Safes

[sookandy]

Ok I finally have enough guns where I need to protect my "investment". I've picked out a decent fire safe, now to figure out where to put it. I've got a couple of spots and I probably know the answer to this question but would putting it in a garage in the TX heat cause any problems??

[Teamless]

I am not sure about the heat, but the humidity wouldn't be too welcome on any weapon.

[WildBill]

Ok I finally have enough guns where I need to protect my "investment". I've picked out a decent fire safe, now to figure out where to put it. I've got a couple of spots and I probably know the answer to this question but would putting it in a garage in the TX heat cause any problems??

YMMV, but I have had mine in the garage without any issues. Just make sure you have some kind of dehumidifier. I use dessicant bags. Probably better would be an electric dehumidifier.

[Oldgringo]

I've really been toying with the idea of getting a safe. So far, it appears to me a rider to my homeowners' insurance (what I have now) plus the contents coverage of the homeowner's policy remains cheaper than a "real" safe. By "real" safe, I mean a 4-500 pound 14 (?) gun safe with a certified fire rating.

I pay $152/year for full coverage on my guns. Granted, I only have 10 long guns and a half dozen handguns but there are no "Saturday Nite Specials" in the group. We have no little ones to concern ourselves with.

Where is a "real" safe that is cheaper than the insurance rider over a half dozen years or so? Just askin'...

[stevie_d_64]

Well, this is right up my alley...

With a high degree of confidence in these types of safes, as a state certified firefighter, your investment will probably be the last thing standing if the house burns to the slab...Some of the contents might very well be scorched, but that depends on what you put in there...

I put my safe in a one story house, in a spare bedroom that doubles as our office against an out side structural wall, right next to a big bedroom window...

There are just certain things that happen during such a tragedy, yet if you get a good response from the FD, most times we can ventilate and reduce the damage to the structure from those points around your home...We can pull the fire up through a controlled (ing) method of "trenching" a roof and give a path for the fire to work its way to that point and not look to spread to other fuel rich places in your home...

Just don't keep a lot of ammo and other paper combustables in the safe with those investments as well...

BTW, I let the newbies work the fires now...I deliever the wet stuff they need to get that done now...

[PhillRoath]

Ok I finally have enough guns where I need to protect my "investment". I've picked out a decent fire safe, now to figure out where to put it. I've got a couple of spots and I probably know the answer to this question but would putting it in a garage in the TX heat cause any problems??

I went with the Fort Knox Defender 6031 and had it placed in the master bedroom. I had room for it there and the owner brought it out and with my permission drilled througn the hardwood floors into the concrete and bolted it in place from the inside.

http://www.gunsafeshouston.com/fort-kno ... ies-safes/

And here's a youtube video of a torture test.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9buR30A_0lk

I've been very pleased with it. Have had it for about a year now.

Phill

[Oldgringo]

Ok I finally have enough guns where I need to protect my "investment". I've picked out a decent fire safe, now to figure out where to put it. I've got a couple of spots and I probably know the answer to this question but would putting it in a garage in the TX heat cause any problems??

I went with the Fort Knox Defender 6031 and had it placed in the master bedroom. I had room for it there and the owner brought it out and with my permission drilled througn the hardwood floors into the concrete and bolted it in place from the inside.

http://www.gunsafeshouston.com/fort-kno ... ies-safes/

And here's a youtube video of a torture test.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9buR30A_0lk

I've been very pleased with it. Have had it for about a year now.

Phill

Looks like a nice safe. My guess is that it costs about a dollar a pound?

[alvins]

i think relying on insurnace to keep your investment safe isnt good enough with guns. i have some guns that arent made anymore and probably cant be replaced easily.

[WildBill]

i think relying on insurnace to keep your investment safe isnt good enough with guns. i have some guns that arent made anymore and probably cant be replaced easily.

Read your insurance policy carefully. Unless it guarantees full replacement value you may not get as much as they are "worth." Insurance companies like to depreciate objects based on their age. So if you bought a $1000 gun in 2000 they may say that in 2010 it's only worth $100 because it's old. That's the way they will calculate the value of furniture, clothing, electronics, applicances, etc.

A good safe will generally cost you less than a good gun. For a safe, a dollar a pound is a good price.

[Oldgringo]

i think relying on insurnace to keep your investment safe isnt good enough with guns. i have some guns that arent made anymore and probably cant be replaced easily.

Read your insurance policy carefully. Unless it guarantees full replacement value you may not get as much as they are "worth." Insurance companies like to depreciate objects based on their age. So if you bought a $1000 gun in 2000 they may say that in 2010 it's only worth $100 because it's old. That's the way they will value furniture, clothing, applicances, etc.

Thanks.

I think that you're both correct. I had to declare the values and State Farm had to agree at the time if issuance. I'll check with my agent next week. However, he said pretty much what I said about safes and the protection that they offer. (he doesn't sell safes )

I do not have any real collector's items. The nearest gun to a collector's item would be an old Model 12 Winchester Duck gun and I think that their value has peaked. The rest are more or less current production " eargesplitten loudenboomers".

