I am looking at purchasing a gun safe and building a dresser around it so that I can mount the gun safe in plain site without it looking like a gun safe. Below is a picture and a link of sort of what I'm thinking.

http://www.eurochasse.com/pages/safes/safes_main.htm



I want to start with a safe that is fire rated and more secure. The safe above is only locked with a key. I've been to several safe stores including Gander Mountain, Academy, Champion safe, etc. It seems like safes are made by one company and then rebranded and sold.

Here's my question: Since I am just going to be covering the safe with a cabinet, does anyone have any advice for purchasing used, scratched, damaged safes. I don't care about the finish or even exterior dents.

tia

Is your reason for putting it in a cabinet asthetics or so that theives won't be able to find it, which they would anyways.

Get a digital combo for it as you can get in it in 1 second vs 1 minute+

Also Gander and Acamedy aren't safe stores. If you are in Houston I have a store I can recommend off of 1960. I'm a big do it yourselfer but this is one thing where it pays to have them bring your safe and install it if it is in the 700#+ range.

[This message has been edited by BCOBQ98 (edited 12/20/2006 2:43p).]

Speaking of gun safes…this just happened to me at lunch. I was at the Gander Mtn. in Sugar Land. Some dumbass little kid, about 8, somehow got locked in one of the larger safes. I think she stepped inside the safe and her older brother closed the door on her. It took the people at Gander Mtn. about 20 minutes to find the key/combination to open it up and let her out. The mom was not too happy to say the least.

If you're lucky it won't be large enough anyway. Once in a safe, guns multiply nicely. Out of the wife's sight out of her mind, I always say. I don't inspect her closet and she doesn't count in my gun safe.

In response to BQ:

It is a little bit of both. I've just never been a fan of the aesthics of gun safes. I used to have a prime location in my home office for a safe but my office is now the nursery. So I'm probably going to locate the safe in the dining room.

I realize that Gander and Academy aren't necessarily safe stores. I was just trying to get a feel for the price ranges. I've also been to Lone Star safe at 1960 and I-45 and looked around. They had a couple of used safes for sale but they weren't fire rated.

[This message has been edited by Usoos (edited 12/20/2006 3:00p).]

I think that the place I was going to recommend to you was champions (they are in a strip center between 45 and 59 on 1960.

The safe I got from them was fire rated (realize that no safe is "fire proof" they all have a burn time and temp. At least the ones we are going to buy.

Sell the safe idea to your wife on the fact she can put her stuff in it (assign her one shelf) and with a kiddo coming you will need the safe regardless.

Mine is tucked in a small closet in my master bedroom. Whatever you do even if you think the safe is very heavy have it bolted to the floor. If the thief has one of those motorized dollys they will roll the safe out of there in a jiffy....

BCO,

What is the price range for that Champions store? I am looking to get a safe soon too, but was hoping to get one for around $500. Is it possible to get a decent one for around that price?

I can answer that, I was just in there yesterday. Their prices start at around $700 and go up to around $2000. Sort of depends on what type you are looking for. For instance:
1. How many rifles
2. Do you want it to have some fire protection
3. What type of finish do you want

AbleAmmo in Huntsville has a lot in stock also and they'll deliver and setup in Houston.
http://www.ableammo.com/

Cool thanks for the info.

I was shooting for:

1. 10-15 guns
2. Fire rated
3. hopefully put away somewhere and don't care about the finish

I think mine was almost $1400 with the digital combo and it's a fairly small one (price doesn't go up that much).

If those are 10-15 long guns get a big safe or else to get the guns at the back you have to take out the ones in the front esp if they are scoped etc...

I too wanted to only spend 500 but that just didn't happen.

You do pay for what you get...



[This message has been edited by BCOBQ98 (edited 12/20/2006 3:50p).]

I just purchased a Redhead 12/24 in glossy black from Bass Pro Shop this week. It's rated at 1200 degrees for 30 minutes. That's obviously not the highest fire rating by any means, but it seemed like a decent value. Through Dec. 24th, BPS has these priced at $677. They have the electronic locks as well.

