The market scenario is pitiful when it comes to handgun safes.Almost all companies basically import these safes from china and market it under different name.

Almost all of these company are looking to profit from these cheap design and generic locks.

We will not talk about the steel thickness as it does not matter because these devices have other flaws that are more important to discuss.

First is the design-Almost all these safe have some type of gap.So one can reach it with some sort or wire or paper clip, straw etc.They can reach either to the latch or the reset button or both.So the type of lock weather electronic or bio metric is totally a useless advertising.

The second is the bypass lock itself-They are cheap generic locks used to reduce construction price and increase profit.Some require special lock picking device like tubular lock picks -a most commonly used lock in these handgun safes.

Others which have used other kind of bypass locks can also be defeated using other specialized lock picking device.All these device can be ordered from amazon for cheap and there are videos of how to pick different type of locks all over Youtube.

Heck some of these locks are so cheap and useless that they can be open by simple device like paper clips,cable tie etc which need not be even bought.

At first I didn’t wanted to give direct links to these videos or sites because of safety reasons but i guess it is too late since there are already large number of these types of safe in american homes.

So we think its important that you know how vulnerable these safe are so that you can rectify them or at least be alert of the vulnerabilities.A perfect resource for that is handgunsaferesearch.com

Safety factors that needs to be considered if you have these safes at home.

Covet entry-Safe that can be opened using paperclips,straw,plastic zip tie or tape.These types are totally not recommendable.

If you have these types of safe or plan on buying we would recommend only if you have toddlers but you need to alter it by welding, sealing the holes or changing the lock.

Forced entry=Safe that are somewhat secure to covet entry but can be opened using more than paperclip,straw,plastic zip tie or tape etc,example-using screw driver,lock picking tools  etc which may or may not leave marks and scratches.

These are also not recommendable for permanent storage mainly because a gun is and always be a source of curiosity for a young child and  weather your child have interest or proclivity towards lock-picking or cracking a safe, given the number of handgun safe sold everyday there is a chance few will try to open them and be successful which is in itself fearful to think about.

It will be difficult to point out every gun safe brands in the list here because new brands are and will be popping up every another day.

So what we say you is to look at the design of the safes that has been found to be compromising safety at various online resources like  handgunsaferesearch.com,Tobias analysis of various handgun safe(Google it), Defcon 19 gun safe talk(Google it) or Lock picking lawyer Youtube channel.

We will list some of the safes that are totally no no .And when you look at any other new brands you compare its design.If it is similar to what we discuss for various brands below you certainly should avoid it.

This is because the since almost all of these safes are imported from china,a similar design is bound to have similar vulnerabilities as there is no guidelines on how to manufacture these safes and the companies marketing them have almost no experience in making security devices.

1.)Gunvault-All models.

Gunvault SVB500

Gunvault MV1000,MV500

Gunvault minivault

Gunvault MV1050-19

2.)Sentry all models.

3.)Liberty HDX-150,Liberty Handgun Vault – HD-200 (Exception Liberty HDX-250 with updated design.)

4.)Amazon basics-all models,

5.)Stackon all models.(Exception may be PS 1514-Updated)

6.)RPNB all models,

7.)First watch or Homak all models.

8.)Cacagoo vault

9.)Billconch

10.)Feelway

11.)Fortress

12.)Amary

13.)Artemis

14.)Bald eagle

15.)Bagcool

16.)Big horn safe co.

17.)Bulldog vaults

18.)Homak security

19.)Honeywell

20.)Hornady

21.)Snapsafe

22.)Stealth tactical electronic and bio metric models. (Now improved)

23.)Steel patriot-Only to someone living alone.Opens with Bluetooth app.Also a determined lockpicker can open the bypass lock.

24.)Stop box

25.)Tiger king-Somewhat resistant.But can be pried open for determined lock-picker.

26.)Union safe co.

27.)Vaultek safe-All models.Exception-(Vaultek VT 20 i Upgraded version-printed on the manual)
Wait a minute!! What about all the other sites recommending these safes?

Other sites recommending these safes are either Gun magazine or outdoor sports company trying to sell you any safe that can find advertising flashy or fancy features,but they are just overlooking the safety aspect of these safes.There only source of information is amazon or online retailers and people reviews but as we have said even the top selling product are super vulnerable.

Also see –Small gun safe that are actually safe

You still pay quite a penny for a gun safe which you may open with tip of your pinky.If you dont believe see the demonstration videos on handgunsafereseach.com>demonstration videos.

Also to make a better choice we would want you to look into this page-Small gun safe brands to avoid.

There you will learn that most of the brands have no regards to the safety aspect of the safe and should be definitely be avoided.

In this post, I am mainly talking about bedside style safes, designed for pistols.More over, you may look into internet forum and web store reviews to figure out the experience of others using the product you are seeking.

Bedside gun safe was created to fit in your nightstand drawer easily. This kind of safe may be ideal for keeping handguns, and revolvers. A great bedside gun safe must be able to squeeze into any place, get installed quickly, provide quick access and keep gun out of reach of children.

But the most desirable feature is the quick access.So we will try to list that type of safe but without compromising the safety aspect of a handgun safe.

These are the selected few that you can buy.

First Choice-Mechanical handgun safe

We always recommend mechanical handgun safe with mechanical simplex locks as your first choice for any type of need,whether Home nightstand, office or even vehicles.

There is no other type of safe that can match the strength,safety and durability of these safes.To Learn about the all mechanical handgun safe listed above visit this page.(See the section under best safe for child protection.)

Second choice-Any safe that is pry resistant

We know that any handgun safe no matter what type are not especially resistant to burglary or forced entry with slightly bigger tools like hammer or cutter.This is because of its portable design and inferior quality steel.Even mechanical handgun safe fail at this point.

So our next criteria to selection of a safe is that it should be pry resistant.This means that it will not have any holes or gap to reach the locking mechanism.In addition the bypass lock should also be of acceptable quality and resistant to lockpicking.

Then look at any other feature like aesthetics or the type of lock.ex biometric,RFID,electronic, or blutooth smart phone app.

With that in mind here are some of the safe that we have shortlisted.

Stack-On PS-1514 Personal Safe

The above safe by stack on is the entry level safe but one of the highest selling products of stackon.The most common reason is its price.It comes for around $ 70.

Its earlier model PS-514-12 was like any other generic Chinese made gun safe on the market.But after it was reviewed by handgunsaferesearch.com, they recalled it and introduced this one with some altered features that makes it somewhat pry resistant.

Stack on has added special mechanism in the solenoid inside the door locks which as we know is otherwise is vulnerable to bump opening.They have also rectified the other vulnerability which is opening the safe by reaching to the solenoid with paperclips etc.To know more you can visit handgunsaferearch.com>demostation viodeos>stackon.

Overall this safe is now a decent electronic keypad lock.But there one concern which is the bypass lock which is a wafer lock is not resistant to lock picking and the tools to do that is available to purchase online.We only recommend if you have small children who don’t have access to any such lock picking device.

 

Click here for latest price and more reviews on Amazon.

 

Liberty HDX 250 Biometric gun safe (Updated version)

 

 

This is another safe originally manufactured by 9G imprint but later aquired by liberty. It initially had design flaws but after being reviewed by handgunsaferesearch.com was rectified by liberty.Initially this safe holes were under plastic covering on the corners.One could open the safe with a coat hanger wire by inserting it into through the hole and pressing the administration button and entering new fingerprint.

 

It also had gap near the bypass lock to do the same.But liberty now has sealed all these gaps and holes and rectified that fault.They have also changed the administration button which is now quite small making it difficult to press if anyone reaches it somehow.

 

The original 9G imprint had complaints of door popping open by dropping sideways but now this safe have one of the strongest latching mechanism available on present day handgun safes and it is made in USA.

