What brand of gun safe should I buy? What features should I look for? What are the advantages and disadvantages of different brands and types of safes? Where should I put it? What interior should I get? How should I set it up?

If you're like me, you've got a lot of questions when deciding on a major purchase. That's good - it means you're doing your homework and that you will be making informed decisions. I had many of these questions when I was looking for a safe. Here are some of the things I found out. I hope they help you with your decision, and with setting up your safe when you chose and purchase one. If you would like to add your own useful (simple) modifications or advice to this list, email me at vikings@mebtel.net .

Brands of Safes

There are many brands of gun safes. I list a bunch on my Shooting Page. Some of the more well-known brands with very good reputations are : American Security, Browning, Fort Knox, Liberty, National Security, Remington, Treadlok, and Winchester. However, all of the major brands of gun safes are very good, and very comparable in level of security that they will provide. I didn't happen to buy any of the safes I just mentioned - not because I found one that was necessarily any "better" - but because only this company provides a major feature that I was looking for. Anyway, I wouldn't fret so much about the specific brand of gun safe as I would about size, features, support, and price.

Features

There are many features to look for in a safe. These are the features available, and what to look for (in no particular order):

• Size : The common wisdom is "always get a bigger safe than you think you need". I couldn't agree more. First of all, no matter WHAT you are told the rifle capacity of a safe is, it will hold less, mostly due to scopes, but also because you will probably NOT want to remove a half dozen rifles to get at the one in the back. It's a good idea to have a little extra place with which to work. Also - you plan on buying a new rifle every once in a while, don't you? And when your children get older, you'll want to store their rifles safely too, right? I also suggest getting a tall safe. Five foot would be pretty much the minimum (heck rifles can be about 4'), and you'll want a shelf or two above them to store other valuables. I dedicated the whole bottom of my safe to rifles, and got a tall safe with shelves above them for other 'stuff'.
• Security
  • Gauge : The gauge of the steel should be 10-12 gauge, with the door being heavier at around 1/4" ( ~ 6 gauge).
  • Lock : A good lock is a must. Most safes use a Sargent & Greenleaf with an automatic relocking mechanism. A relocking mechanism is a good thing to have to defeat burglars. Also, the good safes have hardened steel around the lock so it can't be drilled out easily.
  • Locking Bars : These go through the door and into both sides of the safe. The more, the better - to a point. Between 4 and 6 to a side is adequate. The diameter should be 3/4" to 7/8" to provide acceptable security.
  • Handle : The best mechanism to have in the handle is a slip clutch, the next best is a shear pin design. A safe should have one or the other of these features in the handle. Some safes, believe it or not, will OPEN if the handle is forced hard enough !! Now, a slip clutch will just allow the handle to slip if it is forced. No damage is done. It is more expensive to make the slip clutch than the shear pin design - but the shear pin works, too. If the handle is forced on a shear pin equipped handle, the pin(s) will shear, denying access to the safe - but also necessitating repairs. The manufacturer will usually ship out a tool that you can use to open the safe in this event, as well as new part(s).
  • Hinges : Internal hinges are better - not because they provide any additional security - they don't, but because they are less prone to damage. A 'stupid' crook may attack the hinges, thinking that they are what secure the safe door on that side. Well, we know that the locking bars do this, and that the hinges are only for pivoting the door for opening and closing. If the crook breaks the hinges, it's just a hassle for you. It won't get him into the safe.
• Weight : The heavier the better - sometimes. Pros and Cons of 'Heavier':
  • PROS : It is more difficult to steal or tip over to break into. Also, it is a by-product of a BIGGER safe (this may also be a drawback), or one with thicker steel.
  • CONS : It will cost more to ship a heavy safe, and a heavier safe is much more difficult to carry - especially up and down stairs. If you ever move, you're going to pay to have the safe move - both leaving your old home, and entering your new one. Some people just sell a heavy safe with the house - taking a large loss on the deal. This is where interlocking safes shine (see below - 'Types of Safes').
• Price : What can I say? Buy the biggest and best you can afford and have space for - however, be sure to take transportability into account. I look at it this way - a reasonably good rifle with a good scope, sling, and bipod can easily run over $1000. That's ONE rifle. Twice that price is not an unreasonable price to pay if you have a few firearms and other things to safeguard. Most good safes will run between $1000 and $2000.
• Support : Ask the manufacturer (or seller) of the safe you're interested in about their support. The manufacturer of my safe will repair damages to my safe in the event of a criminal act. I need to provide them with a copy of the police report to confirm that the damage was the result of an attempted break-in.

Types of Safes

There are "real safes" (features described above) and 'security cabinets'. They are NOT the same thing. Not that there is anything wrong with a security cabinet for certain purposes, it's just that the two do serve different purposes. A security cabinet is fine for safeguarding inexpensive, replaceable firearms and for keeping firearms away from curious young children or a very casual thief. They are not an effective means for stopping serious thieves. "Real" safes are much more effective at stopping serious thieves. That's not to say that they guarantee that nobody will be able to steal your possessions - but they are much more effective than locked boxes and security cabinets. For the most part, safes take too long to break into. An intruder is not comfortable in your home, and would like to get what they can and leave as quickly as possible.

Among the "real safes", I am aware of three different kinds - vault doors, fully welded, and interlocking.

