Posted on 01/28/2009 12:31:29 PM PST by ChocChipCookie
We have recently cubed the number of guns we had four months ago and are shopping for gun safes. We're also trying to figure out where to put them in the house, thinking we'd like a safe of some sort at each end. Any suggestions for brand names, styles of safes, and good locations? We have two children, ages 7 and 9, who are fairly gun savvy, but we still need to keep the guns secure.
don’t get a gunvault
Other than that, those lined with fireproofing are cool. They will keep the stuff inside from melting for 2 hours, which should give time to put the fire out.
Dollar wise, plain paint is much more affordable than five coats of laquer and a hunting scene, and your guns don't cae.
Champions are good, but were out of my price range. I went with a StackOn because it was way cheaper and fit better in my closet. I like it, make sure you bolt it into the wall or floor obviously. Feel much better with my little guy running around.
I have a Heritage and like it a lot.
I also have heard good things about the Brownings.
Is it a California requirement to have them stored separately or just a precaution on your part?
Yeah, keeping the kids safe is #1. Dh bought a new shotgun a short time ago. Ds, age 7, was just fascinated with it. Kept going in the closet and bringing it out to show me. Well, we took him to the range. He fired it twice and now wants nothing more to do with it! LOL That wicked recoil scared him to death.
I’ve been very happy with my Browning safe.
http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/gunsafes/detail.asp?value=001F&cat_id=160&type_id=42744
Stay away from safes with electronic keypad locks. Stick with a traditional dial tumbler lock. Other than that, just about any safe will do unless your collection is worth north of 5 figures.
I grew up with my dad's guns in the house and us kids NEVER touched them. He never needed a safe to keep us safe from them because we were taught to know better. He also taught us how to use the guns should we even need them and when I was 14 I needed one when a thug broke into our house with me home alone. I had called the police and they said they were on the way as the guy was breaking into our back door. I had already loaded Dad's .22 rifle (a Marlin I still own) and when the thug told me he was going to "**** you up the *** with that if you don't give it to me!!" I opened fire and shot at him 19 times hitting him 15 times.
I personally thank God my father didn't have a gun safe.
7 eh? Hope you didn’t scare him off permanently!!! LOL What caliber was it? Cause I know it will be a while before I let my little have a go on my .44 Ruger Redhawk...that thing kicks my butt after 20 rnds. LOL
I was thinking of buying one of those safes with a fingerprint ID lock on it. I know if my adrenaline was going 110%, plus a good dose of fear, there’s no way I would or could ever remember a combination of any sort. Even 1-1-1-1-1 might be too complicated in a tense situation.
My soon to be 7yr old has his own .410
You can get a “safe” that opens in under five seconds with a numeric digital keypad.
These will keep kids out, keep a loaded weapon handy, but won’t deter a crook from just walking away with it if it isn’t bolted down (or to furniture). Most crooks are in for a quick snatch, so a bolted down lock box will work.
I keep a loaded Glock 22 in mine.
Everything else is locked up in a true safe.
$50-$100 bucks.
If you just want to keep guns away from children, a Sentry safe at about $400 should be just fine. If you want to also have fire protection and make it really hard on criminals, be prepared to spend at least $2000 for a good safe. As for electronic keypads, I have two safes with them and I’ve never had a bit of trouble with either. It all depends on how frequently you will access your safe. Dial locks can get to be a nuisance to open if you do it all the time.
Is your purpose anti-theft, anti-fire, or merely keeping prying children from the weapons?
Is there a need for quick access, or can you be leisurly?
Because of these factors, I have a number of gun safes, with one (being the least secure), requiring a few buttons pressed for access to a Glock .40 and a .357.
Even some older “kids” aren’t used to the recoil. Brought my nephew (age 29 from Brazil) and another uncle (age 58 from Indonesia) of his to the sporting clays range with my Beretta 12 Ga. Over/Under. Neither has been around guns much. I kept showing them the proper way to hold the gun but they kept on letting the gun fall away from their shoulders and cheeks, thereby resulting in some good-sized black and blue marks (and a lot of misses).
Have you ever seen a Gun Magnet? My handgun instructor picked one up at a gun show some time back. It’s a very heavy duty magnet you mount to the inside of a cabinet, under a counter, under a tabletop, just about anywhere that would be hidden. You just grab and go when/if you need it. I haven’t seen Gun Magnets at the two gun shows I’ve been to recently but think it might be a good option for wanting a loaded gun handy.
“Stay away from safes with electronic keypad locks. “
Especially electronic locks that BEEP when you activate them. The bad guy in your living room MAY think you are microwaving something, but just might guess that you’re gonna show up with a gun.
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