TexasCHLforum.com

Pawpaw wrote: ↑Thu Jan 28, 2016 4:17 pm Probably 6 to 8 inches between the beams at least. The cables were held up about 1" above the moisture barrier before the concrete was poured.

That would mean the cables are at least 4" from the top surface of the slab. The anchors they used were probably 1-1/2" long and certainly no more than 2".

Besides, if you've ever drilled into concrete, you know it instantly if you hit rebar or one of those cables.

Don't water lines also run through the slab at some areas?

AFAmmo wrote:The first time, it was the keypad that went bad. They are plastic and made in China.
This time, the keypad still works, but the lock will not disengage.
As soon as I can get it open, I am going to have a good quality mechanical lock installed and toss the cheap electronics in the garbage where they belong.

This is exactly why I had a mechanical lock installed on my safe. The guy selling the safe even agreed with my theory. IMHO...a digital keypad is a nightmare, just waiting to happen.

Very nice safe!!! I'm jealous!!!

It doesn't look like a bad safe for the money. The fire protection time and temperature are pretty minimal. I would look at other safe manufacturers and compare feature for feature and price. The wording they use for the material the door is made from got my attention. They say it is "formed". Does that mean it is actually a 1.5 inch thick piece of steel or is it 12 gauge steel formed into a 1.5 inch thick door. The actual gauge of the steel the safe is made from determines the level of security. It has been said on the forum a few times and I agree completely. Buy a safe that is worthy of the gun collection you are protecting. Someone mentioned 10% of gun value, which seems about right to me. Keep in mind that gun safes have a way of filling up faster than you think they will...LOL. Buy a bigger and better safe than you presently think you need.

Couple other thoughts...

Bolt it down!!!
If you have a monitored alarm system in your home the cops and alarm will severely limit a bad guys time frame. With enough time, any safe can be defeated! This does not mean one should just buy a cheap safe since it won't matter...IT WILL. Typically, the more you spend on a safe, the longer it will take a bad guy to defeat it. Especially the amatuers.
I was told that many safes are defeated by prying the door open. Thin gauge steel "formed" into a shape is real easy to pry open.

Good luck and do a lot of safe research before making a final choice.

Nice work... the folks that do that truly irritate me. They like doing it late at night thinking it will hang a while before getting caught.

What exactly does any of your post have to do with gun safes? Did you post in the wrong thread by mistake?


never mind... I get it... your a spammer. Go away...please! By the way... I snitched on you in about three seconds from now...

Sangiovese wrote:

03Lightningrocks wrote:Sangiovese, did you have them bolt it down? With it located out in the open like that, a would be thief can push it over onto a dolly and roll it right out the house.

Yeah, it is bolted down. It's the smallest Triumph model so it's "only" 800 lbs. Would be a pita to move but I'm not going to put it past a determined thief... so we opted to have it bolted. That was included with the installation at no extra charge.

I think you bought from the same folks I did. I bought from a guy in Garland. I met him at a gun show. I am pretty sure it is the same company. I went with the Amsec. I wasn't going to bolt mine down at first. It weighs 1200 pounds empty. they showed me how easy it was to push it over from the top and let it fall on a dolly. A thief could then just roll it out. I went ahead and had them bolt it down after they showed me this little trick.

Anyway....nice safe. After getting mine I suddenly realized how stupid I was risking all my guns for so many years. I had them hidden all over the house. My thinking use to be that if a burglar got in, he would find one or two and quit looking. I figured they would not have time to play hide and seek. I like having my safe better than the old way. Good luck to you....the first thing your going to notice is how quick it fills up....LOL.

Sangiovese, did you have them bolt it down? With it located out in the open like that, a would be thief can push it over onto a dolly and roll it right out the house.

jeeperbryan wrote:So I'm in the market for a safe but I don't have thousands of $$ to spend. I've been looking at the ones at Academy but had a few questions:

1) Are there any safes out there cheaper than the ones at Academy? And I don't mean Sentry safes (aka expensive filing cabinets)

2) Does any keep their safe in the garage? Would keeping the safe, guns and ammo in the garage, in TX heat, be a bad idea?


Thanks in advance!

Here is a good read on choosing gun safes. http://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com ... earms.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Be sure and watch the video.



Here is an interesting situation on a cannon safe electronic lock. This is exactly why I went with a good old fashion lock on my American Security safe.
http://michaelbane.blogspot.com/2008/12 ... ilure.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rockrz wrote:Do they have push button combo locks on safes for vehicles.

