Should You Buy a Used Gun Safe?

When you look at the prices of new gun safes, it's easy to wonder if you might not be better off buying a used gun safe. But what are the pros and cons? Are you making sacrifices you might regret later just to get a good price? Let's take a look:

Disadvantages of Buying a Used Gun Safe

  • The unit won't come with a warranty
  • Unless you know the owner, you have no way of knowing how well it has been treated over the years
  • It may be hard to find a used gun safe that fits your ammo and firearms (always buy a larger one than you think you need) and is local (you don't want to pay for shipping on something this heavy!)
  • If the gun safe hasn't been used much, the lock may have relaxed into "freeze mode" (this is when the wheels aren't spun regularly--this can give a lock a greater chance of breaking down in the future)
Advantages of Buying a Used Gun Safe

  • As with most things, buying used gets you a better price
  • With a bit of investigation, you can probably find a well cared for model that will work just fine (people often get rid of their old safes simply because they've purchased more firearms and need a larger one)
Where to Look for a Used Gun Safe

If you decided that you want to look for a used gun safe, Craigslist is a place to search locally. You can also check on eBay, adjusting the search criteria to give you local results only. Your town's newspaper (print and online editions) is also a place to look.

If you're not having much luck, try placing your own ad instead of simply browsing the "for sale" sections. I often have good results shopping this way. I place an ad on Craigslist, telling people what I want, and asking them to send pictures and information if they have something for sale. You'll probably get a good response from people who have gun safes sitting in their basements or garages but hadn't thought of listing them themselves.