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My wife broke the news to me the other day. There was a delivery truck coming to the house that morning and it was a gift for me. All she would say was that it was something I had wanted to have for a while and it was big and very heavy. The truck pulled up and two guys started working on pulling this big box off the back of their truck. The surprise was a 36-gun gun safe from Redfield. I was pretty stoked. Of course, just like the shooting an animal part of hunting, now the real work would begin. Where was I going to put it? How much would it take to get it set up? How many guns can it really hold? All questions that I was about to answer. Have some more questions about this and other gun safes? Check out our guide to buying one.
Some assembly required
When you buy a gun safe and have it shipped to your house, you should know going in that it is a BIG box and a lot of weight. This safe weighs 374 pounds, so make sure you have a hand truck and some help to move it around. Getting it into the house is one thing, but it takes some finangling to get it positioned just right.
If you’re mounting it on a concrete floor, like I did, you’re going to want a hammer drill and a concrete bit big enough for the mounting studs. Yes, would-be thieves, the 374 lbs. safe is bolted right to the concrete floor. Of course you are free to use whatever hammer drill you like. I am fond of my DeWalt 20V MAX Hammer Drill – That thing is a beast and I use it for drilling holes on the ice for fishing, too, but I digress.
The electronic key pad comes with a long-life 9-volt battery and simply plugs into the door. It is pretty easy to follow the instructions on setting your own code, too. And yes, there is a way to open the lock without the keypad in the event of some issue, but I’m not going to tell you how to do it. Let me just say that it is fairly simple and is very clear in the directions as to how to do it. If you want to know more than that, buy the safe.
This safe is rated for 1,400 degrees for 30 minutes and is waterproof up to two feet for seven days. That is really good for the price range. Overall, the fit and finish of this gun safe is outstanding, and it far exceeds some of the other safes that are similar in price.
Actual capacity
So actual capacity is different than the advertised capacity but that is the same for all gun safes, cabinets and such. This is a 36 gun safe, but as you should expect, that doesn’t include room for optics. If you have a bunch of scoped rifles, you will want a bigger safe. If you’d like to check out our guide to buying a gun safe, click here.
The interior is changeable, so you can set the safe up to fit your needs. I have some finangling to do, as I have several LONG shotguns and rifles that take up a little more space than I planned. I think I might buy a second safe at some point just for the long firearms, which would then free up some additional space in this safe for me to fill with new guns. See? You’ve always got to be thinking positive.
The door has sleeves for holding pistols and is set up to hold one long gun. This is a perfect setup for a home defense firearm, or something short. Again, things are configurable for your needs.
Am I happy?
You bet I am. This gun safe is perfect for the price. Do I wish it was a tiny bit taller? Sure, but that slight problem just means I had to get creative. Am I happy my wife bought it for me? Oh boy, you’d better believe I am. My biggest problem was that I now had to run out and find a gift of similar value for her. She’s not into jewelry either, so I had to get creative. I didn’t have to go to Jared, but I think Hobby Lobby closed early after I left. I heard the manager mumble something about how I just made his quarter or something.
If you’re looking for a gun safe, check out the Redfield line at Academy Sports. They have safes ranging from 12-gun to 64-gun and the prices simply cannot be beat. Yes, it is the same Redfield brand that makes optics, also available only from Academy Sports. You will be happy that you checked into them.
Pros
Excellent fit and finish. Easy to set up and configure. Price was great for the quality and construction!
Cons
I wish it was a little taller for more room.
Buy it
If you want a GREAT gun safe for the price, this is the best one I’ve seen at this price range.
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