Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

something like heston's walk-in safe has been a dream of mine for years. thanks for sharing that!

liberty makes a really nice safe, equal to fort knox in every way. are these locksmiths down on mount vernon ave? i have always found their prices to be high.

silentshootr wrote:something like heston's walk-in safe has been a dream of mine for years. thanks for sharing that!

liberty makes a really nice safe, equal to fort knox in every way. are these locksmiths down on mount vernon ave? i have always found their prices to be high.

Baldinos over in Springfield. They're right around the corner from me. I've heard and read good things about Liberty. Going to check them out today.

zephyp wrote: Baldinos over in Springfield. They're right around the corner from me.

ahhhh okay, we're not in the same 'alexandria'. i live in rosemont, which is above historic old town. springfield is a foreign city to me lol (if they fixed the beltway properly it wouldn't be).

when you find a model you like, type it in google and see what kinds of other prices come up so you know what range you're in. there are a ton of online stores as well so you're definitely not locked into buying local.

silentshootr wrote:

zephyp wrote: Baldinos over in Springfield. They're right around the corner from me.

ahhhh okay, we're not in the same 'alexandria'. i live in rosemont, which is above historic old town. springfield is a foreign city to me lol (if they fixed the beltway properly it wouldn't be).

when you find a model you like, type it in google and see what kinds of other prices come up so you know what range you're in. there are a ton of online stores as well so you're definitely not locked into buying local.

Yes, I'm over in west Alexandria right on the edge. I got a Liberty Fatboy from Baldino's for a good deal, delivered, and bolted down. I've found one place (gunsafes.com) that delivers to the curb free, but then your fun begins.

zephyp wrote:I've found one place (gunsafes.com) that delivers to the curb free, but then your fun begins.

Sounds like DK is going to need some moving buddies

OakRidgeStars wrote:

zephyp wrote:I've found one place (gunsafes.com) that delivers to the curb free, but then your fun begins.

Sounds like DK is going to need some moving buddies

Well, at first I thought I could enlist Cody to help. Then I thought the 2 of us would probably have some serious trouble getting 900+ pounds to raise 4 inches to get it into the gun room. I went ahead and paid Balidino's to deliver and bolt it down.

zephyp wrote: I dont want anything cheap nor do I want to spend a small fortune. I want to protect my guns/ammo/other valuables and have plenty of room to grow. I'm leaning towards Browning on the upper mid range side and Winchester or Stack-on for a starter model.

Many of the stack on models are light gauge steel and can be broken into with a screw driver/pry bar and a hammer in about 60 seconds of time. (helped a friend get into his when his keys went missing). He was stunned how fast we made entry.

Get something that is at least a UL rated "RSC" residential security container. Its not a great rating, but you're probably unwilling to spend the $$$ needed to get a TL rated safe.

Buy the biggest damn safe you, your budget, your space, your wife will allow. I know NO ONE who a few years later says "damn I really bought too big of a safe".... except when moving =) I hear all the time... " I should have bought a bigger one"

Several folks have mentioned Liberty. They are a reasonable brand, and you can see a bunch on display at Clark Brothers in Warrenton, or a more limited display at Loudoun Guns.

Take a few minutes, or hours and read here http://www.brownsafe.com/categories/faq/faq.htm This is a GREAT primer on what safes are and are not. It will get you familiar with terminology and make you much more educated before you go out and put down your money.

zephyp wrote:I've found one place (gunsafes.com) that delivers to the curb free, but then your fun begins.

lol too funny!!

jdonovan wrote:Buy the biggest damn safe you, your budget, your space, your wife will allow. I know NO ONE who a few years later says "damn I really bought too big of a safe".... except when moving =) I hear all the time... " I should have bought a bigger one"

i agree 100%, go big! when i started with smaller models, i quickly ran out of room and had to immediately upgrade which is a hassle. i'd say if you can, don't buy anything smaller then 40".

Well I got the Liberty Fatboy and it will hold a boat load of guns. I think I'll be happy with it. Got a nice fire rating and it is a UL RSC. Also comes standard with a nice door rack with pouches for pistol, mags, papers, and other stuff.

Sounds like you got a good one, DK. Now you'll have to fill it up.

How much space does Young get in the safe for her stuff?

zephyp wrote:I got the Liberty Fatboy and it will hold a boat load of guns.

did you get the 48 or 64 gun model?

I got the 64 gun model. I will have fun filing it up to replace all those lost in that boating accident. Its got a nice door panel and Young gets most the pouches in that. And she can put her guns in their too...

Update: Well, the guys (actually 2 really big guys) came last Friday to deliver my safe. Liberty Fatboy. I wanted it to go in the munchkin room which is the lower level and right next to the garage. The door comin in from the garage is too small and the steps down from the kitchen too low. They also couldnt bring it in through the front door as there is a 4 inch rise and they said no way due to the required tilt and the height of the safe. So they have to bring it in through the deck doors since it can roll in level. To get there they have to come in through the back yard and will return Thursday with 2 more (4 total) bigger stronger guys.

Man I am so glad I didnt decide to try and do this myself. Otherwise that safe would now be safely tucked away in the garage...

Update: Well my new Fatboy-64 safe was delivered today and was bolted down in my family room. Its purty and that sucker is big. I am sad to say it is empty as all my guns and ammo were lost in a tragic duck hunting accident...

Btw, Baldino's took pictures of the delivery and will be posting them on their web page once I review them. I'll put a link up when they're done.

ah, very nice DK. I'm jealous! Can't wait to see pics.

Take a look at the Zanotti Armor Safes. I bought one about 10 years ago. The neat thing about them is that the sides are pinned together from the inside. The pieces can be carried by two people up stairs, etc with out special rigging. Once the safe is assembled, it is as heavy as any other. It has a great lock and is solid.

The only drawbick is they may not be fire-rated. Other than that, a great safe. I plan on getting a second one, since the first is full now.

k24556 wrote:Take a look at the Zanotti Armor Safes. I bought one about 10 years ago. The neat thing about them is that the sides are pinned together from the inside. The pieces can be carried by two people up stairs, etc with out special rigging. Once the safe is assembled, it is as heavy as any other. It has a great lock and is solid.

The only drawbick is they may not be fire-rated. Other than that, a great safe. I plan on getting a second one, since the first is full now.

Pretty nice. Thanks for the info and welcome aboard. Here's a link to more info on these safes.

http://www.zanottiarmor.com/safes.htm

Thanks for the welcome. This is a nice site. Folks are very respectful.

The Guys at ZA are really interesting to talk to. They aren't in a hurry to sell everyone a safe. In fact, when I ordered mine, they had a several week wait. The guy said, "hey, we build a quality product, and we put the time in each one". He was right. I was very satisfied. I've had to move it four times, and each time, it is easy to take apart and re-assemble. The door swing is very smooth and the locking mechanisim rock-solid. As I think about it, I run into this quality thing more with my gun hobby than any other. It seems most all vendors work just a little harder for my business.

k24556 wrote:It seems most all vendors work just a little harder for my business.

I can understand that


Hey DK - where are those pictures of the Monster Safe that you had delivered awhile back?

allingeneral wrote:

k24556 wrote:It seems most all vendors work just a little harder for my business.

I can understand that


Hey DK - where are those pictures of the Monster Safe that you had delivered awhile back?

I'll post some tonite. Baldinos took pics for their web site but I never got anything back from them.