Hi: I've been casualy looking at gun safes as a place to store guns of course and important paper stuff and it seems the fire ratings are all over the place with the most popular 1400 degrees for 30 mins. is this adequate? i don't need a real big one 10 or 12 gun size is plenty good but it seems the bigger they get the better fire rating is and price and weight, what is a rating that is adequate? and maybe some brand names, suggestions? John
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gun safes
- Thread starter fang
- Start date
Wheelgunner840
Well-known member
I have a Liberty, and like it. It has a good fire rating. As mentioned above, get more safe than you think you need. They fill up fast!!! I am looking to get another, and will get one with the following:
-Good fire rating
-Interior hinges, not ones that stick out on the front of the safe.
-Locking bolts on top and bottom of door as well as the side.
-Mechanical dial combination as opposed to electric (battery) keypad. I worked with both types of locks for a long time, trust me on this one!
-Adjustable shelves.
As I said, I like the Liberty safe as it has all but the top and bottom locking bolts. The better the safe, the more you will pay, just like anything else.
WG840
-Good fire rating
-Interior hinges, not ones that stick out on the front of the safe.
-Locking bolts on top and bottom of door as well as the side.
-Mechanical dial combination as opposed to electric (battery) keypad. I worked with both types of locks for a long time, trust me on this one!
-Adjustable shelves.
As I said, I like the Liberty safe as it has all but the top and bottom locking bolts. The better the safe, the more you will pay, just like anything else.
WG840
+1 What WG840 said! I've heard lots of negative things about electronic locks - Mechanicals are better.
A fire in a house built on a slab won't get much hotter than 1100°F and can generally be extinguished faster. Houses on foundations can burn hotter and are more difficult to put out. This may help you decide what's best for your house. Get as much fire protection as you can afford in the size you need (2X more than you think you need
). I've seen burn demonstrations on Liberty and Champion safes - they are pretty good, but there are probably other makers that are good as well. I personally have Liberty and Browning ProSteel safes - I've had the Browning for 25 years with no problems.
Whatever safe you get, remember that the upper area gets hotter than the middle and bottom. Keep your most valuable stuff in the bottom. I'd keep valuable papers in a fireproof box in the bottom of the safe (belt and suspenders, you know).
Buck
A fire in a house built on a slab won't get much hotter than 1100°F and can generally be extinguished faster. Houses on foundations can burn hotter and are more difficult to put out. This may help you decide what's best for your house. Get as much fire protection as you can afford in the size you need (2X more than you think you need
). I've seen burn demonstrations on Liberty and Champion safes - they are pretty good, but there are probably other makers that are good as well. I personally have Liberty and Browning ProSteel safes - I've had the Browning for 25 years with no problems.Whatever safe you get, remember that the upper area gets hotter than the middle and bottom. Keep your most valuable stuff in the bottom. I'd keep valuable papers in a fireproof box in the bottom of the safe (belt and suspenders, you know).
Buck
I have a second amendment limited edition Canon (Royal Regatta Blue) that holds 23(so they say) and I love it over any other brand of safe I have seen. My dad has a Browning, and it is nice also, but the Canon has it in my book.
trr01
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Check eBay Pioneer safes. Good price, great features, and free delivery to most places. I also agree that you should get one a few sizes bigger than what you think you need. Besides storing more, it makes it harder to carry off if you don't bolt it down.
Buy a BIG one!
I've had an old Winchester gunsafe that I bought from Cabelas about 14 years ago. I can't remember the capacity but I've got 8 long guns and ten pistols in it, plus lots of knives, ammo, documents and jewelry. Consider it's ability to resist fire as well as bad guys. Mine has a tried and tested Sargent and Greenleaf (?) manual combination lock. When I'm in at home, I have a pistol nearby - everything else is in the safe. If the threat level's up, then more equipment is at the ready. But when we're not at home, no guns are out - they're in the safe.
Having said all that, I will add that I bought this safe when I was single. If I knew my wife was coming along, I'd have bought a bigger safe (for example, I only had one Winchester 94, she had two). It's hard to imagine a gun safe that's too big - but then again that decision is also driven by its intended location.
I've had an old Winchester gunsafe that I bought from Cabelas about 14 years ago. I can't remember the capacity but I've got 8 long guns and ten pistols in it, plus lots of knives, ammo, documents and jewelry. Consider it's ability to resist fire as well as bad guys. Mine has a tried and tested Sargent and Greenleaf (?) manual combination lock. When I'm in at home, I have a pistol nearby - everything else is in the safe. If the threat level's up, then more equipment is at the ready. But when we're not at home, no guns are out - they're in the safe.
