Low priced beginner safe

[zippy23]

A safe is not something to go cheap on. It is not something you buy thinking that you will upgrade it later on cuz you dont wanna spend a ton now. My advice, save up a alot of money. buy something with very thick steel, but something that you think you would fill up 1/3 of the way with everything you have now, because you will fill it with so many things you dont even think of, example, going out of town for a week, you put your laptop in there, watches, records, hard drives, whatever. Johnson safe makes a really really nice safe, I am so thankful i waited, saved the money and bought one from him as my first and my last safe. that is unless of course i hit the lotery. My relatives went the way of "getting a deal", they sure did get a deal, cheapo interior, thin steel, thin door steel, middle of the road locking mechanism, i would strongly advise you really research this stuff, as i started out like you, was told on here to do my research, i did a ton of it and you will be surprised at what the safe market is like. Get thicker steel than bargain safes, better fire protection than bargain safes. Its well worth the money. Oh and they weigh a ton if you buy the good ones, so unless you bolt it to the floor(advised) then its gonna be a lot harder to haul off a 900 pound safe as opposed to a 600 pound safe.

 

[lamboz1]

Costco has some nice ones on sale, free delivery too

BIGHORN 19ECB Safe

 

[danielson]

The kicker for me was internal hinges. Saw lots of videos of people accessing safes through the hinges on the outside. Just me though.....there's really not much difference in safes in this general price range.

Do the hinges mean much? Its the locking bars that make it difficult to open.

 

[42769vette]

I think for 300 dollars your going to get "cheap, thin walled locker style crap "

Yes for 500 dollars you could buy a new handgun, but you could also protect what you already have.

 

[NyleRN]

A safe is not something to go cheap on. It is not something you buy thinking that you will upgrade it later on cuz you dont wanna spend a ton now. My advice, save up a alot of money. buy something with very thick steel, but something that you think you would fill up 1/3 of the way with everything you have now, because you will fill it with so many things you dont even think of, example, going out of town for a week, you put your laptop in there, watches, records, hard drives, whatever. Johnson safe makes a really really nice safe, I am so thankful i waited, saved the money and bought one from him as my first and my last safe. that is unless of course i hit the lotery. My relatives went the way of "getting a deal", they sure did get a deal, cheapo interior, thin steel, thin door steel, middle of the road locking mechanism, i would strongly advise you really research this stuff, as i started out like you, was told on here to do my research, i did a ton of it and you will be surprised at what the safe market is like. Get thicker steel than bargain safes, better fire protection than bargain safes. Its well worth the money. Oh and they weigh a ton if you buy the good ones, so unless you bolt it to the floor(advised) then its gonna be a lot harder to haul off a 900 pound safe as opposed to a 600 pound safe.

^^^^
Listen to this guy OP, he speaks truth

 

[raptorracer]

Menards is always a good deal. There is a 11% sale going on this week i think. That is what I did and take extra amount on rebate. They have all kind of safes both fire proof and cheaper ones. They also fit the price range from most all budgets.

 

[DRob]

The $500 safe in the OP link is a handgun safe. No place for long guns. Read the reviews. Stack-On does make some real safes but their cheap ones are very thin sheet metal. Might resist a can opener. Menard's "11% sale" does not get you 11% off. It gets you an 11% mail-in rebate usable only at Menards.

 

[wtburnette]

So I've been looking since posting this and the best deal I've found so far is this:

Winchester® Gun Safe, 24 Gun Capacity - Tractor Supply Co.

Anyone have this safe, or know enough to be able to say if it's worth the price? I think it looks like a good beginner safe that should last me a few years before I outgrow it

 

[JBI812]

My first safe was purchased at Sam's Club for a tad less than 300.00. I believe it's made by Century. It's not fancy or fireproof but it works to secure a few handguns and other home valuables. I still have it and us it daily. It's heavy enough that a kid isn't going to carry it away. I later purchased a Liberty (28 gun) safe (900 pounds). We use both and wish we had another. I also purchased a Stack-On gun cabinet and added shelves. The door is secure and I use it in the garage for ammo. range accessories and other things on a temporary basis. It's a great place to park a gun when coming home from hunting and need to park my rifle or handgun until I have time to clean-it.

 

[zippy23]

How to Choose a Gun Safe: The Truth - YouTube

Please watch this. The right question is "how much steel is in this door?" You want a continuous weld, NOT a spot weld, Johnson fully welds the seams. If the door "looks" thick, it may only have 12 gauge steel, but it looks huge and people buy it cuz they think its real thick. Another thing, too many people have issues with electronic locking mechanisms, its easy to punch in a few numbers real quick, i've read too many people that regret it. go with the a good dial. This youtube video is awesome.

 

[zippy23]

The body on most safes is 1/2 to 1/3 the thickness of the door, and if they have a good cutting tool, then the door means absolutely nothing! if you look at the "after thanksgiving day sales" safes that come from china, the body thickness is laughable. One of the best lines in that youtube video is "when you invest in a safe....NOT BUY A SAFE, but when you invest in a safe...." I cant think of a better way to say it. When buying a gun, do we go buy the cheapo gun that will be used to defend out life? or do we want the best, the absolute best? Reliability? I would say spend as much as you can on a safe, since that is was is protecting the things that protect you and your way of life. Oh, and get a dog too if you dont have one, the bark of an animal will deter so many bad guys,

 

[FishnHunt]

Good two part series on safes here. I think they talk about Winchester in the first one.

[video=youtube;vGlqeWy94q0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGlqeWy94q0[/video]

 

[FishnHunt]

And part two.

[video=youtube;LZFMa8oSyB8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZFMa8oSyB8[/video]