Of course, if you’re like me, and you don’t have 40 minutes to spare (I had to watch it in four installments from the toilet), here’s the gist:

• That padlock that came included with your new firearm is crap.
• Gun cabinet wafer locks are laughable.
• Most trigger locks are crap.
• The majority of handgun safes on the market can be picked open with little effort.

This dude can torture test a pistol box like no one I’ve ever seen.  Of the three safes he showcased:

• The BioBox is awful.
• The GunVault MicroVault is so-so.
• The LockSafe biometric safe is semi-beastly.

Here’s the video.  I’ll warn you–this gentleman, while very articulate, has quite the fun-lovin’ mouth–I deem this clip NSFW:

Safe to Armed in Seconds: A Study of Epic Fails of Popular Gun Safes from Deviant Ollam on Vimeo.

I’ve posted this link to the Liberty Centurion DLX 20 (pictured to the left) at the top of this page, just in case you don’t feel like reading the following 2000 word guide, and coming to your own conclusion .  Of all the cheap guns safes out there, Liberty’s entry model is my favorite, and for under $900 with shipping included (from the site in the link), I can endorse it with a clear conscience.  Now, onto the post…

So, you’re tired of storing your loaded guns unlocked under your bed.  Good.  I’m tired of you doing that too–it’s dangerous and ignorant.  You’re ready to step up your game, and get yourself a gun safe…but, you don’t want to spend any money, right?  Of course not–you’re not ignorant, you’re just cheap…I get it.

I’ll cut to the chase and tell you the features you want to look for, but first, I need to draw a line in the sand.  As far as I’m concerned, a cheap gun safe is a residential security container that falls within the $700 to $1000 price range.  Unless you’re getting a heck of a deal on a used unit, anything less than $700 is almost guaranteed to be a total waste of money.  Anything more than than $1000, and you’re wandering into a different class (which is encouraged, if you have the means).

A thousand bucks isn’t going to buy anything stellar, but find a model that carries the following features, and you’ll be off to a great start:

Lock:

The lock is the most important piece of a gun safe, whether it’s $1000 or $10000.  I strongly recommend a combination lock over its electronic counterpart.  Yes, it takes a little longer to open up, and frankly, it isn’t as cool, but in the long run, maintenance and reliability are going to work in your favor.  Besides, in the said price range, you might not find a safe dawning a half-decent electronic lock anyway.

The are tons of crap locks on the market.  Avoid these by ensuring that the safe you purchase has a combination lock with a UL Group II listing or higher.  I’ll spare the technical details in this post, but the bottom line is, it’s going to work forever with little maintenance.  While popular brands, like Kaba and La Gard, have nice offerings, I’m partial to Sargeant and Greenleaf products–hard to go wrong there.

Body:

When shopping for gun safes, you’ll find that most of your money goes into the steel.  I’m going to recklessly throw out a blanket statement, and say that the thicker the steel, the more costly the safe.  Having said that, when you’re going cheap, you’re going thin.  With your budget, you’re going to be in the market for a model touting 12 to 10 gauge steel (10 is thicker).

That’s not a lot of girth–a seasoned lumberjack with a sharp axe could tear into a 12 gauge safe wall within a few minutes.  Having said that, all is not lost.  First off, while professional attacks on the body of the safe (ie – the walls) aren’t totally unheard of, they aren’t very common.  Careful placement of your safe can stifle many of these attacks, anyway (mount it in a corner, don’t leave sledge hammers in plain sight, etc…).

Secondly, don’t be easily star-struck by the size and number of bolts around the door.  A lot of sub-par manufacturers will throw a dozen or so one-inch shiny bolts on the perimeter to create the illusion that the safe is secure, and “pry-proof”.  Don’t get me wrong, well-placed bolt coverage, coupled with solid linkage can be crucial in securing your contents, but if the rest of the safe is lacking, the bolts might as well be Christmas lights.

Lastly, what you’re missing in thickness and bolt coverage, you can make up in sound construction.  Avoid stitch-welded assembly and chinsy door framing.  You’re not doing yourself any good buying a safe with thick steel walls, assembled with duct tape and bubblegum.  Hyperbole aside, find a unit with solid welding and strong framing, and you’ll be well ahead of the curve.  A unit with gaping seams has weak integrity, and weak integrity invites destruction, whether it be from a house fire or the hands of a thief.

Without a trained eye, it can be difficult to spot quality versus shoddy craftsmanship.  If there’s a product you’re unsure about, ask a local safe dealer, or contact me–I’ll do my best to get you an answer ASAP.

Fire protection:

Most likely, even a cheap gun safe is going to offer some level of protection against fire.  Fire protection gets very tricky in the gun safe industry.  A true “fire safe” will normally carry a UL rating, branding it as a unit that has been harshly tested, and will almost certainly withstand the blaze for the time advertised.  Unfortunately for you, a UL-rated fire safe big enough to house a gun collection is going to be 10-fold out of your price range (and mine).

But don’t feel bad–UL fire-rated gun safes, as far as I know, don’t actually exist, at least through mainstream availability.  If the guy at the gun store tries to tell you that the $800 safe he’s selling is UL rated for fires, it’s b.s.  What’s likely the case is that the unit he’s hocking is a UL-listed RSC that also has an alleged fire rating, or the unit is lined with UL-rated fireboard…regardless, I can assure you it’s not a commercial-grade, UL-rated fire safe.  This, however, doesn’t mean that your gun collection is going to be DOA when the firemen show up.  Most quality cheap gun safes (bit of a paradox there) are going to buy you 30 minutes in a typical house fire.

While the bulk of manufacturers don’t actually test their safes in house fires (a lot of gun safe fire ratings are nothing more than educated guesses), you’re doing yourself an injustice by neglecting to get at least a 30-minute listed rating.  You’re not going to find cast insulation or ceramic wool lining for this price; just make sure it’s seamlessly constructed (as discussed earlier), and has fireboard installed in both the walls and the ceiling.

