Looking for Long Gun Safe Recommendations

Mike F

Amateur
I'm looking for recommendations for a long gun safe that will hold at least ten long guns. The safe will go in my house, likely the basement. I want to protect guns from burglars and from small kids.

I actually only have three long guns but want room to expand. I may store some ammo inside there as well.
 

barchack

Amateur
My safe is a basic Stack-On and I have no complaints. I do have a few recommendations for any safe going in a basement, though.
I use a rechargeable Stack-On desiccant that I plug in to dry out and it works great. I used to recharge it once every 2 weeks...then I added a Goldenrod to my safe. If you're not familiar with it, it slightly raises the temp inside the safe to push moisture out. I can't remember the last time I charged my desiccant since I added the Goldenrod.
I also recommend bolting it to the floor. Not so they can't walk out with the safe, but so they can't tip it over to help pry it open. I recently moved, so I'm pouring a 4 inch tall concrete pad for the safe. This this should protect it if the water heater takes a dump, and also makes it simple to bolt the safe down. Best practices IMO is to put the safe in a corner with the opening against a wall. That way, anyone using conventional pry bars will hit the wall and not be able to pry it open.
I've only seen one safe that was pried open in a burglary, but it was pretty impressive and was done with just basic tools. YMMV
 
Its hard to go wrong with Liberty's. But there are a lot of consumer grade safes that can be picked up at the box boxed stores and for the most part they are all fine for basic gun protection.

Just keep in mind though that a majority of all these safes have thin walled sides and can be cut open in a matter of minutes with a portable skill saw with a metal blade or a sawzall! Also as stated above it being bolted down is another requirement as once they are on their back a few crowbars and a few minutes and pop goes the weasel!

Gun safes are just another layer to your security defenses!

And last but not least buy double to triple the size you think you need!!!!!!!

Years ago I started out with a Liberty Colonial 23. It was not but a year or so later I had to upgrade to a Liberty Franklin 35. Then a few years later I added another Liberty Franklin 50. I have a plan one day to build a walk in safe/safe room! Maybe this will be the end all but I doubt it!
 

Andrew Y.

Regular Member
Something I learned the hard way, what safe companies call a long gun is not what we think, You may fit 10 lil ruger 10/22s in there, or smooth shotguns, but you may get 4-5 fully set up ARs in there depending on optics, lights, how the safe is set up, whatever else. For example my main rifle safe, is rated at 18 guns and I have 6 in there, granted its setup so i can grab any one without moving another but it realistically has room for two more if i stay in my current layout. YMMV
 
Andrew Y. is right. What is your primary storage rifle looking like? Scoped long guns are obviously going to take up a lot more room than that little 10/22. I have the Liberty Lincoln 35 and it's rated at 34 long guns... not a chance in hell. Granted I have the shelves set up on the right side of the safe but there is no way you're fitting 34 modern AR/Scoped Deer Rifle/Duck guns in the safe. With that being said, I can get 7 long guns in with some tetris action. The door pockets are phenomenal and having the ability to store six pistols in the upper pockets is great. The lower pockets are good for storing misc. items and the "cool-pocket" is nice for document protection in case of fire. The LED light kit seemed like extra BS when I bought the safe but I wouldn't own a safe without it now. The interior power plug is great for the dehumidifier and if you want to slap some additional power accessory inside you have the option. I would definitely buy another Liberty when I look to upgrade and certainly try to buy up a size from what you think you need. You have to look at three big things when buying your safe; Security, Storage, Fire Rating. Security was a no brainer for me, I wanted bolts on all four sides of the door, a mechanical S&G tumbler, and the ability to bolt that bitch to the floor. I have seen safes cut open, ripped out of houses up staircases, doors pried off, etc. I wanted to I had to consider at least a 90 minute fire rating due to the fact that I live in a rural area and response times from the volunteer fire department may be extended. I also keep a mix of documents, and firearms in my safe so storage options/configuration were important to me.
 

Austin Black

Amateur
Does anyone here have a fortress? I know their no liberty but I have a chance to buy a 40 somthing gun safe from a guy for under $1000 and he offered to move it to my house with a forklift. I couldn't say no.
 

Will Brink

Newbie
I'm looking for recommendations for a long gun safe that will hold at least ten long guns. The safe will go in my house, likely the basement. I want to protect guns from burglars and from small kids.

I actually only have three long guns but want room to expand. I may store some ammo inside there as well.

I'm not a safe expert, but I have done a fair amount of research on the topic, and what follows may be of help to those looking at safes/gun safes. When it comes to safes (and the term "safe" we will get to shortly...) you truly get what you pay for. You don't have spend a fortune for a good container, but in my view, it makes no sense to protect expensive guns, your wife's jewelry, and essential documents in a "safe" gotten from the sporing goods store.

