Revolutionary New Gun Safes from Pendleton Safe Company

by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn & Boge Quinn

May 5th, 2010

UPDATED January 25th, 2013

 

 

 

 

Click pictures for a larger version.

 

 

Pendleton's "King" Series safe is right at home in Jeff's gun room.

 

 

Conventional safe interior is hard to light properly, and the rack design makes guns in the back hard to access.

 

 

Empty interior of Jeff's safe. Shelves are easily reconfigured, and customized layouts are available.

 

 

Rack spacing is easily adjustable.

 

 

Rifle rows are staggered so that long magazines can stick out between rifles in the forward row.

 

 

Plenty of space is provided for handguns above the rifle rack.

 

 

Interior hinge bolts protect the hinge side of the door even if the exterior hinges are cut.

 

 

Flat locking bolts are substantial in size.

 

 

Rocker switch rotates interior racks in either direction.

 

 

Walking the endless aisles perusing the elaborate displays at the 2010 SHOT Show in Las Vegas back in January, Boge and I were busy taking pictures of interesting new firearms and related products to include in our daily updates. By the second day, we had seen a lot of interesting stuff, but we walked by a very unique gun safe, which stopped me in my tracks. There are many safe displays at SHOT, but I immediately hollered for Boge to come have a look. I usually just walk by the multitude of gun safes on display, for they are pretty much alike, differing only in size and quality. However, this Pendleton safe was a real head-turner, as the whole interior was rotating. We were impressed enough to post a picture of the Pendleton safe that night, and have since taken on Pendleton Safe Company as an advertiser.

After seeing that first Pendleton safe at the SHOT Show, I new that I had to have one, and later learned that Greg, our brother and marketing guy, was in talks with Pendleton about becoming an advertiser on Gunblast.com. It could not have worked out better, as Greg, Boge, and I all three ended up getting Pendleton safes in lieu of an advertising check. I had been needing another safe for a while, and was glad that I waited until I saw the Pendleton. I have two other safes, both built by Heritage, and they are excellent gun safes. However, being of conventional safe design, the long guns are stored four rows deep, one right in front of the other. This style is just fine for storage, but to get to a gun in the rear of the safe, the ones in front of it have to be removed first. Also, even with the light kit installed, it is very difficult to see what is behind the front row of guns. Another problem that I have with conventional gun safe design is that when the weapons have a high (tall) profile, such as with an AR-15, AR-10, or other modern semi-auto rifle, you lose storage space. This is also true of a traditional rifle with a scope sight installed.

The Pendleton safe design solves every problem and inconvenience of a conventional gun safe design. The Pendleton safe is round, instead of rectangular. The inside shelves and racks rotate on a center axis. The whole interior of the safe rotates to bring the weapons to the front of the safe for easy access. The rifles are stored two-deep, but staggered, so that rifles with scope sights or even long magazines installed present no problem, and do not interfere with the weapon in front of or behind it. In the staggered fashion, you never have to move more than one long gun to access the gun behind it. For someone like me who is constantly moving guns in and out of the safe, the Pendleton is a divine blessing. In addition to holding thirty long guns, the interior design of my safe allows for the secure and easily-accessed storage of thirty six handguns in slots, plus a few more on the flat shelf.

Pendleton custom-builds their safes for any configuration imaginable, from all-rifles to part-rifles and part-handguns, to part guns and part jewelry, to document storage, and anything in-between. Boge had his custom-configured to hold a wheelbarrow full of handguns. He has a few long guns, but prefers sidearms, and his Pendleton safe has slots on eight shelves to hold a total of 144 handguns, plus a flat rack on the bottom for additional handguns, knives, ammo, or whatever else needs protection from fire and theft. Like mine, the interior rotates right or left to quickly access any gun in the safe. On these Pendleton interiors, there are also knobs to allow the rotation of the racks without the optional motor. Pendleton offers various packages, with the motor being optional on some, and standard on some. As truly custom-built units, Pendleton safes are available with or without motors, in several sizes, and with an endless number of storage shelf configurations. A wide variety of finishes is offered, and Pendleton can custom-finish your safe to any color you want.

