Calling All Gunners, Need Recommendations

5/6/2004 | BattleFlag

[BattleFlag]

Long Live The Second Amendment!

Hi all,

I am looking for recommendations for gun safe makers, models and features. I do not have a particularly large gun collection and it will probably never be that large. Probably never beyond 4-5 long guns and 4-5 pistolas. As I happen to have other small objects of value I also want to be able to store other items in this safe and keep everything safe from fire damage should my humble abode "ketch far".

I have done some research and my gunsmith has his recommendations. But I know there is alot of firearms knowlege here and I wanted to run it by you guys.

Next, I would like your recommendation on a concealed carry .45ACP pistol. I am leaning toward the smaller but not smallest ParaOrdiance models with the LDA trigger. Also not set on double or single stack magazines. This would not be my only CC pistol as I have a small frame .357 I also use.

On this, I am open to suggestions.

Thanks!

(I don't do alot of posting, especially vanity type posts so if I've done anything wrong with this one please let me know)

[BattleFlag]

Second Amendment Sisters Rock!

[Adrastus]

Regarding a concealed carry weapon, I happened on one that suites me to the ground. I picked up a Berretta Model 8045D for a very reasonable price. It's a weapon that's compact, safe and easily carried. You can get a larger mag to go with it with an 8 rd capacity. The double action aspect is no problem but you may want your gunsmith to do a trigger job on it. I'm a .45 fan of long standing (European pellet guns..9mm..I have no use for). I have rather large hands and can handle it quite well with the extended mag.

[cryptical]

Have no opinion on the safe, but for a CCW .45, I'm getting a HK USP Compact in 45 soon. I would have bought one yesterday if the gun shop had one in stock, but I had to settle for renting on the range. Very smooth pistol.

[Yasotay]

I like my Ft Knox "Titan" (with non-electric lock) and my USP .45 ....

[cryptical]

Forgot to go BANG.

[The Grammarian]

This is off-subject, but what are your takes on the Walther P99? Disregarding caliber issues: is it as good as any other 9mm, or what?

[BattleFlag]

Funny you should mention the HK USP Compact, I handled one about a week ago at a local shop. It was there on consignment $690 which I assume is a good price.

I'm not experienced with the .45 but I keep hearing people saying good things about the LDA trigger on these Paraordinance models.

But yeah, I still have that HK in mind....

[DocRock]

I am a firearm owner and enthusiast as well as a retail jeweler relying daily on my firearm to protect my life. To protect firearms and jewelry form those parasites that wish to have nice things without working for them, I rely on only UL rated safes. These safes have a TL rating such as TL-15, TL-30 or TL-60 and your insurance will drop as the rating goes up. If my memory serves me correctly, the number represents the amount of time (in minutes) it took Underwriters Laboratory to penetrate the safe with the tools (therefore the TL rating) and the working knowledge of the safe. I could be wrong on this, but I'm not wrong on the fact that these are very high security and not easy to crack. Just do a simple search on TL-15, TL-30 or TL-60 and you will see that you get what you pay for.

[Billthedrill]

The Para is a superb choice. The Kimber Ultra CDP is another fine firearm for this purpose. I have seen but not fired a Springfield Armory Micro Compact (3" bbl) and have fired their Ultra Compact (3.5" bbl) and I would certainly put Springfield on my short list.

You get more in the magazine with a Para but it's thicker as a result. Leather is crucial for an everyday carry gun, and if you skimp there you'll be sorry.

With a powerful compact pistol ammo is also crucial for reliability, so find what your individual piece and the harmonics of your body like the best. Remember spring tension is more critical with a small firearm firing a big bullet, and replace your recoil springs regularly (I do it yearly on my birthday so I don't forget).

The best solution is (how many times have you read this on FR? But it's true) to go to a range that rents pistols of that type and try as many of them as you can.

Me, I love my Kimber... ;-)

[Warthog]

I have a Hall's safe. It's very fire resistant and Very secure. No opinion about CCW as it's nearly impossible to get one out here in California (unless you're a democrat politician - like our Senator Feinstein)

[joesnuffy]

Glock 30 or 36 with Pearce grip extender if you have large meathooks...

Glock 29 in 10mm with Pearce extender...loaded with Double Taps variety pack of unreal velocities..

DoubleTap

Because two holes are better than one

[Cogadh na Sith]

No question: Liberty Gun Safe with fire lining.

For concealed .45: Kimber.

[Monty22]

"Next, I would like your recommendation on a concealed carry .45ACP pistol."

Glock 36 or Sig P245 are excellent.

[Towed_Jumper]

I don't know if you have Costco Warehouses where you leave but I recently picked up a nice Canon "Executive Vault" Fire Safe for about $650. This thing weights about 700 lbs and is rated for 30 minutes protection at 1,200 degrees F.

Even if you don't have too many firearms, there's plenty of room for cameras, old photos, tax records, your wife's jewelry, etc. I thought it was a good price given that many of the bigger fire safes start out at around $1,000+.

[LibWhacker]

Don't know personally since I keep finding other things to spend money on . . . But I've always wanted a Liberty Safe. The rec.guns faq has touted them as one of the best safes for years.

Burglars broke into my brother's house a while back when he was out of town and spent the better part of a day cutting a hole in the side of his safe because it was too heavy to carry out. So for my money, the bigger, the heavier, and the thicker the steel plate (all around, not just the front), the better.

[fourdeuce82d]

I like kimber and springfield...not enough knowledge to make that a "Suggest"...I've just had good fortune with their products. I have had some bad luck with Para Ord...parts breaking, etc.

My personal preference is a 4" tube- I find I can still shoot and hit at a relatively rapid pace, but find it harder to do so with a 3" pipe. Plus, the Conventional Wisdom is that 3" tubes are more likely to malf...then again, conventional wisdom held the Earth was flat, so there you go.

As others have posted, here and other places, rent 'em before you buy 'em.

Good luck, stay safe...and have fun!

[Axenolith]

A guy that hunted with us had a case like that and he put cans of reloading powder at the likely cutting points. His attitude was "If I can't have em' nodoby can".

[LibWhacker]

LOL . . . I don't blame him.

[Redcoat LI]

THE USP COMPACT LEM

OR,If you are married to.45

THE USP COMPACT SERIES

The HK USP Compact is a small frame pistol capable of firing the most powerful cartridges in 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 SIG, and .45 ACP. Based on the full-size USP models, these handy pistols combine compact size with optimum effective shooting performance.

[BattleFlag]

Yep, it's looking like Liberty is close to the top alright.

I am curious, did the perps get to the contents of your brother's safe?

Looking at the Libertys I think including freight, and installation if you need that you'd better be prepare to lay down close to $2k.

But, if you paid $2k for a safe and lets say you save $5k worth of property that would have probably been destroyed or ripped off are you not $3k ahead of the game? I know it's a hypothetical situation but is this logic flawed?

Also, I wonder if the ol insurance company would care one way or another if one spent this kind of money to protect their personal property.