Safes: go electronic?

[JAY1234]

EMP

I got an electronic safe about 10 years ago. It has been quite serviceable. I got it for quick access, which it does well. I however wasn't as wise/aware back then as I am now. Having read about EMP (Electo Magnetic Pulse) in the past few years I have been thinking about changing to a manual lock. The last thing I want to do is break into my safe to get my gun. I don't know the likelyhood of an EMP, but if one ever happens then I think I will be screwed. If I got another one I would go manual.

If an EMP event occurs you most likely won't be around to worry about opening the safe unless it is stored in a deep underground survival bunker.

 

[Merlin]

Great points! One of my favorite gun safes is actually the 'globe' safe...it's literally a globe...but with a gun in it. Many of the decoy safes are great for pistols and there is absolutely an advantage to having more accessibility via different points of access.

I personally have a mini gun safe for the bedroom for a single home defense pistol...of course at the expense of it being far easier to break into, and a larger tool resistent and fire safe for everything else...even if the tool resistent safe had a digital pad, the door is stupidly heavy and the safe is too large to have right next to a bed. I've read that some of the digital locks tend to not fare against humidity as well as wheels over a period of years, although I imagine on a decent safe that is serviced as should this is a non issue.

I have noticed that some safes with UL Group II combo wheel locks with a relocker have the option for a digital lock that is NOT equivalent in its compliance...if that is the case, then IMO the wheel combo is 100% better given the safe could theoretically lose RSC compliance with a cheap digital pad. I have noticed that on some of the higher end safes, the digital pad upgrade is quite costly.

Some safes can take something like a Medeco key for 'day' usage (in which it could actually be used for night usage if the safe is close by and the door isn't stupid heavy)...it's a very nice addition though as you can lock the safe under secure key and bypass the combo if you are going to be in and out of it a lot, and then when you are away you can lock-lock it via the combination lock.

The one and only employee/owner that I enjoyed talking to at On-Target told me back in the 80's when they were at their old location that the very best place to hid your gun was at the bottom of your wife's Tampax box in the bathroom. He said they will never look there.

 

[TxAggie]

Agreed. However 99.9% of the time the most likely defensive situation where you will need to get to your gun VERY fast will start in the bedroom. How many people have gun safes in the bed rooms? For the most part, I can only guess most gun safes are located in a family room, basement, garage, game room, or living room. Not in the bed room where you sleep. All of these location is where your likely to be during your awake hours where a intruder is less likely to show up. In the case an intruder did show up during your awake hours, you have more time to get to where you need to be to get your gun.

But when your in bed sleeping and your awaken by the sound of someone breaking into your home is when you need to be able to get to your gun fast without allot of thought or effort. So unless your gun safe with it's electronic lock is sitting next to your bed, you need to have one gun that is not in the safe that is more readily accessible.

Having said that, a large gun safes for the most part are for your "Over flow" baulk storage of your gun collection in my book, and does not need an electric lock for the fastest entry. If this makes sense, a dial combo that will give you the longest life seems like the smartest way to go.

If you want your one gun that you keep in your bed room secured, let whatever small one or two gun safe you get for it be of a type that you can get into fast. Like some kind of push button or fingerprint bio safe that you can bolt down to something. Or maybe a wall safe of the same type.

I can tell you that I know some LEO's, and I did some work for this one Secret Service guy years ago, and they all stash guns in different location around their house. They all had at least one on each floor of their home. They are in a profession where they expect intruders and running to a large gun safe with an electric lock is the last thing they want to have to do.

Just another way of looking at the gun safe thing.

+1

Right now I have a limited number of firearms and they are all in a (admittedly cheap) safe hidden in my BR closet. I thought about a large safe for the basement, but decided if I really need the gun it will be at night. Also, I'm the only one in my closet, so the kids don't go in there and neither do repair guys. As I build my collection I will install a large safe in the basement for non HD guns or SHTF stocks.

Some people have advocated on MDS to have a handgun in close proximity that is good enough to get you to your main arsenal, and that seems like pretty sound advice to me too.

 

[Merlin]

+1

Right now I have a limited number of firearms and they are all in a (admittedly cheap) safe hidden in my BR closet. I thought about a large safe for the basement, but decided if I really need the gun it will be at night. Also, I'm the only one in my closet, so the kids don't go in there and neither do repair guys. As I build my collection I will install a large safe in the basement for non HD guns or SHTF stocks.

Some people have advocated on MDS to have a handgun in close proximity that is good enough to get you to your main arsenal, and that seems like pretty sound advice to me too.

Your cheap safe out of sight and mind may be safer then a much better safe out in the open daring people to bust it open where every Tom, Dick, and Harry walk into your home seeing what you have. They tell a friend, that tells a friend and before you know it it will get to that bad guy that will want to give you and your safe a go.

 

[niftyvt]

But when your in bed sleeping and your awaken by the sound of someone breaking into your home is when you need to be able to get to your gun fast without allot of thought or effort. So unless your gun safe with it's electronic lock is sitting next to your bed, you need to have one gun that is not in the safe that is more readily accessible.

I can tell you that I know some LEO's, and I did some work for this one Secret Service guy years ago, and they all stash guns in different location around their house. They all had at least one on each floor of their home. They are in a profession where they expect intruders and running to a large gun safe with an electric lock is the last thing they want to have to do.

