Rifle Safes....Who's got what?

[federalist22]

One thing to remember on safe buying and configuring is that scoped rifles tend to occupy the area of two non-scoped rifles and ARs do as well, but scoped ARs tend to occupy the space of three rifles in some configs, so buy carefully. Also, my safe dealer said the question of which combination lock to go with rarely came up prior to 9/11, as most went with electronic locks, but its a very common question now. In regards to a possible Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) event, go with the dial lock instead of the electronic lock. God forbid an EMP attack ever does happen, but if you have an electronic lock and survive, you will not be able to get to your guns. Dial locks are warrantied for about 20 years and the electronic locks are not, plus the battery dies in about 8-10 years.

I have a 66.5x37x27 Fort Knox Defender (http://www.ftknox.com/redesign/safes/defender.htm) in my basement to store my growing collection of firearms. I trust the company and composition of the product. It also weighs over 1000 pounds empty and I also have a home alarm system (APX - http://www.apxalarm.com/) I trust while on vacation, at work, or asleep.

Fort Knox Defender Specs:
» Certified 1680ºF/90 minute fire protection
» UL Listed for burglary (tests including drilling, punching, prying, hammering, and several tamper tests)
» 1 3/4" Reinforced Fire Door
» Quadrafold™ door frame with deep recessed door
» 10 gauge steel, Uni-body construction (1-1/2" total body thickness)
» 13-1½" diameter active door locking bolts all the way around the door
» An additional locking bolt on the top of the door
» Patented rack & pinion gear drive locking mechanism
» Bolt Detent
» Drill deflector bolt guard
» EasyGlide™, concealed ball-bearing hinges
» Drill stop hard plate with recessed multi-bearings
» Clutch Drive handle
» S&G Group II manipulation resistant lock
» Durable textured finish
» Fully Carpeted interior, including the back panel
» Limited lifetime warranty
~ Reinforced steel liner
~ Light Package
~ Door holsters
~ Chrome handle
~ Dehumidifier


Fort Knox has a great reputation for their warranty, which I have heard is questionable about Liberty in the DC/VA/MD area. If you go to a Nation's Gun Show in Chantilly, VA (there is one in OCT - I think) you can find Steve from Steve's Safes (a Fort Knox dealer)--he also travels to PA and WV I think.

My Fort Knox - Note the exterior hinges (allows for full swing of door--not tied to security of the door due to the interior door locking bolts). External hinges are growing in popularity, at least that is what I have heard--and I heard that Fort Knox wasn't even offering them until a year or so ago--probably wanted to ensure they would not affect the integrity of the safe.