands and the copper head.

 

[barnetmill]

It is water moccasin. The copperheads and water moccasins are closely being in the same genus. When young they look similar. Water moccasin has a darker head and dark horizontal band back of the eye. We do also have a few copper heads about, but not many.
Baby copperhead snakes. Note the more Hersey kiss type of bands and the copper head.
View attachment 39205View attachment 39206
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Here are baby water moccasins

 

[barnetmill]

Both snakes together. Sometimes they can be more similar to each other because of natural variation. As I have said they are closely related. Water moccasin probably has the more dangerous bite relative to the venom and bacterial infections and tend to grow to be larger. Sometimes they can be aggressive. Especially if you provoke them. I know people that have seen them come out of the water to try and attack people that had thrown or shot at them. Not common. They can also be territorial. I have never had it happen to me, but I believe the people that witnessed these things. Also the one that I have seen either remained by still or try to mostly run. I have one that I shot st from a tractor with rat shot just as it was fleeing into a wood pile. It instantly turned around and started to head toward the tractor and then quickly turned to go back under wood pile where I got off the tractor and close and just blasted the part that I could see a few times; came back in morning to finish off what was left off.

Florida, the cottonmouth/water moccasin is very common. Copperheads are way less common. Here is a link to an article that explains the differences. https://a-z-animals.com/animals/comparison/cottonmouth-vs-copperhead-2/

 

[ga41]

Bought a Ft Knox 25 years ago. 1000 lbs empty with a good fire rating. It was about $2100 ? I think. Maybe it was closer to $3000. It has served me well, but I wouldn't want to have to pay for a new one now.

 

[Old Bill]

45-Minute Fire-Resistant Gun Safe with Mechanical Combination Lock


I have a relative (older than me) who lives in my area. He's a big collector and lives rurally. We have a volunteer fire department here—just a truck and a building to put it in. Someone turned off the heating unit in winter a while back; I don't know the exact details. Everyone showed up fast and the fire truck arrived quickly, but apparently the important parts had been frozen for a month and it couldn't pump anything. His house burned to the ground. He had a few safes—regular old metal safes, not fire-rated. Everything was destroyed. His fire burned a long time, and the house burned completely to the ground... so it may not have made a difference in his case, but for most of us, and with fire-rated safes available now, it's worth it.


Mechanical locks are more reliable—150 years of proven reliability—but they mean slower access. They do make high-end models where you dial the combination once and then can use a little key to open and close them whenever you want easy access. Just spin the dial before you leave home. The bad guys can't get in without the key anyway, and they'll probably spin it for you if they try.


Electronic locks offer faster and easier day-to-day access, but they're more prone to failure.


Is it worth it?


We all have important stuff (records, DD214, passports, mortgage documents, birth certificates, irreplaceable photos, etc.)—not even counting firearms—that a fire could ruin or destroy. Get a modest-sized safe; they're reasonably priced. A 45-minute fire rating is good, but go higher if you live in a rural area (farther from fire department response). Maybe join the rural volunteer fire department and make sure the heat stays on?


Bolt it to the floor—and to the wall if possible. Keep your valuables in there when you leave home; it's one less thing to worry about.


If you can, stick to trusted lock brands like Sargent & Greenleaf, SecuRam, or LaGard (whether mechanical or electronic), and consider a safe with dual-lock options if available.


I don't know who makes the locks for safes sold at big retailers, but Home Depot (and probably others) offer financing programs—like 6 months of zero-interest payments if you don't want to pay upfront. Set up automatic payments a few days before they're due, and add a little extra each month so it's definitely paid off within the 6 months.


Golden!

Cult of the Dummy Cord

 

[MistaKwick]

Our house has a big storage closet under the stairs to the 2d floor. It's about 4 feet wide and 5 feet deep with shelves, roughly the size of a huge safe, so I'm storing most of my guns (I have a few in our bedroom) and ammo in there. I installed a handle with a lock on the door. Only I have the key. Sure there wont be any resistance to fire but I'm still recovering from the sticker shock of a real safe

 

[jepr53]

I don't have a gun safe as I have a secure gun room, 23x16. I have built a few safes in the past I find that safes for me are just too small.

 

[Old Bill]

I don't have a gun safe as I have a secure gun room, 23x16. I have built a few safes in the past I find that safes for me are just too small.

Such a problem to have.. "I just need more room to put my guns " Smile..

Cult of the Dummy Cord

 

[Old Bill]

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

 

[John Galt]

My $.02..........

First of all, my locksmith can get into the most high security four hour jewelry safe in about 7 minutes. Safes are for honest people. Safes can be a visible attractive nuisance because they are very easy to open by merely capturing a family member and forcing you to open it under very "meaningful pressure".

Most commercial gun safes are total pieces of crap......thin metal, bad locks, low capacity, ridiculous cost. You can get into them w an angle grinder in a few minutes. Liberty safe will give police the back door to your combo!
NEVER BUY A LIBERTY SAFE!!!!!!! Can't emphasize that enough!!

For me, the only safes worth having are "real" safes built for jewelers or grocery stores. Fireproof, heavy steel, multiple bolts in all surrounding door frames......HEAVY. Problem is.......they cost a fortune to buy from the factory.

I have been collecting guns for over 50 years and I used to go to stores that were closing and buy the safe. It is very hard to sell a big safe and they cost a lot to move. I would bid +/- $200-$500 for the safe and hire safe movers to move them. Got the best safes. My house would burn down around them and I have had the experience of having a burglary wherein you could see that they got to the safes and gave up. (however serious crooks would have waited for the safe owner or his family to arrive and gone from there.......seen it multiple times)

When you see a jewelry store, grocery or big box store closing you should go ask if they want to sell their safe.....they will and there will be very little or no competition and they will have to sell it for nothing or abandon it to the landlord.

Using this method you will be able to buy "real" safes for way less than the price of a large pos "gun safe".


PS; safe companies pay nothing for used safes. They usually charge a fee or offer to move them away for free because they are difficult and dangerous to move and hard to store. That is your competition