1. Vault doors allow you to make a whole room into a safe. The important thing to remember here is to make sure that if you enter, you cannot get locked in, and that the walls of the room need to be fortified (or what is the sense of the secure door?). Some strategies are to use two or three basement walls, and then pouring the entranceway, or using reinforcing rods in conventional construction to keep somebody from getting in through the floor, ceiling, or a wall.
2. The fully welded type probably provides better protection against humidity than the others, as only the door will provide a means for moisture to enter, while the interlocking type has seams all over the place, and the vault door type will depend on the room you choose. This type is probably stronger that the interlocking type, and may or may not be stronger than the vault, depending on its construction.
3. As far as I know, only Zanotti Armor makes the interlocking type. The fully welded type may be stronger that the interlocking type (I'm not sure, but I would think so), but if the interlocking type is strong enough, it doesn't matter. The interlocking safes use many 3/8" steel pins to lock the top, bottom, and sides together. The major advantage to this type of safe is transportability. Not only can one or two people easily move this safe (in pieces - you need 2 for the door), but you don't have to worry so much about the stairs or floor being able to handle the load of a six or seven hundred pound safe PLUS the weight of the two or three strong men and the equipment it takes to move it. The interlocking safe can be moved from home to home fairly easily (see above : Features / Weight).

Placement

I am convinced that the best place to put safes are basements, for the following reasons:

• Basements are out-of-the way. Casual visitors to your home will not see it. Not that you have to worry about your guests trying to rob you (hopefully), but you never know to whom they might 'mention' the fact that you have a big 'ol gun safe.
• You can pile "junk" in front of the safe, concealing it. A burglar is not likely to think twice about clutter in a basement.
• Basements are fairly secure. Not so much as the main (living) part of your house, but at least they're generally more secure than an out-building or garage.
• Basements are a good place to be in a fire. Basements are a relatively cool place in a fire, and you don't have to worry about the safe falling on top of somebody if the floor collapses.
• It's easy to control humidity with a dehumidifier in the basement.
• The best place in your basement to put your safe is on an outside wall. This is the coolest place in a fire, and it also gives you the opportunity to lag bolt your safe to the concrete wall (as well as the floor). Even if you don't bolt it to the wall, it is still slightly more difficult to try to tip over.

More: Advice from Readers

"A friend suggested putting your safe against an outside wall. If a fire occurs you may be able to convince the firefighters to knock out that wall so you can retrieve the safe. Also, be sure to keep your ammunition in the safe. Firefighters seem to be reluctant to fight fires at all when your ammunition is discharging."

- JP

Safe Interiors

Like I said in Features/Sizes, I dedicated the whole bottom of my safe for rifles. Shelves go above for other things. Get a fully carpeted interior, it will protect your rifles from bumps and dings. My safe happened to come with a 3-deep 'slotted' rifle rest system. However, the ridges that are supposed to keep the rifles separated were not up to the job, in my opinion. I didn't want to chance that one would slip sideways and bump one or more others. A simple, inexpensive modification did the trick:

This is a view of the rack system from below. The brown is carpet, the tan ridges are uncarpeted pressboard (which makes up the shelf), the wood in the back is a piece of 1"x2" pine, and the tan rods are 1/2" thick dowels. I screwed a piece of 1"x2" pine that is slightly shorter than the rack onto the back - making sure that the wood dropped below the shelf rack far enough to accomodate the 1/2" dowels. Then I cut and positioned the dowels one at a time, and marked where they hit the 1"x2" pine. I then drilled 1/2" holes about halfway through the 1"x2" pine board, so I could slip the dowels in. Next, drill and countersink the dowels for a 1" (or slightly longer) screw, and screw them into the pressboard up front. It works great - the rifles now have no place to slide.

Another problem that I ran into, that none of the safe manufacturers addresses, to my knowledge, is that there can be a big difference in the lengths of rifles and shotguns. Originally, I came up with setting the shelf high, and slipping a dowel of sorts down the barrel to support the muzzle end in the rack shelf. I didn't want to use wood, as it could attract moisture and ruin my bores, so I was thinking of using some sort of plastic. Then I hit upon an idea that while not as versatile as the 'dowels' seemed to be a much better solution, as all my rifles come in two basic lengths. I built a platform out of 3/4" oak plywood. It measures a little over half the width of the safe, and slightly less than its depth. The sides are about 7" high, so it raises the rifles about 8" total - which is just right for the shorter rifles. I sealed the plywood with 2 coats of polyurethane, and tacked a piece of scrap carpet to the top. Not only does it raise the rifles to the proper height, but I have an extra, small space for storage underneath.

Safe Set Up

Once you've choosen the location for your safe (see Placement), it is important to level the area, and provide for air circulation underneath. It should be level so your rifles lay properly, and so the door operates properly as well. Air circulation is especially important for safes on a concrete slab. Place 1"x4" or 2"x4" wood laying flat where you'd like to put the safe, leaving gaps so the air can flow. Also locate and install lag anchors if placing the safe on concrete. Lag bolt the safe to the floor, and if possible (and without drilling any new holes), the wall.

The safe should be bolted down so that it is harder for a thief to tip it over. Somebody wrote that all of the safes that he'd seen broken into were found laid on their side. Don't ask me why - I don't know.

Additional fireproofing can be added in the form of gypsum board (sheetrock, wallboard, ...). If you did not put the safe in a closet that is sheetrocked, you can either build an enclosure around it, or just lay the wallboard against and on top of the safe. Fireproofing that is installed in safes is gypsum board. This is a mineral that is hydrous - it contains water. During a fire, when heated, it will give off water vapor, which protects against fire. Unfortunately, the water usually ends up hurting your rifles. This is why I prefer my gyspum board outside my safe.

Once your safe is set up, you should add one more thing - a means of dehumidifying the interior. I recommend the 'GoldenRod' dehumidifier, but dessicant packs work well, too. Dessicant packs must be heated for many hours in an oven to be 'recharged' properly. Usually, low heat overnight does the trick.

Last updated : 02 January 2001