[WildBill]

i think relying on insurnace to keep your investment safe isnt good enough with guns. i have some guns that arent made anymore and probably cant be replaced easily.

Read your insurance policy carefully. Unless it guarantees full replacement value you may not get as much as they are "worth." Insurance companies like to depreciate objects based on their age. So if you bought a $1000 gun in 2000 they may say that in 2010 it's only worth $100 because it's old. That's the way they will value furniture, clothing, applicances, etc.

Thanks.

I think that you're both correct. I had to declare the values and State Farm had to agree at the time if issuance. I'll check with my agent next week. However, he said pretty much what I said about safes and the protection that they offer. (he doesn't sell safes )

I do not have any real collector's items. The nearest gun to a collector's item would be an old Model 12 Winchester Duck gun and I think that their value has peaked. The rest are more or less current production " eargesplitten loudenboomers".

My safes are for protection against children and thieves. I don't think that most gun safes are worth much for protection against a house fire. In order to a good fire safety rating they would have much thicker walls, which would greatly reduce the amount of room you have to store guns and other valuables.

I bought my second safe for about $900 - After I had $3,000 worth of jewelry, watches, video and photography equipment stolen in a burglary. I had just bought my wife a Sony video camera for Christmas for around $900. We were robbed in January - the insurance company paid around $600 for the video camera. They paid even less for my Nikon SLR and my wife's Pentax because "they were old". We also maxed out at the $500 limit for jewelry and watches that included some jewelry that my wife inherited from her mother. The burglars knew what they were doing - they took the good stuff and left the costume jewerly.

For everything that was stolen, we probably got a dollar per pound from insurance.

[jmra]

I've really been toying with the idea of getting a safe. So far, it appears to me a rider to my homeowners' insurance (what I have now) plus the contents coverage of the homeowner's policy remains cheaper than a "real" safe. By "real" safe, I mean a 4-500 pound 14 (?) gun safe with a certified fire rating.

I pay $152/year for full coverage on my guns. Granted, I only have 10 long guns and a half dozen handguns but there are no "Saturday Nite Specials" in the group. We have no little ones to concern ourselves with.

Where is a "real" safe that is cheaper than the insurance rider over a half dozen years or so? Just askin'...

I guess a "real safe" varies depending on who you ask, but a bought a 24 gun safe with 3 way locking action (moving bolts on one side, top, bottom and stationary bolts on the hinge side. Empty I think it was just under 500 lbs. It has a 30 min fire rating at 1400 degrees. Electronic lock with the 3 armed wheel. It was labeled with the Winchester brand name. Got it at Costco for $550.00.

[Oldgringo]

I've really been toying with the idea of getting a safe. So far, it appears to me a rider to my homeowners' insurance (what I have now) plus the contents coverage of the homeowner's policy remains cheaper than a "real" safe. By "real" safe, I mean a 4-500 pound 14 (?) gun safe with a certified fire rating.

I pay $152/year for full coverage on my guns. Granted, I only have 10 long guns and a half dozen handguns but there are no "Saturday Nite Specials" in the group. We have no little ones to concern ourselves with.

Where is a "real" safe that is cheaper than the insurance rider over a half dozen years or so? Just askin'...

I guess a "real safe" varies depending on who you ask, but a bought a 24 gun safe with 3 way locking action (moving bolts on one side, top, bottom and stationary bolts on the hinge side. Empty I think it was just under 500 lbs. It has a 30 min fire rating at 1400 degrees. Electronic lock with the 3 armed wheel. It was labeled with the Winchester brand name. Got it at Costco for $550.00.

Thanks. There are no Costco's in the Pineywoods and Sam's Club doesn't carry 'em. My trip to the Lufkin Academy was counter productive to say the least.

I'll look some more...

[gwashorn]

Well, I just had my new safe delivered and installed last night. I had been looking and researching for several months. Balancing my needs, size to fit where I wanted it, resistance to burglery and fire plus cost, I went with an American Security BF 6032. These are fire rated at 1275 degrees for 90 minutes. 1/2" solid front door steel plate plus metal framed and concrete filled, dual metal sides, top, back etc steel outside and inside filled with 2 inches fire rated concrete. Weighs 862 lbs, 11 bolts, 1.5" chromed steel bolts. It should deter the hit and grab robbers and hold up to protect from most fires. I wish it was a bit bigger but will hold what I need and it fit, just fit, through the closet door which is one of its designs is to go through the narrow closet doors. Outside basically 60x22x30. Got a floor display model at Carters and it saved me a few hundred from the ordered model. It gets good ratings. Could have gone with a higher rated HF series or other brands but for $1400.00 it fit the limits I had.

[WildBill]

Outside basically 60x22x30. Got a floor display model at Carters and it saved me a few hundred from the ordered model. It gets good ratings. Could have gone with a higher rated HF series or other brands but for $1400.00 it fit the limits I had.

One can always buy a bigger safe with a higher rating, but at some point you will have purchased a bank vault. I bought my first safe at a gun show. I got a better deal than if I had ordered it from the factory, because the seller didn't want to drive it all the way back to Oregon after the show.
I am sure that you will be happy with your purchase.