The Vital Importance of Owning A Gun Safe and the Top Qualities To Look For In One

There’s simply no question that a gun safe is the best way to store your firearms. But even though many gun owners are fully aware of that fact, they still don’t take the time or spend the money to actually go out and buy one.

 

You don’t want to make this same mistake if you are a gun owner. There are many reasons to owning a gun safe, from keeping your firearms and other valuable possessions protected from house fires and burglars alike.

 

In fact, getting a gun safe is an a critical and yet overlooked aspect of better preparing yourself for disaster as well. This is because in the event of a serious grid down disaster scenario, the very last thing you want is for your firearms to be left out in the open.

 

If you had to evacuate your home in the event of an attack from

 

With that said, here are the top qualities that you will need to look for in a gun safe:

Capacity

 

Here’s something you should know about gun safes: the advertised capacity of a safe is very rarely the actual capacity of the safe.

 

Gun safe manufacturers will often brag about their safe being able to carry fifteen to twenty long guns in it, when in reality, the safe will really only be able to hold half that amount.  Long guns will take up even more space if they either have optics or protruding pistol grips.

 

As a golden rule, take the advertised capacity of a gun safe and divide that number by half to get an idea of how many rifles and shotguns you should be able to fit inside.

 

Don’t forget about your handguns as well. Most safes should have pockets or sleeves stitched to the inside of the door for holding handguns, and they should also have shelves on the inside of the safe for you to store more handguns as well. If necessary, you can also set your handguns on the floor by the stocks of the rifles and shotguns.

 

Last but not least, make sure that your safe has room to store other valuables as well. Examples of items besides firearms that people like to store in their safes include jewelry, money, important documents, passports, and certain family heirlooms.

Lock Type

 

One of the most critical factors when selecting a gun safe is the type of lock it has.

 

There are three common options for a gun safe lock: electronic lock, combination lock, and a biometric lock.

 

Out of these options, the combination lock is easily the most traditional as well as the most simple. You simply need to spin the dial a few times, and you’ll be able to unlock the dial a few times to get inside. This system works, but it’s also slow.

 

Electronic locks, in stark contrast, are much faster. You simply need to type in a code, and you can get inside. But the downside is that electronic locks obviously require electricity, and most are battery operated. If the battery runs out and you need to access your guns, you’re out of luck until you can replace it.

 

A biometric lock is similar to an electronic lock but requires your fingerprint to get inside. The main advantage here is that you don’t run the risk of forgetting a password, and there’s no possible way for a burglar to figure out the password either.

 

Another option is a combination lock. Some gun safe manufacturers will combine an electronic lock with a biometric one, for example, enabling you to have multiple options for getting inside.

Fire Rating

 

The next most important quality to consider in a safe is the fire rating, which besides a burglar is by far the most significant threat to the contents you hold within it.

 

As a golden rule, you should buy a safe that will withstand a fire for a minimum of one half hour, because this is the average length of a house fire in America (and at a temperature of eleven hundred degrees Fahrenheit).

 

But to be on the safe side (pun not intended), you may feel more comfortable going with a safe that will properly shield the inside contents from a fire for at least an hour.

Corrosion Protection

 

One of the most important qualities when searching for a safe, but also one that people often overlook, is corrosion resistance.

 

Believe it or not, but a gun safe can become harmful to the guns you store inside. This is because if moisture gets trapped into the interior of the safe, it’s going to wreck absolute havoc on the firearms and cause them to rust.

 

Fortunately, gun safes these days commonly come with a variety of defenses against corrosion. Examples include heating bars (which will need to be plugged into an electrical outlet), as well as copper colored anode sheets that can be installed in the safe as well, which will become the target of corrosion rather than your guns and other metal valuables.

Conclusion

Hopefully by now, you have a good idea of the different qualities that you need to look for in a gun safe. Go with a safe that has each of the qualities we have covered above, and you should be good to go.