Buying Tips for Finding a Quality Gun Safe Cabinet
When you buy a long gun safe, you want to be sure you won’t be scammed. Here are some qualities of high-quality safes that you should be aware of.
First of all, you should expect to pay around $1200 for a decent safe. Contrary to popular belief, the major manufacturers know that the best location for hinges is on the outside (unless you’re buying a European grade 1 safe – they put the hinges on the inside and are solidly built, no complaints here). The reason American safe manufacturers put the hinges on the outside is so that thieves waste valuable time attacking that area, as opposed to the lock itself. They won’t get anywhere with a quality long gun safe.
Interior must be a minimum of 58 inches high. The reason for this is that it will have clearance for your 30-inch-long barrels and allow for shelving near the top for your smaller items. Other great features to look out for, though they can be installed aftermarket, are a rotating shelf and a stack of drawers for your smaller weapons and other items. After all, if you’re going to shell out that much money, you better be organized to begin with.
As for the locking mechanism, the dials made by Sargent & Greenleaf®, whose parent company is Stanley Security Solutions®, are top-notch according to many in the industry. They’re not the only name in the industry, but if they were, your guns would be in good hands! If you want to opt for a digital combination, make sure it’s a UL Listed Type II lock or better, or Type I (commercial grade electrical). Anything less is risky business.
Find out about fire retardant material, there are many opinions on this subject. Many manufacturers are using the UL listing for fireboard (also known as a thin layer of drywall) to list their safes as fire safes. This isn’t exactly the best quality, so really ask the manufacturer of your choice how they build the doors, walls, and floor of your fire safe. A thin layer of drywall sandwiched between two thin sheets of sheet metal is not a quality safe!
The weight of your fireproof gun safe, especially the fireproof gun safe! – must be at least 750 pounds. Steel should be at least 8 gauge for burglary protection, the best models use solid steel fire lining and plating. By the way, when buying a gun safe cabinet, the smaller the gauge of steel, the thicker the material.
The security in your gun safety cabinet must have at least a UL Listed “RSC” (Residential Security Container) rating; that is bottom shelf safety forks not tested to resist theft or fire damage. This is the minimum rating and should be able to buy you FIVE minutes in the event of a break-in attempt. With minimal tools, in other words, a thief on the street will be able to open an RSC-rated safe.
Your best bet is to buy a European grade 1 or a UL listed TL-15 or TL-30. There are other higher ratings for safes that pass tests conducted by UL including blast resistance, impact resistance, 6-sided attack, and torch attack, but such ratings generally incur exorbitant fees and are not typical for residential use. For that reason, they won’t be included in our gun safe reviews, but know that if your gun safe cabinet has these ratings, you’ve purchased a quality safe. One of the best fire-retardant materials for the construction of fire-resistant gun safes is Palusol®. This material expands with heat and prevents the entry of fire, smoke, and usually water as well.
Make sure the exterior is also rust resistant – this safe should give you more than a lifetime of toughness. Also, gun racks, drawers, felt-lined shelves, an interior lighting system, a bolt pattern to secure it in place, and a dehumidification system all need to be included or at least installed at some point.
Great Gun Safe Cabinets Gun Safe Reviews
About Gun Safes Reviews!
Ft. Knox “Legend” Series Gun Safety Cabinet
The Ft. Knox “Legend” series is their premier line of safes. They are made with 3/16-inch steel body plate and are also protected by a reinforced 10-gauge steel liner. Legend Series doors are 1-3/4-inch thick, reinforced and durable. fire resistant. Mind you, the 1-3/4 inches is a “general thickness”, so it’s not completely steel! The steel is actually only 5/16 of an inch across the door, so only a little over a quarter of an inch. In other words, a good measure of that thickness is drywall, or “fireboard” as they call it, simply the same material you might hand-drill in your home or office. The good news is that there is a qualified “hard plate” and ball bearings to thwart drilling attempts.
Ft. Knox has its own locking mechanism: the “Rack and Pinion” which is a multi-gear system. They do have a mechanical locking system, but reviews seem consistent that their build is decent. Its locking bolts are 100% independent of each other and are made up of up to 55 gears that in turn operate up to (28) 1-1/2-inch bolts. That’s good security, as are the corner locks on the door.
Other features include UL listing and certified fire protection to 1680 degrees F, for 90 minutes. It should be noted that your fireproofing method is simply 2 layers of drywall, so that’s not necessarily the best way to go as far as options go. Some nice touches are the lighting package, carpet lining, “limited lifetime” warranty, dehumidifier, remote relock, and optional biometric locking mechanism. A good start to our gun safe reviews, all told.
Do we have a budget? Try this offer from Granite Security®
Weighing less than 600 pounds and priced at an affordable $599.99, Granite Security® (maker of Winchester® safes), makes a Sam’s Club product that’s available when available. This safe is better than the other bargain gun safe fodder on the market, though it doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles. Many would-be gun safes on the market are little more than sheet metal lockers and range from $2 to $400.
It’s not so safe. This safe has a place in our gun safe reviews because it is a quality product for the price. It comes with 1-inch-thick bolts, 1-inch-thick door frame, and the walls weigh 12-gauge steel. With that level of protection, it has been given the UL RSC Essential rating, which is the lowest you want for a weapons locker. It’s not as tall as it should be: only 56 inches on the inside, which means you’ll need to either modify the top shelf to accommodate your 30-inch-long barreled rifles or remove the top shelf. The exterior is 60 x 30 x 22 inches.
A nice touch is that the interior is adjustable, so you can store 24 pistols inside if you use both sides, or 12 on the left side. You can also go for shelves everywhere, but only plan on around 8 or 10 guns on each side. There’s an access port for the dehumidifier, and this brute is heavy enough that a thief would have a hard time carrying it away. The lock is also UL approved, so it would be good if you choose this one.
Stack On® 36-Gun Fire-Resistant, Waterproof, Convertible Cabinet with Electronic Lock – GSXW-836-DS
Stack On® has been around since the early 1970’s, producing quality gun safe cabinets, also chests, file cabinets and a host of other storage products. They have become a trusted name in manufacturing quality steel products, and this is the largest and top of the line gun locker. This particular model is part of their “Total Defense Safes” line of products, so called because they are rated by ETL labs as both fire and water resistant (according to their specifications, these safes can last up to 2 feet of standing water for 72 hours!). The unit has a rubber-like gasket along the door, as well as other waterproofing measures.
If you want to keep your guns safe, this safe comes equipped with 7 very large live action deadbolts as well as 3 deadbolts on the hinge side of the door. The door is pry-resistant, making sure no one has access to the contents. The locking mechanism is a 3-number combination for simplicity, opened by an austere 3-spoke handle covered in rubber grips. If you forget the combination and time out after 3 incorrect entry attempts, a trouble key is also included. And don’t worry about replacing batteries, there is a low battery alarm, batteries are easy to replace from the front of the safe.
Stack On Safe’s Gun Barrel Mounts are a patented feature, allowing your scoped handguns to be neatly stored in place using the carpeted gun racks. The gun safe cabinet comes with 6 fully adjustable shelves, so you can store 36 rifles or split the difference and use the safe to store other valuables in half the space. The powder-coated silver and black motif with chrome hardware also makes for a pretty sight. At just over $1500, this is a sturdy piece of equipment that will provide years of fun.
That’s the latest of the gun safe reviews, you can’t go wrong with these brands at your disposal. Just remember to check warranties, independent lab certifications, and you’ll be on your way to the gun safe cabinet of your dreams.