 

But the safe still have tubular lock common in these type of handgun safe which can be picked with tubular picks available online.But overall if you have small children or lives alone or adults that are not a threat you can buy this safe.
 

If you want to be extra sure you can replace the bypass lock through your local locksmith.

 

The biometrics on this safe is not any better than other safe on the market but in terms of prying with common household items it can prevent those unauthorized access.

 

Click here for latest price and more reviews on amazon.

 

Hornady Rapid Gun Safe

 

 

Stealth Handgun hanger safe

 

 

Steel Patriot Smart Gun Safe

 

 

Another non mechanical safe that we are somewhat comfortable recommending is Steel patriot smart gun safe.It is a good design safe with no access to locking mechanism through hole or gaps.It is made in USA with 16 gauge steel.It has a bypass key which is difficult to replicate.

 

If someone want to pick the lock he has to use standard lock picking tools but still you cannot be assure that no one will be able to pick it.

Another feature is that it employs blue-tooth app to remotely open or close the safe which is debatable.The idea is that phone will always with the person using the safe.But this may also cause accident.

 

We recommend that you lock the phone as well the phone app with memorable code all the time if you are living with children but otherwise this is ideal if you are living alone.

 

If you want to be 100 sure you can replace the bypass lock with your local locksmith.

 

Click here latest price and more reviews on Amazon.

 

Vaultek VT20i Biometric Handgun Bluetooth Smart Safe

Again a good safe but was not paid much attention to the hidden vulnerabilities.This safe was also redesigned after the review by handgunsaferesearch.com.Nothing was said about the bypass lock but i guess it probably needs improvement like previous version.It  was defeated by GOSO HU100 keyway pick.

After the review Vaultek improvement and now it don not have any gaps or holes anywhere except the mounting holes.So it cannot be opened by common household items but maybe can be opened with standard lock-picks.

Other than that the safe have good features like proximity sensor that lights up the keypad.A phone app to remotely open the safe and it keeps a log of time when the safe was open.It also has hot key functionality which tells you if the safe has been tampered though it was defeated  as it did not register any tampering when opened with paperclip etc(Original design).

The safe is biometric and portable and quick access-all the feature that may make you think it is ideal safe for bedroom which now it probably is except probably the bypass lock.

Overall we can recommend you this safe if you live alone or have young kids.Also as a precaution if you decide to use this safe get the bypass lock checked by local locksmith and keep your phone and the safe app locked all the time with a memorable code.

Click here for latest price and more reviews on Amazon.

A word about the biometric locks.

Biometric gun safes are the hottest items in the gun safe industry these days. In recent years, biometrics have been getting very popular in the tech industry with applications being found on laptops, PDA’s, and smartphones; and are becoming even more popular every year.

 

There are a few reasons why people are turning to biometric gun safes to hold their firearms, with security being on the top. People are mainly buying biometrics because they don’t want to fumble with keys or are afraid others can find them.Other reasons people are turning to biometrics are speed, convenience and affordability.However one thing they overlook is that there in one common flaw in them which is that the real biometric security technology is not yet available at economic price.So although biometric safe look fancy they aren’t very reliable.

 

There are basically two kinds of biometric locks that are available on these safes-Capacitive and Optical.An optical take full image of your finger and matches the pattern with one in its memory.These may be quick but also has false rejection rate which on this price can come as compromised.

Other has capacitve sensor and records capacitance changes through ridges and valleys of your finger when you swipe it on the sensor and matches with the programmed pattern.But with the quality that you get you may need to swipe multiple times for it to work.So they can not really be called quick access.

An optical reader like on locksaf and barska are economy fingerprint lock and can be (if not easily) opened if someone gets your fingerprint.Specially kids might want to experiment with it by making a prostate fingerprint like explained for the locksaf safe in the Defcon 19 video by Deviant Ollam, the blackhat group presenter.The video also tells how to change the generic bypass lock to somewhat better lock in these kind of safes (Gun vault to be exact).

Others like Barska have been reported to false opened with false fingerprint if old print is not wiped off.

Also remember that they still are quite vulnerable to lock pick attack and pry attack,e

If you are really looking for biometrics because you think it is better than you finding keys every time and it gives you relatively quick access following safe has been extensively tested for reliability of fingerprint reader and found to be most reliable.

It was ultimately defeated but still it will be difficult to do by an average teenager.But as you know now that any biometric lock can be if one wants to.

Locksafe Biometric Pistol safe review

Locksaf Biometric Gun Safe is one of the best compared to its competitors.It has an optical type fingerprint reader so it may be fooled with an image of your print fingerprint although it has shown no to do so in the test by blackhat hacking group .It was only defeated with a prostate skin like substance with fingerprint made using some molding compound.The backup lock is a cross type lock which is quite resistant to cross picks. So this can be kept in bedroom for self defense purpose.

It weighs 22 lbs and manufactured with 9 gauge/3mm steel sheet.So it is heavy and sturdy compared to others.The lock is operated by a 9V battery and has two mechanical keys. Foam padding is perfectly designed to fit the guns or valuables inside the safe. The memory option of this safe can remember the fingerprints of 10 individuals. It has a backup in case the fingerprints do not work. Other than being biometric, Locksafe Biometric Gun safes claims to be somewhat fire proof, water proof although one should not expect much in this regard for a handgun safe .This safe also has foam padding inside to help keep your items in place. However the locking mechanism is not as instantaneous as one would hope. It is a bit lagging and also, there is a click when you open the safe so if you are also looking for something quiet to open this is not your safe.

You can buy this safe from authorized dealers near you. 

Also see-

Best under bed/trunk gun safe, Re-evaluating popular models

Handguns safe are are alternative ways to lock your weapons but they are not real security device.Their main purpose is to prevent children accessing your guns or smash and rob situation.

Security for handguns safes

Its should be obvious that Hand gun safes are not secure,no matter how they are advertised.For handgun safes security can refers to following

Can it be accidentally opened by dropping(since it is easy to carry) or other inadvertent methods.

Although there are so many safes that seem to be strong and sturdy and are highly priced some fall behind because of their locking mechanism and design. One such safe is 9G imprint safe, now acquired by liberty safe. Their safe was so unreliable that if you drop it sideways two times the door just pops right open, because of its spring latch design. Similarly biometric safes like Barska have scanner that needs to be wiped after an impression otherwise it can false open with any fingerprint. We try to avoid listing safes with such faulty design. So we do not recommend barska biometric or 9g safe although they are popular models. Also all electronic keypad type small safe that have front bolt type door only look strong but have major flaw that they all can be open by bumping it two three times as the solenoid in it is spring loaded which just unlock the bolt when it is receive a minor jerk. If you want more info you can listen to the Defcon 19 talk and the Tobias analysis of popular small gun safes  or the most latest test done by handgunsaferesearch.com and Lockpicking Lawyer Youtube channel.

Can the lock be pried open like with paper clips or small screw driver etc without any trail marks.

Locks in these small safes are of very poor quality.They mainly have either a pin and tumbler key lock or tubular key locks.They are so old and are very easy to pick.All these locks can be easily picked with a pin or clip or a tubular lock pick by looking at Youtube for few minutes.Even the biometric safes are only base level design.Also since all lock basically have a hinge or level or bolt that hold up hook in the door from opening, if any one can alter that reaching with a paper clips or screw driver you basically have an open safe.Another way around is by reaching to the reset button inside the safe through holes,which just reset all the data in electronic and biometric safe so you can reprogram it with new data.So if you can look for wide gap in the linings or any holes in the safe avoid that safe.An example of such cheap quality design is of all Stackon handgun safes.They have a rubber electronic or biometric cover pad which can be removed with bare hands leaving wide hole to pick open the locking mechanism inside.

Only mechanical locks with simplex lock (combination made by Fortknox,Titan,Vline etc are the one whose locks you can rely on against picking or prying attack.

