When it comes to choosing the right gun safe for your home, there’s more than meets the eye. Some people might look at price as a determining factor; however, that can lead to disappointment and serious problems later down the road.
While most gun safes look the same on the outside, the inside is where they tend to differ significantly. What your eyes can’t see is what matters the most. Read on to learn more about how to intelligently choose a residential gun safe for your home.
Interior Capacity and Size
One of the biggest complaints that people have about their residential gun safes is that they often wish they had purchased one with more interior space. The reason for this is very simple—when most people look to buy a gun safe, they only consider the here and now. That is, what they’re currently looking to protect.
In addition to firearms, many residential gun safe owners will often store personal items inside, such as important documents, jewelry, or irreplaceable family heirlooms. This is why it’s essential to consider what you want to protect both now and in the future.
It’s better to initially buy a residential gun safe with more space than you currently need. Otherwise, you’ll have to buy a new one to increase internal space—and that requires dealing with the hassle of removing your old one.
Fire Rating
The average house fire can reach upwards of 1000 degrees in just a few minutes after it starts. Even if you’re home when that happens, your first thought is to get outside to safety—not to save what’s inside your gun safe.
The problem with many cheaper gun safes is that they do not have a fire rating or have one that’s completely inadequate. This can lead to the contents catching fire and destroying everything inside. Therefore, it’s really important to pay close attention to the fire rating of a safe.
For example, American Security uses our proprietary DryLight™ fire protection system in our BFII and BFX-Series gun safes. This helps keep the internal temperature of the safe below the ignition point of fire, thereby protecting what’s inside and preventing it from catching on fire.
Length of Attack
When it comes to home robberies, time is of the utmost essence for the burglar. They want to be in and out as quickly as possible to avoid getting caught. The length of time it takes them to break into a gun safe is of the utmost importance.
For example, if a safe has a 15 or 30-minute break-in rating, that means that it can take the average thief 15 or 30 minutes to break in—that’s quite a long period of time—enough for the police to arrive.
Some cheaper safes will use two plates of steel that are welded around a particleboard type of material. This presents a huge security risk as the hollow core does nothing to help slow down an attack. American Security gun safes, on the other hand, have completely solid walls—thereby dramatically slowing down the progress of the would-be robber.
Safe Components
The construction of the safe, such as the locking mechanism and other internal parts, also contribute to how hard it will be for a thief to potentially break in. The BFII7250 gun safe comes with a wide array of security features, such as:
- L. certified RSC burglary protection rating
- 2-1/4”-Thick Body with 1/8” outer shell and 5/16” thick inner liner
- AMSEC’s patented active hardplate
- Proprietary patented hard plate, and dual external relocker and one internal relocker.
Compared to the average “el cheapo” safe that you can buy at Walmart or online, the American Security line of gun safes offer far superior protection—and that leads to peace of mind knowing that your guns and valuables are highly secure.
Installation
If you and a friend can move your gun safe on a dolly, then so can would-be thieves. It’s important to look for a safe that has holes in the bottom that you can bolt directly into the floor, thereby making it impossible for someone to move without unbolting it physically.
You should also consider the placement of the safe—as the old saying goes: “A hidden safe is a secure safe.” Will you put the safe in your closet? Will it reside somewhere where clearances are limited? Before you buy, make sure you take careful measurements of where you intend to place the safe.
This will help prevent you from having to call the store where you bought the safe and asking them to send a truck and a few movers to take it back.
Which Gun Safe is Best for You?
Fire and theft ratings are just two of many important factors that you should take into consideration before purchasing a gun safe. Ensure the one that you ultimately decide upon is based upon the value of what you’re going to put inside—not the actual price of the safe itself.
Would you honestly feel comfortable using a $500 safe to protect $10,000.00 worth of valuables?
Premium boltwork, best-in-class security design, and superior fire protection are why American Security burglary and theft gun safes are unmatched in the residential gun safe industry. When it comes to protecting your valuables and providing you with peace of mind, accept no substitutes.
American Security offers dozens of options for optimal anti-fire and anti-theft protection for gun owners. Find the American Security gun safe that’s right for you by contacting an authorized dealer near you.