Sentry 5-Gun Safe

Safe arrived in good shape. The door was NOT off the hinges, which was nice. No dents or scratches, even though the outer box was beat up some.

The safe was double-boxed on the four long sides, with styrofoam on the ends instead of the second layer of cardboard. The shelf was in place, but only held there by a 2"x2"x8" (approx) piece of styrofoam, wedged in place against the top of the safe. I don't know how it had not come loose.

Nicer finish and thicker sheet metal than the St---On brand seen elsewhere, but of course this 5-gun safe costs almost double those, so it's not exactly a fair comparison. You can check out that other brand at D---- S----ing Goods stores. I've compared them, and this one is much nicer.

One drawback, but it is minor and easy to overcome: the shelf is too small. It does not come as far to the front as it could, and does not go all the way to the back, to allow longer guns to fit behind it. A 49" shotgun (28" bbl) needs to go past the shelf. A 43" shotgun (22" bbl) fits underneath.

I made a larger shelf, with one 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" cut-out in the left rear corner for one longer gun. It also comes as far to the front as it can without hitting the door's U-iron reinforcements.

The "carpeting" is not. It is cloth made to look like carpeting. Carpeting has a backing. This cloth does not. It covers the floor and the back, up to the barrel support (which is plastic, not foam like in the cheaper safes mentioned above.) [I will not ding the rating for this, because I knew the whole safe was not carpeted. The interior has the same nice paint finish as the exterior.]

Anyway, I wanted the whole thing carpeted, so I went to a big box hardware store and picked up some inexpensive gray carpeting runner. I ripped out the existing fabric, which was glued on (had to sand out the glue and bits of fabric--took a bit of work), and used double-stick tape (carpet tape) to attach the new carpeting to the entire interior except the top. I also carpeted my new shelf, but needed to use staples for that. This was a lot of work, but the result is impressive.

You'll want to bolt this safe to the wall if it's on carpeting. Opening the door makes it front-heavy. I bolted one in the wall and one in the floor. (My new carpeting has "flaps" for the bolt heads. The original carpeting does not.)

Front door is reinforced top to bottom with two U-shaped iron sections. Door is recessed. Could you pry it open? Yeah, but you are going to need some time, and a crook isn't going to take that much time. The thing weighs 70 pounds. It could be pried from the wall and floor, but loaded with guns, no crook is going to easily make off with it.

Two "bolts" on the door. Don't know if they are solid or not. Keys are "skeleton" type, but actually pretty complicated and heavy-duty. I was pleased with the keys and the lock.

I am impressed with the Sentry safes, in general. I also have an electronic combination-lock safe made by them (1.25 cu ft). Good for ammo or handgun. These Sentry safes are a very good value, and if you can find one shipped for free or almost free, as this one from Walmart is, I think you'll find it's a keeper...that is, until you outgrow it!

This is a great safe for the price! Easy to use and fits great in a closet.

Although this product would not stop a thief from breaking in, it would most definitely keep children or unwanted hands from accessing the contents. Certainly serves it's purpose, and is actually heavier than I expected it to be. Overall I am very pleased with this product.

THE SHELF BRACKET WAS WELDED INCORECTLY SO THE SHELF WON'T SEAT PROPERLY. THIS PRODUCT WAS NOT INSPECTED PRIOR TO SHIPPING.

This is a pretty good safe for a couple long guns, but I would invest in something better for expensive or multiple weapons. All in all pretty good. Shipping can beat up the corners a bit.

I bought this mainly due to cost. I personally found it lacking. The fact that they call it a "safe" isn't accurate, it's more like a cabinet. The front keyhole cover is plastic, the door is just thin metal (granted it's thicker than a metal cabinet door), and the shelf is very small. Also the keys are big, bulky, and cheaply made.
Over all I honestly think money is better spent on a 10 gun cabinet that you can pick up for almost half what this costs.
In short I returned mine. One thing is for sure though, you can't beat the .97 shipping cost!

This gun safe is secure and inexpensive (relative to other gun safes), but to save on materials they didn't put any weights in the bottom which makes it top heavy. If you plan to store it on carpet, you'll have to either prop it up or anchor it into the wall. It's also light enough that one person can carry it, which means that if you don't anchor it, someone could pick it up and walk away with it.

For the $$$, this works. Holds long guns and has a flat shelf on the top for ammo, etc... Has a hole to bolt to the wall and hardware is included although I would use a much heavier lag bolt. I own other Sentry products and for the bucks you can't beat this safe. Looks good also in black. Comes with two keys. Was delivered in five days to my door.

Had to order online and wait for it, but it came with only a few bruises that don't really matter since it went in the closet. Wish it was a little 'deeper' for storing ammo, but that's the trouble with internet shopping- can't see it till it's here....