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Hi all. I imagine this may have been covered before.
I'm keen to replace my safe which, (without going into much detail) is a converted cabinet originally built for another purpose. My main motivation for this is to improve my security despite the existing set up being ticked off last inspection by police.
What would you recomend getting? Size wise I guess 10 gun-ish would be nice to have.
Thanks in advance for any insight you could share.
I dont have an answer, just want to keep an eye on this thread and watch with interest.
Were I in your position (as I see it) I would not be buying ANYTHING unless absolutely essential to satisfy the whims and vagaries of Constable Plod until such time as has finished playing in his sand pit, put away his crayons and promised us that he has ceased "moving the goal posts."
REASON being he keeps making things up as he goes along, adding, deleting and re-interpreting at our expence. Imagine spending $1K on ammunition storage on Wednesday and on Friday Constable Plod tells us that he has been scribbling with his crayons and your purchase is now no longer legal as it is not acceptable for it's purpose.
Without getting into the specifics, which as above may well change (before the ink dries when finally written!), I’d make some general observations
You can never have a gun safe that’s too big. You can easily end up with one that’s too small
Any secure system is only going to keep the honest people out; at best you can hope to delay/ inconvenience those with less honest intent. This means that it is reasonable to ensure you focus on your own comfort and practical access. Adequate lightning and an appropriate means of eliminating humidity issues should be a priority regardless of final design/product chosen
A locked cabinet is only as secure as the key or combination. Key security is even more important than cabinet security.
My 2c worth
Correction; adequate lighting.
Although adequate lightning would constitute a good deterrent....
Hey 987
It really comes down to how "safe" you would like ya bang sticks to be, I'll use the old terms as it's the easiest.
Most general "A cat" safes are pretty much the same, their steel thickness & construction are all fairly similar & so is the price, some have key pads ( with key back up ) or combination locks which is handy if you go in & out often & some have better locking pins including top & bottom of the door & generally they will do the job of keeping people out, they are not indestructible & if given enough time & effort can be opened. It's a $600 box not a bank vault.
If you value your firearm investment then an "E cat" safe is a better option, Heavier, more solid construction & slightly dearer, Extreme & Kilwell are two options. The extreme 8 gun is cheaper & you can tell, the overall finish is ok, but it's not a bad safe. Kilwell is bigger, heavier & more expensive, As with the other safe's - they're not a bank vault but would take a bit of effort to pop into.
I'm not sure how many FA's ya have but it's always a good idea to get at least a 10 gun unit ( some manufactures can be very optimistic with capacity ) remember if it's a rifle she's probably guna be wearing a scope, always bolt the thing down with plenty of decent hard wear - over bolt it ( amazing how many times you see / hear of safes just sitting in a wardrobe free standing & hide it away out of sight. Worse thing with many safes is their cheap Chinese locks, don't lose ya keys or ya fucked & make sure you look after em, Don't leave em sitting in an old coffee mug on ya reloading bench.
Most crims are opportunist, they will steal shit that is quick'n'easy to carry & sell, not very often do they target FA's unless for a certain reason.
Hope that helps
Hi thanks very much for the input received so far. Is there likely to be a change in steel thickness requirements or lock design required by law post ChCh terror attacks? I apologize, I'll admit I'm not 100% across the changes in legislation thus far as I know some of you on here are.
I have just replaced my safe as it was to small. I got one from Farmlands for $450. I don't think it would take much to get into it. I also spent another $60 dollars on carpet and glue to line it. I should of bought a better one.
Topmaq have gun safes for lower costs that most hunting/gun stores.
Buy NZ made. Very good quality.
https://tsl-and-select-engineering.m...ions/b-licence
Hi 987 - for what it's worth I haven't heard anything about what police may or may not change in the future and I try to keep abreast of FAL politicsQuote:
Originally Posted by Salmon987
If you have a friend who welds and can knock you one up or if you just take your time scanning the 2nd hand listings in your area and get something suitable, remember that if they change anything for you as an A-cat FAL holder then they will have to change it for everyone so you will get plenty of warning as part of a large herd
Also keep an eye on Safe listings on Tardme in your area - very heavy things are inherently uneconomic to freight so locals can get bargains
Less than 12 months ago I had an opportunity to buy a bank safe door for around $2k but sadly I am not building a strong room
Thanks all again for the replies. By value, I'm not necessarily chasing bottom dollar, as you rightly point out-I can find that out easily myself. I had considered building one myself however am generally time poor these days, so wondered what others might buy in they were in my position.
get a decent metal safe then line the inner with mdf. its a bastard to grind thru, if you use a metal blade to saw it wont cut wood and vice versa. not foolproof but it sure slows illegal entry down.
having said that if some bastard is holding you or your family at gunpoint then its going to get opened.
wait till theres a registry, leaked info will be a bloody shopping listQuote:
Originally Posted by mimms2
Take a look at the lokaway brand of safes. Hard to describe in words - but the whole door moves, and the leading edge of the door tucks in behind another lip so it cant be pried with a screw driver or crowbar or similar. There are no exposed hinges and you cant pry the door from anywhere.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-time...-rural-waikatoQuote:
Originally Posted by mimms2
About 5 days ago.
Some great feedback on this to date. To add my 2 cents worth. Once you have secured your guns legally it then depends on the value of the guns you are trying to protect. I looked around for safes a few years ago and was frustrated with the quality and mixed information you got on ratings. Total Solutions in NZ make an excellent quality safe ( Baronet Safes). What I did like about there large safe was it was wide and not deep. So effectively your guns sit in one row. Rather than the traditional row across the back and two side rows.
The only downside to these safe in my view they do not provide fire proofing.
My conclusion in the end was to buy Large Australian Chubb bank safes. I have two double keyed units and one digital. These are a serious solution weighing in excess of 1 tonne.
One last comment regardless of what safe you buy make sure the door opens 180 degrees. I note a lot of safe doors only open to 90 degrees. This means you have a door jutting directly out in the way.
Thanks for that input @Southcity and others who have posted. I'm realistic enough to know that the financial value of my modest collection is not a major consideration. I have, however, become quite attached to each and every gun that I have so am interested in going further than simply complying with regulations. Although my experience so far with police checks is that the interpretation of the regulation varies hugely. I may not be able to stretch to the cost of a baronet, but will consider.