Other fine features of the Pendleton safes include a dehumidifier, which is almost mandatory for those who live in humid regions of the country like I do. In the Tennessee Valley, summertime is hot and muggy, and I like the dehumidifier working to keep my guns from turning into lumps of brown rust; Pendleton's dehumidification system is custom-engineered just for Pendleton's safes, and is wonderfully effective. I also love the S&G electronic lock. I open my safes several times everyday to access a weapon or to put in the latest arrival for testing, and the electronic lock is just so much faster and more convenient than the old rotating dial lock. Atop the Pendleton safe is a rotating shelf for objects that do not need to be locked up, such as holsters, powder, hats, cleaning supplies, or anything else that will fit, and the top exterior shelf rotates with the interior shelves for convenient access.

Inside the Pendleton safe, there is no carpet as in other safes. Neoprene protects the firearms from the steel interior, so there is nothing inside to hold dust and moisture. The interior is painted a bright white, and a multitude of LED lights (at least 300, depending on model) make it easy to see every gun in the safe. Thank you! I hate having to get out a flashlight to see into my other safes, even with their interior light packages. Opening the Pendleton is like looking into Heaven; brightly lit and full of firearms!

The locking bolts on the Pendleton safes are unlike the round bolts used on most, but are made of flat bar stock, and have a much larger bearing surface upon the frame of the safe than does the round style. The exposed hinges on the exterior of the Pendleton are just that; hinges. They are not there for security, as behind the door are flat locking bolts on the hinge side interior as well. The hinges can be completely cut off with a powerful cutting torch, and the door is still secure.

The Pendleton safes come in a variety of colors and finishes, and in three basic models; Knight, Bishop, and King. Different diameters are available depending on model, several height choices are available, and the combinations of shelving is almost endless. The safes vary in weight between 575 pounds for the thirty inch Knight in a sixty inch height to 1250 pounds for the thirty-two inch King in a seventy-two inch height.

There are many gun safes on the market today, and all of the good ones do a fine job of securing valuables. However, the Pendleton offers both security and convenience. I really like this safe, if you couldn’t tell already. Mine is finished in a beautiful dark green (Boge's is a lustrous black), and the quality of materials and workmanship is readily apparent. I am glad that we happened across that Pendleton display at the SHOT Show. The Pendleton is a truly innovative safe design, one that is extremely handy, offering not only security and protection, but is also the most convenient and easy-to-use interior design as well. For gun owners, the Pendleton safe is the best design that I have ever seen, and is the perfect choice for gun owners. My next safe will be another Pendleton, and I can make no higher recommendation than that.

Pendleton safes come with a lifetime warranty, and they are made in the USA.

To check out the entire line of Pendleton safes and to locate a Pendleton dealer near you, go to www.pendletonsafes.com.

For information on pricing and availability, email info@pendletonsafes.com or call 770-466-6181.

Jeff Quinn

 

 

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Click pictures for a larger version.

 

 

Boge is a handgun collector, so his safe is custom-configured for handguns. Eight slotted racks provide space for 144 handguns, with room to spare. Bottom shelf is unslotted, and can be used for knives, ammo, etc.

 

 

Knobs underneath a shelf allow the racks to be manually rotated.

 

 

Sargent & Greenleaf electronic lock is quick and secure.

 

 

Motor box.

 

 

Exterior LED status lights: red LED (top) indicates that the safe is unlocked, and green (bottom) indicates that the dehumidifier is working.

 

 

Solid rack can hold handguns, ammo, accessories, and even a Kel-Tec RFB carbine.

 

 

Handle is made to resemble cartridge cases.

 

 

Crew from Glover's Lock Service in Clarksville, TN delivers Jeff's safe.