Can it be properly secured at a place so that it cannot be grabbed away.

This options is provided by most of the safes.They either have cable to tether it to a place or holes for bolting in the floor desk etc.Cable option can be less secure but allows you carry the safe when needed.

All this may sound like that there are more safe to avoid than to buy.It is because it is exactly like that.To know more Visit this page on Small gun safe brands to avoid to learn the market scenario of handgun safe today.

What is the best child protection safe ?

Best safe models for child protection are mechanical safes with simplex locks.Below are the four best models.They are sturdy in design not prone to prying with clips or small tools and protected against accidentally opening by dropping or bumping or false reading.Also do not have key override so you don’t need to worry about the lost key or them getting into someone else’s hand.Also they do not require batteries so you can leave them forever without any maintenance.Only downside is if you forget the combination you have to go to the lock smith.

Fort Knox FTK-PB Pistol Box Handgun Safe

With 10 gauge steel all around and 6-7 gauge steel on top this safe is living up to its Fort Knox name. This safe is 22 pounds of security equipped with a simplex mechanical lock for those who do not want to fuss with keys or fingerprints and even has a gas strut to help with opening the door. Although this gas strut mechanism aids in opening the door it can also hinder your ability to do so in a quickly and timely manner. The only other downside that you may encounter with this safe would be the instructions that come with this particular model does not seem to always coincide with each other.

Click here for more detail,price,rating and reviews(Currently unavailable)

Click here for Fort knox front opening FTK auto pistol box (Alternative model on amazon)

Titan gun safe

The Titan Gun Safe is loaded with many features that allow you to feel safe. This gun safe can be mounted in several different places to include your car, boat, or even RV. The safe allows you to draw your pistol almost instantly upon opening the safe as the door feature allows the gun to move outwards as you are opening the door. Weighing in at only 10 pounds, this safe features an all mechanical lock system without the use of batteries. The con in this particular model would have to be the price. This safe has a hefty price tag of $388.00 from the website but yet some may say you cant put a price on safety.

Click here for more detail price rating and reviews

V-Line Top Draw Security Case

This 9 pound beauty has a much more pocket friendly price tag attached with its sleek design for added piece of mind for your safety needs. It does not need batteries and has a simplex lock system in place for to use. Although it is advertised as a Simplex locking system it is made in China and is therefore a look alike. The V-Line safe has a pry resistant shell with its clamshell design made of steel. The interior has nice foam padding and this safe is also used without batteries for the added piece of mind about not having to worry about dead batteries.

Click here for more detail price rating and reviews
Fas1 gun safe

This is another good mechanical gun safe company that makes handguns safes for all sizes.There safes features top gas spring auto opening design which conveniently present the firearm to you when opened.

They comes for various option like suppressed handguns,handguns with tactical light or serbu super shorty shotgun.

These safe are made of all body 7 gauge steel ,probably the thickest among all brands of small gun safes.

They comes with optional in house manufactures In&out lock using camlock T8 to work in conjunction with simplex lock for extra security.

They do not have pre drilled holes but you can drill them yourself on any side depending on the way you want to mount it.

There aren’t any negatives for this safes and is highly recommended if want have only handguns and don’t want to go for larger cabinet for this price which is about $ 300.

Click here for more detail, latest price, reviews and ratings of fas1 magnum TL on Amazon.

 Fas1 safe official site.

Stealth hanger mechanical

This Stealth safe is manufactured in same factory as Amsec safe and is similar in design to Fortnox FTK-PB safe with 10 gauge body and 3/16 (7 gauge) wrap around door and a thick steel bolt.

The steel bolt is way more thicker than the Fortknox and provide much more pry resistance. There are also at the hinge side two 7 gauge lugs that hooks under two solid steel dead bars at either inside corners for protection against hinge attack.
The gas stut  completely lift the lid and keep it open but the gas piston says to be made in china.

The KABA simplex lock however is made in USA and  has 1081 combination options.The lock is encased in a steel to make it punch attack resistant.

It also has a removable handle to conveniently carry it around, is padded with high density pluck foam inside for customizable fit for the firearm.It has four pre drilled holes at the bottom for mounting.You can also mount it using a security cable passing through these holes.

People also found the simplex lock t be more securely fastened than Fortknox and the buttons do not slop.However some though fewer found to be exact opposite so maybe it was a quality control issue.

It has dimension of 4.25″ H (5.25″ H with knob) 12.56″ W  10.25″ (11.5″ D with handle), weighs about 24 lbs and and is quite a secure and sturdy safe.

Click here for more detail, latest price, ratings and reviews

What is the best safe for self defence

If home protection is what that concern you look for safe that can be brought in the bedroom and with quick access and may be with biometrics. See- Bedside gun safe

Conclusion:

Online reviews are mixed for gun safe at this price. On the one hand, for people who were buying a safe with realistic expectations about how secure it is, were happy.

On the other hand, less positive reviews came from folks who didn’t understand what they were getting, and were expecting a high security safe to keep any thief out of their valuables. Keeping expectations straight at this price point is important!

If you choose to go with second option, our recommendation is you don’t buy a handgun safe at all and better find a place out of the way to hide your gun. You can more than make up for the useless construction of safes at this price with a really good hiding spot!

Storing long guns has always been one of the more challenging aspects of ownership. These weapons are cumbersome and take up a considerable amount of space.But before we compare some of the best rifle gun safe reviews we have to point out three things.

First-Gun safe industry is not similar to the true safes industry.There is much more competition.So in an effort to increase sales companies may advertise their product similar to true safes that are used for storing high end valuables like money,Jewelry etc.

Second-The size of normal home or office safe is usually smaller than the safe made for long guns.

Third-There is considerable difference in price of a true safe and a gun safe.So the ones that can be compared to a True safes comes with price. That’s why we say that in gun safe you get what you pay for.Best explained in this talk on Weapons Education.

Priority of selection-While selecting a gun safe for long guns that you can use to keep your collection for the long run,our priority of selection is as below.These priority is based on the statistical occurrence of the phenomenon that it protects its content from ,ie there are more burglary then fires.But since gun safes offer minimum fire protection(See section on Fire protection), dimensions will come next and last will be fire protection of a safe there fore the order will be.

Burglar protection > Dimensions > Fire protection

Best long gun safe-Safes that are close to true safe models

Below we have listed the only companies whose selected models are most close in construction to a true safes in terms of burglary and fire protection.Some items do not have gun safe like dimensions but that can be traded off if you get the features of a true safe.Show 102550100 entriesSearch:

IMAGE
Name	American Security BF6032	Amsec AmRF6528
Size (Height x width x depth)	60 x 32 x21	72 x 35 x 29.5
Weight	1118 lbs	3455 lbs.
Max guns	22	35
Door type	Solid steel	Composite
Door steel thickness	1/2 “	Steel thickness NA -but meets UL 687 Class TL-30 requirements (thickness with concrete 6″ l )
Body thickness	11 gauge outside only	Steel-NA but meets UL 687 Class TL-30 requirements Total thickness-3-1/2″ (two sided steel with high densidty concrete inside)
Fire rating	2 hrs @1275°FComparable to UL listed fire rating	2 hrs @1275°F Comparable to UL listed fire rating
Burglar Security rating	RSC	U.L. certified TL30x6
Price	$2,888.00	$10,095.00
Remark	Amsec BF series safe uses true fireliner unlike other gun safe company which uses Gypsum aka fiberboard aka sheetrock. A smaller better option which is a true safe therefore more suitable for high end valuables has a B grade construction rating is BF3416. But its height is only 34 inch.	This safe is tested for forced entry on all four side rather then just the door side as in most rating specifications.
Pry tabs	Yes (Strong Steel plates)	Yes
Relockers/Anti puch lock	Yes 2 relocker. One inside lock (internal)for Physical tool attack.One glass (external)for drill attack	Yes One internal and one dual(Act on lock and linkage system) external relockers.
Four way dead bolts.	No 3 sides,(Hinge side fixed)	No 3 sides,(Hinge side fixed)
External hinges.	Yes	Yes
Anti punch bolts mechanism	Uses relocker for tamper detection	Drill resistant reinforcement plus dual relocker.
Shearpin,clutches	NA	NA Slip clutch handle that but do not break from origional bolt moving mechanism.
UL 760 lock	Yes	Yes
Insulation type	Concrete amalgamate 2″ ,1″ on door with inner fireliner of steel of 14 gauge.	high strength concrete plus high-density high-strength ceramic.
Anti drill plate Near lock	NA	Yes (patented hard plate)
Door seal	Yes	Yes
Continous weld	Yes	Yes