Warranty:

Believe it or not, you can spend less than $1000 and still get a safe with a lifetime warranty.  In fact, I’d go as far as saying, don’t get a safe if it doesn’t have a lifetime warranty–there are too many others out there that do.

The most important thing to note here is that you must read the fine print.  Legally speaking, “lifetime warranty” can mean a million different things.  Buy a safe from a manufacturer who will not only replace your safe in the event of a fire or burglary, but will cover associated freight and maintenance charges as well.  Here’s a list of safe manufacturer warranties if you want to dig deeper.

Country of origin:

Like so many other goods, China churns out the largest number of imported safes to the United States, and while I’d love to state otherwise, not every single one of them sucks; Big Horn, for instance, is a pretty decent China-born budget brand.

The thing that Chinese manufacturers have going for them is that they put a lot of effort into to copying American design and craftsmanship.  On the other hand, what they don’t have going for them is that they rarely pull it off.  Long-story-short, the quality of the materials is often sub par, and construction is inconsistent.  If you can spend the same amount of money and get a decent American-made safe, why buy an import?  That’s all I’m going to say about it in this post, but if you want more information on import versus domestic, check out this post I made a while back: Are American Gun Safes Really the Best?

Other stuff:

Buying on the cheap doesn’t mean you have to completely abandon security.  In addition to heeding my recommendations above, there are a few little things you can do to ensure you get the most out of your investment.

First of all, anchor your safe down.  If the model you’re looking at doesn’t have pre-drilled holes, I wouldn’t even consider it for purchase.

Do you have to bolt it down if it’s downstairs in the basement?  Yes.  Do you have to bolt it down if it weighs 2000 lbs fully loaded?  Yes.

No matter what the circumstances, take the extra time and anchor it down.

If you aren’t sure the best way to anchor it, or what materials to use, ask the manufacturer.  They’ll be more than happy to help you out here–many of them even offer inexpensive kits to help take out the guess work.

Even a one ton safe isn’t terribly difficult to tip over, and once it’s on its back, the crooks have a perfect opportunity to get the leverage they need to pry it open.  And if they can’t get it open in your house, they can scoot it out the door, load it in a van, and try it on their own time.  Like it or not, some crooks are pretty darn smart.

Which brings me to my next point…

Don’t give them a reason to break into your house in the first place!  Yes, sometimes being a victim of burglary is unavoidable, but there are very easy things you can do to stack the odds in you favor.  For one, don’t talk about what you have to anyone you don’t absolutely trust.  The dude you just met at the range might not break into your house, but he may have a shady friend who’d be glad to do it.  Put your pride to the side, and keep your mouth shut (that’s right–don’t create a website devoted to showing off your toys ).

Also, to the best of your abilities, keep the safe out of sight.  You don’t have to build false walls and hidden rooms (if you were that devoted, you’d be spending more than $1000), but keep it away from windows, and places where the pizza man can see it.  It’s not too difficult–just do your best to avoid advertising that you have a treasure chest in your home.

Lastly, I’d recommend investing a little bit in basic home security.  I had a bit of fun a few months ago building a budget DIY home defense package, which included a monitored security system (I went with Simplisafe, and have been very satisfied with the setup).  If you’re too cheap to go for the real thing, at least fake it.  Get some alarm stickers, put a smoke detector above the safe (hardcore riff-raff use power tools, which can create a lot of heat and smoke), you may even want to consider a dummy camera.  The key is to make stealing your valuables as inconvenient as possible.  I wrote this post a while back, if you want to supplement with a few more ideas: Where to Put Your Safe.

Recommended unit:

The question I probably get asked the most in emails is something to the effect of, “what’s the best safe for under $1000?”.  While I couldn’t wholeheartedly claim any model to be the best cheap gun safe on the market–there are a few decent models out there–I could very comfortably recommend to nearly anyone Liberty Safe’s entry level unit, the Centurion DLX-20 (22 gun capacity).  It’s also made in the good ole’ US (to my knowledge, all of Liberty’s UL RSC listed safes are).

It has an S&G 6147 UL Group II combination lock.  It’s built with nearly seamless construction.  It also includes fireboard all around, giving it a respectable (for the price) 30 minute fire rating (at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit).  It only has bolt coverage on two sides of the door, and with 12 gauge steel, the body is a little thin, but again, 10 gauge is probably going to be the thickest steel you’ll find in this price range; at that point, you’re splitting hairs (literally–the difference is a fraction of an inch).

Liberty has perhaps the best lifetime warranty, and renown customer service record of any of their main competition, and I’d feel comfortable recommending this safe to anyone wanting to lock up their firearms for under a grand.  I helped my father-in-law pick one out, and he still lets me make babies with his daughter…now that’s an endorsement!

Regardless of the cheap safe you decide to roll with, make sure you don’t rush into it.  Ask tons of questions, hold the dealer and the manufacturer accountable when they answer them, and feel free to hit me up if you need any help in the process–if I don’t know the answer, I’ll do my best to get you one.

Stay safe!

You can check out the interview here: Jack Burton Releases Gun Safe Knowledge (Interview)

What’s the best pistol safe for the job?

Mounting this sucker

The 15 places…

Wrap up

Fifteen places?  That’s at least one in every room!

What kind of psycho keeps a gun in every room?

Not me, unfortunately; I’d have to be a psycho with a much higher paying job to pull that off.  Until I reach such a pinnacle in home defense, I’m just your everyday, run-of-the-mill freak, forced to wear a pistol when I walk from room-to-room.  Believe me, if I had the money to safely scatter two dozen pieces around the house, I would.  I realize it’s totally overkill and far from necessary, but so is putting potpourri plug-ins in every room, and with all the headaches and nausea they cause, they’re arguably just as dangerous…

The objective of this article isn’t to brag about how many firearms I have hidden around my house, it’s to demonstrate that with the right pistol safe, and maybe a few surplus Makarovs, I could secure them just about anywhere with very little logistical trouble.

