Fire-Gun combination safes

[rangerone314]

I was thinking about gun safes. In particular I want one that is a combination (not electronic lock), and has fire protection as well. Pref about 15.5 cubic feet.

I was looking towards this one: http://www.sentrysafe.com/Products/306/GS2459C_Fire-Safe

It only seems to get 2 stars in ranking but I've been unable to find any actual reviews. The non-fire version of it seems to get decent rankings and comments I've found on another site that didn't list this fire-resistant variation.

 

[rico903]

Dave at A1 Safes, next to Bel Air Gun and Pawn has a full line of these, and good prices.

 

[tech24]

I know you get what you pay for with a safe but we aren't all rich and I have been looking at these as well. For the price they seem nice. Seen a few in person.

 

[Boom Boom]

Sentry is at the low end, with minimal burglary and fire protection. 30 minutes of fire protection is not enough if your house burns to the ground. But it's way better than nothing. If you can afford it, your money is much better invested in something like a Champion Triumph or Champion Trophy safe. If those are too expensive for your budget, alternatives are Liberty Colonial and (similar to the Sentry) Liberty Centurion.

You didn't say where you plan to put the safe. None of these safes is appropriate for typical wood truss floors in a house with a basement. Especially when loaded up, they can get way too heavy for the floor. They ideally need to be on a concrete floor (basement or garage) or on a living-space floor that sits on a concrete slab.

 

[Crow]

Electronic locks are easier to break into most of the time

 

[Gcs7th]

I had the GM1459, and it failed to lock on my because of a solenoid issue and poor tolerances. It also decided to leave itself unlocked because of a spring issue. The solenoid obviously wouldn't be an issue with a combination safe.

Sentry safe provided great customer service but overall the safe is made in China and is a budget choice.

Other points:

The shelving really wasn't level either because the rails weren't installed at the correct heights from the factory.

On a door that large it only has 3 locking bolts, if you have that many guns you might want to find a safe that has larger /longer bolts.

Also if you qualify you might be able to get a deal...

http://www.sentrysafe.com/USHeroes/Law_Enforcement_Military_Discount_Program

 

[rangerone314]

Sentry is at the low end, with minimal burglary and fire protection. 30 minutes of fire protection is not enough if your house burns to the ground. But it's way better than nothing. If you can afford it, your money is much better invested in something like a Champion Triumph or Champion Trophy safe. If those are too expensive for your budget, alternatives are Liberty Colonial and (similar to the Sentry) Liberty Centurion.

You didn't say where you plan to put the safe. None of these safes is appropriate for typical wood truss floors in a house with a basement. Especially when loaded up, they can get way too heavy for the floor. They ideally need to be on a concrete floor (basement or garage) or on a living-space floor that sits on a concrete slab.

The plan was for it to be in the basement, concrete floor with just linoleum on it.

 

[K31]

Electronic locks are easier to break into most of the time

Got a cite for that?

 

[Safetech]

Sentry is at the low end, with minimal burglary and fire protection. .

This^

None of these safes is appropriate for typical wood truss floors in a house with a basement. Especially when loaded up, they can get way too heavy for the floor. .

Not necessarily.

As long as you don't get to ridiculous ("fatboys", double doors, etc.), you should be okay - especially if the safe is next to a load bearing wall.

I have an Amsec SF series. http://www.amsecusa.com/gun-safes-SF-main.htm (650 lbs, empty) And I'm not worried in the least. Nor would I be if it was twice it's weight.

I was more worried about bringing it up the steps outside.

That's the bigger concern when buying a heavy safe. Can you safely get it TO where you want to keep it?

On stairs, you have to remember to add the weight of two guys and 125 lbs for the stair climber (500 lbs +/- altogether) to the weight of the safe. Not all stairs can handle that. And when $#!+ goes wrong on stairs, it goes wrong real fast. Sometimes all you hear is a "creak" and three seconds later, you, your buddy, the ($3,500) stair climber, AND the safe, are in the basement - in any given order).

I agree that a concrete floor is the best, but sometimes it's just not a possibility.


***DISCLAIMER***

This is not to be considered "professional advice". The only way to be 100% certain that any given floor will support any given weight is to consult an architectural engineer.

(My lawyer told me to say that.)

 

[Safetech]

Electronic locks are easier to break into most of the time

Depends on the lock.

Besides, most burglars (all but the "high end" guys) opt to use brute force, rather than attack the lock directly, in most cases.

But mechanical locks will usually out last an E-lock.

(Then there's EPMs - which there doesn't seem to be a lot of test data on. But I would hate to find out that my safe won't open if/when the SHTF.)

 

[Huckleberry]

Depends on the lock.

Besides, most burglars (all but the "high end" guys) opt to use brute force, rather than attack the lock directly, in most cases.

But mechanical locks will usually out last an E-lock.

(Then there's EPMs - which there doesn't seem to be a lot of test data on. But I would hate to find out that my safe won't open if/when the SHTF.)

I think you meant EMP

EPMS would result from the batteries dying in a woman's vibrator.

 

[Safetech]

I think you meant EMP

EPMS would result from the batteries dying in a woman's vibrator.

Yes... on both counts!

 

[rangerone314]

safe

Fortunately the basement is in a split-level house, so it can be hand-trucked in without going up or down any stairs.

 

[stank]

Found this info

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1Jk3esLy2I&feature=related

 

[Gcs7th]

(Then there's EPMs - which there doesn't seem to be a lot of test data on. But I would hate to find out that my safe won't open if/when the SHTF.)

Luckily the sentry safe has a manual override key which moves the electronic locking assembly out of the way allowing the door to unlock. It's pretty nifty.

 

[Gcs7th]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhOjWHbD6M

A nice video demonstration of thieves breaking into a low end safe.