Gun Safes

[rgoad]

I need a gun safe. I've been using a locker up until now. The point being to have a place for the weapons and personal stuff I want kept safe, too.

The main benefit I see is the fire safety. There is some benefit to the added security, but nothing I couldn't do with oak timbers and concrete block. There is also some climate control. Ohio has big swings in humidity.

If I get a safe I would like to keep long guns, side arms, swords, and personal effects in it.

Any suggestions?



(Also, Webmaster, I searched the forum and didn't find anything about gunsafes as products versus general admonitions to get one. Sorry if I missed it.)

[TonyU]

Depends on the size, where you going to put it, and how many weapons you're planning to put in it.

I recently purchased a used 12 gun Sentry (http://www.sentrysafe.com/products/productDetail.aspx?s=314&WT.si_n=ShoppingCart&WT.si_p=CartView) safe.
It is the perfect size for what I needed. As I don't have an extra room nor a basement I put in my walk in closet. It is bolted to the floor and walls (two).

[David Craik]

No disrespect to you Richard, but I must say my son and I laughed about the 'humidity' thing for half an hour. We don't have 'swings' where I live (and I lived in Ohio for 8 years too), people have gills. I use a cheap Walmart type safe (locker?), and keep all my pieces clean and oiled. Haven't had any problems.

[rgoad]

David, you live in South Carolina, right? I lived there for a while, family lived in Charleston for a few years, too so I know some of what you mean by the humidity. Here in Ohio we have muggy summers and dry winters. So far the guns have fared well, but I worry about sticking them in a safe that may just concentrate the moisture.

The steel lockers have good ventilation, but are not remotely fireproof. They are not as difficult as a safe to break in to, but can be made pretty secure.

So it's good to hear about the safes.

[Dennis Monk]

I have a 24 long gun safe that I bought from Academy for like $700.00.
It weighs about 550 pounds, and has either a 30 minute or 1 hour fire rating.
It has a digital lock and just barely fit into a spare bedroom closet (after removing the door to get it through).
I absolutely love it.

It is an American Eagle brand safe, built by Cannon.
http://www.cannonsafe.com/images/americaneagle/AE22.jpg

[rgoad]

Oooooo. That's nice. Good to know the weight. I guess if my mother-in-law can make it up the stairs, that should be no problem.

[Abbax8]

If your worried about moisture just buy a packet of anhydrous compound and place it in the safe. It will suck up the moisture. It will need to be replaced periodically, probably once a year.

Peace

Dennis

[Dennis Monk]

Concerning moisture:
There are these little bags of moisture absorbers that you can buy at sporting goods stores. Also, there are some battery powered humidity control devices that are reasonably priced.
Further, a friend of mine from work relayed this story to me. They were moving a gun safe in their house for the first time in some twenty years. When they did, they found that the underside of the safe had become badly rusted. This is due to the fact that we constantly have moisture being pulled in by the slabs of our homes. That moisture then evaporates through your slab and flooring.
I added another moisture barrier by placing one of those clear plastic chair mats you put down over carpet so your computer chair can roll around more easily. I cut the tongue of it off and set the safe down on top of it.

http://static.www.odcdn.com/pictures/us/od/sk/lg/911900_sk_lg.jpg

[rgoad]

Another great idea! This is becoming very valuable. I was thinking that I would put it on a wood platform just to make cleaning easier. I'm putting it on concrete floor in the basement and they also do funny things with electric current that can cause corrosion, too. So I guess I better get the oak timbers ready....

[Chokushin]

Not sure how much space you will have in the room where you are keeping your safe and firearms, but I keep a dehumidifier in the same room that I store mine in.

[rgoad]

Mine is in the basement so it would just waist electricity. Our humidity is not bad here, in fact I may have more issues with too little than too much, at least in winter, on fine wood. But in the basement the exposure to constant humidity and the potential of electric migration could rust the safe. I think I'll build a low wooden platform. and the mat Dennis recommends should do the trick.

Thanks for the idea, though.