# Single / Two Pistol Safe



## firefighterwall (Mar 1, 2009)

Can anyone recommend to me a decent safe to store one, maybe two pistols, and ammunition?

Must have the following:
-Relatively fireproof
-Relatively tamper proof
-Won't cost me tons of cash
-Quick open ability


This is mainly to store the gun out of the way and keep honest people honest as well as keep curious fingers OFF. I don't have children, and none ever come to the house, but I have friends who might be curious and a fiancee who doesn't need to touch it until she's learned how to fire it.

Thanks!


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## Redwolf (Nov 29, 2008)

One, I am guilty of it myself but you shouldn't store your ammo and guns in the same safe. that being said try here 
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=gun+safes&x=20&y=23


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## firefighterwall (Mar 1, 2009)

To be honest my ammo will probably be stored in a separate safe, but I will have a magazine or two with the pistol already ready to roll (if not already a round chambered).

The idea is to have a safe I can rapidly open if my alarm system goes off (I have a fairly thorough one), the dog barks, or I hear a "bump in the night" yet one that will keep the pistol out of visible range. I wouldn't mind storing something else in there too, maybe a little bit of cash, credit cards, etc.


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## Marcus99 (Apr 23, 2008)

What're you looking to spend?


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## firefighterwall (Mar 1, 2009)

Well to be honest I was hoping to be a bit more frugal about it, but I'm not averse to spending a coupla extra bucks to get something quality rather than a POS that will lock up on me, fail, or be super easy to open.

I hadn't thought of a hard price, it all depends on if I see something that seems quality enough and seems to be a reasonable expense.

If you can throw some examples out that'd be good. I see those cheap honeywell ones but I see a lot of people griping about them too, and last thing I want is a safe that will not open when I need it to.


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## Redwolf (Nov 29, 2008)

this might help

http://www.stack-on.com/securityplus/personal_and_quick_access_safes/index.html


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## firefighterwall (Mar 1, 2009)

thanks for that link. I believe my local gunstore has some of those on display that I tried out...seemed to open without a hitch almost every time, though to be honest I'm not sure if it was these exact brands or one that looked mighty similar.


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## dblshred (Jan 31, 2009)

These might work for you.


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## firefighterwall (Mar 1, 2009)

thanks dblshred, I was thinking of one of those.

Does anyone actually have one of these? I recall reading a review where an individual had one and seemed to have an issue with the buttons functioning properly all the time.

I'm curious as to whether this was just a fluke of the particular safe he had, or something to actually worry about.

Push comes to shove there is a key backup, but I'd rather not take the extra time to get it out when I need that pistol.


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## Too Slow '90 (Jan 4, 2009)

firefighterwall said:


> Can anyone recommend to me a decent safe to store one, maybe two pistols, and ammunition?
> 
> Must have the following:
> -Relatively fireproof
> ...


I was looking for the same thing and I don't think it exists. As pistol safes go I was told by several safe companies that they are not very fireproof if at all. My thoughts were that if the ammo or cash was not protected by at least a 1hr rating then the cash would quickly burn and who knows what would happen to the ammo. In the end I went with a Granite Security gun safe (holds rifles too) that has a good rating so I feel everything is secure. It's also good if you add a few more guns so you have room to expand. I know it's not what you asked but unless you are only going to store one pistol for quick access (no cash, ammo etc..) I don't think it will work..or at least it would not work for me.


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2009)

firefighterwall said:


> I have... a fiancee who doesn't need to touch it until she's learned how to fire it.


I know its none of my business but...

Here is this woman who is _supposedly_ your best friend, your soulmate, the woman who you trust with your very life and maybe even the contributor of half of the DNA of your your heirs but yet you believe the only way to keep her from handling your gun is to lock it away?

Don't get me wrong, having a safe is a wise investment, but if I told my wife that I have a safe and there is stuff in there that I don't want her to get your hands on because I don't trust her, my name would be changed from Scott to Plaintiff!

Scott


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## firefighterwall (Mar 1, 2009)

scottaschultz said:


> I know its none of my business but...
> 
> Here is this woman who is _supposedly_ your best friend, your soulmate, the woman who you trust with your very life and maybe even the contributor of half of the DNA of your your heirs but yet you believe the only way to keep her from handling your gun is to lock it away?
> 
> ...


Would you trust someone with a pistol who had never fired one before, and who is at this point still very afraid of them?

She needs to walk before she can run. That's just common sense.

Our relationship is fine though, thanks.


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## Guest (Mar 8, 2009)

Every relationship is different and you need to do what is in your "comfort zone". 

While my wife does got shooting with me on occasion, she does not share the same level of enthusiasm for firearms as I do. What she does understand is that these are lethal weapons. She knows that they can have life-altering or even life-ending effects if misused. I absolutely trust her in every respect and do not find it necessary to keep any of my firearms locked up for the purpose of keeping her away from them. 