The fire ratings can be misleading. A lot of the less expensive safes are rated for 1200F for 30 minutes. The nicer safes are rated 1350F for 1-2 hours. It depends on how many layers of drywall they put in the walls. It will probably be difficult to find a decently fire rated safe for $500, I think the cheapest was $1000

[This message has been edited by Usoos (edited 12/20/2006 4:01p).]

FYI: Mine is a 12/24 and with 5 long guns ony 2 scoped it seems tight in the 12 section, other section has shelves....

My fire rating is 1350 for 60 minutes...

That first gun or two that is lost/stolen will pay for your safe...

[This message has been edited by BCOBQ98 (edited 12/20/2006 4:07p).]

d*mn. Those things are expensive... although I'd rather pay for one than have some loser steal my guns...

In some ways it's a shame we have to lock up and hide our guns these days. I remember growing up and our house having a large, glass double sliding glass door gun cabinet to display all my Dad's guns. When I was about 12, they had one built in my room so I could display all my guns. Ever friend of the family that I visited all had these gun cabinets with their guns proudly displayed in the homes. I can't remember seeing one of these gun cabinets in any home for over 15+ years now.
My Dad and I bought the biggest dang Browning gun safe about 7 years ago. It is chock full of over 35 long rifles and 25+ pistols. It is sort of comforting to know they are safe from fire, but its a shame I just can't walk by and admire of the great guns they I have collected over the years.

Adding a few layers of fire rated drywall into your cabinet plans under the facade might extend your fire rating a bit. It'll be heavy.

yeah sixbarang I agree, thats terrible. My dad's family had abunch of guns and they ended up getting stolen by someone he knew. (He could never prove it but he knows what happened). There's nothing more chickensh*t than a thief.

I'm a firm believer in Ft. Knox gun safes. They're the best around (and priced that way too unfortunately). My advice: buy a bigger safe than you think you need. As someone mentioned earlier, guns are like rabbits in a safe....one day you'll open that thing up and wonder where the hell all those toys came from.



Now the thing that I call livin' is just bein' satisfied with knowin' I got no one else to blame

I was kinda snobish about getting a really good safe.

A $100 metal cabinet that you can lock is better than nothing and will prevent...

1. Kid from getting into you guns.
2. A quick theif from just walking away with your stuff.

Get a safe any safe, I highly recommend!

I have a Liberty Safe....110% satisfied!
I have the Lincoln model pictured below. It holds 24 guns, will withstand 1200 degree temps for 75 minutes...will set you back around 2k. Don't skimp & get a small safe!

http://www.libertysafe.com/safe_Lincoln.lasso

Apache is right - GO LARGE. It doesn't matter what you think your needs are now, you will need a bigger safe later. (Guns are not all we keep in ours and I don't care if my wife sees what's in it, she has bought most of my guns for me anyway.)
If I had it to do over, I would have gotten the digital lock also. Like Apache, I have the Liberty,lincoln model and have been very satisfied with it (I'm thinking of putting another one right beside it.)
As for the decor issue, I hace mine in my "gun, hunting and reloading room" (It used to be the nursery.). It blends right in. LOL

Gun safety is no accident.

Agree with Apache and ShotGun Ag. Very happy with my Liberty safe. Shudda bought a bigger one.

Beat the ever lovin, ever livin, compound, complex, Fightin Texas Aggie Hell out of Cal!

rhtexfish,

I was talking to the owner of a Houston store today and he is getting several used gun safes from Academy. They are Cannons 72x40x26. He said that have some fire rating but he isn't sure what it is. He is planning on selling them for $700 a piece. He thinks that they only have shelves in them, no rifle holders but the rifle holders can be either built or bought pretty easy. Cannons are great safes so I thought you might be interested.

http://www.cannonsafe.com/

If you are interested let me know and I'll put you in touch with him. He said that he is getting them after the first of the year.

I saw a nice collection of gun safes in Cabela's tonight....I didn't notice pricing because I'm not in the market for one, but they looked nice and I did see that they were fire rated.

Just as fyi... I bought a shotgun from Eurochasse.com; very easy to deal with.