Don’t All Gun Safes Offer the Same Level of Protection?
No, not all gun safes offer the same level of protection, as is the case with all types of safe, and it’s important to know what you’re looking for when you go safe shopping. If you don’t have an expert safe installer or manufacturer with you when you go to purchase a safe, then the following information might help you make a more informed choice:
Consider construction and thickness of metal:
In the past, gun safes were made out of wood and glass, and were designed more to showcase your weapons than protect them from theft. Nowadays, while you can find gun safes at the lower end of the price spectrum with very thin metal bodies made from 16 or even 20-gauge steel, you should be looking for one with a minimum 11-gauge steel in the body of the safe, and ideally, 10 to 7-gauge steel. A low end gun cabinet offers little to no protection against even the
most rudimentary of theft attempts, such as one made with a standard hammer and large screwdriver.
Door construction is another vital element of a good quality gun safe, and you should look for one that has at least a ¼ inch of solid plate steel or composite equivalent in the door. The most secure of gun safes have a 3/8 to ½ inch steel plate in the door. A good gun safe should have the Underwriter Laboratory burglar rating of a RSC, or residential security container, and better ones will be B rated, U.L.TL15 (tool resistant) and U.L. TL30 ratings.
Check the fire rating:
Vital when searching for a high quality gun safe, its recommended that you opt for one with a minimum 1-hour fire rating; anything less and your average safe will not survive a typical home or business fire. If your budget is limited, then simply opt for the longest fire protection you can afford.
It’s also important not to overlook the fire seal on a gun safe, as this will prevent moisture from getting inside and help prevent rust and corrosion from damaging your guns. What happens during a fire, is that the seal will expand to keep smoke and water from getting into the safe, and a good seal will expand up to 6 times its original size to form a completely smoke and watertight seal around between the frame and door of the gun safe.
It certainly pays to keep your guns in a safe, not only to prevent them from being stolen, but to ensure that children, or anyone else, can’t easily get their hands on them, and as you will just have read, not all safes offer the same level of protection. To know more about what gun safe would best suit your needs, talk to your local safe specialist.
Consider construction and thickness of metal:
In the past, gun safes were made out of wood and glass, and were designed more to showcase your weapons than protect them from theft. Nowadays, while you can find gun safes at the lower end of the price spectrum with very thin metal bodies made from 16 or even 20-gauge steel, you should be looking for one with a minimum 11-gauge steel in the body of the safe, and ideally, 10 to 7-gauge steel. A low end gun cabinet offers little to no protection against even the
most rudimentary of theft attempts, such as one made with a standard hammer and large screwdriver.
Door construction is another vital element of a good quality gun safe, and you should look for one that has at least a ¼ inch of solid plate steel or composite equivalent in the door. The most secure of gun safes have a 3/8 to ½ inch steel plate in the door. A good gun safe should have the Underwriter Laboratory burglar rating of a RSC, or residential security container, and better ones will be B rated, U.L.TL15 (tool resistant) and U.L. TL30 ratings.
Check the fire rating:
Vital when searching for a high quality gun safe, its recommended that you opt for one with a minimum 1-hour fire rating; anything less and your average safe will not survive a typical home or business fire. If your budget is limited, then simply opt for the longest fire protection you can afford.
It’s also important not to overlook the fire seal on a gun safe, as this will prevent moisture from getting inside and help prevent rust and corrosion from damaging your guns. What happens during a fire, is that the seal will expand to keep smoke and water from getting into the safe, and a good seal will expand up to 6 times its original size to form a completely smoke and watertight seal around between the frame and door of the gun safe.
It certainly pays to keep your guns in a safe, not only to prevent them from being stolen, but to ensure that children, or anyone else, can’t easily get their hands on them, and as you will just have read, not all safes offer the same level of protection. To know more about what gun safe would best suit your needs, talk to your local safe specialist.
