To make a long story short, I need a secure place to store approximately 12 rifles and shotguns. What are the options for gun safes nowadays, where can one buy them, and what should one expect to pay? Also, is it OK to put a safe in a garage and do they need to be affixed to the floor? Thanks.
It all depends on how paranoid you are about the guns getting stolen. (Paranoia as I’m using it here is not necessarily a bad thing.) Go on a hardcore gun forum and they will all tell you that the only secure way to store your gun collection is in a concrete and steel reinforced vault inside your basement locked with a two-foot-thick steel door, and that the only gun safes that are worth a damn are those that cost more than two thousand dollars, or whatever. If you have a really expensive and extensive firearms collection, you are going to want to worry not only about theft but also about fire - in this case you want a safe that can withstand a serious amount of heat, and that will run you a great deal of money.
If you are not THAT invested in your gun collection then something like this is probably a good compromise. That’s a Sentry safe from Dick’s Sporting Goods that holds 14 guns and will withstand 1400 degrees fahrenheit for thirty minutes. It costs 759.99 The non fireproof models on that site will run you several hundred dollars less.
You should plan on getting a safe that can hold more guns than you actually own, because you will probably buy more guns in the future at some point and you will want to have space for them.
Check the classified ads because sometimes people sell off their old safes if their collection has expanded.
I think a lot of it will depend on your personal situation. I have a hunting buddy that lives out in the coutry a ways from anyone. Someone watched his place, came when he was gone and stole his safe despite it being bolted. I don’t bolt mine because I live in a quiet, visible neighborhood and no one could ever get to it or remove it without attracting an excess of attention.
I’ll let someone else speak to putting one in a garage. I didn’t want to because of concerns about temperature fluctuations and humidity. Mine’s inside in the library and, decorative, it’s an aesthetically pleasing addition.
You might also consider buying big because they’re great for storing valuables besides guns and ammo. We keep some documents, a coin and stamp collection, passports, etc all in there. Another reason to get one with a suitable fireproof rating.
I have heard of people putting bags of lead shot or big pieces of steel plate in the bottom of the safes to make them so heavy they’d be harder to steal.
Forget the ones with keyholes. Just not as cool as a bug honkin’ combination knob and a wheel to draw the bolts back.
Pretty much anything can be broken into or hauled away by determined people with enough time and the right tools. The question is how well prepared would a thief have to be, and how long would they have to work? I would at the least make certain that the safe can’t just be loaded onto a hand truck and wheeled away for the thief to crack at his leisure. Unless you have a good alarm system, keeping the safe in the garage where an intruder could work unobserved is probably a bad idea.
If flooding is a possibility you might not want to put it in the basement