I have several shotguns and they are all locked up. She has never fired my 10 or 12 ga shotguns because she is afraid of them... as well she should be, especially the 10 ga monsters. They are locked up because our grandchildren come over. I keep them under lock and key so they will keep their grubby little mitts off of Pawpaw's guns! My wife knows where the key is and can open the cabinet any time she wants. 

Anyway, I am glad to know your relationship is doing well and I wish you my heartfelt congratulations and wishes for many happy years together.

Scott


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## firefighterwall (Mar 1, 2009)

Mine is scared of pistols. She is not quite anti-gun, but she is as close to it as you can get. She does not believe we need one, and she does not feel it necessary to use one. 

I am slowly trying to bring her around. However, in the meantime, I am the man of the house and it falls upon me to protect my family at any cost, which I will easily do. Her discomfort and dislike of firearms is secondary to my desire to defend her and our family at any cost.

She will learn how to use it, if it is to be in the house -- I have made that clear to her. I do not put my foot down or say "this isn't an option" almost ever, but with this, I most certainly have.

However in the meantime, she does not need to pick up and move (to clean, for instance, or sort a drawer out, or whatever) a loaded firearm that she is not familiar with, hit something and knock it over, or any other issue that could arise. That is how accidents happen...while she respects firearms and the power they have, I am a fan of not pushing my luck.

Trust has nothing to do with it, respect has nothing to do with it. Common sense and safety precautions have EVERYTHING to do with it, and saying that you want to keep the hands of an untrained individual off a deadly weapon is intelligent, and I see nothing "not trusting" or "not respectful" in that thought process.

I'd no sooner hand an untrained adult a pistol than I would hand a child one. Either could be equally dangerous to themselves and others.


In addition, on a more friendly note, I'd advise against reading too deeply into someone's personal life based on a single arbitrary sentence in a random post about a random topic on an internet forum.


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## Guest (Mar 8, 2009)

You are absolutely correct. There is no right or wrong answer to this. You came here asking for recommendations for a safe and I diverted the discussion away from the topic at hand and for that I apologize. 

As safe is never a bad idea and you need to do what you need to do for your own peace of mind. 

Friends?

Scott


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## firefighterwall (Mar 1, 2009)

Now we're seeing eye to eye...it's all about peace of mind. Same reason I have my alarm system, same reason I have my heavy duty locks, same reason I have my large dog, and a good part of the reason I will have firearms! 

And of course we're friends! We were never anything but haha. 

So on that note, what safe did you end up with in particular, how much did it run, and are you happy with it?


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## Guest (Mar 8, 2009)

For the handguns, we have a garden variety Sentry brand safe with a combination lock that we bought from one of the office supply stores. We use it mostly for important papers and such and are not too concerned with needing to get to them on a moments notice. I am probably one of 18 people in the known universe who does not buy guns for personal protection or concealed carrying purposes. As far as the handguns are concerned, they are strictly for sport and stress relief.

Where you have 1 dog, we have 4! They are all full-bred Siberian Huskies that have all been rescued from shelters or puppy mills. We didn't adopt them for security, but that is certainly a side benefit even though there are other breeds that make much better guard dogs. We just happen to like that breed and have rescuing them for over 15 years. 

For the rifles and shotguns, they are in a glass-front display case that is locked, but honestly, you could probably pry the door open with a screwdriver. I guess we go on the assumption that locks are to keep the honest people out! The same is true for the bottom section where the shells are stored. A large part of our peace of mind comes from the fact we moved from the city to a somewhat rural area. People know each other out here and pretty much trust each other and until or unless that changes, we probably won't be changing our firearm storage strategy.

Scott


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## firefighterwall (Mar 1, 2009)

I like huskies but other than making a lot of noise have never known them to be good guard dogs...have had two that I raised from puppies.

They are sure stubborn and knuckleheaded dogs though, but beautiful and sweet and not terribly hard to care for (until their coat blows out during summer).

I think I will end up going with one of those gunvault safes or something. We'll see.


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## Recoil (Jan 11, 2009)

I picked up the DAC Sportsafe because I liked that you can program it to open with as few as three key presses and up to six. Also comes with key backup.

http://www.mydiscountstation.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=181


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

scottaschultz said:


> I am probably one of *18 people in the known universe *who does not buy guns for personal protection or concealed carrying purposes.


There's that many?!?!


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## tekhead1219 (May 16, 2008)

scottaschultz said:


> Where you have 1 dog, we have 4! We didn't adopt them for security, but that is certainly a side benefit ..... Scott


Security as a side benefit? Since you're "one of about 18 people in the known universe that doesn't have handguns for concealed carry or protection", carrying 4 dogs into town with you to protect you and your family from the bad guys has got to be a real chore.:anim_lol:


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## Guest (Mar 10, 2009)

You should see the reaction when we take them all to PetSmart!


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## literaltrance (Dec 24, 2008)

firefighterwall said:


> thanks dblshred, I was thinking of one of those.
> 
> Does anyone actually have one of these? I recall reading a review where an individual had one and seemed to have an issue with the buttons functioning properly all the time.
> 
> ...


