…. scopes and safes??
I’m serious in this question and not looking to create a rant post. In discussions with some of my sponsors, more info is needed on what is lacking, not available, or needed to change. So I’m trying to put together a list things to bring to the table that encompass what real users want.
I wish I could buy a safe that has……
I wish my scope had……
Thanks,
Randy 
For safes, climate control and actual, real world gun storage capability are my two top priorities. IE rifles with scopes. One other thing I’d like. An affordable safe. I personally don’t care if my guns burn up in a fire. I want a safe that is secure so the kids can’t get into them. I’d have no problem spending up to $500.00 for a decent sized safe. There just isn’t much out there in that price point.
I wish for them to get reasonable on prices for safes. For the size, they are outrageous in price and there is no room for near the guns most of us have. The guns fall over because there is no latch to hold each in place, guns can scratch each other because they are too close and not locked in place and you can’t adequately adjust the racks inside for different length/shaped guns. Most of us have invariably pulled out a gun only to have it’s sling snag a scope on another gun knocking it to the floor.
I figured for the price of a top of the line Cannon I could build my own safe so I bought a vault door and built my own 100 sq foot gun safe with a dehumidifier, rebar reinforced concrete walls 8 inches thick with the same in the ceiling. For $3500 I actually have a functional gun safe that I can walk into. It is lighted, which is another drawback of gun safes as you can’t find anything in them without a flashlight. As an added bonus it works as a storm shelter. It is almost complete and I will post a picture of what it looks like. 
I figure most safe mfgs have no idea the actual size of a gun…. if you can get 15 guns in a 30 gun safe without crowding them all together you are lucky. There is no way you can put a gun in every spot… cant be done even with the smallest .22 or .17cal rifle.
Darrin I would love to see your creation 
Quote:
I figure most safe mfgs have no idea the actual size of a gun…. if you can get 15 guns in a 30 gun safe without crowding them all together you are lucky. There is no way you can put a gun in every spot… cant be done even with the smallest .22 or .17cal rifle.
Darrin I would love to see your creation
I want to see it also!
Some of these will be repeats, but…
Well, first a note. I get that there’s a difference between a “safe” and a “security cabinet”. My comments below apply to both as both seem to suffer from the same issues.
1. Get real on actual gun count the safe will hold. The only way I have ever gotten even close to getting 20 guns in my 20 gun safe is to store only shotguns in that safe. Be serious! This is not real life.
And by that, I mean that the safe should actually hold the stated number of guns even if ALL guns are scoped, bolt action rifles, wih slings (IMO, this is the gun that takes up the most space). No gun should touch any other gun while in the safe.
2. Make the gun cradle deep enough so that scoped rifles do not rest on the scope when leaning back against the cabinet.
My ideal would be to have individual rests that would be moved higher or lower for each gun.
3. Add a light with an easy-to-reach switch. With battery operated LED lights, I added one myself, but this should be an easy add that costs about $5 or less. As long as this is a wish list, add an auto-off feature that turns the light off after 20 minutes to save the battery.
4. Price! It seems like every company out there is chasing the top end of the market and we are overloaded with larger capacity safes in the $4k to >$7k price range.
What I think is missing are basic models of both safes and storage cabinets that offer a capaciy of greater than 16 guns for a reasonable price.
It is simply not cost or logstically feasible for me to own a giant safe that houses 40 guns. I can’t do it. So what I’d like is to get two reasonable 20 gun solutions, one could be a security cabinet, I would like to have one be a real safe for my heirloom guns and others of higher value.
But as it stands now, the price of a 20 gun safe, IMO is just silly. I can pay my added insurcance preimum for about 100 years for the cost of a low end safe right now.
Scopes are a whole other issue, so I’ll write that one up later.
Grouse
Once completed in another month I will post pictures. We are building a new house so I was able to incorporate this into the pour of the rest of the basement walls. This could also be done as an addition in your house but at a higher cost since you couldn’t pour the walls and ceiling very easily. There are videos on you tube on how to build a safe room with a vault door that is fire and burglar resistant.
Everyone – Thanks for the positive comments. These are VERY consistent with the same comments I got from the spring hunting shows from prospective buyers that elected to walk away from a sale. This information does really help 
Keep it coming!
I see I’m a little late to jump in but for what it’s worth, I’d have to agree that space, price, accessibility, and climate control are all issues I’d have to join the group with.
Space = Just as Grouse stated. Room for meticulous gun owners to not have any guns hitting each other, height adjustability, room for all scoped firearms so other arms space isn’t intruded and from ALL sides!
Accessibility = When I want to fetch the gun in the back, I don’t want to have to unload the entire safe/cabinet to get it out or put it back in it’s place. Also, I’d prefer to have enough space that hitting another gun becomes unlikely. Height would do a lot for this. Lighting would be a bonus in this effort as well.
Climate Control = Both temp and moisture That would be ideal. I’ve got moisture control devices in my safe/cabinets but I don’t like the maintenance of the “sponge” products and I don’t care for the “jerry-rigged” set ups I have for the moisture/heat bars. My dad has an old gun cabinet that has a wonderful set up in it for moisture control but it’s 40 years old and I’ve never seen one built like it in my lifetime! It’d be so simple to have in today’s options…… It makes no sense to just drill a hole for a cord and call it good!
Price = Ridiculous! To find the space and function I desire, I’m looking at financing for crying out loud! They appear to be aimed at the people that have a lot of extra cash to burn more so than just the average sportsman or enthusiast. Not to mention, not every household is a two income establishment. Proper care and safety is desired by everyone so it needs to be affordable for single income households.
In my current storage dilemmas, I actually went and bought every gun I own it’s own sock. At least that way, any contact with other guns is minimizing any dings or surface wear on the stocks. They’re labeled in permanent marker so I know what’s what but it’s really a pain to deal with. It’s like taking the gun out twice and putting it away twice!
Not too late!
Also, safes should not be lined with plush materials… that will melt in any fire and ruin guns, that might not have otherwise been hurt by the actual fire. That one bugs the heck out of me… 
For a scope, I would love one that won’t fog up so bad in drizzle/snow in Montana, that you can’t see a dozen Whitetails exploding in all directions at 40 yards… 
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