Similar to what you see on security doors on some comercial buildings?
Preferably something that doesn't need a power supply

I'm thinking of building a safe box into the center console of
my truck and would want to be able to leave it un-locked when
driving, but also be able to lock it and still be able to un-lock
it quickly.

I figure a bush button combo lock would be much quicker
to get into than fumbling for my keys

http://www.gunvault.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

brewster wrote:

03Lightningrocks wrote:I managed to get the company that sold me my safe to put the rope lighting in for free. I had been told by several in the business that I would not be happy without it. This was one option I would not want to be without. It looks cool too.

Oh yeah...the safe I bought already had a small hole drilled in the back near the floor for running a cord through it. I had noticed that several models and makes had this hole. It is nice for running a golden rod also to help keep the humidity level low in the safe.

Always a good deal if you can get them to do it for you!

I realized that safe buying is like car buying. The different dealers will negotiate on the prices. Who knows if it was a good deal or not? Maybe I could have gotten another hundred bucks off the safe if I hadn't been given the lights... . But I wouldn't want to be without them.

Good advice you gave on the installation. I have had a couple of those hooks pop loose from the adhesive. They should have put a few more of them than they did in my safe.

Skiprr wrote:

brewster wrote:One last thing: I installed rope lighting on the inside of door frame, using adhesive clips (I ran it through the dehumidifier hole in the back). Hooked the light to an outlet controlled by a wall switch, and Voila! For $20 you can light every nook and cranny instead of paying for the fancy lighting setups.

Clever! I'm usually grabbing my flashlight when I go rummaging through my safe. I've got stuff pretty well packed in there, and if it isn't right up front (and on the top couple of shelves) I don't have good lighting to allow decent visibility. The safe is bolted down in the back of a large, L-shaped walk-in closet, and the doors don't even face the closet lighting to start with.

I don't have a wall switch nearby that I could use, but one of those eight-buck extension cords with a toggle switch on it would do quite nicely.

I'm gonna have to try this, brewster. Thanks.

(And maybe this should be in the "How-To" Forum...and I may be contributing to thread drift again. But it is a pretty nifty, low cost, idea for safes. )

I managed to get the company that sold me my safe to put the rope lighting in for free. I had been told by several in the business that I would not be happy without it. This was one option I would not want to be without. It looks cool too.

Oh yeah...the safe I bought already had a small hole drilled in the back near the floor for running a cord through it. I had noticed that several models and makes had this hole. It is nice for running a golden rod also to help keep the humidity level low in the safe.

mike wrote:Sorry, but people that don't know what they are talking about get to me...

I was responding to this guy;

Re: Links for gun safe info in the works
by 03Lightningrocks on Sun May 18, 2008 12:08 pm

kicker wrote:
http://www.securityproducts1.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They are manufactured right here in Texas near Waco. Very nice safes, I have the gunslinger with electronic lock model.

by 03Lightningrocks on Sun May 18, 2008 12:08 pm
Be careful with these. I have a friend who's uncle lost about 15K in guns out of one of the styles with two key locking bolts. They only have two locking points and can be pried open using two crow bars. The police figured it took the thieves about 10 minutes to get his opened. For what these safes cost, you can get a whole lot better safes.NRA Member03Lightningrocks
Senior Member

LOL...so I take it you are wishing for everything you are worth that my story isn't true. Oh my.....this is one wish you aren't going to get. You have no idea which model the guy had. For that matter, neither do I. I have seen these safes and like others they offer different levels. Your absolutely wrong to say these are some of the most secure safes on the market. They are low end alternatives. Do some research on safes and you will see why. By the way, it isn't the lock that breaks. It is a prying type failure. I related a story and that was that. There are better alternatives in safes for the money.

By the way noobie....thanks for the personal insult.

Assassin wrote:Does anyone know where a good safe review site is? I am looking at spending approx. $3K on a good safe. I'm looking at the Browning Medallion and the Ft. Knox Protector now.

Check the links at the top of this thread. When shopping for my safe, I found some invaluable information here.
I will share my experiences with you. I found the browning and Ft Knox safes to be very good quality, but soon realized i could purchase other brands of equal quality and larger for less money than either of the two brands you mentioned. I ended up with an american security safe and am very happy with it. I spent about 2700.00.

kicker wrote:http://www.securityproducts1.com/

They are manufactured right here in Texas near Waco. Very nice safes, I have the gunslinger with electronic lock model.

Be careful with these. I have a friend who's uncle lost about 15K in guns out of one of the styles with two key locking bolts. They only have two locking points and can be pried open using two crow bars. The police figured it took the thieves about 10 minutes to get his opened. For what these safes cost, you can get a whole lot better safes.