My first gun safe

I am getting my first gun safe for my first rifle. Sure, I can buy the cheapest safe there is to get past the house inspection... but I don't want to waste money... in needing a new safe in a few years. Better to get the one good safe now. I can see myself in the future owning, perhaps 6 rifles at most and at least one will be a 338 Lapua Rifle and at least one other target shooting rifle.

The video below is to my probable first rifle buy...

https://youtu.be/9kEs8Jd2xwo?list=PL...RVmz-lmeOH7n33

Is there anything to avoid in getting a gun safe... or anything that is a must or needed?

Thanks.

Buy the biggest and best you can afford. They never hold as many as stated, especially once scoped.

Check the max internal length vs your intended contents. I've got 2 shotguns and a Martini Enfield that won't fit in 2 of mine, I use them for ammo and general storage now. That could be the option if you want to keep the cost down at this stage.

One thing which may seem petty but buy a safe that the door opens 180 degrees. Or at least well past 90 degrees. I had two safes that doors opened 90 degrees and I wouldn’t have another like that.. As others mention divide what the tell they will hold in half. And do the gun rests allow you to easily store rifles with larger scopes.

If you top to tail even with scopes, you will exceed the rated capacity of most safes. Back firearms get a bit hard to remove but just put your least used at the back.
The 90-degree door is not an issue for me as I always aim to install a safe in a corner. Can bolt thru 2 walls then. And if possible, have the lot mechanism nearest one wall.

Some of the basic ones will fulfill the requirements but are pretty flimsy and kinda shit.

I ended up getting a Spika one. Felt much more solid and better locking mechanism. Bit more expensive but worth it and will last forever (if you get one big enough)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by camenzie

Some of the basic ones will fulfill the requirements but are pretty flimsy and kinda shit.

I ended up getting a Spika one. Felt much more solid and better locking mechanism. Bit more expensive but worth it and will last forever (if you get one big enough)

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Just got a Spika ammo safe. Most impressed.
A lot of the others I would only rate as "cabinets"

I think you're on to it, plan for the future. A safe advertised as 6 gun is probably more like 5, or even 4 unless you want your expensive rifles piled on top of each other. Make sure it is has the capacity to hold a shotgun. Shotguns tend to be longer and this caught me out. Next time around, I'd go for a combination safe so I don't have to carry a couple of big keys around with me all the time and no, hiding the keys in the house is not an option!

This was supposed to be a reply to Roktoy, but it got lost in translation: true , this is - I have one that should hold five but two of the four current occupants are o/u shotguns that require less width, and it's already crowded with two other scoped rifles.

if you plan to put the safes on a solid floor or concrete, waterproof around it before you place the safes on.

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Originally Posted by MB

... Next time around, I'd go for a combination safe so I don't have to carry a couple of big keys around with me all the time and no, hiding the keys in the house is not an option!

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I wouldn't go for a combination lock, it's a pain to open.
go for a digital lock, so much easier to use,
waterproof around and set up a 240V connection for light or dampchaser.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Snap 4T

wouldn't go for a combination lock, it's a pain to open.
go for a digital lock, so much easier to use,
waterproof around and set up a 240V connection for light or dampchaser.

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I didn't know combo locks were that bad.

Slightly off topic, but there's quite a few posts about damp gun safes and rust etc. Every time I see them, I think you've got bigger problems than your guns rusting! Admittedly, not a very helpful observation to someone in that situation.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Snap 4T

if you plan to put the safes on a solid floor or concrete, waterproof around it before you place the safes on.




I wouldn't go for a combination lock, it's a pain to open.
go for a digital lock, so much easier to use,
waterproof around and set up a 240V connection for light or dampchaser.

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Only if it comes with a key back up.

Also don't panic about ensuring your first safe will cater to all future needs. The scenario of two three gun safes has some advantages over the scenario of one six gun safe.

My first safe was a large cabinet.
It was good enough for A-Cat stuff.
When my needs grew, I installed in a second (better) safe.
The rifle was moved into that while the original cabinet then became my ammo locker.

