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Trying to find a decent gun safe (Have a few requirements)

M

MikeTheGreek

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
590
Location
Northville, Michigan
I'm looking for a gun safe, or decent gun cabinet, that can hold a few handguns and rifles. Every one I see online, unless its HUGE, only has like, a tiny shelf on top that can hold a handgun. I'm looking for a safe/cabinet that can hold more handguns, and also 1-4 rifles/shotguns.

I don't really care if the handgun room comes standard, or if there's a way of adding something on to the walls of the safe to hold handguns.

Anybody have any idea what I'm talking about and can help me out?
 
Gil223

Gil223

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Joined
Jan 5, 2012
Messages
1,392
Location
Weber County Utah
MikeTheGreek said:
I'm looking for a gun safe, or decent gun cabinet, that can hold a few handguns and rifles. Every one I see online, unless its HUGE, only has like, a tiny shelf on top that can hold a handgun. I'm looking for a safe/cabinet that can hold more handguns, and also 1-4 rifles/shotguns.

I don't really care if the handgun room comes standard, or if there's a way of adding something on to the walls of the safe to hold handguns.

Anybody have any idea what I'm talking about and can help me out?
Click to expand...

Much depends on your definition of "decent". Decent can run from $500 to as much as some people spend on their first car. Almost any gun safe made to hold long guns can also accommodate handguns - some safes might require a bit of modification, others come with a shelf. I don't know exactly how many equals "more handguns". If you're done with your long gun collection, and they don't have accessories, a 4-gun safe would suffice. If you're sure you're done, but if they are accessorized with scopes and bipods and such, you would want a safe capable of holding at least 6 long guns. But... who's really ever done with their gun collection? I have two - an 8-gun and a 12-gun - and they accommodate a total of 8 accessorized long guns, and my handguns. You pay for name brands - like "Browning" - you pay for capacity, and you pay for fire ratings. The "top of the line" safes of a fair size seem to begin about $700, and run on up to several thousands of dollars. Happy safe hunting! :D Pax...
 
Last edited:
09jisaac

09jisaac

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Louisa, Kentucky
Also, most "gun safes" come with generic handgun holders attached to the inside of the door. You may have problems fitting things like the desert eagle or any handgun with a scope but most other handguns should fit. They usually are three across and three or four down, so with that and selves you should be able to hold upwards of thirty handguns.

I would be more concerned with long guns as they are harder to store. You can't just stuff them into any little open space, handguns you can.

Lastly, all safes want to say they can hold more long guns than what they can. They probably could store than many lever guns (thin and usually don't take up much room), but when you start putting in scoped rifles with bipods or a 28'' barreled shotguns you start running out of room fast. Usually you have to put the firearm in on an angle to get it under the divider, longer guns or ones with a bipod may not fit under.
 
M

MikeTheGreek

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
590
Location
Northville, Michigan
Gil223 said:
Much depends on your definition of "decent". Decent can run from $500 to as much as some people spend on their first car. Almost any gun safe made to hold long guns can also accommodate handguns - some safes might require a bit of modification, others come with a shelf. I don't know exactly how many equals "more handguns". If you're done with your long gun collection, and they don't have accessories, a 4-gun safe would suffice. If you're sure you're done, but if they are accessorized with scopes and bipods and such, you would want a safe capable of holding at least 6 long guns. But... who's really ever done with their gun collection? I have two - an 8-gun and a 12-gun - and they accommodate a total of 8 accessorized long guns, and my handguns. You pay for name brands - like "Browning" - you pay for capacity, and you pay for fire ratings. The "top of the line" safes of a fair size seem to begin about $700, and run on up to several thousands of dollars. Happy safe hunting! :D Pax...
Click to expand...

I was thinking about starting off with this

http://www.walmart.com/ip/14710130?...1=g&wl2=&wl3=18129811510&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem

I could fit it in my closet..use it to store my ammo, knives and other stuff. As of right now, I only have one handgun and one shotgun. I could reinforce it if needed.

Right now my shotgun is at the back of my closet and my handgun is well...with me at all times.

I might try it out until I can afford the 1700$ safe I was looking at online 0.o
 
09jisaac

09jisaac

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2011
Messages
1,692
Location
Louisa, Kentucky
I would highly suggest going with a gun safe over a gun cabinet. The cabinet is used mostly to keep kids out or to store guns within a safe (such as a concrete room with a safe door).

It would offer little actual protection against burglaries. You may be able to reinforce the walls and the door, but the lock would still be sub-par.

In my opinion you would be better off installing a false wall in the closet if you don't want to fork over the money for another safe. I know that safes can be expensive, but when it is protection three times that amount in firearms (and other valuables), much with sentimental value, it would be well worth the extra cost.
 
