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Gun safe thread

Im in the market for another large gun safe. Currently i have a small cannon, bigger liberty and a pentagon you can walk into that doubles as a tornado rated storm shelter. This safe is of course too big and ive had to move it twice which requires a forklift and rollback wrecker and garage door removal. I want the best made in usa custom built type safe- no time for the drywall stacks hoping itll make it thru a fire.
 
The reason im asking is that i love my pentagon but since i bought it years ago the website hasnt changed and now the only thing you see online about them is bad stuff. This safe made me see the difference in the custom safe for half the money as what most consider good safes. What most consider a secure safe cause they paid $5k for it is a joke security wise. Guess i could order a door and build one just figured somebody on here knew of a smaller mfr that makes good units with good locks
 
Dusty: I'd buy the door and build. You just need a small addition on the house. Poured concrete walls, no windows. 1/4 inch plate steel for the ceiling, bolted to the concrete, then build a regular roof on top.;) You could also build a room in you basement like that.
 
My vote is for the constructed type w/concrete and a vault door.
I know of two that are made w/poured concrete w/rebar and a
vault door. Absolutely fireproof, and would take an expert safecracker to get into either. LDS
 
We had a thread on safes here a while back. There were a couple of videos that were real eye-openers, in which someone with a carbide saw pealed a standard "gun safe" open like a tin can. Seems that your average safe (e.g. mine) is just 12 ga steel with a lining of dry wall as insulation. It only takes a well-equipped thief a few minutes to get inside. Unless you go really high-end, you need layered security, including both a safe and an alarm system.
 
Check out the Rhino safes. I know Able's Ammo in Huntsville Tx sells them. I've looked at them and was impressed with the quality.

Dave
 
Im in the market for another large gun safe. ......hoping it'll make it thru a fire.

Are you planning on burning your house down for insurance money?...LOL

So many safes out there. I mainly focused on fire rating first, burglary second and I settled on a Steelwater Xtreme Duty 45 gun safe. The thing is a beast and looks really good too.

Has a 2 Hour fire rating at 1875 degrees. Not 1200-1400 degrees like most other low grade safes are rated. Maximum security features as well. Downside to all that extra protection is weight. My bare safe comes in at 1,250 lbs, but it can be moved without a fork lift. To move it, you just need a little ingenuity and a group of guys with LOT of determination ;)

Not sure if it applies to you, but Steelwater also offers a 5% military veteran discount

Click on the "Features" Tab at the bottom to view the details. Not much more a person needs for full protection of their investments and heirlooms

https://www.steelwatergunsafes.com/product/steelwater-xtreme-duty-2-hr-fire-hd724228/
 
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I built my own. , ordered a door.
This stuff here, is what you want in between layers of type "X" gypsum, and some 1/4" steel.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ODP54FY/?tag=accuratescom-20
.
It's rather expensive, but when installed correctly, overlapping seams as instructed, it is designed to contain fires that may start inside grease hoods in restaurants. So literally , this would be the only thing left in the smoldering remains of a house.
Building it indoors has it challenges, getting my buddies welder inside, and hauling all the steel to set up the door frame was a PIA,
I boxed mine into an unused closet, on an exterior wall, so nobody can get to either side .. If they want in, they'll have to work for it.
The front frame ended up being over 13" thick, by the time I put the gypsum, steel plate, fire wrap, cement block, and 2 layers of gypsum inside.
.
Inside of closet is 3' x 5' deep, and over 72" tall, so you could easily move around inside, I also ran a supply and return duct work into it, so it gets heated, and air conditioned year round, along with a dehumidifier that sits at the back wall, .
.
It's too bad I lost all them rifles in that canoe accident though, :-)
 

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Just my 2 cents but almost all safes can be cut open if you can get to the sides or back... The real trick is to limit the time they have to work... The best way is a good home security system.. And DONT put the signs in the yard telling criminals what to bring with them to disable the alarm.. Let it going off be a surprise... Most people aren't going to stick around if they think the cops are on the way.... No alarm means they can work till someone gets home , that could be 8 hours or so... Plus you get the added security when your home for you and your family....

You don't have to have top of the line if criminals don't know it's there , door sensors and motion sensors in the house and glass breakage sensors in the rooms and you can't tell from outside the house is alarmed... Combined with a bolted down safe in a small closet , well good luck you got about 10 minutes , maybe , before the cops are in the yard... Now you can add smoke detectors , water sensors , freeze sensors plus cameras and have it text you when something is going on and we're it's happening...
 
Im in the market for another large gun safe. Currently i have a small cannon, bigger liberty and a pentagon you can walk into that doubles as a tornado rated storm shelter. This safe is of course too big and ive had to move it twice which requires a forklift and rollback wrecker and garage door removal. I want the best made in usa custom built type safe- no time for the drywall stacks hoping itll make it thru a fire.
how big did you want it? if i wanted what i think is the best possible safe id build it with concrete sides, roof and buy a door. gotta watch the weight though. i was gonna build one this way but i think id have to reinforce my concrete floor (thicker concrete) to do it. even with a safe like this the door becomes the weak link and i think most could be cut into fairly easily.
ive kind of given up on a really secure safe because i dont think there is a way to build one for a reasonable price. i wonder how thick and what material bank vault walls are? i think buying an old bank building with the vault in it would be the answer. No one knows where my gun safes are except me and my dad and he is very forgetful.
 
I just want like a 100gun. I dont want a safe room. I have no basement and my house is on a substantial slab. This safe will go in my garage like the others that wouldnt go into a house after the studs are in place
 
Looks like these folks will build it just about any way you want it and they have many rave reviews to boot:
https://www.vaultprousa.com/custom-gun-safes.htm

I second the Vault Pro. My first safe was a big'un. I liked the price, and fire rating-time factor. A very, very good value and super nice, accommodating folks, Joni and hubby Tony. I looked very hard and they got my nod bc of what was the next level of protection for the lower price point. Great warranty too. Czech'em out.
 

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