gun safes

[jzeck2]

I'm taking this in a little different direction. I met with my insurance person this fall to see if he could sell me anymore insurance and I brought up my guns and that maybe I should have a rider on my policy to cover them in case of loss (withholding actual $$ amount in case wife sees this). What he told me was a bit shocking: "you don't need a rider on your policy, go buy an inexpensive gun safe(s). Your home owners policy will cover your firearms in case of fire, it will not cover them if they are stolen, all you need is something to make it difficult for someone to break in and steal them."

Since I only have one or two of dad's and grandpa's guns that are not replaceable (more because they gave them to me not because they are valuable) this seems to make sense. I can certainly replace the rest.

Any thoughts on this, is my insurance agent (state farm) correct? If he is, you can save a lot of money including chiropractic care by buying a cheaper lighter safe.

 

[ERSS]

520lbs? Piece of cake, tell 2-3 of the guys they are only there for moral support.

Seriously, this is no more difficult than moving a refrigerator. When the safes get up over 1000lbs it can get a little tricky.

+1, sounds like you have all the resources you will need

 

[Gut Shot]

Gun safes really only provide minimal protection from theft, they keep the honest people honest. If a criminal wants into your safe it will take them about five minutes to tear into it.

A "gun safe" is considered a "Residential Security Container" (RSC) by UL. If I want insurance on inventory in my store I have to have a safe that has a TL (tool) rating. RSC's, even the expensive ones, are just sheet steel and locks.

 

[Kaitum]

I'm taking this in a little different direction. I met with my insurance person this fall to see if he could sell me anymore insurance and I brought up my guns and that maybe I should have a rider on my policy to cover them in case of loss (withholding actual $$ amount in case wife sees this). What he told me was a bit shocking: "you don't need a rider on your policy, go buy an inexpensive gun safe(s). Your home owners policy will cover your firearms in case of fire, it will not cover them if they are stolen, all you need is something to make it difficult for someone to break in and steal them."

Since I only have one or two of dad's and grandpa's guns that are not replaceable (more because they gave them to me not because they are valuable) this seems to make sense. I can certainly replace the rest.

Any thoughts on this, is my insurance agent (state farm) correct? If he is, you can save a lot of money including chiropractic care by buying a cheaper lighter safe.

I don't know if your insurance agent was correct or not. I view it as a personal choice as to how much protection you want for your firearms. Something to withstand a home burglary and / or home fire. I bought the safe I did because my next door neighbor made me a deal on it I couldn't pass up. Its not a lightweight safe by any means but it doesn't have the greatest fire rating. My primary consideration was protecting my guns against your typical smash and grab job by a meth head looking to score. Given where I lived at the time, a home burglary seemed much much more likely than a fire. Many of my guns were gifted to me and can't be replaced based on their value. Someday I'll have a safe with a high fire rating but until then I weighed the odds of which type of disaster was most likely to lose me my guns and protected against the greater risk.

When I was researching gun safes and talking to security companies, most guys strongly recommended bolting the safe to the floor, regardless of its location or how much it weighed. They said on typical safes (not the really lightweight ones), the door weighs approximately 1/3 of the total weight of the safe. When the door is fully open, it doesn't take much leverage to tip that safe forward. So their recommendation was based on a safety precaution.

 

[Eyeguy]

you'll have fun when you try to get it back up

LOL the Hell I will!? For the price I paid for that thing it is staying with the house! IF I ever build a house I will haul in a giant safe and build a house around it......

 

[Kaitum]

My neighbor joked when he was listing his house the ad would read: Gun safe for sale - $400,000. Comes with free house.

He wanted nothing to do with getting that safe out of the basement.

 

[Dinkshooter]

64 gun safe......................you're a bunch of gun loonies

 

[sneakypete]

Pay someone that moves these safes, they'll have a mover that climes or descends stairs with ease !

