I've never really had "secure storage" for my firearms, but I think when I find my "retirement home", the first thing I plan on getting is a gun safe.

I have 7 rifles, 6 pistols. I was told I probably need to get twice the safe since "tactical rifles" take up more space.

So what brand would you recommend? I would prefer a mechanical safe....nothing requiring batteries. A friend recommended something from the Liberty Colonial line.

After 3 months of research I picked a Liberty, with Browning a very close second. I was able to meet my needs and come in under budget, but then I picked a somewhat lower-end model, the USA 48. The Liberty warranty was a feature I liked.

Rule of thumb from my research, and that of associates: the number of guns a safe is advertised as holding is grossly misleading, particular when it comes to long guns with optics or accessories like ARs. "Twice" the size is a reasonable estimate, BUT presumes that you won't be adding any new guns. Additionally, you may want space for accessories, and non-firearms related stuff like hard drives and the half-unit's wedding photo album. One option is to have multiple smaller safes, but I wanted all my stuff in one place.

I'd recommend revisiting the electronic lock. It will be easier to operate under all conditions than a mechanical lock. The battery, if it croaks, can be easily changed without tools or needing inside the safe, and the combination can be changed if compromised. I too thought I'd go mechanical, but after evaluating both went electronic.

I also wound up waiting to I found my retirement place before moving up from storage lockers to a real gun safe. I was also fortunate enough to be able to secure a number of my guns in my agency's armory. When shopping for our new place I insisted on budgeting in for a safe. I also budgeted for having it professionally delivered, which included having a carpenter temporarily remove a couple treads from my basement stairway so they could make a turn. Shopping for the safe was fun; getting it put where I wanted it was a nightmare.

Start with the sizing issues. First, gun safe manufacturers cut slots in a rack, count those slots, and then tell you that is the capacity. Disregard those numbers. If you have two safes that are the same size they will have the same volume. Compare safes by size, not by capacity.

Then you need to determine if you'll be using the internal shelving. Most gun safes have an interior that is split into half, or if a wide body into thirds. If you're planning on using the entire lower portion of the safe for guns then use that area to determine your needs. If you're planning on using half for shelves, then you'll need to use half of that area to determine your needs.

Lets use your example of 7 rifles, your assumption that you'll need "2 spaces" for each, and manufacturer's unrealistic assumption of what qualifies as a single space. If you want ready access to remove and replace the rifles, using the entire lower portion of the safe you're likely going to want to look at a safe advertised as 15-25 guns. If using half of the lower portion for shelves, you'll want to look in the 30-40 gun range.

If you're willing to sock your guns and pack them in, use rifle rods, etc, you can get by with a smaller safe.

The warranties are more marketing than necessities. Tommy Boy explained this well.

Electronic locks are faster to use and you can change your combination, but they fail at a much higher rate over the long term. I'd say 90% or better of the safe I have to drill open due to malfunction are due to failed electronic locks.

There are a few exceptions, but most safe warranties do not cover the lock itself as it is manufactured by a third party. If you have a Liberty that is 10 years old and the door falls off because a hinge broke, they will cover it. If the electronic lock fails outside of its manufacturer's warranty they will not. Similar to fire and burglary warranties. They will only replace the safe should your insurer refuse to do so (in most cases).

There are more similarities than differences between your average gun safe. I think Browning has some of the most inventive interiors available in the market. Ideally you would want to purchase your safe from somebody who's a full service dealer. They call sell you the safe, deliver the safe, and perform any future service or warranty work if needed. If having it delivered, make sure whomever is doing that work is properly licensed and insured to do so.

I am now contemplating a safe purchase in the near future as well and was surprised to find a number of well respected names are Chinese or Mexican imports.
Wanted to stay US made, and am down to liberty or
A couple others
So far a liberty from our local tractor supply appears best price vs features wise.

I've been thinking about this recently. Wouldn't two smaller safes be better than one big safe? My thinking: if somebody is going to get one safe open, and you have everything in one safe, they get it all in the time it takes to open one safe.