Gil223

Gil223

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2012
Messages
1,392
Location
Weber County Utah
MikeTheGreek said:
I was thinking about starting off with this

http://www.walmart.com/ip/14710130?...1=g&wl2=&wl3=18129811510&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem

I could fit it in my closet..use it to store my ammo, knives and other stuff. As of right now, I only have one handgun and one shotgun. I could reinforce it if needed.

Right now my shotgun is at the back of my closet and my handgun is well...with me at all times.

I might try it out until I can afford the 1700$ safe I was looking at online 0.o
Click to expand...

I looked at the Stack-On Gun Cabinets when I was shopping for safes. They did not make a positive impression on me. The steel they use is relatively thin compared to some other low-end gun safes - comparable to the steel used in their Stack-On roll-around tool boxes.
There is also the weight issue. The upper-end of high-capacity gun safes are very heavy - 500lbs plus. Heavy enough that two average-strength men couldn't carry it out of your home - which is a good thing! The Stack-On weighs in at just a few ounces under 150lbs, and there is no fire protection rating (which is a "nice to have", but not a "must have" condition, and no FPR is the standard at the low end) but the price is certainly affordable. Homeless people could afford this cabinet after just a day or two of panhandling, and it would be light enough to push around in their stolen shopping cart.

Did you notice that I emphasized the word "cabinet" twice in the previous paragraph? The manufacturer describes this product as a "cabinet", not a safe. It's designed purpose is to keep children and the highly-unmotivated from gaining access to your guns. Also, the height of the Stack-On safe? 4'7" is relatively short. The quality gun safes at WallyWorld, seem to begin at just over $1000, and here's an example of what you get for that kind of money:
Shipping Weight: 900lbs (the weight of the safe itself is probably over 825lbs)
It's 3' wide x 5'11" high, and claims to hold 14 rifles.

I know most people - like me - have to work within a budget - which often stands between us and what we want vs what we can afford. You didn't mention if you had children in the home, but I get the impression that you do. In that case (and ignoring the height limitation), if your primary purpose is to "kid proof" your G&A, the Stack-On would meet that goal. If your purpose is to secure your weapons from any reasonably foreseeable threat, you might want to consider either a "budgetary increase" (Congress does it all the time, why can't we?*) or postponing your purchase until the money is available. (OTOH, any protection is better than no protection) Pax...
*We can't because Congress is spending OUR MONEY - faster than we can earn it!:mad:
 
M

MikeTheGreek

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
590
Location
Northville, Michigan
Gil223 said:
I looked at the Stack-On Gun Cabinets when I was shopping for safes. They did not make a positive impression on me. The steel they use is relatively thin compared to some other low-end gun safes - comparable to the steel used in their Stack-On roll-around tool boxes.
There is also the weight issue. The upper-end of high-capacity gun safes are very heavy - 500lbs plus. Heavy enough that two average-strength men couldn't carry it out of your home - which is a good thing! The Stack-On weighs in at just a few ounces under 150lbs, and there is no fire protection rating (which is a "nice to have", but not a "must have" condition, and no FPR is the standard at the low end) but the price is certainly affordable. Homeless people could afford this cabinet after just a day or two of panhandling, and it would be light enough to push around in their stolen shopping cart.

Did you notice that I emphasized the word "cabinet" twice in the previous paragraph? The manufacturer describes this product as a "cabinet", not a safe. It's designed purpose is to keep children and the highly-unmotivated from gaining access to your guns. Also, the height of the Stack-On safe? 4'7" is relatively short. The quality gun safes at WallyWorld, seem to begin at just over $1000, and here's an example of what you get for that kind of money:
Shipping Weight: 900lbs (the weight of the safe itself is probably over 825lbs)
It's 3' wide x 5'11" high, and claims to hold 14 rifles.

I know most people - like me - have to work within a budget - which often stands between us and what we want vs what we can afford. You didn't mention if you had children in the home, but I get the impression that you do. In that case (and ignoring the height limitation), if your primary purpose is to "kid proof" your G&A, the Stack-On would meet that goal. If your purpose is to secure your weapons from any reasonably foreseeable threat, you might want to consider either a "budgetary increase" (Congress does it all the time, why can't we?*) or postponing your purchase until the money is available. (OTOH, any protection is better than no protection) Pax...
*We can't because Congress is spending OUR MONEY - faster than we can earn it!:mad:
Click to expand...

Usually it's just me and my father, but sometimes my sister comes and visits. She's 16, but still, I don't like it.

I DO make enough money to get one of the higher end safes..but...I'm 22, and saving money for me is hard, because I'm dumb and like blowing it on stupid things.

I'm going to pick out a nice safe (around $1000) and just deal with having to save money. I'd rather not see a hobo pushing a shopping cart with my "cabinet" down the street on my way home from work next week.
 
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