Thanks for Gun Safe help!

[drewciferpike]

I'd like to throw out a quick "Thanks!" to everyone that offered suggestions regarding my purchase and installation of a gun safe. The hardest part was gently getting it down from the shipping pallet. Everything else was stupid-simple, using the combined feedback from the GTA...

Some points:

1. Remember how a lot of you said "Buy bigger than you think you'll need"? You were DEFINITELY correct! I got a 48-gun Canon, because of the crazy sale price, but I thought it would be major overkill. Nope. I'm keeping a box of docs on one side, some guns on the other... and my fly rods in front! I haven't moved all of my pellets and whatnot, yet, but it will all be perfect, thanks to you.

2. I'm lucky enough to have access to industrial tools. I'd used a hammer drill once, before, but it was NOTHING like this beast! Each hole was literally done in less than 5 seconds (it was so fast, I didn't even bother counting... I'm trying to be conservative, so it might have been less than three seconds per hole). I forget who told me, but, yeah: That was a lot of fun. Haha.

3. I used a chunk of leftover ply from the construction of our addition to raise the safe off of the floor. I cut it so it stuck out a little bit, to make prying harder. The hidden benefit? I could slide that 500-pound safe around like it was nobody's business. I cheated, too, by using it as a template: I marked the concrete at the edge of the ply, once everything was in the proper position. Then I drilled into the ply. I slid the safe onto another piece of ply, flipped up the temlate/ply, and drilled completely through each starter-hole. I realigned the template/ply with the marks on the concrete, and marked the concrete through each hole. Then I could hammer-drill each hole, clean them, and drop the ply back on top. I slid the safe back onto the ply, and then realigned the safe and ply with the marks on the concrete. Perfect alignment between the safe's holes, the ply, and the concrete. All I had to do was tap in the sleeved anchors, tighten them, and I was done. I was thinking it would be much harder in reality, and your tips paid dividends.

4. Humidity is low, now, but I know it will not so good, in the summer. I ordered a dehumidifier, so I'll be set.

I don't have valuable air guns (or even PBs), but I feel much better knowing that kids can't get to them, now. Thank you for sharing your experience, everyone!

EDIT: The best part? When I went to go get my guns from the in-laws' house, I found out that I'd packed a small scope in with a breakdown rifle! Now I have a little 4x for my 2289...

[aack73]

Nice. wished i had gone bigger. now i'm out of room. need another one myself. after you use the Cannon a bit keep us posted how you like it etc. i had looked at those as well.

[drewciferpike]

With no previous experience from which to draw, I can only give you my initial impressions, right now...

- Costco had a crazy deal on the Canon Scout (48), so total cost--shipped--was way less than anywhere else (even compared to 24- or 36-gun safes... no joke).

- Exterior build quality and finish is/was perfect. I'm a picky SOB when it comes to doors, and this one was straight and true, and aligned with the body of the safe, perfectly. No runs in the paint, no odd weld-bumps... nothing. Some reviews said there were problems, but the safe I received is perfect.

- I personally feel that interior finish is a little "meh", but it's nothing that I couldn't re-do if I wanted: The "velvet" is pretty light/thin, though it is completely without blemish and there are no bare spots, cuts, glue goofs, etc. The rails for the shelf clips are just _slightly_ off, so the main horiz. shelf with the cutouts for the barrels isn't perfectly level. You have to look closely to see it or know it, and it shouldn't make a difference, in the end.

- The particle board used for the shelves will definitely bow, at some point, if anything with some weight is stored on a shelf, especially the solid horiz. shelf at the top of the safe. An easy fix would be to brace it, using the vertical center as the foundation, so I might do that. 

Other than that, only time will tell. If anything comes up, I'll definitely post.

[aack73]

what kind of lock did you get?

[drewciferpike]

Standard numeric keypad electronic lock.

[aack73]

cool. i like those the best honestly. batteries dont last forever but they are easily changed and i can open it in the dark with my eyes closed. you know those times where she elbows you in the middle of the night and says: "what was that? go look and see!" lol

maybe some pics to see the door, bolts, lock and interior?