Safes: Amsec, Sturdy

[SpookyPistolero]

Hello! I'm in the market for a safe, and have had a tough time sorting through the confusing world of RSC's.

TheSafeGuy has made me rethink a lot about the security of thicker steel (I was already sold on the fire protection of Amsec) and I'm thinking of stretching my budget even further and picking up an Amsec. My concern now is primarily space and growing room.

How many long arms are you folks able to store in your BF6636? I see it's listed at 36, but that's obviously for a bunch of single shot shotguns. Looking to secure about twenty long arms (four precision rifles, some ARs, milsurp, etc.) and various pistols. Would the 6636 be 'barely holding' that much?

I'd like to future proof my purchase a bit to allow for a few more down the road. It's almost 6k for the next size up in Amsec safes, and I can't swing that much. If I can't store what I need to in an Amsec, I'll just have to default back to a Liberty Fatboy. My original budget was $3500 but the difference between quality levels doesn't seem to kick in until around $4k..

The ne​​xt option is a Sturdy, which would run around $4500. This feels like a tall order for a level of fire protection that might be placebo.

Thanks for your thoughts! ​

 

[BurnOut]

Honestly, you'll be playing a game of Jenga getting 20 long guns into a 6636. It can be done (using gun socks, etc... to reduce scratching), but it wouldn't leave you much if anything in the way of room to grow. Are you looking at the 6636 because of budgetary constraints or space/location constraints?

 

[MStew308]

I have an AMSEC BF7250...It's a pretty big and heavy RSC. I love it, but it won't hold as many long guns as advertised, not unless you remove every bit of shelving that's in the bottom portion of the safe, even then I don't think it will hold as many long guns as advertised. I see the BF6636 advertising a total long gun capacity of 26. A good general rule of thumb with safes is to buy bigger than what you think you will need. Trust me, that safe will fill up faster than you think. At least mine did anyway. What really starts to take up tons of room is storing rifles with scopes and AR's with scopes and other accessories. Pistols aren't really an issue unless you have a ton of them. 20 long guns may be a bit of a squeeze in the 6636, especially your 4 precision rifles, which I'm assuming all have scopes mounted on them. If I were you I'd save some more and go bigger, you will need the extra space quicker than you think. I got my 7250 for 5k. Plus another 420 for a licensed and bonded safe installer to put it in my house. I would stay away from the glossy finish safes as they just add to the price without adding additional security. I also opted for the mechanical dial instead of digital, just my preference. FWIW, my safe has been great and stored everything I have needed it to, but it's pretty much slam full now and can't really fit much else except maybe a few small things. Maybe I need to sell some guns........Nah, I'll just get another safe lol.

 

[SpookyPistolero]

Honestly, you'll be playing a game of Jenga getting 20 long guns into a 6636. It can be done (using gun socks, etc... to reduce scratching), but it wouldn't leave you much if anything in the way of room to grow. Are you looking at the 6636 because of budgetary constraints or space/location constraints?

It's going in the garage unfortunately, so room is less of a problem than budget. Even the 6636 is more than I should really be considering with a kiddo on the way. I'm very tempted to get the Fatboy and just try to live with a subpar container.

 

[BurnOut]

It's going in the garage unfortunately, so room is less of a problem than budget. Even the 6636 is more than I should really be considering with a kiddo on the way. I'm very tempted to get the Fatboy and just try to live with a subpar container.

The tricky thing about garage installations is that most people keep all of their tools (that could be used to attempt to break in to the safe)... in the garage. Additionally, the ol' chain-and-yank with a bad guy's truck is much easier in a garage than it is from within the house. That said, if the garage is the only option, then the garage is the only option. Based on your situation, I think that if I were in your shoes I'd look around for a used proper (TL-rated) safe, since it'll be installed in the garage (read: thicker concrete, installers don't have to transition finished flooring). Bolt it down (of course), and purchase rechargeable humidity absorption devices (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H0XFC...t=&hvlocphy=9026815&hvtargid=pla-175638461812 or similar).

 

[SpookyPistolero]

The tricky thing about garage installations is that most people keep all of their tools (that could be used to attempt to break in to the safe)... in the garage. Additionally, the ol' chain-and-yank with a bad guy's truck is much easier in a garage than it is from within the house. That said, if the garage is the only option, then the garage is the only option. Based on your situation, I think that if I were in your shoes I'd look around for a used proper (TL-rated) safe, since it'll be installed in the garage (read: thicker concrete, installers don't have to transition finished flooring). Bolt it down (of course), and purchase rechargeable humidity absorption devices (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H0XFC...t=&hvlocphy=9026815&hvtargid=pla-175638461812 or similar).

Yeah there are definite downsides to the garage, but not a lot of indoor options, certainly not for a safe that size. I have been looking for used TL15 safes, but the moving logistics are tough and finding one big enough is even tougher. The right one is a unicorn, it seems. Sturdy makes a big enough model, with a good five square feet of floor space, but you're left with weak fire protection.