 

[hank4elk]

64?...that's not a gun safe,it's a mini armory...lol
If you can afford that safe and 64 guns, then man up,pay someone to do it right. Jeez

 

[Eyeguy]

64?...that's not a gun safe,it's a mini armory...lol
If you can afford that safe and 64 guns, then man up,pay someone to do it right. Jeez

Hank? Did I say it was full of guns? LOL I wish I had 64!!!! Also. Did I say it was ONLY for guns? Things like petty cash from the business, emergency cash, data back up tape, soc security cards, marriage licenses, birth certificates, passports, jewelry, etc etc etc will be kept on one side. I also got the safe for 699....less then the price of an average rifle/scope combo....so this investment to protect my small collection of 13 guns (rifles, pistols, and 2 junky black powder rifles) is totally worth it. Also gives me peace of mind. It, however, does not mean that I am made of money.

EDIT: Whoops! I forgot about my .22 rimfire. 14 guns!!! haha.

 

[hank4elk]

Just razzing you.
Make sure the stairs are braced and use a come-a-long and ropes&pullys.Snatch blocks work great on things like this.Did alot of construction and remodels over the years,solo, and can still walk up right.
Work Smarter,not harder.

 

[Eyeguy]

Just razzing you.
Make sure the stairs are braced and use a come-a-long and ropes&pullys.Snatch blocks work great on things like this.Did alot of construction and remodels over the years,solo, and can still walk up right.
Work Smarter,not harder.

No worries. Thus the smiley face at the end!

 

[dwm4375]

64?...that's not a gun safe,it's a mini armory...lol
If you can afford that safe and 64 guns, then man up,pay someone to do it right. Jeez

To determine the true capacity of a gun safe, divide by 2 (because one side will have shelves with binos, scopes, important papers, pistols, AR- uppers, barrels, etc. Then assume the safe will be full with 2/3 or 3/4 of that number. That's how many long guns you can fit in a safe.

I have a 56 gun safe, which is really 28 on the side set up for guns. I have 20 long guns, and it's absolutely full.

 

[Eyeguy]

To determine the true capacity of a gun safe, divide by 2 (because one side will have shelves with binos, scopes, important papers, pistols, AR- uppers, barrels, etc. Then assume the safe will be full with 2/3 or 3/4 of that number. That's how many long guns you can fit in a safe.

I have a 56 gun safe, which is really 28 on the side set up for guns. I have 20 long guns, and it's absolutely full.

This was my thinking exactly.

 

[Gut Shot]

This article has some very good information about gun safes and burglaries.

http://gunsafereviewsguy.com/articles/myths-about-gun-safe-theft-protection/

It is a bit long winded though.

 

[dwm4375]

This article has some very good information about gun safes and burglaries.

http://gunsafereviewsguy.com/articles/myths-about-gun-safe-theft-protection/

It is a bit long winded though.

... makes mental note to go home and inspect gun safe...

 

[noharleyyet]

A safe with enough room for one more rifle ain't nuthin' but an itch, which, upon scratching, requires a bigger safe.

 

[Eyeguy]

UPDATE:

Gun safe was moved into the house and down the stairs to its FINAL resting place without damage or bodily harm. I rented an appliance dolly rated for 800 pounds. It worked like a charm. Two guys on the tops side and two easing it down the stairs from the bottom led to a smooth decent down the stairs! It is necessary to put the safe on some sort of platform to prevent condensation and other issues. A good tip I received was setting the safe on hockey pucks. This seemed to work very well and the safe is rock solid stable. 6 total: all 4 corners and two in the center (front and back). Thanks to all who contributed info and offered suggestions (funny and serious...haha).

 

[Tradewind]

This article has some very good information about gun safes and burglaries.

http://gunsafereviewsguy.com/articles/myths-about-gun-safe-theft-protection/

It is a bit long winded though.

GutShot: that was a very good article on quality. I did not realize they were so easy to pry you way into.