If you have enough stuff that you need a really big safe, you need a place to put one big safe, and you're putting all your eggs in one basket (so to speak).

I'm wondering if two smaller (but still excellent quality) safes would be easier to manage (though not necessarily cheaper) than one big one? Crooks would have to spend twice as long to get all your stuff. Smaller safes would be easier to transport/install. You could locate multiple safes strategically around the home.

quote:

I'm wondering if two smaller (but still excellent quality) safes would be easier to manage (though not necessarily cheaper) than one big one?

Yes, which is why most commercial high value applications do the exact same thing. Better to split millions of assets into multiple smaller units than a single larger unit.

quote:

Wanted to stay US made, and am down to liberty or A couple others

Not all Liberty safes are US made, and not all US made safes are actually US made. You could import everything from China, assemble and paint it here, and legally lead people to believe it's made in the US. Not much different than the auto industry in that many safes made here in the US are done so with a varying degree of imported parts/pieces.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
If you're willing to sock your guns and pack them in, use rifle rods, etc, you can get by with a smaller safe.

Or, you could pack a crap-ton more guns into a larger safe. That's the route I went.

I’ve been very happy with my AMSEC

Purchased through a long standing member of the forum… a1abdj

I have a Superior brand. I'm satisfied with it. No one has ever tried cutting into it, though.

Advertised as American made steel.

I have a liberty I have had for 25 yrs or so,

Franklin 35,

have much more than 35 in it, easy to do if you get creative in the stacking,


the number is basically for a single shot or double barrel,
as mentioned, optics, sights, charging handles etc take up space,


for 7 long guns and 6 handguns, I would look at a 24 gun safe,
that will give you room to expand, store ammo , or any other collectibles/valuables you have

room permitting of course

A bigger safe is always better.
Stand the safe off the floor for better visibility into the safe and prevention of water damage.
Electric supply in the back for golden rod and LED lighting in the safe.
Overhead light to see the combo dial. Sargent & Greenleaf mechanical dial.
Safes typically fail when they are tipped over. Large pry bars are used to break the locking bars, which keep the safe door closed. You tube video— How easy it is breaking into safe.

quote:

Originally posted by fwbulldog:
I've been thinking about this recently. Wouldn't two smaller safes be better than one big safe? My thinking: if somebody is going to get one safe open, and you have everything in one safe, they get it all in the time it takes to open one safe.

If you have enough stuff that you need a really big safe, you need a place to put one big safe, and you're putting all your eggs in one basket (so to speak).

I'm wondering if two smaller (but still excellent quality) safes would be easier to manage (though not necessarily cheaper) than one big one? Crooks would have to spend twice as long to get all your stuff. Smaller safes would be easier to transport/install. You could locate multiple safes strategically around the home.

If you have a good safe no one is going to get your stuff unless they are professionals which is highly unlikely. If they are professionals then they can get two open just as easily to be honest. I would actually feel less safe having a smaller safe because a non professional isn't going to want to spend a bunch of time at your place trying to break into your safe they are going to try and use a dolly to move it to a waiting truck and haul it off. A larger safe full of your stuff is going to be nearly impossible to move for most people.

To the OP. You definitely want to get a bigger safe than the amount of guns they are rated for because you will find other things other than firearms that you will want to also put in there. I have camera gear, and expensive drone, watches, important paperwork, etc...

Great points thus far some very knowledgeable folks.

Key points:

Go big. I have never owned a safe that I didn't wish was bigger. And you may want to put other non-firearm items in there - both long term and short term when on vacation or away from home for an extended period.

How accessible is the safe? A 200lb guy can easily move a 800lb safe with a quality piano dolly in 5 minutes. Consider anchors if feasible.

Not all steel is created equal. What is the origin of the safes steel? Not to burst anyones bubble here - but I have seen someone tear through a 12-gauge steel "name brand" safe with a fireaxe in 10 minutes. Not what a professional thief would do - but certainly something an amateur thug might resort to. (which is the most probable threat)

If you feel this is a one-time investment - buy the best that you can afford. AMSEC and Sturdy always come to mind when I picture myself on vacation for 2 weeks and all my goodies sitting at home with no family there.

