lets talk about safes

Unless you blow 10 times that they are basically the same.

Most of what you will find will have a keypad. You can swap in a SG&G dial type lock (and set your combo) for about $50.

Tractor Supply Cannon on sale is hard to beat since they are all very similar until you go way up in price.
 
Much less convenient for you, but there's a Steelwater safes warehouse in North Augusta, SC. They have a scratch and dent room.
 
I have a Liberty model that’s been moved something like 6-7 times and still looks new. Standard S&G lock so no batteries to worry about. They are pretty easy to pry into with a properly sized bar according to YouTube, so installation location is pretty critical to security level.
 
I prefer the keypads. They're a whole lot easier to get into.

Biggest selling points for me are long fire rating and UL listing.
 
Andy J. said:
They are pretty easy to pry into with a properly sized bar according to YouTube, so installation location is pretty critical to security level.
Click to expand...

I won't/can't tell all, but mine is set up with multiple layers of interference, deterrents and security, because they are so easy to defeat. All you need is time...or a cordless side grinder to go right thru the 12 or 10 gauge side.

Bolted down to subfloor, with 1/4" large plate washers underneath, and bolts goobered up so can't be removed. Back, and one side of safe up against a wall, to limit access for swinging and prying tools. Out of sight from any windows. Motion sensor facing safe and tied into monitored alarm system. Hardwired door switch inside safe.

Almost went with a Drake (recommended here), but went budget won out over a harder to compromise safe. Was 1300 hundred or so off the shelf at local gunshop. Only $125 for delivery, well worth it....one guy brought it, unpacked it, got it into the house exactly where I wanted it, and hauled off the pallet and cardboard.
 
There was a thread on this about a year ago. Based on that information I bought a Drake safe. They are made here in North Carolina. Each safe is hand built, instead of sheet metal the walls are 1/4 inch steel. He says he has never had a safe broken into and I can believe it. The best part is they are competitively priced with what the box stores carry.
 
If you're looking for cheap and big, this one from Rural King is hard to beat:
Gettysburg 84 Gun Fire Proof Safe FG72

Nearest store is in Morganton, but if you've never been it's worth the drive. It's kinda like a combination of Gander Mountain, Tractor Supply, and Walmart, except they actually sell good stuff like Milwaukee and Stihl, and they even have their own like of tractors, unlike Tractor Supply.

Back before the boat sank, I had a Diebold fire safe that I got on Craigslist. It had a bunch of wasted space on the design so it's wider than a normal safe by at least a foot, but most of them are not like that. It weighed 2970 pounds so it was hard to sell once all the guns were gone. Now I just have a big empty spot in the garage. Anyway, look for a large Diebold/Mosler/etc TL15 or TL30 rated safe and you'll never have to buy a safe again.
 
Last edited:
I was originally looking at a liberty fatboy jr or usa model 30 gun. i have to be careful as I live in an older home with a crawlspace on weight. The usa model seems like it would fit my needs better since its 600 lbs and a little cheaper. The fatboy is probably stretching my weight limit of the floor and I would have tp get it delivered (350 quote) at 800 lbs.
 
I got a redhead 1856 on sale at bass pro about 10 years ago for $599

dial combo, 23 gun. They loaded it on my truck, and I offloaded it myself in the garage. 490 pounds.

My first problem was getting this heavy bitch buried in the hole I wanted it mounted by myself. So I decided to take it completely apart. Removed the door, then the shelves. Then decided to get curious and removed the carpet (this was before I had the Jeep and the camper in the garage, and could take the cars out and really spread out)
I discovered the inside was nothing more than 2 layers of GWB on each side. So I removed those until it was just a bare metal box with no door. So I could move that with help from my teenage son. We set it in place and I then bolted it to the floor and wall with a series of washers that would prevent it being pried up/out unless an excavator ripped it out like that ATM heist :lol:

So now I had this empty metal shell mounted where I wanted it...what next? Well, I was working as a HVAC/Plumbing contractor at the time, and we were installing a massive hood in a retirement home kitchen. And out in the shop I had leftovers from the insulation and chase wall construction of those hoods. I figured, since I had an empty shell, THIS was the time to rebuild.

The safe I bought was only rated for an hour, but in the shop I had a whole roll of Pyroscat, 2 sheets of Type X and a sheet of Type C GWB. I had read that MOST gun safes had the GWB mounted right up against the metal, where an air gap was better for heat transfer. So I decided to cut that roll of Pyroscat up and line the entire safe with THAT first against the bare steal, and then 2 layers of Type X followed by a layer of Type C (because type X can get brittle and break off in chunks) and then reinstall the carpet. Once I did that I had to trim all the shelves for the added thickness I had created.
Got the shelves back in, then remounted the door.
No idea what rating it will achieve now, but it's better than it was.

About a year later I bought a stack-on 16 gun safe for my ammo and gave it the same pyroscat and GWB treatment. After talking to a couple of firefighters I know, they advised me to have all my ammo in a safe as well.
 
Liberty Fatboy Jr. Bought it at Gander mountain before they went out of business. Mine has the combo lock. I prefer it to the keypad but the keypad is quicker to get in/out. Grab 3 friends and move it yourself. I've moved mine twice and its not terrible.
 
Liberty! Go with the gloss finish as well. That textured finish is cheaper, but fingers with gun oil on them leave black smudges. If you care about that kinda thing. I’m redneck and shiny things make me smile...
 
Back
Top