It's essential to understand what usually passes for a "safe" is nothing of the kind. Companies spend a lot of time on fancy paint jobs, impressive handles, and marketing to convince people they are getting a true safe. However, the vast majority of what's sold are Residential Security Container (RSCs)

Companies give you a shiny fancy looking door, etc, but at the end of the day it's at best RSC rated, and not a "safe" as viewed by anyone who actually knows/installs real safes. It's important to note, not all RSCs are created equal, but when you look at what the actual RSC UL rating means, it will make you cringe:

"UL rated safes that carry the RSC label offer protection from tool attacks against the door of the safe for five minutes. Safes that carry the TL-15 and TL-30 classification offer protection from tool attacks against the safe's door for 15 or 30 minutes, respectively. Safes rated TLTR-15 or TLTR-30 offer protection from tool and torch attacks against the door for 15 or 30 minutes, respectively. Safes that are rated TLTRX6-15 or TLTRX6-30 offer protection from tool and torch attacks against any part of the safe for either 15 or 30 minutes. Of course, the price increases with the protection level."

If what you have/are considering, is UL Rated (and I wouldn't buy it if were not, but that's me and if there are any real lock smiths/safe installers here who wish to comment/correct me, please do) look at the inside door panel, there should be a tag that lists its UL rating.

Another important issue, especially for gun safes, most companies use simple gypsum board is an insulator, which draws moisture. They may use fancy terms, but on opening a wall, its gypsum board.

Higher end safes will use a composite of some sort, that is better all around for both fire and security. To the best of my knowledge, only AMSEC uses a composite in the lower end BF series products for example which improves it's security as well as fire rating.


Budget is the essential issue here, as you can get a cheap 12g gun locker or a TL30 AMSEC gun safe, and much inbetween. It's often a good idea to decide on what to spend on a safe as a % of what it is you are trying to protect, as well as other factors, such as additional security (alarms, quality of locks, doors, etc, etc) but securing things yo don't want stolen means not putting it in a cheap metal box that's intended to prevent kids and "snatch and grab" types.

Second consideration is location, as a real safe has limitations where you can put it due to their weight and size.

As mentioned, not all RSCs are created equal. For example, the AMSEC BF series is as good as some companies B rates safes, etc.. and probably the best of the RSCs on the market.

Finally, no matter what you get, have it bolted down. I can't tell you how many times I have read about safes simply being carried off by a few guys with a hand truck, with the owner (ex owner!) always being shocked! If a few guys with a sturdy hand truck can get it in your house, what makes anyone believe the reverse is not true???

If you do everything right and it still gets broken into/taken away, 99.9%, it's an inside job and someone knew exactly what you had and came prepared, so pick your friends well!

If you have the budget and need to protect an expensive collection (and people willing to put their collection of fine guns into a cheap RSC are asking for trouble...). I believe AMSEC is the only company that makes a TL30 UL listed gun safe.

It's a monster...See:

http://www.amsecusa.com/gun-safes-HS-main.htm

That's my basic run down/advice on safes that comes from my research, discussions with many a safe installer, etc.
 

1BallJay

Newbie
Are there any safes with an internal safe? Like a little combo lock safe for securing documents and possibly NFA items? My next big purchase is going to be safe and I am wondering if it's feasible to have a small inner safe for sensitive items.
 

Will Brink

Newbie
Are there any safes with an internal safe? Like a little combo lock safe for securing documents and possibly NFA items? My next big purchase is going to be safe and I am wondering if it's feasible to have a small inner safe for sensitive items.

Yes, I believe such safes exist. Look at the Amsec site. Or, just spend the $$ for a safe with a high security rating.
 

laracraft

Newbie
Mesa Safe's MBF series Gun Safes protects your weapons and other valuables combining all the security features of a burglary safe and the peace of mind achieved with a fire safe.
 

Pearce

Amateur
What's your budget, that will really drive the discussion.

I've had great results from Sturdy Safes https://www.sturdysafe.com/

They use much thicker steel than most anything you can find in the price range, and they deliver for free. The Cons to Sturdy is they don't put a lot of bells and whistles inside the safes they build, so adding lights or some crazy color carpet will be on you.

If you're interested in Sturdy safes, I recommend calling them as they're always happy to answer questions over the phone...they also give a pretty decent discount if you order via phone versus the website.
 

gunsafety

Newbie
I'm looking for recommendations for a long gun safe that will hold at least ten long guns. The safe will go in my house, likely the basement. I want to protect guns from burglars and from small kids.

I actually only have three long guns but want room to expand. I may store some ammo inside there as well.
Its very important stuff for your safety. There are lots of things you need to know before you choose a gun safe. Would you check
https://bestgunsafety.com/how-to-select-a-best-gun-safe-for-you/ here to know
 
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