 

IMAGE
Name	Rhino Supreme AIW and A Series	Heritage Ultimate Serious UX3966
Size	Varies	Varies
Weight	Varies	1800
Max Guns	Varies	48
Door type	Solid steel	solid steel
Door steel thickness	1/4″ solid steel 1.5″(total) -CD	3/4″
Body thickness (Inc order)	10 Gauge	1/8″ outer body,1/16″ inner liner(Total 7 Gauge)
Fire rating	90 [email protected]°F Not UL tsted	120 [email protected]°F Not UL tsted
Burglar Security rating	RSC Recessed door for pry protection. Anti-Tamper Clutch & Handle. Anti-Tamper Linkage. Dual relocker For more info see this	C class construction
Price	A $2589 to $3500 AIW $3500 to $5300	$3800
Remark	Rhino company offers series A,AIW,CD,CIWD and big horn.While A,AIW CD and CIWD are american made Bighorn is not. AIWD and CIWD has more of a decorative value as it has an antique gun safe look.	Heritage safes fetaure a special bolt that clasp to safe on prying.2 layers of steel in body and automatic four sleeve overcam relocker sytem.
Pry tabs	Yes	Yes
Relockers,Antipunch locks	Yes Dual relocker which acts on both,the deadbolt on lock and the linkage.	Yes-Default(in lock) plus Glass relocker Protected by four layers of steel (door plate included) called the quad sleeve relocker design.
Four way dead bolt	Yes	Yes
External hinges	Yes	Yes
Anti punch bolts mechanism	Relockers. Steel reinforcement door frame and Rigid, welded linkage	Special bolts with notch at end that clasp to door jamb in pry attack and 4 sleeve overcam design.
Shear pins clutches	NA	Shear pin
Ul 760 lock	Yes	Yes
Insulation type	Fiberboard	Gypsum (fiberboard).
Anti drill plate near lock	Yes-plus anti Tungestan carbide Drill Resistant plate.	Yes
Door seal	Yes	Yes
Continous weld	Yes	Yes

 

IMAGE
Name	Liberty Presidential Series	Browning Home safe Deluxe 17	Fort knox-Top Legend series. All other series also comparable.
Size (Height x width x depth)	Varies	42x31x22	Varies
Weight	Varies	Varies	Varies
Max guns	Varies	Varies	Varies
Door type	Composite plus inner solid steel	Solid steel	Special four Fold composite door
Door steel thickness	1/4″	1/2″ Plate 1 5/16″ (total)	3/8″ or 1/4″ solid steel plus 10 gauge inner folded steel metal.
Body thickness	7 gauge	1/4″ (3 Gauge)	10 Gauge With stainless steel in legend series.Optional in other series.
Fire rating	40 [email protected]°F Not UL tsted	90 to 120 [email protected]°F Not UL tsted	90 minutes @1680°F Maverick [email protected]°F Not UL tsted
Burglar Security rating	RSC	RSC	Equivalent to RSC though not Mentioned.
Price	$4,279	$2,999.00- Delux 17 Others $1000 to $9000	$2100 to $6100
Remark	All other Liberty safe offer similar security for all its products but varying size and fire ratings.Based on that other safe that can be best value for the price is RV 23 and RV 30 Priced $1,289 and $1,419 resp.	It is advisable if you go after browning safes that almost all models have similar door and body construction but varying size,Fire rating and capacity so you can opt for the best in lowest price range that meet your specs. Only exceptions are 1.)Pinnacle pro series ($7,099.00 to $ 9500) 2.)Platinum plus series ($6,549.00 to$8,699.00) Differentiating specs for each is only 3/16″ (7 Gauge) body which is not as impressive considering the cost. For almost all Door is 1 5/16″ Duo-Formed(Re enforced steel layes) or lighter and body 11 Gauge or lighter.	Fort knox uses a Special four fold door. First there is a thick steel (3/8 to 1/4 “)base over which is a thick fire board and all that covered bu a 10 gauge steel. These safes allows you to further invest in them make it custom made from local dealers and add steel into its interiors (along body) and make it resistant to tool cuting or torch cut(using stain less steel inner plates). It also has special Gear bolt drive system. It also comes with the option to add a redundant lock for those who have concern with electronic or mechanical lock(see locking mechanism)
Pry tabs	Yes	Yes	Yes
Relockers/Anti puch lock	Yes Two one internal and one external.	One internal No External-But Specially made steel plate (Omnni barrier system),a part of locking frame over the back of lock.	Yes Two for drill and punch attack(Foil mechnical backup) and One for cut and Torch attack (Cabled remote relocker)(Not available on Maverick series)
Four way dead bolts.	Yes	Yes	Yes
External hinges.	No	Yes	Yes
Anti punch bolts mechanism	Relockers	Steel reinforcement plus anti bolt punch locking system(uniforce) that don’t transfer hammering force to lock.	Relockers. Drill resistant Bolt gaurd plate inside near bolt areas.
Shearpin,clutches	NA Slip clutch handle that but do not break from origional bolt moving mechanism.	NA	NA
UL 760 lock	Yes	Yes	Yes
Insulation type	Gypsum(Fireboard	Gypsum (fibreboard).	Fiberboard
Anti drill plate Near lock	NA	two 1/4″ hardened steel plates and features four 1/4″ Yes Hardened steel pinsYes only in pro series home safes.In all other a Omnibarrier Frame of steel over the lock ,a par of lock protecting system	Yes
Door seal	Yes	Yes	Yes
Continous weld	Yes (robotic)	Yes	Yes

 

IMAGE
Name	Superior safes (Supreme and untouchable series)	Sturdy safe
Size	Varies	Varies
Weight	Varies	Varies
Max Guns	Varies	Varies
Door type	Solid steel	Solid steel
Door steel thickness	Untouchable-5/8 ” max Supreme- 1/2″	5/16″ Door to 3/8
Body thickness (Inc order)	Untouchable-1/4″ Supreme-3/16″	3/16″ to 4g (0.22″) with stainless steel or extra steel reinforcement.
Fire rating	110 [email protected]°F Not UL tsted	Not specified.
Burglar Security rating	Untouchable-RSC plus Class B construction requirements. Supreme-NA but easily exceeds RSC requirement.	No tested but exceeds all minimum standards for ratings.
Price	Untouchable-$4000 to $6400 Supreme-$3300 to $5400	$787 to $1580 All size offer equivalent protection.
Remark	The two series of superior gun safe may not be readily available at all online retailers but easily exceeds the security requirement needed at reasonable price and Fire rating	Sturdy safe like to keep cost low so it do not actually got the safe tested by the testing agencies but from their demostration videos there safe easily exceeds the burglary attacks of all kinds. Only downside is a they dont have any fire ratings which is optional ie by default not included in the safe but they claim to have tested the fire resistance in real house burn down simulation taking into account the point of no return and cool down time which if added contributes to damage inside the safe.Other independent Oven test done by other companies do not take into account.So sturdy safe claims that such ratings are useless and offers no real comparison.
Pry tabs	Yes	No But a solid support work for bolts that seems much better.
Relockers,Antipunch locks	Yes Glass relockers with remote relocks(A type of relocker which is located a random place away from lock	Yes- 2 Independent Re-Locks Smart patent pressure activated. The other On the lock as normal.
Four way dead bolt	Yes	Yes
External hinges	Yes	Yes
Anti punch bolts mechanism	Double steel door casement on body.	Yes(extremely Resistant).
Shear pins clutches	NA	No
Ul 760 lock	Yes	Yes
Insulation type	Fiberboard	Ceramic wool and fiberglass Wool -2.5″ Fiberglas 1″ on walls and door. 2″ on bootom and top
Anti drill plate near lock	Yes Diamond-Embedded Armor Plate	Yes
Door seal	Yes	Yes
Continuous weld	Yes	Yes