What’s the best pistol safe for the job?

I had to choose a unit that could be tucked away in the corner, and mounted virtually anywhere.  After a healthy dose of research, I settled on the V-Line Desk Mate for the project.  I chose the Desk Mate for a number of reasons:

The Simplex lock

Attaching a pistol safe to the bottom of a love seat, or underneath the stairs can be very tricky when you’re tethered to an AC adapter.  Due to the hidden and general freestyle requirements of the project, I decided I was best suited with a powerless unit…green, if you will.  One of the primary reasons I chose to use a V-line product is because everything they make operates using the Simplex locking mechanism.

Simplex locking mechanism

In addition to the unit’s leash-less lifestyle, it also has a better reputation for reliability than the majority of its electronic keypad and biometric counterparts, and it beats the inconvenience of fumbling around looking for a key.  I decided that this time around, I wanted to stray away from electronics, particularly after a recent, rather nasty breakup with my previous bedside pistol safe.

Remember the post I wrote a couple months ago, bragging that my Winchester Evault was “still ticking” (of course you don’t)?  Well, regardless, it’s no longer ticking.  After a decent run of four years, I’ve joined the ranks of other Evault owners who know first-hand why Winchester stopped making them.

The Simplex lock is a workhouse.  It’s nothing fancy; no lockout threshold, multiple user profiles, or one million possible combinations (I believe it has 1,081 to be exact); it’s just a five-button box that I know is going to open up the same 10 years from now as it does today.  For a quick access pistol safe under the coffee table, it has pretty much all I’m looking for.

Mounting options

For this project, almost as important as the locking mechanism, was mounting versatility.  Included with the Desk Mate was a “quick release” mounting bracket.  The bracket can be installed just about anywhere that will support 10-12 lbs (more on mounting details in a moment), and once it’s on the surface, the Desk Mate can be securely fastened in about 30 seconds.  I only have one bracket, but others can be purchased separately.  With multiples, say one at the office and one at home, you could transport the safe back and forth without any effort, other than the initial set up.

Desk Mate mounted under a plywood "table".

By employing some super strong neodymium magnets (more on that in a second) and the said quick release bracket, I was able to mount this pistol safe with more up-down, and left-right configurations than the Contra code.  I haven’t tried it yet, but V-line also produces an optional “Universal” mounting accessory, which offers a little more support and flexibility.

Dimensions

I wanted a pistol safe small enough to mount in tight spaces, but large enough to house a full-framed handgun, and possibly a spare magazine or flashlight.  At 7.5” x 10.5” x 2.5”, the Desk Mate fits the bill.  I was able to fit it between the driver’s seat and my center console, and after removing the optional sliding steel tray, I didn’t have any issues locking up a standard Glock 17.  With the tray, my compact M&P 40 fit, along with a 15 round magazine with no problems.

Compact S&W M&P 40 with magazine in V-line sliding tray.

The Desk Mate’s dimensions worked out well for me, but if you want a little more room, and want to stick with a V-Line product, you might consider their Hide-Away.  It’s virtually the same pistol safe, but roughly 150% larger.  You could fill it with more ammo, tactical gear, a bigger hand cannon, or possibly a backup gun.  Definitely something to consider, depending on the contents of your arsenal.

The V-line Hide Away

Other features

As implied, short of reliability, the V-line doesn’t have a lot of fancy features, but there are a few more selling points worth noting:

The glossy black finish with the gold trim not only looks sharp, but it holds up very well.  While I’m not generally concerned with aesthetics, during the length of this project, industrial adhesive, self-tapping screws, and rare earth magnets didn’t leave a mark on this thing.

The recessed door is a nice addition, acting as a sound pry deterrent.  As demonstrated in the image below, I couldn’t even begin to fit a quarter in between the door and the frame.  Your common knucklehead snatch-n-grabber is going to need more than a flat head screwdriver to get this open in a hurry.

Sorry George, you're not welcome!

The piano hinges are also a nice touch.  They certainly don’t make the unit bullet proof, but a continuous hinge adds additional reliability in both security and everyday function.

I finally quit taking pictures on my phone. Looks pretty sharp, eh?

To open, you pull the door outward, so it hangs down below the hinges.  This adds a little more than an inch to the overall length; not generally a problem, but it’s a factor you’ll want to consider if you’re mounting the safe in any snug locations.  You’ll also want to consider the extra space you’ll need to remove the gun in a hurry.  While it’s technically possible to mount this model in a drawer, you’d probably be better off with their Top Draw unit (shown below), if you plan to keep a burner in your desk or nightstand.

The Top Draw opens--you guessed it--from the top.

Mounting this sucker

If you’re mounting the Desk Mate as originally intended–right-side up, and directly underneath a sturdy surface–there’s nothing to it:

Drive four screws into the mounting surface to fasten the quick release bracket, slide the pistol safe into the two tabs in the rear, and tighten the thumb screws inside.

Mounting the quick release bracket to a plywood tabletop

The method mentioned above is probably going to be perfect for 95% of the customers who purchase this product, but for the sake of the project, I made a couple simple modifications.

I didn’t want to drill 200 holes in my house just to take a few pictures–CORRECTION–my wife didn’t want me to drill 200 holes in the house…

I drove screws for a few shots, but I primarily relied on heavy duty mounting magnets to hold the pistol safe in place for most of the pictures.  These aren’t the toy magnets you use to put a beard on Wooly Willy; this is a rare earth monster, capable of holding almost 60 lbs (only 1.5″ long).  It’s very strong for its size…ants have nothing on this thing.  I got it from K&J Magnetics.  They have some crazy stuff for sale on their site…for $1000, you can get a magnet strong enough to hold a 1200 lbs steel safe to the wall.

This 25 lbs barbell is held up by three pieces of duct tape and a 1.5" mounting magnet.

