How To Choose A Gun Safe – 9 Things You Should Know

Statistically, the Bureau of Justice study says that almost a quarter-million firearms and guns get stolen every year. So, no matter if you’re a casual hunt, a concealed weapon carrier, or a gun shop owner, a gun safe is a must-have thing. A gun safe doesn’t just keep your treasure safe from the thieves and outlaws but also keeps them out of the reach of children. The safe also keeps your guns and firearms safe from humidity and keeps their integrity intact.

However, getting a gun safe can be a daunting job if you don’t know what you’re looking for. If you don’t know how to choose a gun safe and you’re planning on getting one, make sure you get through this extensive article. I’ll get you through the things that you must know before you can get the storage for your firearms.

Types Of Gun Safe

Before you get a gun safe for yourself, you must ask yourself, do I need a gun safe? If you own a gun that you have to protect from any threat to it, the answer should be yes. If you have to get a gun safe eventually, there is a wide variety of gun safes you can find in the market. Choosing the right one will depend on how you are going to use it, such as:

IF you’re getting a safe that you’ll place in your home as a vault, you’ll have to consider one of these options to go with:

1. Wall-mounted gun safes
2. Under-bed gun safe
3. Hidden gun safe
4. Bedside quick access safe
5. Corner gun safe
6. Heavy-duty fire and waterproof safe

There are a wide range of vehicle gun safe as well if you’re planning on putting a gun safe in your vehicle:

1. Glove Box gun safe for private car
2. Under-seat car gun safe
3. A heavy-duty gun safe for combat truck

When you’re planning on carrying your gun with you and need a portable gun safe, you will have these options for your shopping:

1. Handgun safes
2. Long gun safes
3. Multiple guns carrier safe

If you’re looking for a budget gun safe, you can check out the reviews and expert recommendation posts on the best gun safe under 300.

How To Choose A Gun Safe?

If you want to get a gun safe that can keep your guns protected, you have to consider some special things in it. Here is how to choose a gun safe and the features you want to look for while buying a gun safe:

The lock type selection

While choosing your gun safe, you’ll surely get into confusion about what type of lock you want to go within your safe. There are three prominent lock types you can go with to get the best possible safety, combination, electric, and biometric. Here are what do they have to offer and what do they have in the disadvantage list:

Combination

Combination locks are by far the most used lock system from ancient times, and they require very low maintenance. The biggest advantage of combination locks is they don’t have any fragile parts in them. You don’t need any external or internal battery power to keep it going. It’s hard to observe the combination sequence when you’re opening a combination lock. The downside of the combination lock is its slow work in operating, and it can be temperamental.

Electric

Gun safes with an electric lock are much easier to use and cost-effective as well. Electric locks allow you to integrate the safe with your surveillance and home security system. You can keep an eye on your safety from anywhere in the world as you can connect it to the surveillance system. You can set multiple user settings on the lock for easier accessibility. The downside of electric lock is they need battery power, so you have to keep that in mind.

Biometric

The biometric lock system is similar to an electric lock system when it comes to usability. It’s the fastest opening system as it only takes a second to put your finger on the scanner. It’s flexible in usage as well, and you can allow multiple person fingerprints to unlock it. Downsides of biometric locks are, they won’t respond correctly if you have a dirty finger. They are expensive, yet they don’t come with the most reliable lock system as it’s new to the world and evolving.

Does it have floor attachment

If you’re getting the gun safe for house, make sure it comes with a floor attachment system. If you don’t do so, as you could take the safe in the house, a thief can do the vice versa for sure. You cannot allow the thieves to lift your safe and walk away. Most of the branded gun safes will come with an attachment mechanism down the floor. You can install a few bolts on the floor and attach the safe with them. Be creative while doing so because the thieves know how to get the penetration point its best shot.

Is it fire and waterproof

A fire in the house is a very common thing even though you take very good care of your home. You have to make sure the firearms in the safe are not catching on fire at any cost. Usually, polymer guns melt at 480°F, and the house burns at 1200°. So, make sure you take that into account, and the gun safe should have the proper fire rating. The best combination for the fireproof rating is, Poured Concrete Amalgamate safe with UL 72 Class 350 rating for 1 hour. Besides, it should be waterproof as well, if you have that possibility to get flooded.

How much storage it offers

While selecting the gun safe, decide how much storage you need to store all your firearms and other peripherals. Now go through the specifications of the selected gun safe and make sure it has more than you need. It will help you have enough space inside if you get some other things to put in the future.

Steel weight and thickness

The steel type, thickness, and weight define how safe your gun vault is. Make sure you get the steel thickness for a minimum of 10-12 gauge. 10 gauge is the regular thickness for the personal level safes. 12 gauge is perfect for both personal and industrial level gun safe. And, make sure the building process had a sturdy, solid welding process.

Door hinges and lining gaps

The door hinges are the main support for the lock and the steel box that keep the safe’s integrity intact. The rule of thumb here is to get the exterior door hinges type to be sure about the best integrity. For the liner gaps, try to get as minimum as possible because they keep the thieves not able to get inside easily.

Benefits Of Having A Gun Safe

If you own a gun, that’s a huge responsibility on your shoulders; here are the main benefits of having a gun safe:

• Preventing gun theft: Surely, this is the first and foremost concern that makes you go for a gun safe. You can keep your guns and firearms safe from the thieves and outlaws.
• Keeping your family safe: A gun safe is the only way to keep your firearms away from the family members, especially children.
• Safe for valuable items: A gun safe isn’t just a place where you can put your firearms and guns to keep safe, but also helps you keep other belongings safe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions about gun safes:

Final Thought

Getting a gun safe always keeps you on the safer side of owning a firearm. It keeps your guns, your family safe as well as keeping it out of the sight of the thieves. Now you know how to choose a gun safe with the best possible safety to ensure the best security for your firearms and house.

However, It can be a deadly situation if a bullet or the gun powder gets on fire. Make sure you make the best investment on the gun safe to get the best possible gun safe for your home, car, or carrier. Never compromise on the safety of your and your family member’s lives and your valuable belongings.