I've got a very small collection that is not going to grow very much. Looking for a small safe that is quality with a good price. Suggestions?

You need to provide more details.

Is it handgun only? If not, we'll need to know the number of unscoped long guns, scoped long guns (count ARs as scoped long guns), and pistols.

What are you trying to protect from (keep kids out, keep burglars with tools out until LEOs arrive, fire)?

Whatever you think you may need in the future, double it. You’ll end up putting other stuff in there such as jewelry, important documents, etc.

Edmond's advise is exactly on the mark. I started out with a large Browning safe many years ago and outgrew it. It seems as if many things other than firearms make their way into these safes. When I moved, the large safe ended up in the garage with a golden rod in it and no guns (full of other supposedly important things).

Over the years I bought smaller house safes which would hold six to ten Sig boxes. I outgrew these safes and started searching around for a more serious safe.

After much searching and researching I settled on a Fort Knox safe. Inexpensive no. They come in different thicknesses; I chose one in the intermediate range. Considering that the cost of the safe is a small percentage of what is inside, I am quite pleased. The quality is obvious

Considerations: 1. Always buy more than you think you can afford in both size and quality. The Safe fills up fast and having a larger safe saves you buying another one sooner than you would like. I feel I need another one even though I have a total of 5 safes in the house (two large, three office type safes). 2. Buy quality; there are any number of You Tube Videos about safes; they are eye-opening even if they are a bit biased towards the safe they are selling. 3. Don't be like me, consult the wife where you want to put the safe; just having it in the house sends some of them into orbit if it clashes with the decor or the theme of the house. 4. Don't tell anyone or show anyone, word gets around. 5. Fort Knox offers an option for two type of unlocking systems digital and manual on the same safe. It is very handy and gives you peace of mind in the event that the digital lock fails. 6. Having a light inside the safe is very helpful. 7. If you have the option to choose the interior style of the safe, put some thought into it. I found that I needed less rifle space and more shelf space for pistols.

Good luck, it is an important purchase.

I have a large Champion, I like it.
I bought my Son a AMSEC ( American Security) safe for Christmas, I think I like his better.

quote:

Originally posted by armored:
I have a large Champion, I like it.
I bought my Son a AMSEC ( American Security) safe for Christmas, I think I like his better.

The Champion should provide better security.

Safes only hold half as many long guns as they're "rated" for.

Any rifle/shotgun with optics eats up safe space, particularly the AR platform. Also consider the plastic-coated rods that allow pistol hanging beneath your shelves.

The small Liberty (23"?)was my choice when I wanted a safe. Lever handle, combo dial. Nothing like the smell of a new safe. I put extra shelves in for ammo and such.

http://www.libertysafe.com

Suggest to reach out to a Colorado guy who moves safes... He occasionally has used safes that come out of banks..., mostly TL30 rated. Once you put your hands on quality TL30 safe.... Bought a safe from him several years ago, he and his dad delivered/installed it. Great guys to deal with. Haven't talk to him in a couple years. The Pot business in Colorado has affected the used safe market for sure. He goes by Opie011 on the co-ar15 board.

Your budget is probably the best place to start. A typical gun safe would be fine for your average modest gun collection, but some are built better than others.

quote:

The Champion should provide better security.

All of these gun safe manufacturers would have you believe that they are really something. It's usually not the case.

Consider what will fit through your doors, floor strength and delivery/setup price in your final choice. Because of door sizes in my ancient house I’m limited to a Liberty Centurion.

Don't be afraid to spend some coin on a quality safe, and I'd recommend you make it a fire rated safe. Because of the added benefit of some fire protection, but really it's the added weight and thickness of the safe that will slow someone down, and make it difficult to move/remove the safe.

Things to consider:

Do not put a safe in your garage. If you do, make sure it is not visible from the street when the doors are open.

Putting a safe anywhere that it isn't visible from the exterior of the home, is best.

If you are putting it on a concrete slab, use hockey pucks or any non heat conductive weight bearing medium. This will ease humidity control in the safe.

A fire rated gun safe, is not actually rated for protecting documents.

Buy big

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
Whatever you think you may need in the future, double it. You’ll end up putting other stuff in there such as jewelry, important documents, etc.

Exactly what I was going to say, I did exactly what Edmond said and it's still not big enough.

I purchased an Amsec through A1abdj

Couldn’t be happier

I have 6 long guns. No optics, and about 6 handguns. My wife flipped out when she found out I had that many. I explained 75 percent I inherited.

Arc thanks for that suggestion. I will go on a concrete slab.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
A fire rated gun safe, is not actually rated for protecting documents.

And this is why I keep documents in this:

https://www.academy.com/webapp...NEAQYAyABEgJQBfD_BwE

Which goes inside of the safe.

Same with jewelry.

Stack the odds in your favor.

I also have two dogs, camera surveillance system and the neighbors watch out for one another.

quote:

Originally posted by sig229-SAS:
Exactly what I was going to say, I did exactly what Edmond said and it's still not big enough.

That means you have too many guns or need another safe. I don't think you can have too many guns...

I was all set to buy a 2k$ safe and then I saw this video and realized my choice was not the best choice for the money.

A lot of good info here.