Anyway, I used a combination of Gorilla brand duct tape and mounting magnets to secure the safe in places where I wasn’t allowed to drill.  I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this method for the long term, as the duct tape will almost certainly lose its grip (100 MPH tape might work, but I didn’t have any to test with).  Doing so, you’ll also negate the added security provided by the quick release bracket when it’s screwed down.  If, however, you’re not terribly concerned with someone walking away with the pistol safe, you can screw down the mounting magnet, leaving only two holes in a small pattern.

This 1.5" neodymium mounting magnet has a pull force of 60 lbs.

As you’ll see in a moment, I mounted the pistol safe in quite a few unorthodox positions (vertically, sideways, reverse cow…).  The obvious concern here is that the gun could fall out when you open the door.  For the safety of the gun, and ourselves, we don’t want that to happen.  I implemented a low-tech solution for this issue, again employing the help from my dear friends, magnets and duct tape.

The objective of this modification is to keep the handgun fixed until it’s ready to be removed.  Again, it’s only necessary if the safe is mounted non-traditionally.  For this, I purchased a $2.00 square, flat magnet from K&J (13 lbs pull force), and stuck it to a small piece of duct tape, sticky-side up.  Next, I placed the non-sticky side of tape on the pistol slide, removed the tray from the pistol safe, and pressed the duct tape securely to the bottom of the interior.

Place the magnet on the sticky side of the tape.

Stick the magnet to the pistol slide.

I'm holding the pistol safe completely upside-down. Fortunately for my beautiful face, the modification is a success.

The 15 places…

The Bedroom

I’ll begin by showing you where I put it in the bedroom (giggity!).  Looking at it through a home defense lens, the room in your house or apartment where you’re the most vulnerable is the place where you sleep…ok, maybe the shower.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m usually wearing a gun on me, even in the house.  If an armed lunatic kicks down my front door while I’m eating dinner, I’ll likely have time to draw from my holster and defend my family effectively.  However, being unarmed, in the dark, and woken up from a dead sleep is an entirely different story.  For this reason, I’m starting with the bedroom; it’s perhaps the most important place to have a quick access pistol safe in your home.

V-line mounted under the nightstand drawer.

Whether it’s a V-Line Desk Mate or otherwise, mounting under the nightstand drawer is always a crowd favorite.   No tricks here–just the quick removal mounting bracket set up as it was originally intended.  This position allows for the sliding tray to stay in the unit, and it leaves ample room for any other crap that you want to store underneath.

Pistol + Flashlight + Slippers + Zombie Killing Wrench = Sweet Dreams

Not much going on here.  It’s very similar to the above configuration, only the bracket is mounted to the bottom of the nightstand, and the Desk Mate is fastened upside-down.  Due to the setup here, you’ll probably want to employ the magnet method discussed above to keep the gun from wearing down its finish on the steel interior.

When it’s upside down, twisting the knob to open it will also take a little bit of practice, as you’ll be turning it in the opposite direction; if you turn it the wrong way, it will reset the combination, and you’ll have to punch it in again…not fun when there are threatening footsteps approaching.

Hanging from the bed frame.

Personally, I prefer the nightstand method to hanging the safe underneath my bed, mainly because I don’t have to fish around in the dark to find it.  That said, mounting it under your bed is a perfectly reasonable option.  If it’s tough to find an even surface, consider securing a small piece of plywood to the bed slats, and installing the bracket to the proxy surface.  That’s the quick and dirty way–if you have a better suggestion, please share.

The Kitchen

The kitchen may not be the first place you think of for gun storage, but with all the cabinet, drawer and pantry space, it’s a prime location for a hidden pistol safe.  In addition to concealment, the kitchen, in most houses, is centrally located and often accessible from two, if not three entrances.  If I’m unarmed, hanging out on my first floor, and butt mud hits the fan, I’m running to my kitchen cabinet to set the heating arrangements.

V-line Desk Mate mounted in the kitchen cabinet

I’ll admit, a gun safe on the refrigerator isn’t wildly practical, but help myself I could not.  In addition to showing off the versatility of the V-Line, I wanted to showcase the power of the neodymium magnets.

This is about the only way guns and beer go together safely

The Family Room

I found quite a few ways to stay strapped in the family room.  To begin with, the entertainment center provides a nice little cutout under the TV to install the unit–right in the midst of perhaps the most awfully awesome movie collection of all time.

I gave Dolemite the combination, just in case things get out of hand when I'm not around.

The surface underneath the coffee table also provides a subtle, however, accessible mounting location.  My coffee table sits centrally between a couch and two chairs, so even from a vegging position, I can get to it in a hurry…as long as I’m able to bend over my ever-growing gut.

Fastened to the bottom tier of the table.

Again, one great advantage this safe offers in concealment is its compact dimensions.   I can dress it up just about anyway I want in order to keep it in relative plain site.  While it would be nearly as easy to drive screws under one of the bookshelf shelves, I took a different approach…

Take a look, it's in a book...

The Office

You can play like Dwight Schrute and keep your desk drawers full of nunchakus and pepper spray, but when you’re done screwing around, pack some proper protection in the office, and mount this pistol safe the way its namesake suggests.  Of course, Dwight, I’m only kidding around–I would never mess with a guy who possesses the strength of a grown man, and a little baby.

Obviously, don't take a gun into your office if it's prohibited. I hate that I have to say that.

The Living Room/Dining Room

I don’t spend nearly as much time in the dining room as I do in the kitchen, but that isn’t to say that there aren’t plenty of decent places to keep a gun in the room that I’m not allowed to play in.  One place, also applicable in other rooms, is under the couch.  The couch that I used as an example has wooden slats, and I was able to drive screws into them through the fabric.  Without the slats, however, you may have to get creative.

It's completely hidden when the couch flap is down.

My wife about shut this whole project down when she caught me mounting the safe to her piano.  I’m not allowed near it anymore, which is a shame because I think the Desk Mate would fit perfectly inside the bench next to the sheet music.