Personally I use a holster mounted to the night stand when in bed. All other times when I am at home I am carrying. No need to run to a stash or open a lock or anything else, just draw.

 

[Merlin]

Personally I use a holster mounted to the night stand when in bed. All other times when I am at home I am carrying. No need to run to a stash or open a lock or anything else, just draw.

That's a good deal. I though about getting a holster and some how permanently mounting it to the back of a dresser or night stand where I think the average Joe would not look. When I was a kid my Grand mother would take socks and stash money or whatever in them and then safety pin the socks on the underside of drapes.

 

[Merlin]

Hay! you can keep all of your gun safes. This is what you REALLY need!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd0Bkju0eWs

 

[niftyvt]

That's a good deal. I though about getting a holster and some how permanently mounting it to the back of a dresser or night stand where I think the average Joe would not look. When I was a kid my Grand mother would take socks and stash money or whatever in them and then safety pin the socks on the underside of drapes.

I dont care if someone sees my empty holster. Actually its just an RTI wheel and I clip the holster off with weapon inside and put it in my cabinet (Sturdy coming next week!!) when I leave for work. I get home from work, pull the holster out of cabinet, clip it to a RTI paddle adapter, and then put the holster on. If I am working outside I throw a jacket over it when its cold out or I switch to my appendix rig if its too hot for a coat, sometimes I just open carry if I am in a lazy mood. My G19 only leaves the holster when its time for dry practice or I am switching to my appendix carry rig.

 

[johnnyu]

I actually found one with mechanical pushbuttons like many of the security locks on government doors. Quick access still and no batteries.

 

[NickZac]

The one and only employee/owner that I enjoyed talking to at On-Target told me back in the 80's when they were at their old location that the very best place to hid your gun was at the bottom of your wife's Tampax box in the bathroom. He said they will never look there.

That is fantastic I love it

There is def a lot to say about hiding...it's really hard to steal something that no one knows exists. It often seems that many of the 'right in front of your eye' hiding schemes work best, as everyone expects the exact opposite.

 

[nam1603]

Can anyone tell me if this safe looks like half decent buy?

http://www.bluedotsafes.com/safes/floor-safes.html

 

[nam1603]

Hey Boom Boom do you have a Summit safe? If so what did it run you?

 

[NickZac]

Can anyone tell me if this safe looks like half decent buy?

http://www.bluedotsafes.com/safes/floor-safes.html

No experience with those models, but the high security Blue Dots are excellent safes with a very good name. With that said, it may or may not say much, as some of the finest safes are made by makers who also make very low quality models.

 

[safecracker]

Can anyone tell me if this safe looks like half decent buy?

http://www.bluedotsafes.com/safes/floor-safes.html

Blue Dot has always been synonymous with garbage in the professional safe and vault industry. It is possible that they have begun importing a better grade of refuse, however.

 

[Garet Jax]

Shopping around for a safe.

Better to go with an electronic one or traditional combination lock/wheel mechanism?

Maybe I am old fashioned, but worry about reliability on electronic ones.

Advice/suggestions solicited.

There is a redundant lock available. It gives you the best of both worlds. It can be opened using the electronic keypad 99% of the time, but can also be opened using the dial the 1% of the time where you would want to use it.

The only company that I know offers it is Fort Knox. It is an option on their safes, but can also be retrofitted to other safes too.

 

[Boom Boom]

Hey Boom Boom do you have a Summit safe? If so what did it run you?

I'm leaning towards getting a mid-sized Cascade or Sierra for safe #3. Was told it will be about $2K-$2.5K.

A huge problem (for me) with other safes I've been looking at lately below $2K is downgraded doors that manufacturers have switched over to in the past few years. I'm spoiled by the beefy-as-hell doors on my other safes. No way am I going backwards.

 

[Merlin]

End of the day we live in a you get what you pay for world. If you buy a $500 - $900 safe, that's exactly what you have. Good for keeping the kids out. BUT, that's all most people need. Everyone that buys a safe is not going to have the team of top notch safe crackers show up at their home.

 

[Boom Boom]

Two dopes with crowbars can open a cheap safe in less than sixty seconds.

That said, it makes sense for the cost of the safe to correspond to the value of the contents, financially and sentimentally. Doesn't make much sense to have $1K of cheap firearms in a $5K safe. Then again, it's idiotic to have tens of thousands of dollars of contents in a $500 safe.

 

[Merlin]

Hey Boom Boom do you have a Summit safe? If so what did it run you?

The safe guy in Frederick sells Summit. They seem to be a good safe. I think they run $2000 - $4000 depending on what you get.

They are built by the Heritage safe people and the Summit name is just painted on the door.

http://www.heritagesafe.com/

Continental in Timonium sells Heritage safes and they always have 10-12 you can look at.

 

[Merlin]

Two dopes with crowbars can open a cheap safe in less than sixty seconds.

That said, it makes sense for the cost of the safe to correspond to the value of the contents, financially and sentimentally. Doesn't make much sense to have $1K of cheap firearms in a $5K safe. Then again, it's idiotic to have tens of thousands of dollars of contents in a $500 safe.

It makes sense if you have the money to make sense with. Sometimes it's better to have anything rather then nothing. I can't afford to buy a safe that cost as much as everything would put inside it.