I have the single-weapon gunvault and plan on getting a double-size in the near future. I am very satisfied with it and can make no serious complaints. Still, as a subjective consumer (and since you asked), I'll be more critical....

The safe is very rugged, although the single-sized gunvault volume is deceiving and gets drastically smaller as you go from front to back. There is no way I would believe the gunvault to be fireproof or fire-resistant; it is lined with a fairly rugged grey foam, although I imagine it would melt at the first signs of high temperatures. Speaking of fires and durability, I bought this product at the recommendation of my CCW instructor who also happens to be LE. As a test, he asked some of his firefighter buddies to rip one apart by whatever means necessary. It took them over 90 minutes with SEVERAL tools available to them. My understanding is the jaws of life is what eventually broke the safe, but most of the time was spent creating a gap big enough so the jaws could be inserted. Pretty rugged!

The selling point to this product really is the owner's ability to quickly access its contents while prohibiting access from anyone else. The is entirely dependent upon the user entering the correct code. A single failure to enter the correct code will result in the panel freezing and resetting for a about two seconds. Multiple failures to enter the correct code can result in the gunvault panel freezing for several seconds or freezing entirely (honestly I don't remember what the manual said, and I don't have problems forgetting or "typo"ing my passcode...I doubt you'll have problems either).

The best I can fit into the safe is a compact-sized semi-auto with 3-4 mags. To add anymore objects would hinder access to the weapon when the SHTF. Besides, in a pinch, this is more than I can carry with two hands.

A fully loaded compact + three mags in a secure, quickly-accessed location is exactly what I wanted, and the gunvault delivers.


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## clanger (Jan 27, 2009)

Redwolf said:


> One, I am guilty of it myself but you shouldn't store your ammo and guns in the same safe.


Yup- me too. If the BG's get in my safe, they're going to get into anything else I have that's that secure or less. Including the lock box inside the safe designed for 'secure ammo storage'.

Could be stored in worse places, esp if there's a fire. That way Johnny Firedood don't catch a stray if it's all in my safe.

I prefer a cable through my pistols and everything stored in the safe. Too many safes gets to be a pain. I aint got room for it all and if yer hardcore enough to get into mine? Then I truly gots other things to worry about.

Reminds me....all that BMG I got under my bed that's holding it up prolly needs to be moved to a 'safer' spot.


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## mels95yj (Nov 25, 2008)

I also have a GunVault. I have the Mini Deluxe which has an external power supply (you'll still need AA batteries), an interior light and an alarm feature. I have it bolted down to a cheap nightstand next to the bed. I also bought the steel cable which I have wrapped around the headboard. 

I agree, with the above post, that said this is not fireproof. The combination you choose depends on how fast you can get it open. If you go too fast, it will lock it and you'll have to wait 1-2 seconds before punching it in again. Keep this in mind when you come up with the combination. First I had a combination consisting of single and multiple numbers, but that caused me too many incorrect attempts. I changed it to just single button pushes. The deluxe models have a sensor that you would alert you to someone (a child) getting too close to it and when 24 incorrect attempts are made. 

I can put a Beretta 92FS and HK USPc in the safe at the same time. I have to push the HK all the way to the back and then the Beretta. They form a rectangle kinda. HTH

Mel


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## literaltrance (Dec 24, 2008)

mels95yj said:


> I can put a Beretta 92FS and HK USPc in the safe at the same time. I have to push the HK all the way to the back and then the Beretta. They form a rectangle kinda. HTH
> 
> Mel


Yea, I've been able to do this, but there's absolutely no room for anything else. Plus, the firearm in back is pointing right out the door. I can see a scenario where fingers of a rushed owner hit the trigger of the rearward handgun in an attemot to grab a firearm.

:smt166

Not something I would recommend!


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## mels95yj (Nov 25, 2008)

literaltrance said:


> Yea, I've been able to do this, but there's absolutely no room for anything else. Plus, the firearm in back is pointing right out the door. I can see a scenario where fingers of a rushed owner hit the trigger of the rearward handgun in an attemot to grab a firearm.
> 
> :smt166
> 
> Not something I would recommend!


Actually, my HK has the muzzle pointing towards the left side of the safe and the Beretta is laying on it's left side pointing back. I don't think it would work with a gun much longer than the HK though. It's a pretty tight fit in the back of the safe as you said earlier. I agree with you though on not wanting the scenario you described.

Mel


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## Binks (Mar 11, 2009)

Maybe you want to buy a chest or desk with lockable drawers. This is furniture, of course, but you can hold a lot more guns, as well as other items. For example, if you keep your guns in the bedroom, you can have one locked drawer where you keep several guns, and another drawer where you keep socks and underwear, and so on. If you keep you guns in the office, you might have a locked drawer for the guns in your desk, next to another drawer that contains office supplies. You might even keep ammunition in an adjacent drawer for easy access. 

I keep my guns and ammunition together in an unlocked drawer. Then again, I live alone, so this is not a problem.


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