Properly arming yourself is "key" to home defense. Hahahahaha! Yeh!

 The Hallway

The coat closet is probably the ideal location to store a pistol in the hallway, however, I noticed that the picture frame in our entrance matched the V-line’s dimensions perfectly…I couldn’t help myself.  This was very easy; I simply removed the back of the picture frame, placed the safe in between, and duct taped everything together.  Between bastardizing our wedding photo, and defacing the piano, I’m not sure which one my wife loved more!

The perfect fit.

Aren't we a handsome couple?

The Bathroom

In the bathroom, the unit can be mounted easily under the sink, or even behind the toilet, depending on the model.  I also came up with the awesome idea of placing the safe inside the medicine cabinet.  The result; well, it worked, however, it wasn’t nearly as rad as I thought it would be.  Nevertheless, I went through the trouble of arranging it, so here it is:

Another mounting magnet in action.

The Garage

The garage has 100 places to keep a handgun stowed away, but for the picture, I decided to install it underneath a landscaping junk shelf (all I have is junk shelves).  Here’s another example of how the Desk Mate is designed to be installed–secured to the shelf with the quick release mounting bracket.

Don't underestimate the effectiveness of a kukri machete as a landscaping tool.

The Basement

Finally, we arrive in the basement.  Like the garage, an unfinished basement offers a plethora of pistol safe mounting opportunities.  That said, the crap in my basement is at critical mass, and if I put one more thing out on the floor, I would have trapped myself in.  Having said that, I opted to hide the unit under the staircase, keeping it plenty accessible, but out-of-sight.

If you really wanted to do this right, you could supplement with a piece of plywood, or the universal mounting bracket. I, however, used duct tape and magnets.

Wrap up

This was a fun project.  I learned a lot, and fell in madly in love with my black and beautiful Desk Mate.  Seriously though, the 15 locations I covered only scratched the surface.  With a decent pistol safe, the only limitation on where you can mount it is your imagination .

Oh, and if you’ve found a reasonable way install a pistol box in the shower (eg – not having to rip out tile), please let me know.

Stay safe!

During my home defense project, I purchased several Fulcrum wireless outdoor motion sensor lights.  I installed a couple underneath eaves in the back, one over the garage, and another around the front corner of the house.  My objective was to cover the perimeter of the house, and I completed it successfully.  I had purchased an extra light for the project, thinking that I would need five to cover all the sides, but since four did the trick, it just sat in a box for a month.

A few weeks ago, for my daughter’s birthday, I picked up one of those Home Depot swing set kits…the ones that only cost $300, until you find out you need to buy an additional 200 lbs of lumber, an extra swing and a slide.  Anyways, I dropped some cash, put it together, she loves it, and I, of course love that she loves it.

Well, a couple days ago, I was in the backyard, pushing her on the swing, when it dawned on me; I can mount that extra light to the top of the swing set!  I bought the playground–there’s no reason I can’t have fun with it too, right?

As I mentioned, the motion sensor lights are simple to install, and since they can be mounted on virtually any surface, driving two screw into the 4×4 crossbeam was cake.

Now when someone steps into the center of my yard at night, they get caught in an LED crossfire.  There’s a 25 ft² sweet spot in my backyard that triggers three lights at once, lighting up darn near the entire lawn.  It looks like a night game at Wrigley field…my neighbors just think it’s terrific.

Not a whole lot more to the story here–just an example of the fun you can have when you get creative with spare security resources.

Stay safe!

Fulcrum 20031-101 Motion Sensor LED Porch Light, Silver Provide instant security to your front portion with the ultra bright Fulcrum Motion Sensor Light.

As I’ve made it very clear in previous posts, I’m a huge fan of the Shotlock, and I’m happy to call it a part of my personal home defense solution.  With it, I’m able to keep my Mossberg 500 loaded, secure, and accessible, should I have an unwelcome visitor rapping, rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

That said, where the Shotlock comes up a little short is in the accessories accommodation department.  Ghost rings, pistol grips, and anything receiver-mounted typically need to be removed before the firearm will fit.  A stripped gun is still fun, but I’ve really grown accustomed to having a side saddle on the receiver for quick reloads  This was pretty much impossible, until I threw together this zany home brew modification a couple weeks ago.

Using the power of industrial strength Velcro (duct tape’s ugly sister), I’m able to open the Shotlock, remove the gun, and mount the side saddle on the receiver within seconds.  Here’s the run down:

- First, you need a Velcro mounting system for your gun and your shell carrier.  This guy from SoCal Webshooters made a great set of instructions you can use to do it: DIY Shotgun Side Saddle Conversion.  I know I say this a lot, but if I can do it, you can do it.
**Important note: put the loop side (fuzzy) on the gun’s receiver, and the hooks (prickly) on the back of the saddle.  The Shotlock has felt on the inside of the door, and you’ll shoot this whole operation to hell if you mix this up.

- At this point, you should have fuzzy Velcro stuck to your gun, and prickly Velcro stuck to the carrier.
Cut off an additional strip of fuzzy-sided Velcro, roughly the same length as the shell carrier (it doesn’t have to be perfect).  Now peel off the adhesive backing, and stick it vertically to the face of the Shotlock, forming a lovely landing strip ( ).

- Hang the shottie in the Shotlock, close her up, and slap the side saddle on the front.  You’re done, my friend.

Questions you may have:

How much does this all cost?

The Shotlock lists at $169, the Tacstar side saddle was $24, and four feet of industrial strength Velcro was $10.

How long did the modification take?

Twenty minutes, tops.

Does a Velcro-backed side saddle actually stay fastened during recoil?

I’ve never had any trouble.  In fact, some folks who need to change up different loads in hurry (competition shooters, namely), actually prefer the Velcro method.  Give the adhesive 24 hours to fully adhere before you start using it.

