Ebay gun safe quality?

[mahna]

Hi,

Looking to get my first gun safe and I see there are what look like bargains on ebay for new gun safes.

Mostly no-name brand stuff, anyone bought one of these kinds of safe? How was the quality?

Worth saving a few bucks or better to get a reputable brand gun safe from the gun shop?

Thanks.

[RealNick]

Mate, a good reputable brand safe for 3-5 rifles is only about $300 in any gun store.

Couldn't safe for sure as I've never had one, but how good could a knock-off ebay safe be?

I wouldn't have high hopes.

[Supporter]

Not had one myself either, but I've read other response to this elsewhere which weren't flattering...

Lots of problems with dodgy locks not opening or closing & getting stuck, bad welds and so on...

Spend a little extra for something reputable IMO. Hyskor, Lokaway, Spika etc...

[sneaker]

I wouldn't risk it.

Buy a good safe to start with and it will last you a lifetime....

Or until you buy too many guns and need a bigger one

[Norton]

Shocking from what I've seen.

See more than one where it was bolted in and the metal was so flexible it got rocked back and forth a couple of times by the owner and pulled the bottom off the safe. Terrible welding...

[mahna]

Ending up picking up a Hyskor for a good price so problem solved

[joey]

I bought one which came from Victoria. Blind hinges and five locking points of high tensile steel 25mm diameter. Door is recessed so would be impossible to jimmy open. The only thing I changed was the size of the dyna bolts. It came with 50mm but I used 75mm in their place installed on concrete floor and brick walls. Works fine. They deliver quickly too.

Joey

[Grated]

I bought one which came from Victoria. Blind hinges and five locking points of high tensile steel 25mm diameter. Door is recessed so would be impossible to jimmy open. The only thing I changed was the size of the dyna bolts. It came with 50mm but I used 75mm in their place installed on concrete floor and brick walls. Works fine. They deliver quickly too.

You did well then.

Plenty of horror stories from people who gets ebay ones which you can almost pull apart with your hands

[Warrigul]

Worth noting that this cropped up from Firearm Services TAS recently:

"Firearms Safe - Compliance Issues

‘Executive’ style safes - compliance issues for firearms storage
‘Executive’ style safes similar to those pictured on the 'Compliance issues for firearms storage' document are currently being sold in some retail outlets in Tasmania and also via the internet.

Tasmania Police Firearms Services has identified that some safes of this type, mainly imported from China and fitted with a PIN activated keypad panel and/or handle that are NOT flush mounted, MAY NOT be suitable for the storage of firearms.

Some ‘Executive Safes’ of this type have keypad panels which can be easily removed from the safe door, making the safe easily penetrable, contrary to the requirements of the Firearms Act 1996.

The Commissioner of Police has determined that safes where the keypad can be removed are NOT compliant with the requirements of the Firearms Act, unless suitably modified to rectify the design fault.

For further information, contact Firearms Services, Tasmania Police.

(August 2012)"

It applied to many cheaper , and some not so cheap, keypad locked safes.

Basically anything with a normal lock is definately okay down here, if it has a keypad then the onus is on the purchaser to make sure it isn't easily penetrated. If you wish to know more go to: http://www.police.tas.gov.au/services-o ... ce-issues/ it is specific to TAS and I am not sure if it is applicable to any other states.

For what it is worth easily removed is as simple as a couple of blows from a hammer.

[Chickenhawk]

It applied to many cheaper , and some not so cheap, keypad locked safes.

The cheap ones aren't even usually that cheap.

I know you've got to draw the line somewhere, but a good safe literally lasts you a lifetime.

Better to spend a little extra and never have to worry about it again. IMO anyway.

[Lorgar]

Better to spend a little extra and never have to worry about it again.

That's my philosophy too.

When I was young and stupid I'd often get the cheapest thing I could, whatever it was.

Always hated it and ended up throwing whatever it was in the bin and buying what I should have from the start.

Not these days... Spending the extra now always saves you later I reckon.

[petemacsydney]

I've been looking at the one below. I got to say, it looks higher quality than some in the gun shops, but i guess you never know. Its interesting though, they've sold a truck load on ebay and they also have a website (safesgun.com.au). I just need to do a little more googling to see if anyone has bought one.

http://www.safesgun.com.au/index.htm

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/7-GUN-SAFE-F ... 800&_uhb=1

[Xerox]

I've been looking at the one below. I got to say, it looks higher quality than some in the gun shops, but i guess you never know.

There was a thing a while ago from one of the state Police departments about buying gun safes off ebay.

Short version is, a lot of them looks good but will fail safety inspections due to unsuitable welds, poorly designed/built keypads or locks, and a host of other problems.

Not saying that is the case for the above ones specifically, but just something to be aware of...

[petemacsydney]

ok thanks for the advice. in retrospect for something so important i think i will probably just buy one from the local gun shop. i guess its only an extra $150.

i also googled a bit more and i couldn't find a single review or forum post on that company... which had me thinking the risk was a little higher..

better to be "safe" than sorry..

[Lorgar]

ok thanks for the advice. in retrospect for something so important i think i will probably just buy one from the local gun shop. i guess its only an extra $150.

i also googled a bit more and i couldn't find a single review or forum post on that company... which had me thinking the risk was a little higher..

better to be "safe" than sorry..

Good philosophy, especially considering if the cops turn up and you fail your storage inspection it's on you, not the safe seller.

[The Brass]

especially considering if the cops turn up and you fail your storage inspection it's on you, not the safe seller.

I'm not recommending them but as a side note... They all say the safes are suitable for category whatever on the ebay listings though... Surely they have some responsibility to make products of high enough quality to match their claims?

[petemacsydney]

Yeah, that's what i was thinking at first.

I contacted the ebay shop and asked a few questions. Their sites says they are fine for cats a through H, but when i emailed them they told me they would only be good for cat A and B in NSW. Not sure if that's a state difference thing

In the end, I've made my mind up, I'm going to go the safe approach and get one from a gun shop.

I found a decent and well priced A&B cat at Bankstown gun shop which looks OK and for a 7 gun size, it's competitively priced at $330.

Might grab one this weekend

[Tonit]

I've made my mind up, i'm going to go the safe approach and get one from a gun shop.

Good move.

Regardless of any other issues like misleading advertising or whatever you want to call it for dodgy ebay safes, your guns are your responsibility.

If the cops aren't satisfied with your storage, it's on you.

[kram]

yeah that's what i was thinking at first. i contacted the ebay shop and asked a few questions. their sites says they are fine for cats a through H, but when i emailed them they told me they would only be good for cat a and b in nsw. not sure if that's a state difference thing, but in the end, I've made my mind up, i'm going to go the safe approach and get one from a gun shop. found a decent and well priced A&B cat at bankstown gun shop which looks OK and for a 7 gun size, its competitively priced at $330. might grab one this weekend

Thats a good price for a 7 gun safe no worries.

[dustin]

yeah that's what i was thinking at first. i contacted the ebay shop and asked a few questions. their sites says they are fine for cats a through H, but when i emailed them they told me they would only be good for cat a and b in nsw.

I'd say that's a big red flag right there...

[brisb]

I found a decent and well priced A&B cat at Bankstown gun shop which looks OK and for a 7 gun size, it's competitively priced at $330.

Sounds like a plan.

For the sake of a few bucks it's better safe than sorry to get one from a local reputable store.