So I bought me a gun safe.

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tnxdshooter

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Okay,


So last Friday I bought me a gun safe. I figured it was about time as I have gone to long without one. I do not have a truck or anyway to move a safe thus I was not able to get say one from a big box store. I needed delivery. So I set about searching. My plan was to put it on my 0% interest for 12 months credit card with 1,000 limit. Thus I had to come in at or under 1,000.


So I did research. I knew there was a champion safe dealer in Knoxville TN. So I went and looked at the champion model t. It had 45 minute fire rating, dial lock, and 475 pounds. I intend to bolt it to the floor. So, I found one at DT McCalls. They offered free shipping within 125 mile radius and would bring it in my home. Thus, since it showed in stock on their website I went ahead and placed my order.

I got an email from customer service on Monday asking me to call them back. When I do they tell me that they do not have the Champion model t in stock but that they do have a challenger ch-21 (made by champion) in stock and would let me have it at the same price as the model t.

The challenger has a 60 minute fire rating, door organizer, and weighs 525 pounds so it is a heavier made safe. They are delivering it this Friday afternoon. The challenger they had had an electronic lock but they are changing a lock to a dial lock for free.

DT McCalls was a little messed up on their specs though. Their sales people are not entirely knowledgeable about safes. When I called they told me the model t had a 30 minute fire rating when I knew it had 45. They told me the challenger had 45 minute. SO, when I hung up with them I called champion safe. They did confirm the model t has 45 minute and the challenger 21 has 60 minute. I called DT McCalls back and updated their sales people on the correct specs. The girl seemed thankful.

Champion Model T Specs
http://www.championsafe.com/products_model-t.html

Challenger CH-21 Specs
http://www.challengersafecompany.com/product-info.html


The challenger safe itself comes with a lifetime warranty. I plan to spend 99.99 extra and get a lifetime lock warranty through champion.

I highly recommend DT McCalls to anyone who might consider ordering from them. Everyone I have talked to has been super nice and they have excellent customer service.


Champion makes the following safes for those that don't know and they are in Provo Utah.

Champion
Superior
Challenger


Now to buy me some 3/8"X8" wood lags to bolt the safe down to the laminate and subfloor. Then drill through the back insulation and fire board to run electrical outlet for a dehumidifier and light system.


For those of you that do not know Champion, Superior, and Challenger are all one company owned by Ray Crosby who before he owned and ran these companies owned Fort Knox and Liberty safe companies.
 
The gunsafes at Frontier Firearms are actually from the fellow that ran the safe company in Kingston and he's very knowledgable. Also, since he's basically consigning the safes at Frontier the prices are very reasonable. I don't know about delivery, but I'm sure he can do that or facilitate it.
 
The gunsafes at Frontier Firearms are actually from the fellow that ran the safe company in Kingston and he's very knowledgable. Also, since he's basically consigning the safes at Frontier the prices are very reasonable. I don't know about delivery, but I'm sure he can do that or facilitate it.

With his price the safe would have cost about 100.00 more delivered than what I paid for the one at dt mccalls.

I talked to randy register and saw those safes consigned at Frontier. I don't like Brant Williams and I definitely don't like the fact that he has cats running through the gun store.

Randy charges 95.00 delivery within 35 miles. I live 54 miles from frontier. It was going to cost about 120 to deliver. Then about 75.00 tax. It was going to come to about 939.00 total. The one i'm getting from dt mcCalls is 877.99 tax and delivery included in that price.
 
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Need help to bolt it to the floor? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but anyone can rent an impact driver to bore a hole into the concrete foundation and drop bolts down and cement them in place. Then it's a matter of washers and nuts being tightened.
 
Need help to bolt it to the floor? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but anyone can rent an impact driver to bore a hole into the concrete foundation and drop bolts down and cement them in place. Then it's a matter of washers and nuts being tightened.

Where can I rent a drill and a socket set? If I can I'll rent one drill the holes into the laminate myself then use the socket set on the lag screws to screw them into the sub floor.
 
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Cool,

I didn't know home depot rented tools. The only draw back is that the nearest one to me is over an hour away. It is looking like i'm going to have to drive an hour and 10 minutes to my parents just to borrow some tools.
 
Well here I've raved about dt mccalls customer service and they still wouldn't give me a definitive answer as to what time today they'd be bringing the safe. I told them I have to go to bed at 4 pm as I've got to get up early in the morning. Thus, if the safe did not arrive by 3 pm to cancel the transaction and I'll do business elsewhere.
 
Like most in-home service, they never know what issues they're going to run into, so it's hard to give an exact time. My guys were a no-show on the day I had scheduled because their only delivery truck/trailer got stuck in a snowy/muddy field during their previous install. Not much you can do about it.
 
Like most in-home service, they never know what issues they're going to run into, so it's hard to give an exact time. My guys were a no-show on the day I had scheduled because their only delivery truck/trailer got stuck in a snowy/muddy field during their previous install. Not much you can do about it.

They got it delivered at 2:45 pm. So it came down to the wire.
 
I think Home Despot (depot) rents out tools. There's generally rental places listed in the yellow pages too.
 
congrats! feels good to have it, doesn't it?

Now, tell us what you end up doing about bolting it down. I still have to do mine into hardwood as well, and have been neglecting it.
 
congrats! feels good to have it, doesn't it?

Now, tell us what you end up doing about bolting it down. I still have to do mine into hardwood as well, and have been neglecting it.

I will i'm still looking into borrowing tools or something. I plan on taking 3/8"x6" wood lag screws and impact wrenching them through the laminate flooring and into the sub floor.
 
You'll need to drill a pilot hole for the lag screws. You'll also have to hit the floor joists or add wood blocks to be effective. A 6" lag run through 3/4" ply and 5" of air is not strong - but a 2" bolt with fender washers will hold.
 
oh I dunno... he's got laminate flooring, which is what, about 1/2"? plus the sub-floor, so you're looking at 1 1/4". There's going to be at least two bolt holes in the safe, maybe even 4. I'd say that's a fair amount of anchorage to be effective.
 
A hammer drill and a wrench is all you need. Four bolts for whatever application you are using and you will be able to bolt it to the floor. Will it be immovable? Absolutely not. A determined thief will be able to move it given time but it will stop the average burglar from walking out with it.
Most safes are just deterrents that will, hopefully, force the thief to find something else to steal.
 
You'll need to drill a pilot hole for the lag screws. You'll also have to hit the floor joists or add wood blocks to be effective. A 6" lag run through 3/4" ply and 5" of air is not strong - but a 2" bolt with fender washers will hold.

Not what I was told by professional safe installers. They said either drill then use ratchet, or impact into sub floor or floor joists. Either should hold they said.
 
oh I dunno... he's got laminate flooring, which is what, about 1/2"? plus the sub-floor, so you're looking at 1 1/4". There's going to be at least two bolt holes in the safe, maybe even 4. I'd say that's a fair amount of anchorage to be effective.

There are four that should be sufficient.
 
A hammer drill and a wrench is all you need. Four bolts for whatever application you are using and you will be able to bolt it to the floor. Will it be immovable? Absolutely not. A determined thief will be able to move it given time but it will stop the average burglar from walking out with it.
Most safes are just deterrents that will, hopefully, force the thief to find something else to steal.

I'm just wanting it to where a burglar can't just come in with a friend or two and a dolly and just take it right on out.

Sure they could un bolt it or bust the floor out and get it but not without considerable time and effort. To unbolt it though they'd have to get into the safe and it's a dial lock so that would ad more time. Again they could bust out the floor but the average burglar isn't going to spend that much time in someone's house.
 
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