Am I going to have sticky crap all over my gun if I decide to remove the Velcro down the road?

Doubtful.  If you do, just use a little solvent to get it off.

You know, they make 7-shell holders for the Mossberg 500 – why only four on yours?

The gun pictured is a 20 gauge Mossberg 500c, and the only receiver mount accessory I could find was the four round Tacstar side saddle.  All things considered, it does the job.  Besides, I have another five on the stock.

Why use a 20 gauge for home defense?

We’re digressing, but I’ve shared my thoughts on this before…20 gauge shotgun for home defense.

You know you need to quit taking these pictures with your phone, right?

I lost my camera charger, I’m too cheap to replace it, and I can’t figure out how to make one out of all this extra Velcro…seriously though, sorry for the crappy quality.

I’m done – if you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment or send me an email.

Stay safe!

Tacstar 4-Pack Shot Shell Carrier Mossberg 500 Side Saddle (20 Gauge)

Advanced Technology Black 5 Shot-Shell Holder Top Folder SHO0500

Tacstar Mossberg 930/935 Shot Shell Carrier- 6 round SideSaddle

There was a scene (SORTA SPOILER) when Bruce Willis and Mary-Louise Parker are busting into the CIA underbelly, and they run into a door with a lock on it that Bruce Willis’ character deems “impossible”.  He subsequently gains access to the room behind the door by busting through the good-enough-for-government-work drywall (the movie is that kind of fantastic).

About 10 seconds after that scene, I said to my wife, “I wonder what kind of lock that was”…she didn’t care.  I remained curious.

I thought I’d have a huge task on my hands, but when I Googled “red movie lock”, right there at the top was a link to this Actuator Systems page.

It turns out the company is quite proud of the cameo…they even throw in a Mr. Skin-style time stamp citing when the lock makes an appearance (51:33…incidentally, Mary-Louise Parker never takes her shirt off).

Anyways, the unit featured is the Actuator LC-200 PIN-entry/biometric deadbolt lock.  Now, as you may or may not know, I’m a relative proponent of biometric technology when it’s employed on quick-access pistol boxes.  However, I still can’t make the jump to trusting a fingerprint reader as the sole means of protecting access to anything worth more than a few hundred bucks.  I welcome disagreement here, but I just don’t think biometric technology is quite there (it will be).  That said, from what I’ve read, Actuator Systems is one of the best in the biz at developing fingerprint scanning devices.

What I love about the LC-200, other than the fact that it’s a movie star, is that you have the option of requiring both a successful fingerprint read and a PIN entry.  This is very similar to the S&G Z03 safe lock, offering a supreme layer of hi-tech redundancy to your door’s security needs.

The number of CIA employees is classified, and I have no idea how many have access to the locked room in Red, but by employing the LC-200 biometric deadbolt locking system, it could be up to a thousand…that’s a really long, not-as-clever-in-writing-as-it-was-in-my-head way of saying, the LC-200 can store up to 1000 unique fingerprints, making it ideal for use in high traffic areas like apartment complexes and office buildings.  Because tracking 1000 people would be a logistical cluster funk, the LC-200 also captures audit trails, which can be retrieved on a USB stick and viewed on your PC.

So far, from what I’ve seen, this black-ops door knob is pretty tight.  I’m going to dig around and see if I can come up with some more information on it.  When I do (assuming they don’t kill me for digging too deep), I’ll let you know.

Stay safe!

Biometric Access Control Door Lock LC200 with 1000 Users and Audit Trail Capable.

Hey, what’s 11′, over 1000 lbs and made of wood?  If your answer was, “a cherry tree stuffed with 32 guns”, you’re correct!  You’d also be correct if you said, “the Esquire by Amish Woodworking”.

As I’ve mentioned before, I know very little about woodworking.  Due to this fact, I probably don’t give traditional gun cabinets the respect they deserve, but if I had this Amish gun cabinet in my living room, I’d bow and beg for mercy.

A while back, Tom from Handmade Traditions schooled me on what to look for in a quality custom gun cabinet; I’m pretty sure this thing meets the qualifications.  Of course, for the $10,000 price tag, if I bought it, I’d have to live in it.

I’m keeping this post short, but I just came across a picture of this beast last night, and had to share.  Here’s a link to their site, where you can see the rest of their handiwork, and drool all over their windows.

Find More Amish Woodworking Gun Cabinets Here

Cannon and Liberty; two longstanding, highly regarded American safe manufacturers who’ve both managed to churn out hundreds of thousands of residential security containers over the last several decades.  While both companies have a rather extensive line of security products, two stand out the most in the realm of high capacity gun storage; the Cannon Armory 64 and the Liberty Fatboy.

Capacity:

Americans have the blessed right to, not only own dozens of guns, but to safely secure them as well.  Both of these fat bastards offer interior roominess as a main selling point, allowing that said right to be realized, so we’ll start by evaluating capacity.

Let’s begin with the Liberty Fatboy.  They’re darn near as large as their explosive namesake, and nearly as iconic; you can find a Liberty Fatboy in almost any major shooting supplies store in the country.  With an advertised capacity of 64 long guns, the Fatboy is basically a bloated Liberty Franklin (the Franklin 50 has a said 41 gun capacity).

The Cannon Armory 64 is one of the company’s newer products, and by far their biggest.  Cannon claims that this monster can fit 80 long guns in its lint-free upholstered belly.

As it’s well-known, especially by safe owners, you rarely get the advertised capacity out of your unit unless you either have the world’s largest collection of Ruger 10 22s or you customize with space-saving accessories, like rifle rods.  That said, two things are clear; both of these mammoths can lock up a lot of firearms, but with a rougly 25% larger  interior, there’s no doubt the Armory boasts the most storing potential.

Edge: Armory 64

Body:

Both of these companies employ American manufacturing (with rare exception), and build their products with American steel, which, as I’ve explained in detail in a previous post, puts them in a class above most Chinese and Mexican units on the market.