 

Selection guide

Most of the larger safe in the market are directed towards the buyers who don’t want to spend much,Its alright except that you must not expect much from these kind of safes.For large safe that are available from $500 to $1500,most of them are not made in USA and are just big boxes for preventing unauthorized access and sometimes other features like easy access or for its decorative value. So before buying look at following features to at least know what you are paying for. We recommend you watch this video by weaponseducation.

Burglar protection

Undeniably the most important part when choosing a gun safe is the security that it provides.Security is measured in terms of tool attack for long guns or snatch and run situation for handguns(we will discuss them later in the article below).

But for the bigger safes it is important because you are condensing a large amount of your owning or value in a small space and that space has to be protected properly.

Before going into all the factors that contribute to the security of a safe you must know that the relative industry standards for measure

of security of gun safes. There are mainly two standards

Performance ratings by Underwriters laboratory Test for Residential containers- minimum rating of UL 1037 is desirable

Construction Rating made by Insurance Services Office. At least class C container.

And/or California Department of Justice (DOJ) has a set of Regulatory Gun Safe Standards

While we will not go much in its details But we will explain the bare minimum things to look in a safe to tell if it will pass above standards even if it is not tested,though most are.

1.) Safe DOOR and BODY steel thickness

There are two areas of steel of varying thickness on a safe.

Steel on Door- is important because it will be the first way the burglar will get into a safe using a pry bar or two.Steel on is generally three times than on the body of a safe.Also don’t get carried away by the thickness of the door.Door are mainly made of two types-composite and solid steel.The composite door have much less steel than a solid steel and are much easier to pry open because it have much less steel and can bend easily.A composite door has thin steel folded over and filled with insulation inside to make it appear thick but actually is weaker than a thin looking solid steel built doors.

Steel on Body. Generally the body is much thinner than the door.Plus since most gun safes unlike true safes do not come with concrete fire liner and instead gypsum(fiberboard) they also don’t offer steel fire liner on the inside.Instead the inner side that hold the fiberboard is fiberglass or other non steel fire lining.The fiber board itself is no comparison to concrete amalgam mixture of true safes in terms of strength.Therefore gun safes are much easy to cut open.But it is relatively less in occurrence and there is a common assumption that while there is a vulnerability it takes much more effort to Axe or cut a safe.Plus it will take more time and make more noise.But yet its important.

If you don’t want to allow that-

1.)Look for safe that has thicker steel in its body too.

2.)Alternatively you can also add additional steel and have it custom made from your gun safe dealers.Fortknox and Sturdy safes allows you the option of adding inner layer of steel inside the already built safe.There may be other safe company too.Ask a dealer for that option before buying a safe.

3.)To prevent it against Torch cutting add an addition layer of stainless steel inside.Stainless steel Dissipate the heat in it body and prevent from temperature of a spot to reach melting temperature relatively.

A word on Steel gauges

Now when researching safes it’s critical to understand that the when reading the gauge of steel the numbers go in reverse order. For example 10 gauge steel is heavier and stronger than 12 gauge steel. 10 gauge steel is the thinnest steel we suggest using. 10 gauge steel is relatively tough for the body, and without some serious tools, it is difficult to get get inside. 12 gauge steel is much cheaper. And for the budget conscious, and I can see where this would be a major factor. 12 gauge steel will keep most people out, but a determined thief with a hooligan tool or a strong axe could still break into your safe.

Weight-One commonly overlooked factor by new safe owners is portability. A safe that is easy to install is easy to steal! A steel safe weighing over 1000 pounds is pretty tough to move. Some safes have holes at the bottom, which allow owners to anchor the safe down into your floor.

Secure against Drilling-Some safes offer drill resistant plate near lock and hard steel(drill resistant steel alloys) reinforcement inside door frame near dead bolts.Though not available on all safes it is still a up when you count on security.

Anti punch bolts-Another way to attack a safe is by first drilling a hole near a dead bolt and then hammering it via an inserted steel rod.Doing so may break the deadbolt on lock and cause the door deadbolts to move inside thus opening the safe without cutting or breaking it.For this reason a good safe will either be hard to drill or have an additional relocker or other anti punch bolts mechanism that take all the attack and do not transfer it to the lock.Rhino safe and Browning claim to to do.

Linkage

Linkage inside the door bolt work are generally made of Shear pins , clutches or weak linkage.All of which can be broken with little force applied to the shaft handle or pry bar attack or bolt punch attack.

A shear force on bolt in a pry bar attack a punch attack or using the door handle shaft with little force can damage the linkage between bolt and internal hinges.It can be prevented from breaking using a longer support system as in sturdy safes or pry bars as in most other safes.

But not many safes company offer much protection in terms of breaking of linkage system on handle.A broken Shear pins and linkage may render a safe permanently locked which might keep burglar out but it also make the safe useless for you.You will have to call a locksmith in that case.Sturdy safe company excel in this design to offer both strong welded linkage and strong deadbolt support system.We could not find much info for other companies listed here so ask your dealer about it before buying.Some company has a feature called slip clutch in which the door clutch get disconnected when a threshold force is applied and can get reconnected again for moving the bolts later.

Anti punch Lock /Relockers

They are anti theft device which prevent the breaking of locking mechanism on bolt work.The lock itself can be broken and punch through a pin to detach itself from the door body thus freeing the bolt work.Thus relockers are absolutely necessary in a safe the moment after you make sure that the door is tool bar pry resistant.Most safe that uses UL listed type 2 lock have built in relockers for locking its deadbolt.Other companies add an other external glass or remote relockers in its safes.

Locking Mechanism

Long gun safe mainly has combination locks.

Combination locks uses either pin pad or mechanical combination to form security codes.Dial locks have been in use for over a hundred and fifty years.They are proven technology that is difficult to, if not impossible to crack. Pin pad combinations are electronic and susceptible to the batteries dying, but are much quicker and easier to open under duress than a spin wheel. Spin wheels are incredibly reliable, and never prone to failure, but are harder to open, especially in the dark or under stress.It also takes more time to open in general.An electronic locks opens in about 10 sec while a mechanical opens in about 40 sec.

Combination lock ratings

Most long gun safe uses electronics locks(90%) or mechanical lock(10%).A good safe company uses at least UL 768 lock.Though it might seem unimportant but there is a huge difference between UL rated locks and the cheap alternative in terms of reliability and pry resistance.A UL listed type 2 rated locks always have a default internal relocker.

Biometric Locks are not common on the long gun safe mainly because if they use a even a medium quality biometric lock on a these safes it will further increase their cost.Plus these locks are still in beta and technologically improving and there aren’t any popular standards yet.

Protection From Fires

Gun safes are not exactly like true fire safes.There are three main difference

1.)A true fire safes will have a fire rating on it.Usually the most popular is UL 72 rating.While most gun safes will not.