Good luck

quote:

Originally posted by Graniteguy:
Great points thus far some very knowledgeable folks.

Key points:

Go big. I have never owned a safe that I didn't wish was bigger. And you may want to put other non-firearm items in there - both long term and short term when on vacation or away from home for an extended period.

How accessible is the safe? A 200lb guy can easily move a 800lb safe with a quality piano dolly in 5 minutes. Consider anchors if feasible.

Not all steel is created equal. What is the origin of the safes steel? Not to burst anyones bubble here - but I have seen someone tear through a 12-gauge steel "name brand" safe with a fireaxe in 10 minutes. Not what a professional thief would do - but certainly something an amateur thug might resort to. (which is the most probable threat)

If you feel this is a one-time investment - buy the best that you can afford. AMSEC and Sturdy always come to mind when I picture myself on vacation for 2 weeks and all my goodies sitting at home with no family there.

Good luck

re moving safes,, the biggest obstacle is the bulk, not the weight,

I don't move them for a living like the member a few posts up, but I have bought and flipped a few in estate buys,,

if not bolted down, they are surprising easy to move around

These are interesting questions and I used to follow them closely. We built this place nearly 12 years ago. At the time I had 2 safes, one a Browning and the other a pretty Liberty. Gave those to my sons. Just had the builder make me a tiny 10x20 concrete room. The worker doing the framing asked what it was for. I told him, so he moved the forms wider apart. Then added in all the scrap ribar he had on his truck. Poured it into a corner of the basement so anyone wanting to get into it from the outside will need a backhoe and a bunch of time. Then the builder did me another favor. He poured the front porch on one side of the safe/vault.

Something not usually discussed is entry thru the outside wall. Good luck.

So in the OPs retirement home, he needs to consider it if he's getting a basement. You know how hard it is to drill 3/4 anchors into a concrete wall? Even if you don't hit a reinforcing rod while drilling? So here I was recovering from bypass surgery and trying to drill over a dozen holes for the anchors. Better still, they put my door in the room for me. Not placed it in the opening, just put it in its crate in the room! I can't say enough about those guys.

I do worry about what will happen if the powder magazine ever goes off. That and ammo maybe are worrisome. The OP here should worry about it too.

Fun stories about the younger son storing the guns and ammo during the build. Moving all the crap back in was fun. I've got/had jeeps for a long time now. Like 43+ years. I just drove around to the "burglars entrance", put the crap on carts and in it went. Oh, after he retires he'll be needing a few more long guns.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: rburg,

I use my safe for half long guns and pistols above that, and half for import stuff like tax records, important papers, terabyte of computer backup.

I use rifle rods (plastic rod with a Velcro top that is Velcroed to the bottom of the top shelf.

I have 13 long guns and 9 pistols in a homemade wooden pistol rack. I put an empty 50 cal ammo can on the bottom to stand up carbine length rifles because the rifle rods aren’t long enough to make it all the way up.

It’s a Liberty Franklin 25 gun series safe (discontinued) that measures 36” wide, 61” high & 28” deep. I removed two of the three spokes on the opening device- cause I prefer the throw that way.

It is bolted to the floor and has a hole for power which I used to put LED lights in so I can see.

Sturdy gunsafe. Made in the USA. I bought one several years ago and have been really happy with it. You can get them built the way you want. Many options.

https://www.sturdysafe.com/

I have a Liberty safe. It's served me well. Like others have mentioned, get one bigger than you think you need. Good Luck

I too have a Liberty safe. I think the quality is very good and it serves its purpose in my home. When I had an issue with the lighting shortly after purchasing the customer service offered by the company was fantastic. They replaced the safe with a new one to ensure customer satisfaction. I'm very pleased with my Lincoln 40.

My only advice would be to opt out of the electronic lock. Like someone said earlier, they fail at a higher rate. I personally experienced an electronic lock failure. Some little pin broke. Let me tell you. After having it drilled, I don't think I will ever get another one. I had them replace it with a conventional dial.