Both units are constructed with the proverbial uni-body design and continuous welding, giving each a nearly seamless constitution.  It would be a bad idea to store your massively expensive gun collection in a cheaper, stitch-welded, built-to-bust unit, but both of these models meet the basic criteria of a well put-together RSC.

That said, we’ll cut to the chase; the Fatboy’s 11 gauge steel body trumps the Armory’s 12 gauge thickness.  In addition, the Liberty’s door is slightly thicker.  Innuendo aside, it’s not always about thickness, however, both products are built pretty solid and someone needs to win.

Edge: Fatboy

Locking:

UL Group II listed combination locks guard our two contenders’ doors, which is has become a standard among both the companies who manufacture them.  The Fatboy’s active locking bolts are ¼” thicker than the Armory’s (both on three sides of the door), and while integration is more important than thickness, the Cannon might just say “uncle” to a pry bar first.

Of course, locking bolts are only a small piece of the pie.  Both containers are outfitted with adequate drill-killing hard plates, and multiple relockers to further stifle punch and drill attacks.  The Fatboy, however, uses Liberty’s DX-90 Monster Mech locking system.  No, I’m not about to give the edge to Liberty because their mechanism has a cooler name than Cannon’s (it does though)–I just happen to think the DX-90 design is a smoother operator.  It does a more efficient job of allowing the door to stay open and closed when you need it to (more on the Monster Mech).

Edge: Fatboy

Fire Protection:

Both of these companies put ok effort and material into building their products with decent fire protection.  Of course, advertised fire protection in the gun safe world is even more flaky than alleged capacity.  While neither are UL-rated fire safes (I can’t think of any RSCs that are), Cannon employs Intertek ETL, another third party, to do their testing.  This isn’t to say that Liberty’s in-house crew is guessing instead of testing (it definitely happens elsewhere); their BTU rating system is nearly as comprehensive as it is marketable, but Cannon is subject to an outside company’s restrictions, not their own.

Both safes are insulated with thick fireboard, a material that meets the expectations of the price point.  Given that the configuration of materials are nearly identical between these two, you have to consider the natural advantage the Fatboy’s smaller interior dimensions have against overall heat resistance, not to mention its thicker steel walls.  Unfortunately, I’ve never witnessed a Liberty vs Cannon burn test, so I can’t truly attest to the accuracy of the Fatboy’s 1 hour rating, or the Armory’s half hour, but given the circumstances…

Edge: Fatboy

Warranty:

Both safes are backed by some of the best on-paper lifetime warranties in the business.  This post links to the location of both manufacturer’s warranty details (scroll to the bottom), which you can read on your own, but in short, they both cover repair and/or replacement costs (including freight) of the safe at no expense to the original owner.  Of course, be aware that the contents of the safe aren’t covered, proper home insurance policy information is required, and while “manufacturer defects” have lifetime coverage, locks and labor are only covered for a year (based on my interpretation of both warranties).  The aforementioned considered, they’re both still very solid.

As prefaced, everything thus far is my interpretation of what they offer on paper, however, individual experiences may vary.  I follow Michael Bane’s blog from time-to-time, and a couple years ago he posted his general disgust with the way Cannon handled his warranty claim (you can read about it here).  Over the subsequent months, the dust eventually settled, amends were made, and he basically let them off the hook.  This series of events happened over two years ago, and it very well might have been a fluke on Cannon’s part, but it still makes me just a bit weary of giving Cannon’s warranty my undying endorsement (if you’re reading this, Mr. Cannon, my endorsement isn’t worth much anyway).

As far as Liberty’s concerned, try to search for a case where Liberty screwed over a customer and didn’t fix the situation properly.   The few reports I’ve been able to turn up have been a case of the customers not familiarizing themselves with the agreement.  Has Liberty ever screwed up in the customer service department?  Probably–just not on my watch.

Edge: Fatboy

Interior Features:

Both models are lined with upholstery–nothing special, but what else do you need?  Both include LED lighting, which is a must-have.  The Armory touts some cool hi-tech features, like an integrated network jack and USB hub.  It also has an additional internal power outlet over the Fatboy.  These features gives nerds (I’m a nerd, so I can call us that) the opportunity to secure our computers behind a steel enclosure, while still allowing remote network access, and a fully charged battery–just make sure, if you use this feature, you keep the humidity regulated and the heat down.

A nice perk included with the Fatboy is the door accessory panel.  Accessory panels allow you to store pistols, ammo, and shooting supplies on the door, saving additional space for your long guns.  These can retail for over a hundred bucks, so it’s really a nice throw-in.

While I absolutely love the door panel, I have to hand it to Cannon for their “cutting edge” geeky efforts.

Edge: Armory 64

Conslusion:

So which is the better behemoth?  The Armory takes the cake in capacity–no question–and because sheer size is the primary consumer draw to both models, it’s an important factor to consider.  That said, even though Liberty came away with a small margin in my categorical analysis, for my money, better security and service outweighs the inability to store 16 extra guns.

Winner: Fatboy

Liberty Fatboy For Sale

Cannon Armory A64 For Sale

According to the FBI, in the United States:
- an aggravated assault occurs every 35 seconds
- and a forcible rape occurs every 2 minutes

According to the United States Department of Justice:
- 38% of assaults and 60% of rapes occur during a home invasion

Statistically, 1 in every 5 homes will get broken into.

I got the stats mentioned above from the following site.  I’m pretty sure they’re outdated, as  I believe crime rates in those categories have dropped a bit…nevertheless, they make good persuasive speech fodder…yeh, I’m one of those guys.

Fortunately in Ohio, the law serves in favor of the property owner.  Under our state’s Castle Doctrine Law, if someone is unlawfully in your home and you feel they intend to do you or your family harm, you have the right to defend yourself and your loved ones through any means necessary, including deadly force.

