How To Choose A Gun Safe

by | Apr 29, 2019 | Security Safes

How To Choose The Best Gun Safe For You

Houston Gun SafesSo you’re looking for a gun safe for sale Houston? Which one is the best gun safe for you? When you are buying a gun safe to protect or expand your collection, what are some things you need to look for when selecting one? The first thing to consider is the number of guns you currently have, and how many you plan on getting. You may only have a few now, but if you’re like most gun owners I’m sure you plan on getting more at some point. Another main selling point when purchasing a gun safe is the fire rating. Most gun safes have some sort of fire rating usually between thirty minutes to two hours. Also, you want to make sure it is burglary-proof to keep unwanted theft of your guns and valuables. The next thing to look at when picking a safe is to determine if you’d like an electronic keypad or a mechanical combination dial. There are many different types of electronic keypads and manual dials and they all have different perks. When you are choosing your gun safe keep in mind the weight, dimensions, and where you plan on putting it.

Sizing Up Your Gun Safe

With gun safes, it is about the size not how you use it. It’s probably safe to say you should probably buy a bigger gun safe than you think you need unless you’re restricted by room. The last thing you’d want to happen is for you to invest in an expensive gun safe only to run out of space shortly after. It won’t take long for you to fill up your gun safe with guns, only to find out you should have spent the few extra hundred dollars for the larger model. Picking the right size safe for you also depends on where you want to put it. Make sure you have enough room and clearance when opening the safe doors as well. You don’t want to put it somewhere and not be able to open the door all the way, restricting access to your valuables stored inside. The first thing I would do before even looking for a gun safe is to determine where you plan on putting the safe. It would be good to have a few options since you’re going to see a bunch of different shapes and sizes and may have to look for alternative locations.

Choosing The Best Fire Protection For Your Gun Safegun safes houston tx

The fire rating of a gun safe is very important, nobody wants to have their valuable collection burnt up in a house fire. On any quality gun safe, you will find a UL fire listing. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a non-profit organization that tests hundreds of thousands of manufactured products to ensure they perform to a certain standard. To make sure the manufacturer adheres to the standard, UL will perform unannounced inspections at the manufacturing locations multiple times a year in most cases. When testing the safe and determining the fire rating, the gun safe is placed in a furnace. This will help determine the amount of time it takes for the safe to become compromised by the fire on both the exterior and interior side of the safe. The most common fire rating for gun safes found in sports retail stores is 30 minutes. I would suggest not getting a gun safe below a 1-hour fire rating if at all possible. When dealing with high-quality gun safes they sometimes fill the insides of the walls with concrete. This gives it more fire resistance and also helps prevent thieves from cutting into the sides of the safe. The most common fire ratings for gun safes are usually between 30 minutes to 2 hours. If it were me the higher the better due to the fact that you usually have explosive ammo and very expensive guns inside.

Securing Your Safe

One of the most important deciding factors when purchasing a gun safe is what types of anti-tampering measures does the safe have? And, what type of lock body do I need or better yet want? Most low-grade gun safes or should we say gun containers can be opened with handheld power tools in just minutes. A good gun safe will have multiple anti-tampering features such as hardened steel plates and relockers that trigger when the safe is under attack. Hardened steel plates are used to slow down anyone that is attempting to drill open the lock body of your safe and gain entry. The relocker is set off when someone is either drilling or banging on the safe. When someone is trying to force their way into your gun safe it sets off the relocker which is a solid steel bolt that drops into the railing of the safe. This blocks the bolts from being able to slide back and forth and open the safe. Having a hardened steel plate and relocker protecting your valuables is crucial. Another important decision in purchasing a gun safe is what type of lock body do you want? Do you like the traditional manual dial that uses a three-digit combination? Do you like the ease of an electronic keypad? Or do you want to really want to make it secure to where only you can access the safe via fingerprint? Electronic locks are more popular due to the fact that you can have quick access into your gun safe, but combination locks are still very reliable. No matter what you choose they are all secure and viable options, it basically comes down to preference.

Looking At Your Gun Safe

You’re going to buy a safe and will have to look at it for possibly the rest of your life so why not get something pleasing to look at. Depending on the safe manufacture you can get custom paint jobs and different color trim packs. Many safe manufacturers have two to three different trim colors; gold, silver and the new satin black. You can also look into accessories for your guns safe such as light kits and dehumidifiers. Light kits help if you have your safe tucked away in a corner and can’t see what you are trying to find. Also, the light kits give them a luxury and more prestige look. Most safe manufacturers have some gun safes that come stock with a light kit built-in like Hollon’s Black Hawk Series. You can also find retrofit light kits that universally fit all gun safes.

Ensure You Get A Gun Safe, Not A Gun Cabinethouston gun safes

Sometimes not knowing the difference between a gun safe and gun cabinet can cost gun owners when trying to protect your valuables. Most people who do not know the difference still call gun cabinets, safes. A Gun Safe is made with a thickness of gauge steel ranging from 10-12 and is fire lined or concrete-filled and usually weighs 2000 lbs or more. This means it is only penetrable by means of a drill or other power tools with the knowledge of an experienced safe technician. A Gun Cabinet, on the other hand, is just a thin metal box weighing around 50 to 100 lbs or so and is just made for a means of storing your guns and keeping honest people honest.

Choosing Your Gun Safe

Verify you are getting a gun safe and not a gun cabinet unless that is what you are looking for. Make sure to plan ahead by taking measurements of the area in which you plan on placing the safe. If fire protection is important to you, be sure to ask that the safe you are interested in has a U.L. Listed fire rating. Secure your safe by getting the locking mechanism that best suits you. If you prefer the ease of access by electronic keypad or like the mechanical spin dial we can find the right safe for you. For added security Guardian Safe & Lock can even come to your home or business and bolt down your safe. This way, no one can just pick up and walk away with your valuables. If you’re looking for the best Houston gun safes or other types of safes in Houston, give us a call today!

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