Thread: Best value gunsafe

Hi all. I imagine this may have been covered before.

I'm keen to replace my safe which, (without going into much detail) is a converted cabinet originally built for another purpose. My main motivation for this is to improve my security despite the existing set up being ticked off last inspection by police.

What would you recomend getting? Size wise I guess 10 gun-ish would be nice to have.

Thanks in advance for any insight you could share.

I dont have an answer, just want to keep an eye on this thread and watch with interest.

Were I in your position (as I see it) I would not be buying ANYTHING unless absolutely essential to satisfy the whims and vagaries of Constable Plod until such time as has finished playing in his sand pit, put away his crayons and promised us that he has ceased "moving the goal posts."

REASON being he keeps making things up as he goes along, adding, deleting and re-interpreting at our expence. Imagine spending $1K on ammunition storage on Wednesday and on Friday Constable Plod tells us that he has been scribbling with his crayons and your purchase is now no longer legal as it is not acceptable for it's purpose.

Without getting into the specifics, which as above may well change (before the ink dries when finally written!), I’d make some general observations

You can never have a gun safe that’s too big. You can easily end up with one that’s too small

Any secure system is only going to keep the honest people out; at best you can hope to delay/ inconvenience those with less honest intent. This means that it is reasonable to ensure you focus on your own comfort and practical access. Adequate lightning and an appropriate means of eliminating humidity issues should be a priority regardless of final design/product chosen

A locked cabinet is only as secure as the key or combination. Key security is even more important than cabinet security.

My 2c worth

Correction; adequate lighting.

Although adequate lightning would constitute a good deterrent....

Hey 987

It really comes down to how "safe" you would like ya bang sticks to be, I'll use the old terms as it's the easiest.

Most general "A cat" safes are pretty much the same, their steel thickness & construction are all fairly similar & so is the price, some have key pads ( with key back up ) or combination locks which is handy if you go in & out often & some have better locking pins including top & bottom of the door & generally they will do the job of keeping people out, they are not indestructible & if given enough time & effort can be opened. It's a $600 box not a bank vault.

If you value your firearm investment then an "E cat" safe is a better option, Heavier, more solid construction & slightly dearer, Extreme & Kilwell are two options. The extreme 8 gun is cheaper & you can tell, the overall finish is ok, but it's not a bad safe. Kilwell is bigger, heavier & more expensive, As with the other safe's - they're not a bank vault but would take a bit of effort to pop into.


I'm not sure how many FA's ya have but it's always a good idea to get at least a 10 gun unit ( some manufactures can be very optimistic with capacity ) remember if it's a rifle she's probably guna be wearing a scope, always bolt the thing down with plenty of decent hard wear - over bolt it ( amazing how many times you see / hear of safes just sitting in a wardrobe free standing & hide it away out of sight. Worse thing with many safes is their cheap Chinese locks, don't lose ya keys or ya fucked & make sure you look after em, Don't leave em sitting in an old coffee mug on ya reloading bench.

Most crims are opportunist, they will steal shit that is quick'n'easy to carry & sell, not very often do they target FA's unless for a certain reason.

Hope that helps

Hi thanks very much for the input received so far. Is there likely to be a change in steel thickness requirements or lock design required by law post ChCh terror attacks? I apologize, I'll admit I'm not 100% across the changes in legislation thus far as I know some of you on here are.

I have just replaced my safe as it was to small. I got one from Farmlands for $450. I don't think it would take much to get into it. I also spent another $60 dollars on carpet and glue to line it. I should of bought a better one.

Topmaq have gun safes for lower costs that most hunting/gun stores.

Buy NZ made. Very good quality.

https://tsl-and-select-engineering.m...ions/b-licence

Originally Posted by Salmon987

Hi thanks very much for the input received so far. Is there likely to be a change in steel thickness requirements or lock design required by law post ChCh terror attacks? I apologize, I'll admit I'm not 100% across the changes in legislation thus far as I know some of you on here are.

Hi 987 - for what it's worth I haven't heard anything about what police may or may not change in the future and I try to keep abreast of FAL politics

If you have a friend who welds and can knock you one up or if you just take your time scanning the 2nd hand listings in your area and get something suitable, remember that if they change anything for you as an A-cat FAL holder then they will have to change it for everyone so you will get plenty of warning as part of a large herd

Also keep an eye on Safe listings on Tardme in your area - very heavy things are inherently uneconomic to freight so locals can get bargains

Less than 12 months ago I had an opportunity to buy a bank safe door for around $2k but sadly I am not building a strong room

Thanks all again for the replies. By value, I'm not necessarily chasing bottom dollar, as you rightly point out-I can find that out easily myself. I had considered building one myself however am generally time poor these days, so wondered what others might buy in they were in my position.

get a decent metal safe then line the inner with mdf. its a bastard to grind thru, if you use a metal blade to saw it wont cut wood and vice versa. not foolproof but it sure slows illegal entry down.
having said that if some bastard is holding you or your family at gunpoint then its going to get opened.

Originally Posted by mimms2

When was the last time that happened in NZ?

wait till theres a registry, leaked info will be a bloody shopping list

Take a look at the lokaway brand of safes. Hard to describe in words - but the whole door moves, and the leading edge of the door tucks in behind another lip so it cant be pried with a screw driver or crowbar or similar. There are no exposed hinges and you cant pry the door from anywhere.