If you kill an intruder in your home or your car, you legally do not have the burden of proof regarding your actions, nor do you have the “duty to retreat”, essentially meaning you tried to avoid a fight during the home invasion.

Don’t pay any mind to my words–read your state laws…here’s Ohio’s.

Home invasion, aggravated assault, rape; these are all elements of society that we, as good law-abiding citizens, generally don’t like to think about. That, however, does not excuse us from having the duty–more importantly–the right to prevent ourselves and loved ones from becoming victims.

Taking preventative measures like consistently locking our doors and windows and investing in a monitored alarm system are certainly excellent steps in the right direction, and will likely deter the majority of criminals.  That said, there’s always the looming possibility, as minimal as it may be, that the intruder–or intruders–in your home don’t plan on leaving.  The 10 minutes it takes a police unit to respond–assuming they’ve even been notified–can be along time to wait when your life is in danger.

Regardless of how enthusiastic your neighborhood watch program is, there is always a chance that YOU have to be the first responder.

So what home defense tools…what weapons do you have in place?

My guess is the majority of you don’t really have anything.  In other words, you’re unarmed.  Despite my previously mentioned alarming statistics, chances are still pretty darn good you’ll never be forced to stave off an intruder in your home.  I hope you don’t, but if you do, I hope you’re a heck of a boxer.

Another few of you may be relying on a more melee approach.  You might have a knife or a baseball bat under your bed or in the corner of your room.  While they don’t require any ammunition, and virtually zero maintenance, they’re also quite limiting.

Their effectiveness depends on you getting close to the assailant(s), and weapons with extended range likely require you to use two hands, thus making it nearly impossible to hold a flashlight.  Not to mention, there’s always the possibility that the intruder could overpower you and use it against you.  And frankly, there likely aren’t many of us in this room who posses the mental and emotional capacity to be able to effectively beat or stab a man to death.

Enthusiasts like myself, as well as security experts generally agree that the best weapon class for home defense is a firearm.  That, however, is the point where general agreement stops.  For every expert out there who thinks semi-auto pistols are tops, there’s another who prefers double-action revolvers, and yet another who swears on civilian carbines like the AR-15 and Mini-14…let me save you the hassle of inconclusive research–the best home defense gun is one that you’re personally able to operate with the most proficiency.

Now for those of you who don’t currently have a firearm included in your home defense solution, I encourage you to ignore the aforementioned experts, and heed the words of those who praise the almighty shotgun.

A shotgun has a strong advantage over other classes of firearms in three categories:  ease of use, price and availability, and sheer stopping power with minimal risk of over-penetration.

The shotgun is believed to have been around since the 18th century, allowing hundreds of years for manufacturers to design a breed of weapon versatile enough to be used by nearly any man, woman, or child for sport, for hunting, or, in the present case, self-defense.

Barring LE use, and special NFA regulations, Barrel length ranges from 18-20”, which is a maneuverable length ideal for home defense usage, all the way up to 30-34” barrels, popular for trap shooting.

Unlike other guns, shotguns don’t fire bullets–they fire shot or slugs, which are packed into shotshells.  The shot in shotshells consists of small pellets, and the size and the number of pellets in the shell is primarily determined by gauge.  Now, I won’t get into the details of determining gauge, and load variance

…

What’s important to remember is that nearly every shotgun round, despite the gauge, has man-stopping potential, allowing you, regardless of your stature and shooting experience to find one that you can operate.  You have virtually limitless options

Each shot from a shotgun can send anywhere from half a dozen to several hundred pellets (depending on the load) at a target in a conical pattern.  That said, the further you are from a target, the more the pattern will spread.

This phenomenon is no doubt what has inspired the common myth “you can’t miss with a shotgun”.

Inside your house, shooting down a 15 foot hallway, doesn’t give the shot pattern much of an opportunity to spread.  That said, you can absolutely miss with a shotgun.  This is why it’s so important to, as with any other gun, learn how to safely, and effectively operate it.

And the only way to become proficient is to shoot, and shoot often.  Fortunately, shotgunning relatively affordable.

A decent pistol will cost you $400 on the low-end, and a good, stripped down AR-15 can rarely be found for less than $800.  On the other hand, a gently used, low-maintenance pump-action can be commonly purchased for as little as $150.  For the sake of practice, ammunition is also comparatively inexpensive.  A box of 25 rounds of 12 gauge birdshot can be purchased for under $6.00.

Proficient shooting is a discipline that requires a good financial investment, but with a shotgun, you’ll at least be able to keep costs to a minimum.

Finally, there is no other class of firearms available to the civilian market that rivals the stopping power of a shotgun in a home defense scenario:

One round of 12 gauge buckshot can do as much damage to an intruder as hitting them with 9 rounds from a submachine gun.

410, the smallest shotgun gauge can pack the same muzzle energy as a 357 magnum.

and a round of 20 gauge buckshot, which is significantly smaller than the aforementioned 12 gauge, hits with the equivalent force of shooting an intruder with 2 44 magnums at the same time.

Those of you who can’t appreciate the magnitude of that comparison, go watch Dirty Harry…go watch it anyway…

Perhaps the shotgun’s strongest suit is that it can provide the said level of power while keeping penetration to a minimum, meaning you likely aren’t risking the lives of those behind the drywall when you take a shot at the bad guy.

The bottomline is, if you’re caught in a situation where your life is in danger, you need to end it as quickly as possible, while minimizing risk to innocent bystanders.  I challenge anyone to find a weapon that more adequately meets a balance between stopping power and damage control.

I could discuss for hours the benefits of a shotgun for home defense.  Fortunately, for many of you, my time is limited.

I know that not all of you are about to run out and add a shotgun to your home defense arsenal, and some of you might outright be opposed to firearms in general, and I certainly respect an educated argument.  If you take anything away from this speech, it’s my hope that regardless of your defense strategy, you become more cognizant, and in turn more vigilant in your efforts to enjoy peace and safety in your home with your family.