Choosing a gunsafe

You don't want to go too cheap and the very best gunsafes can be very expensive. Also, you need to decide where you will put it and how big it needs to be. You need to know how many long guns that you have and plan on also having room to add more guns in the future. I call it other stuff, the other valuables that you own and wish to protect, such as jewelry, keepsakes, documents & etc.

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Fire Protection is usually available with a rating of; 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1 1/2 hours or 2 hours. To make that decision you need to consider, do I have a good fire alarm system, how far is it to the fire station, is my stuff worth enough to purchase a better safe?

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Evaluating your potential loss is also used when picking a security level. The security level is determined by metal thickness, door construction, and the type of lock. Another part of your security level is what part of the house it is located in. For example is it in the garage or in a major room where it can be seen by anyone entering your house. A great location would be in a walk-in closet-out of sight. If you locate your safe in your garage a good idea would be to keep it covered.

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Construction of a safe is important. Most of the safe companies produce good quality designs. However, the thicker body and door steel usually set the security level. The cheap safes often use 14 gauge metal which is really thin. I have seen them cut open by a  sawzall and also seen some that have been pried open with garden tools. Most gun safes have either 11, 12 or 10 gauge steel walls ( 10 ga. is thicker than 12 ga.) Really good safes will have 3/16" or 1/4" steel walls with a heavier door. The locking bolts around the door and the door frame design are very important. The big safe companies all do a good job in this area.

Sheet Steel thicknesses: 14 ga.=.0747", 12 ga.=.1046", 11 ga.=.1196", 10ga.=.1345", 7 ga.=.1874, 1/4"=.250

The safes with 3/16" or 1/4" are very heavy and expensive. These safes also usually have high fire ratings which makes them heavier. Installation is usually very difficult and very expensive. Local gun safe dealers usually offer delivery and installation.​​​