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September 9th, 2009
We found some interesting, well-designed racks and gunsafe accessories on the ManaboutRacks.com website. First, we were impressed with the 7-slot handgun rack with built-in storage (larger 10- and 12-gun sizes are available). This is the first design we’ve seen that offers organized storage right below the handguns — a perfect place for mags or ammo. There are many different versions, with your choice of drawers, divided compartments, or an open sub-shelf. A 7-gun rack with 4 drawers costs $79.95, while a 7-gun rack with dividers runs $49.95. The 7-gun Greystone rack, with one long shelf below the guns, costs $49.95.
They say “rust never sleeps”. When storing firearms you want to maintain optimal interior temperature and relative humidity inside the safe. By keeping the humidity above the dew point, moisture won’t condense on your guns, leading to rust. Here’s a simple, Digital Humidity & Temperature Monitor that costs just $14.95. With a 3″ x 2″ footprint, it’s small enough to put anywhere in your safe.
Shown below is a slick, battery-powered LED light. The LED lamp holder swivels, allowing you to direct illumination where you want it. This unit, measuring 7.1″ x 1.8″ x 0.9″, is very flat so it doesn’t take up much space. Mounting is easy — the lamp comes with both magnetic and Velcro-type fasteners. Because this lamp uses LEDs rather than incandescent bulbs, the AAA batteries last a long time. This swiveling LED lamp, in either silver or gloss black finish, costs $12.95 on the web and you may find it for less in a large home-supply store.
August 14th, 2009
Many readers already have a gunsafe, but if you’re like most gunowners, your safe is completely filled with guns, scopes, and personal valuables. Wouldn’t it be nice to have additional secure storage for items such as shooting rests, barrels, tripods, and expensive tools? Here’s a useful item that can safeguard your tools, outdoor gear, and shooting accessories. In a pinch, it can augment the storage capacity of your gun safe, though we recommend a conventional gun safe with UL-rated locking mechanism for long-term firearms storage.
The Better Built® 48″ Steel Job Site Safe is now on sale at Lowe’s for $249.00, marked down from $288.00. Offering 17.5 cubic feet of storage space, the Site Safe (Lowe’s item # 195894) will hold tools, barrels, tripods etc. up to 48″ in length. It is 25″ high, 24″ front to back, and is built of powder-coated 14 gauge steel. The design includes recessed lift handles to assist in installation. In the front are two lock ports which can be secured with padlocks.
This unit can be very handy in your garage or workshop to secure expensive tools and other equipment. Also, its low, horizontal design allows it to fit in places where a conventional, vertical style safe will not fit. Better Built® also offers 36″-wide (item 37224145), and 60″-wide (item 37224142) Site Safes, but these products are not currently sold at Lowe’s.
August 11th, 2009
This time of year, many of our readers are traveling far and wide to shooting events, including the National Championships at Camp Perry. Security is vital on those long trips when you’re hauling lots of guns and shooting gear. A custom, high-end Benchrest, F-Class, or High Power rifle can cost upwards of $4000.00. And that’s without optics, which can run another $2000.00 per rifle. If you’re transporting three or four match rifles with premium scopes, you could be hauling $16,000 worth of firearms. Bring along a rangefinder, Co-Axial rest, spotting scope, and chronograph, and that could push the total closer to $20,000.
 How do you safeguard that kind of investment? One of the best storage systems available is the TruckVault, built in Washington state. TruckVaults are custom-fitted, locking storage cabinets that fit in a pickup truck bed, SUV, or station wagon. Various designs are available, including a waterproof “Extreme Series”. Both single-drawer and multi-draw layouts are offered with lengths up to 60″ overall, and top-load capacity of 2000 pounds. A variety of interior configurations are available.
For transporting scoped match rifles, we suggest TruckVault’s “Magnum Line”, which has two drawers with 10.5″ of vertical clearance. This offers two primary sliding compartments (on roller casters), plus smaller storage boxes where you can keep valuable gear securely out of sight.
TruckVaults carry a big price-tag. SUV models start at $1485, but expect to pay closer to $2000.00 for a unit with all the bells and whistles. That’s serious money, but you have to balance that against the cost of the firearms and accessories you are transporting. If you spend much time on the road with a pricey collection of guns, optics, and accessories, a TruckVault may be a wise investment. This editor first saw a TruckVault on a Chevy Suburban belonging to an Arizona gunsmith who does work for the military. It was not unusual for him to haul $50,000 worth of Class III weapons. For him, the TruckVault was an essential security feature. For more info, visit TruckVault.com or call (800) 967-8107.
August 8th, 2009
Sam’s Club is offering one of the best deals in gun safes right now — a 60″ H x 30″ W x 22″ L Liberty Centurian safe for $688.00. That is the store pick-up price. The safe weighs 520 lbs. and has 23 cubic feet of exterior volume. Walls are 12 gauge steel and the safe is fire-rated for 30 minutes at 1200° F. The lock is a Sargent & Greenleaf electronic, one of the best units in its price range. This very same safe is sold by Liberty Dealers for $999-$1099.00. If you’re able to get this safe home on your own, this is an excellent value from a respected safe-builder. I’ve got a friend who purchased one of these safes and I helped him install it and set up this interior. I can assure you that you’ll have trouble finding more safe for the money. I consider it better than a $1000.00 Canon I used to own.
Note, you’ll have to call your local Sam’s Club for availability and exact price. If it’s not available at the closest outlet, try other nearby Sam’s Club stores (you can search for availability on the Sam’s Club website). Typically a Sam’s Club outlet will get a half-dozen of these and they’ll sell out in a few days. Also, we want to caution people that this safe, while far more secure than a typical “security cabinet” with a locking key, is a far cry from a serious 1500-lb commercial-grade safe. On the other hand this safe is just about the biggest size that can be easily handled by a couple non-professional guys working with a furniture dolly. The unit is delivered on a wood pallet — we recommend leaving the pallet on until you get the unit inside and positioned. Then remove the wood and bolt down the safe through the four holes are pre-drilled in the bottom (these are hidden by the carpet).
Here’s a review from a buyer who purchased this Liberty Safe at Sam’s Club: “We really shopped the competition prior to purchasing this safe. For the fire rating and the storage space, this was consistently $200-$600 less than many of the other membership retailers in addition to ALL sporting good stores (even the Mega stores.) The safe is packaged well and the instructions are pretty thorough also. The mechanics are as good as any gun-store-bought safe, better in most cases. The S&G lock is easy to program and use. Just be sure the lock handle is twisted all the way counterclockwise [after you close the door]. The modular interior is great. We store some paperwork, ammunition and of course firearms in the safe and there’s more than enough room. Sam’s Club is untouchable on the price of this safe. Do the homework yourself — it’s the best value for the money anywhere.”
June 13th, 2009
Here’s a great deal on the GunVault MiniVault. This is one of the best rapid-access handgun safes on the market. Keep it at bedside, in your work area, or it can even be fitted to a vehicle. Built of 16-gauge steel, the 8.5-lb MiniVault can be opened almost instantaneously using finger buttons on the No-Eyes™ keypad. The interior dimensions are 11″ L x 6.3″ W x 2.8″ H. That’s large enough to hold pretty much any defensive handgun, even with a rail light.
MidwayUSA has discounted the 8″x12″ MiniVault (item 246722) to $79.99. That’s $26 off the normal price. Elsewhere on the web, the cheapest price we could find was $89.99, so you’re not going to beat this deal. MidwayUSA’s $79.99 price is good through June 30, 2009.
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