2.)A gun safe do not use the same material as used by true safes.They generally use Gypsum firewall(fibreboard) which is very cheap.True safe uses concrete amalgam.

3.)Fiber board or gypsum loses its structural integrity after it looses it water content on heating and since Gun safe do not have inner steel plate that can hold the crumbled Gypsum a threshold long exposure to fire or any impact defeat their use as fire safe because there is no resistance between outside heat and safe interior.

Which means that its fire rating are pretty much useless.It can only give you a relative idea of how much a given gun safe is more tolerant to fire than other. Fire rating works two ways.Degrees and amount of time the safe can withstand that temperature. For example a safe that resist 1300 degrees for an hour means your items are guaranteed protection for an hour against 1300 degrees. Fire ratings also go hand and hand with the price of your safe.If you buy a safe with a fire rating that is below what you trust, consider buying a smaller box to fit in the safe with any irreplaceable items inside of it. In case of a fire you may be able to grab this box as you evacuate.

Door Seal-

While this is a must for for all safe rated as fire proof some safes companies are silent about it.Do enquire about it before purchasing.This seal is something that expands in case of fire making the outside hot smoke to not come inside which otherwise will definitely burn anything inside.

Warranty Lastly, consider checking the warranty that the manufacturer is providing you, because you can never be so sure as to how long the item will last. A decent warranty length would have to be at least a year, as there may be some basic malfunctions that can alter its superior system. Some gun safe manufacturers do provide you with the option to buy longer warranty, so if you’re given a lifetime warranty option, don’t hesitate on getting it.

Also see-

Best gun safe under $1000-Is there any ?

Best gun safe under $ 500 to $600

Best gun safe under $300

In today’s economy everybody’s wallet is stretched. We do our best to save and budget for things we need and hope there’s enough left over for our hobbies and things we really enjoy doing.

So let’s say you’ve sat down and evaluated how big your future safe needs to be. Then you took a hard look at your budget, and decided on a certain price point for your future safe. You want to know what the best possible gun safe you can buy is for the money you’ve saved – what’s the best way to go about that?

Well, the first thing to consider is a used gun safe. No matter your price point, a quality used gun safe that’s in good condition is always going to be cheaper than a brand new safe. Folks have had good luck finding used safes locally on Craigslist and on eBay. Craigslist is going to be the cheapest option because you won’t have to pay to ship it across the country – however, it is more of a hassle because you have to arrange for a moving crew (be it your own family and friends or a professional crew) to get it to your house.

All the gun safes listed below are available to buy online, and they are shipped to your door, so all costs listed include shipping.

Here we are talking about safes that are only useful to frustrate a undesired person or thief for few minutes keeping your rifles locked from children etc.

Under $2000

Best safe in this price range is from champion or superior safes,both by same company.Below are its top models.

Other brands you can get in this price range are

	SUPERIOR- REGAL	SUPERIOR- IRON SIDE	CHAMPION- MODEL T	CHAMPION-MEDALIST
Body steel	11 gauge	12 gauge	12 gauge	12 gauge
Door	Composite 3/16″ 7/16″ Reinforced Door Edge	Composite 10 gauge 7/16″ Reinforced Door Edge	Composite 12-Gauge Outer 14-Gauge Inner 7/16″ Reinforced	Composite 11-Gauge Outer 14-Gauge Inner 1/2″ Reinforced Door Edge
Fire rating	1500°F 75-M	1350°F 60-M	1350°F 60-M	1400° 60-M
Burglar rating	UL-RSC	UL-RSC	UL-RSC	UL-RSC
Price	$1,899.00 – $4,349.00	$1,399.00 – $2,849.00	$1,199.00 – $1,249.00	$1,399.00 – $2,849.00

Snap Safe Titan Modular Fireproof Gun Safe Digital Lock:

Snap safe has a unique line of gun safes called the Titan series gun safes and they are modular design safes.It can be assembled or dissembled at your will. Important impressive features of this safe are.

Modular design makes it easy to transport.

9 gauge steel on body and 7 gauge (3/16″) on Solid steel door,which is far better than the other Companies with economic type models.

2300°F 1 hr fire protection (Independent rating) and fire seal.

UL listed mechanical or Digital lock option.

Life time warranty.

Varying Size 59″ Height ,22 to 46 ” wide and and 17 ” to 30 ” depth.

They come in from $1150 to $2500.Smallest has 12 long gun capacity.

Why this safe is a good value:

The most obvious reason this safe is a good value is because it’s modular. While this isn’t reflected in the initial upfront cost to buy the safe, it’s actually a long term savings. Moving a large, heavy gun safe is no small matter, and moving companies can charge a hefty sum to move your safe from one place to another. The ability to tear this safe down yourself and move it piece by piece can save you quite a bit of money if you ever decide to move. It’s also ideal for anyone in an apartment setting not only because it is more readily transported than a traditional gun safe when it’s time to move but also because it can be installed in a closet with a bit of space.Second, it features thicker steel walls than most other gun safes on the market. It’s rated as a residential security container by the Underwriters Laboratory.

Also, the fire rating for the Snap Safe Super Titan is far above that of other safes at this price point.

Conclusion:

This safe is a steal and usually runs at $1,500 to $1,700 with shipping. Keep in mind that if you don’t consider yourself a handy person, you may also need to include the cost of hiring a handyman to put it together for you.

Click here for more information, price, ratings for available models of titan modular on amazon

Winchester Silverado series  Electronic:

RSC tested -YES

Door Type-Composite

Steel thickness-10 gauge

Capacity-

Winchester was the first company to get a RSC rating for its safe’s brand .

While these safes are not not as strong as the above there are few key specs that you can take into account.

Four way bolt work,External Three spoke handle.UL Listed type 2 lock and also an auxiliary reloker .Drill resistant hard plate with titanium small nose just below the lock.Door jamb has reinforce steel and door has anti pry tabs and heat expandable Palusol seal with 2 [email protected]°F rating( For only relative comparison See Protection from fires.).It also a Life time warranty on defects in material and damage from burglary and fire and two years warranty on Lock.

Click here for more detail, price, reviews and ratings on amazon

or buy from gun safes.com https://www.gunsafes.com/Winchester-2017-Silverado-33.html

Steel water Heavy duty(HD) series

RSC tested -YES

Door Type-Solid steel 1/4 “

Steel thickness-9 gauge

These series safe are good because for their price.You will get far better steel quality and thickness and construction features.The 39 gun capacity which we believe is optimum size for most gun owners can be bought for around $1900 dollars and offer much more security than other companies in this range.Key Specs of this safes are 1/4″ solid steel Door construction and 9 gauge body.Though it boast a [email protected] 1875°F fire rating it is still relative.There are 4 1/2″ diameter anchor holes at bottom.Four holes are better features than two hole construction if you want to bolt it more securely on floor.Other features include UL listed lock and Expandable door seal.The LD and economy series safe have 12 gauge steel and composite type door so we do not recommend them.Warranty on them is One year on manufacturing defects and 90 days on electronic components,while life time on burglary and fire.

Click here for more detail, price, reviews and ratings

Liberty USA

RSC tested -YES

Door Type-Composite

Steel thickness-12 gauge

Liberty is a company that advertise its safe quite more heavily than it is made. Although the safe quality are not not bad they cannot be compared to a true safe except the presidential series safes.While there are many models of safe that they manufacture,they mainly differ in in the fire ratings and size and not much is the burglary rating or secondary features like fire sealing and lock and relocking mechanism.Based on that,we think the Liberty USA  fits the best option for the price starting from about $1000.

It has patent pending  six 4″ wide locking bars which liberty claims to be 6 times stronger than normal cylindrical bars.In fact all liberty safe now have these wide locking bars.