Having said all that, I will add that I bought this safe when I was single. If I knew my wife was coming along, I'd have bought a bigger safe (for example, I only had one Winchester 94, she had two). It's hard to imagine a gun safe that's too big - but then again that decision is also driven by its intended location.
bigshot500
Well-known member
fire ratings are bs...all that is used to obtain a fire rating is standard gypsum board..thats right sheetrock, the stuff that one buys at your local house repair store. the thicker they stack the sheetrock the greater the rating. it does not mean the safe is better constructed. as for liberty...RUN AWAY, dont buy one, lousy customer service when their electronic lock failed several times. was locked out for over two weeks before they got off their azz and contacted a locksmith in my area...I know RI is small but we have several smiths who have been in business for over 50 years...guess liberty wanted to take their good old time selecting one.....their locks internals are made in CHINA! they have a nylon worm gear that strips and when it does your locked out, the door needs to be drilled to get inside and if a moron from liberty provides the smith the wrong drill points your door looks like swiss cheese... 8 months of calls for them to admit their error dispite the fact that the locksmith provided a written letter and copy of their fax showing what was provided was for a different model...finally my door was replaced...dont buy a liberty safe ever..
YogiBear
Absent Comrade
Waay Bigger
Aloha,
Took the Wife along when I wanted to upgrade safes.
She said "get a bigger one'
I did AND now she has one of Her own for Her guns and whatevers she desires to suff it with. And She's Happy. That's all that matters.
Also had both safes redone so the combinations are alike. Don't have remember who has what numbers. Just one set of easy to remember numbers.
Aloha,
Took the Wife along when I wanted to upgrade safes.
She said "get a bigger one'
I did AND now she has one of Her own for Her guns and whatevers she desires to suff it with. And She's Happy. That's all that matters.
Also had both safes redone so the combinations are alike. Don't have remember who has what numbers. Just one set of easy to remember numbers.
You sir are incorrect.
A cannot say which hundred-year old independent testing laboratory I work for but "you-ell" see our name not only on fire rated products but also most of your appliances.
While sheet rock is used in some safe designs, the use of it is only a portion of the whole. Designing a security container to withstand elevated temperature is a science and before you condemn those who verify the validity of that science placed into practice, I suggest you do some research. Flame paths and sealants are two good subjects to begin with.
I have been conducting conformity assessment audits since 1981. Trust me when I say that those who fail fire tests are the ones who tout that "fire ratings are B.S".
thats a big 10- 4 there bill. i should have listened a few years ago to a friend that said the same thing. i have two 24's full now and need another.
bigshot500
Well-known member
you can take a steel box and wrap the six sides with half inch sheet rock, tie together with a steel strap and you have a non rated safe that will go toe to toe with the best fire rated out there...go test that...we already did.
Maximumbob54
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I cannot begin to tell you what the stuff is called, but I know some safes have a material that when heated will seal the door. Not sure if that involves the fire rating though. I bought a Mesa safe. It wasn't the best or the worst when I was shopping but it was the biggest in my price range. For the price I have no doubt the lock internals are Chinese, and it is an electronic lock. But again, the price was right and now everything is locked up proper until I can get a better safe at some point.
neiljrosen
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The one thing everyone seems to agree with is "Buy bigger than you need"
bigshot500
Well-known member
When I purchased my liberty, the sales rep at the show sold many brands 4-5 from my memory and he kept going back to the level of service that liberty offers. I had wanted a dial lock but was encouraged to get the key pad because "its much faster" and S&G was "the best, most reliable" what was not disclosed to me..call it my error for not asking..was that there are different grades/levels of S&G electronic locks. The choice of Liberty is the crap coming out of china. The gunsmith pulled out of his truck several different S&G locks but told me that liberty only authorized to replace the exact same model. When I asked his opinion...he told me I will be back at some point to replace this one when it fails.
He told me that if you elect to choose an electronic keypad lock, it must have a key bypass for a backup...
He told me that if you elect to choose an electronic keypad lock, it must have a key bypass for a backup...
lots of good info, ya i know bigger is better so i'm assuming the 1400 degrees for 30 mins. is adequate pro tection we live in an old two story farm house that will burn like a blow torch and the fire dept will never make it here in time John
bigshot500
Well-known member
fang- another item that is a must have for those that dont get shot often (or are not sitting up front when the door opens) are silicone impregnated sleves. they go for 5-10 bucks on sale and do a great job keeping the long guns from picking up dings or bumps and also dont absorb moisture
bigshot500
Well-known member
if you buy on an auction site, you must remember most safe companies drop them off on your driveway or you pick them up at the freight depot. it costs $$ to have them deliever the safe inside your house using a proper battery powered chain driven dolly-lift. a 700-1200 lbs safe is a mother to move around and if your going up a few stairs you must have this type of dolly to be, having a safe of this size fall or slip is going to cause damage to property or death should someone be on the wrong end.
plan accordingly
plan accordingly
ridewv
Well-known member
When looking for a safe consider a used safe too. You may stumble upon a much better safe for less money. Lots of businesses going out of business and many have safes. Due to the difficulty in moving them most people won't be interested which means they go fairly cheap which can make up for moving costs. I found one (Mossler) at an old jewelry store. Sometimes moving/storage companies end up with safes so they're a good place to check too.
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