Also consider:
There has been a trend recently for the inspecting officers to debate just how many rifles you will store in your safe; a max number.
They will try to talk your max number down.
Whatever number ‘you both agree upon’ will be written down by them on the inspection form.
Agreed: there doesn’t seem to be anywhere for them to actually ‘store’ this quasi ‘approved number’ but they are doing it.

Good luck.

If your looking at getting safes such as spika/ridgeline that cost $600-$1000, be wary that they're just as thin as the cheaper safes (3mm door, 2mm box) as well as having comparable locking bolts. One system that initially caught my eye was the Lokaway models with the anti pry tech, but after doing some thinking the most likely attack on a safe in this day and age would be from a cordless angle grinder not a pry bar. With that being said I'd buy a thick (6mm) large safe (space for 10-15) and put it in a wall.

The other side to consider would be your ammo storage - to feed those rifles.
It starts to fill up once you’ve got two different calibres.
Not everyone has the luxury of space, but I was lucky to be able to plan things out a bit.
I left enough space (in the ideal spot) for my future safe, meanwhile I installed my first safe in the ‘second most ideal’ spot.

Don’t forget, there are a few different ways of mounting a safe.
A mate installed his like it is a chest - ‘lying’ on the slab.
I’ve seen another, in a flood prone area, that installed his (small, 1 or 2 gun) safe upside-down, bolted to the wall and ceiling.
Mine is mounted on a concrete plinth…

Most safes sadly are overpriced rubbish, designed by inbred morons.

A typical 5 gun safe will maybe fit 3 and its going to be awkward and the guns are constantly banging against eachother because there is no proper way of holding them in place, without doing modifications

The included "ammo cabinet" is compliant but on the ones where the cabinet is behind the main door it is tiny and not suitable for storing more than a box or two. once you want to put bolts and magazines in there as well... forget about it.

Buy as big as you can, if it comes with ammo compartment make sure its not "internal". Dont put your safe in your cold and damp shed, put it where it is warm and dry, and rust will not be an issue. Or faff around with gun safe heaters.

Sone other food for thought:

Each time I’ve installed a safe, the inspecting officer put both hands on it/them and tried to give them a good shake.
Another time, one officer measured across the flats of the bolt heads to determine the size of bolts I used.
In the last round, I made sure that I bought ‘one extra’ of each fastener just so that they could see the hardware that was used.
I heard of one officer who apparently took out a torque wrench.
I do now recall one who took out a large shifter and tried to budge the bolts.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wcm

Sone other food for thought:

Each time I’ve installed a safe, the inspecting officer put both hands on it/them and tried to give them a good shake.
Another time, one officer measured across the flats of the bolt heads to determine the size of bolts I used.
In the last round, I made sure that I bought ‘one extra’ of each fastener just so that they could see the hardware that was used.
I heard of one officer who apparently took out a torque wrench.
I do now recall one who took out a large shifter and tried to budge the bolts.

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What are inspectors actually allowed to do when inspecting gun safes?

My natural inclination is to tell an inspector "Look don't touch" and definitely not allow them to try to attack the fasteners.

My bolt heads are inside the safe(s) so if they got to those the safe is open and the integrity is moot.

Regarding selection of safes - your biggest security risk is the criminal holding a weapon on your partner or family member and saying "give me the keys." What do you do then?

I view safes as stopping the casual thief, the serious thief will be better equipped and soon have your safe(s) open one way or another.

Get safes that fit your weapons - my target rifles are 1350mm long and won't fit in most safes.
Get the best you can afford today. Plan on buying more as you will buy more contents.

As already posted way back, I recently bought a Spika Ammo Safe. It is dimensionally designed to bolt to the top of their gun safe line.
Highly recommend the brand. It will still be Chinese but that's how it is nowadays.

The downside was I had to get it thru my local H&F, an outfit I swore on an oath of blood to never deal with.


https://spika.co.nz/resources/safe-specs-sheet

Agree to buy larger safe. I bought mine and thought I won't need more than the current safe can hold.... it is full now and trying to sell to make space.