It is a UL listed safe with Body steel thickness 11 Gauge and a composite door weight around 550 lbs,Fire rating of 40min @1200°F,Door seal and the only entry level safe with 2 relockers (internal and external ).(Most only have internal)

Other model of liberty are as below.Note the difference in price with Fortknox’s starting model maverick.

	LIBERTY-COLONIAL	LIBERTY-FRANKLIN	FORTKNOX-MAVERICK
Body	11 gauge	11 gauge	11 gauge
Door	Composite 11 gauge	Composite 11 gauge	Door edge thickness 3/8″.Special four fold door. First there is a thick steel (1/4 “)base over which is a thick fire board and all that covered by a 10 gauge steel.
Burglar rating	UL-RSC	UL-RSC	UL-RSC
Fire rating	1220 °F 60-M	1200 °F 75-M	1200 °F 75-M
Price	$1,649 -$2,349	$1799-$2799	Starting at $1449

Mesa safe

The Mesa Safe Company  MBF6032E series is our choice for a safe under $2000.

RSC tested -YES

Door Type-Composite

Steel thickness-12 gauge body and 7 gauge door.

Why this safe is a good value:

The following features set the MBF6032Eapart from other options at this price:

• Steel thickness-The safe has impressive thickness of steel specially in the body(7 gauge) and also on the body which is 12 gauge
• It is made in america.
• It has a life time warranty .
• Weight – It weight in at over 600 pounds, which means that it would not be easy to tip over and pry open if it is bolted down properly.
• Removable door-It has removable door to lift it or higher stories of your building.
• Hard anti drill plate and re lockers.
• Fire Rating – It has a fire rating of 1 hour up to 1,750 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can typically find this safe for $1,500.

Click here for more detail, price, reviews and ratings

Below are links articles for gun safe under $1000 range

Best long gun safe for the money-All budgets

Best gun safe under $1000-Is there any ?

Best gun safe under $ 500 to $600

Best gun safe under $300

Is there any good gun safe under $1000 ?

Before going into discussing some of the safe under 1000 we like to inform you that the word best is relative and is should be used in different context when looking for gun safes in various price ranges.So we recommend yo read selection guide for large gun safe here to know what makes a good gun safe.

When discussing 1000 under gun safe we are talking  of preventing unauthorized access and children.Many of these may not even be RSC certified but may be CDOJ passed.Even so you cannot say you are secured against any strong attempt of forced entry.

We couldn’t understand there purpose to be exact because the main purpose of a gun safe is to be secured against theft or burglars.These safe will fail if those burglars have sufficient time and tools like a pry bar,hammer,power cutter etc to do that.

So you have a container that allows you to keep your guns and tell other people that unauthorized person are not allowed to touch them.

Only a person who respect or fear that boundary would not do that.

But the problem narrows down to budget.What if you have a budget of only $1000.Here one can assume that you must be having decent collection of guns if want a large size gun safe.

For that purpose you can just place it in a gun cabinet or gun case on condition that you don’t fear anything happening to them.They will cost you much less.Again if you want no one to touch them you may have to keep a sign that says Don’t touch my guns.

These safes will at most save you that effort,if we review them most critically.But still these safes are being sold and people are satisfied with there purchase even when they know that these safes are not safe against forced entry.

So if you are one of those person we have few of the safes shortlisted and reviewed below.We tried to point out everything that may seller have tried to highlight and is of any value to you.

We just want to alert you as much as we can that these safe are not secured as advertised.They will most probably be made in China with relatively thin steel and composite door.

We have chosen most safe that are made of 12 gauge of steel.

The fire rating is also not of much use as they use gypsum/dry wall for insulation which we have already discussed are pretty much useless for major fire incidents as mentioned in fire protection in the selection guide here.

Other that that its your choice.

Liberty Safe Liberty Safe USA 30 Gun

RSC rated-Yes

Door type-Composite

Steel thickness-12 gauge

Dimensions-28×15.5×57.5 inches (interior width x depth x hieght)

Purpose-To store decent number(30) of guns away from unauthorized people and to keep average thief outside.

The first thing that we liked about the safe is that it is at least UL- RSC rated so it can thwart rigorous attack with pry bar , drilling,punching etc for about 5 minutes.

The body and doo is  made of 2 mm(12 gauge  steel) and the door is of composite type.Also steel is claimed to be treated to prevent rust.

It is also claimed to be made in USA and has US based customer service.It also comes with life time warranty and liberty claims to replace the safe in case of attempted burglary or fire.

The fire rating is  40 minutes @ 1220 degree F.The fire protection is claimed to be using 3 layers of gypsum in ceiling and door.

The side is single welded at one corner and at the back is welded on with a single bead.

The locking bolt in this safe is of military style plates that give more surface area against prying and so can be a deterrent when prying door with a pry bar.

Has a shiny outer texture and the door has a three Chrome three spoke handle and additional door panel storage pockets and pistol holders.

Has a hard plate behind the mechanical lock to protect against drilling and also has a an external re lockers for added security against lock picking.

It can be bought at major online outlet for about $999 to $1099.

Click here for more details,price,reviews and ratings.

or buy from gunsafes.com https://www.gunsafes.com/liberty-gun-safe-usa-30-usa-made-30-gun-safe-40-min-1200-fire-rating-66277.html

Steelwater Heavy Duty 20 Long Gun safe

RSC rated -No, CDOJ rated

Steel thickness-12 gauge (2mm)

Door type-composite 

Dimensions-interior ( W x D x H) : 27.75 x 19.5 x 53 

Purpose-preventing children and unauthorized people accessing your guns.

Steel water is a new entrant in gun safe industry.

In higher ranges it has introduced some better gun safe than its competitors in terms of steel thickness and overall strength you can find it in this list of best long gun safe for the  money.

This model though is not like that it has steel thickness of 12 gauge and CDOJ passed for residential security containers.It can store on an average 12 to 16 guns and at most 20 long guns.

It claims fire rating of 60 min at 1875 degree F and and EMP(Electro magnetic pulse) attack proof electronic lock and also has a bypass key to prevent being locked out of safe.

Security-in terms of security it can thwart a drilling and punching attack on the lock as it has a hard plate behind  the electronic lock and also a internal re-locking mechanism

Warranty-it has life time fire and burglar warranty and 1 year warranty for manufacturing defect.

Click here more more details,price reviews and ratings.

Mesa safe MBF5922E

RSC rated-NO,CDOJ rated

Steel thickness-12 gauge body

Door type-Composite 12 gauge with additional 1/4″ steel plate.

Dimensions-55⅜”H x 18¼”W x 13″D (Interior)

Capacity-24 Guns

Purpose-Prevent Minor break in effort and unauthorized access.

Heavy for its size(528 pounds).You can anchor it to ground with four anchor points.

So at least difficult to move by burglars or tip it over on the ground and use pry bar etc.

Also its door has additional protection of quarter inch plate inside the 12 gauge composite door design.

For that reason it has a detachable door to carry it to floor above the ground level.

The safe is made in USA and has a Life time warranty.

A hard plate and internal re locker is also included for drill or punch attack on lock.

Powder coating-The safe in painted with powder coating which is known to be scratch resistant,chip resistant,water resistant and corrosion resistant.

You can have two codes in electronic lock for secondary access.

You can get this safe online for $900 to $1200.

Click here for more latest price,reviews and ratings.

Stack-On A-40-MB-E-S

RSC rated-NO,CDOJ rated.

Steel thickness-Not available

Door type-Composite

Dimensions-(W x D x H) : 27.75 x 19.5 x 53

Capacity-40 Guns

Purpose-If you have large number of guns and want to prevent easy hands on access and don’t have enough budget to buy heavy duty gun safe.

Frankly speaking we don’t recommend stack on safe.Simply because they are not safe.They are just lock boxes similar to gun cabinet.Burglar can easily get into this safe.

Main reason for having this gun safe in our list is the capacity.It has a large capacity of about 40 guns.So you can keep all your collection at one place away from children and unauthorized persons.

In comparison of gun cabinets it is heavier and also has some fire rating of 30 min for upto 1400 degree F.

One customer has rightly said is that it is high end of low end safe.So don’t expect much in terms of safety.

The door comes with sewn in  pockets and pistol holders.

Some customer complained about the keypad digits not working though iyt has a backup mechanical key.

But aesthetic wise and for small fire hazard protection this safe can be of some use.

You can buy this safe on amazon for about $800 to $1000

Click here for more detail,price,reviews and ratings.

Blue dot second amendment gun safe

One good safe for your gun is the Second Amendment safe by Blue Dot Safes.

RSC rated-No

Door Type-Composite

Steel thickness-12 gauge

Dimensions- 55.18H×32.25W×20D (Interior)
Purpose-To thwart off children and frustrate an average burglar for few minutes using small tools.

This safe is of acceptable quality for the price.It is rated fire resistant to 1700 degrees .A 5/16″ thick  drill-resistant Plate behind lock for drill attacks and one year free warranty.This safe also has a large amount of space and is large enough to hold 30 rifles, 8 holsters, and 5 ammo pouches. The interior is 55.18×32.25×20 inches and there are four shelves inside for storing firearms and ammunition. Also, the lock system uses 5 fixed bolts and 9 live bolts and a two way locking system..It weighs around 650 pounds.

Pros

• Manufactured in the United States
• Good Customer Service

Cos

• Does not come with a backup key
• Electronic lock-but they offer installation of a mechanical lock if it’s requested when the safe is purchased

Click here for more detail ,price,reviews and ratings

American security

RSC rated-NO

Door Type-Solid steel 3/16″

Body thickness-14 gauge

Purpose-Store few rifles away from children and hinder average breaking in effort with small tools.

Another safe that also offers free shipping is the Amsec TF5517 Gun Safe 30 Miutes Fire. This safe has a 3/16″ solid steel plate door 3 wheel combination lock, 14 gauge body, and a sizable interior capacity of 16x17x55.2 inches and a life time warranty against theft and fire.A four way bolt mechanism and CDOJ burglar rating.. This safe has a fire rating for  upto 1200 degrees for  30 minutes from mercury and claim to maintain an internal temperature around 350°F. It weighs 286 pounds, which is relatively lightweight for a large safe such as this. Many reviewers seemed to think well of this safe, that it was of high quality, etc. However, there were a few negative reviews, some of whom said that it arrived damaged and also that it is not American made.

There is a removable shelf and a 2 tray organizer and lights inside the safe. It’s interior is carpeted and it uses an electronic or combination locks with a drill resistant plate behind the lock.Reviewers say that the set are good safes of decent quality. However, some complain that the design is not as it is shown and one reviewer complained of a chemical smell inside. Also, they are not fire rated, so if there is a fire the contents will not be protected.

If you are interested in this safe, you can find it for 800 dollars with free shipping.

For more information price rating and reviews click here.

Also see-

Best Gun safe under $ 500 to $ 600

Best gun safe under $300

Best long gun safe for the money

Okay so you are looking for a gun safe under 500.Here we are assuming you have few long guns and maybe some handguns.Where can you keep them that will ensure they are not readily accessible ?

Good news is that there are gun safes available in all price range.But the bad news is as the price go down the safe do not offer same protection as the higher priced one.

You see the most expensive component of making a safe is the steel itself.It is also the same thing that make a safe secure or unsecure.

So if we are going down in terms of price,you can not expect steel to be thick as you need and a safe that is secure against burglars.So it is natural to expect that the seller will be silent about it.

Nevertheless buying a gun safe is a good step towards safeguarding your guns as it will prevent unauthorized access and also children locked away.Basically you will prevent any one getting hands on access to your guns.

Safe under 500 are either gun cabinets or something in between safe and a cabinet.They are not even heavy.So it is important that you anchor them on the floor or wall.They have some fire ratings but they are usually fluff ratings and you should not put much focus that.

top or beside each other as your inventory grows.It can be bought online for about $500 to $550.

Liberty Safe Cn12-bkt-e Centurion Safe With Electronic Lock

This is the lowest end model of liberty gun safe.

It is CDOJ approved and has a 30 minutes fire ratings.There are three layers of firewall inside ceiling and doors and Polusol seal to prevent smoke coming inside in case of fire.

It weighs around 229 pounds and dimensions of 19 x 18 x 60 inches.It can hold upto 12 long guns.

The same design is marketed by the name Provault by liberty at cabelas and other online retailers.

Liberty also mentioned the steel thickness which is 14 gauge in body and door.The door is of composite type.

Liberty claims that these safe are 6 times stronger against pry attack.Its because of 10 special  4″ wide locking bars instead of bolts that offer more surface to resist prying.

The safe in made in USA and has a life time warranty. A UL listed S and G mechanical lock.You can upgrade it to electronic lock later if you want.Extra hard plate to protect from drill and and and external re-locker for punch attack.

No other entry level safe offer all these features.It is available online for about $550 including shipping.

Click here more more details, price, reviews and ratings.

Stack-On SS-16-MB-B 16-Gun Security Safe with Biometric Lock.

First thing we look was that it is made like safe and not cabinet,second thing was that it could hold up to 16 rifles and is available online for about $550 and third it has it comes with a bio metric lock.

The safe is CDOJ rated for firearm safety devices and have dimensions of 20.08 x 20.86 x 55 in.

It weighs 168 pounds which is good for its size but it does not have any fire rating.

Biometric lock allows you to not memorize any code and also ensure that it will keep wrong hands out.

It can hold up to 20 different fingerprint and people don’t find any issue with biometric lock.It is easy to program and good recognition rate.Comes with a backup key in case of battery dying.

Click here more more details, price, reviews and ratings.

Barska AX13100 4.33 Cubic Foot Keypad Rifle Safe

This safe is of acceptable quality in this price range as it is CDOJ rated with dimensions (DxWxH): 11.5″ x 12.5″ x 52″ and hold upto 8 rilfles.

The interior is carpeted and come with two removable rack for rifles and two shelves for handguns and ammunition.

Barska have four other models with similar construction features but different size.

AX13100-13″ x 13″ x 52.25″

AX12760 –9.75″ x 8.63″ x 52.13″,

AX12752 –13″ x 13″ x 52.25″

AX11652-9.75″ x 8.63″ x 52.13″- Highest selling.(Hold upto four rifles)

We choose this one because it is the only model under $ 500 that can hold the largest amount of rifles If you don’t have that many guns you can go with other smaller models.All other models features bio metric locks.

If you want a bio metric lock with up to 8 guns you can go with Barska AX12760. It has biometric lock and is prices for about $650.

There are pre drilled holes at bottom and back wall so you can anchor it on floor as well as walls.The safe doesn’t weigh much (82 lbs) so it will be important that you secure it to a wall or floor.

The digital lock is easy to program and can store two unique pins or codes with backup access.

Click here more more details, price, reviews and ratings.

Secure It Gun Storage Agile Ultralight Gun Safe: Model 40

Secure it , a company launched by military veteran and a relatively new entrant in market boast of making ultralight gun safe.They also claim to be leaing supplier of firearm safe to the military.

Though we could not understand the purpose of making a safe that s ultra light.We have gun cabinets for the very same purpose.

But taking the price consideration into mind this is a good choice as it is somewhere in between safe and a cabinet..The door locks like traditional safe only with live in bolt action.

Another thing that Secure it highlights is its Cradlegrid technology.It basically is a better way of organizing your rifles.You can keep the rifles with scope attached and guns hold their position and don’t bump into one another and allows fast access in terms of crisis probably like in military.
The back panel is louvered for better visual straight line access reaching individual firearm without disturbing others.