OK, you have decided to finally buy a real gun safe to safely secure your prized firearms. You have been putting it off for years but are now serious so you head down to the outdoors superstore to select a safe. And then it hits – the dizzying variety of models, name brand versus store brand, fire ratings, electronic lock or manual, and a friendly store salesman who is capable of offering no more advice than reading the product labels to you when what you need need is fresh advice and guide, to help you make a decision right here right now – and you slink out more confused than when you arrived. What

I practiced this routine for years until I finally made the plunge and acquired a new SentrySafe Fire-Safe 36 Gun safe. But if it wasn’t for doing my own research and looking into something as simple as License to Shoot’s favorite safes, I probably would still be struggling to make a decision, as there is a lot to consdier before purchasing a gun safe.

The turning point for me was a cousin who had all of his heirloom firearms stolen from his home. His dad, my uncle, was a class act, a real Texan who loved his family, guns, and hunting. We shared many wonderful days in the field and it was depressing to think that his favorite deer rifle was now in the hands of some dirt-bag criminal.

Do you have a fine Sako rifle hidden in the closet? Are your guns proudly displayed in an oak and glass cabinet in the living room? You need a safe. For the price of one average rifle and scope rig you could secure all of your weapons from curious children and low-life thieves.

The product manager of one of America’s oldest safe companies reports that, according to their marketing department, the top consumer concerns when choosing a safe are:

  • History of the company that manufacturers the safe.
  • Electronic versus manual lock.
  • Fire rating.
  • Size of the safe – how many guns it will hold.
  • Location of the installed safe.

Let’s examine each of these concerns.

History of the company that manufacturers the safe.

For me, deciding on the brand of gun safe to buy was perhaps the most confusing choice of all. Sure, I know Canon but what about RedHead? Browning or Stack-On? Liberty or Fort Knox? Are there substantial quality differences between the established name brands and store brands or are higher prices largely due to marketing expense? Are the store brands a good value or an inferior product? Most of the floor salespeople at the big box stores can’t offer much assistance beyond reading the labels which means you need to either purchase through a company that specializes in gun safes or carefully research your options online.

I eventually selected a 36 gun model from SentrySafe (model GS3659C) due to their solid reputation for innovation and great customer service. SentrySafe has been in business for eighty years and produced the first UL-certified fire resistant safe in 1955. Plus, I was impressed when I called and spoke with their USA-based customer service team seeking advice on the right safe to purchase! There are many quality safe manufacturers out there but, for me, SentrySafe was the right choice.

Electronic versus manual lock.

This is a personal decision – you really can’t go wrong with either. I chose a manual combination lock for the simple reason that I know it will be working perfectly fifty years from now. I have no such conviction regarding an electronic lock. Although my fears may be unfounded, I have had too many experiences with battery corrosion or other electronic gremlins to feel comfortable with the electronic lock on such a major, long-term purchase. Full disclosure – I do have electronic locks on some small pistol safes and other than the batteries going dead every so often they have worked great, as long as you only look at Top Quality Safes At Top Prices, rather than cheap ones.

One school of thought is that a manual lock is easier to crack than an electronic lock. That may be true but the odds of being targeted by a master safe cracker are slim. If you choose an electronic lock be sure to choose a random code – not your street address, last four of phone number, birth date, etc. And change the code annually so that wear patterns don’t develop on the keypad.

High end safes offer even more choices – biometric (fingerprint) readers, the ability to program the electronic lock system for multiple users, and key cards.

Fire Rating.

The safe you select must be third party verified for the claimed fire protection. Look for an ETL rating on the product label. My SentrySafe is ETL verified for fire protection for thirty minutes up to 1400ºF. By comparison, the Canon P40 Patriot 36 Gun safe is ETL verified for 1200ºF for thirty minutes. Fire protection up to ninety minutes is available on some models (the extra protection will cost you).

Size of the safe.

Purchase the largest safe your wallet and facility can handle. First of all, the gun rating is accurate but optimistic. Yes, the number of guns indicated on the product label will fit into the safe but it will be tight. Take into account optics, slings, and accessories – a tricked out AR15 takes up a bunch more room than a Remington 870.

Your new gun safe will soon contain more than just guns. Your range bag, her jewelry, and important legal documents will all be stored in the safe.

And of course, the physical location where the safe will be installed must be taken into consideration. The size and weight of the safe may very well drive your selection.

One feature I really like about my model of SentrySafe is that the middle panel is angled back at the bottom to allow more room for my large range bag.

As with most top-quality safes, the interior can be customized to accommodate your personal needs.

One point of controversy is whether or not to store ammunition in a safe. Personally, I think it is fine to store a small quantity of ammo in a safe but I would not lock up thousands of rounds in the same safe. To my way of thinking, packing a sealed metal container full of explosives is creating a very powerful bomb.

Location of the installed safe.

You may or may not have many options on where you can install your new gun safe. My first suggestion was quickly shot down by our interior designer (my wife) so I went with Plan B.

Where you locate the safe is a matter of opportunity and personal preference. I’m very happy with the location of my safe (and for reasons of security I won’t reveal here) but it presented several challenges. You will likely experience some of the same challenges.

Delivery. The easiest solution is to pay for “gold glove service” delivery. Most of the safe stores offer this great service for a reasonable price. The price may seem high until you stop and really consider the job at hand. Some companies offer varying levels of service. Unless your final destination is on the ground floor with easy access the gold glove delivery service is well worth the expense as they will place the safe exactly where you want it, bolt it to the floor, and haul off the crate and carton.

Being a do-it-yourself kind of guy, I chose the basic Federal Express delivery. One strong word of caution here: Unless you have a loading dock you must call the freight company ahead of time and arrange for lift-gate delivery!

Knowing that Federal Express would only deliver the safe three steps inside the door I called around to several safe and lock companies asking for quotes to uncrate the safe, move it into position, and bolt it down. Wow, their prices ($140 – $200) were as high as the gold glove service but the safe was already delivered! So, I made a plan to enlist the help of the Federal Express driver. As he was unloading the safe off the truck he asked if I was a hunter! Bingo, just what I needed to hear. He asked where I wanted the safe and explained that they could only deliver just inside the door. We talked about hunting and guns as we moved towards the house and then, as we reached the door, I politely asked if he would help me move it into position and uncrate it for a $20 tip. His eyes lit up, “Yes sir!” and we went to work. Fifteen minutes later the safe was in position and he was gone, taking the pallet and box with him. Quite possibly the best $20 I have ever spent.

Bolt it down.

Failure to bolt down your gun safe means you have simply put all of your guns into a single container for the thieves to roll away. The reasoning that, “Once I pack it full of all my guns it will be too heavy to move, that is my security” is bull. Think of it this way, take a 600lb safe, add 20 guns at 10lbs each (including optics), add in 200lbs of ammo and accessories and you have a unit weighing 1,000lbs total. A thief can buy a 1,000lb mover’s dolly for $14.95 and he and his buddy can roll your fully loaded safe out the door, tip it into the bed of a pickup truck, and be gone in no time flat. Pallet trucks in the 5000lb capacity are readily available and make moving a safe very easy (this is what the freight companies use). Of course, if your safe is down in the basement or otherwise in a more “secure and difficult” environment then bolting it down is not quite as critical but any location accessible by a mover’s dolly must be bolted down tight.

I purchased a 5” masonry drill bit and 3” Redhead anchor bolts at my local hardware store for a few bucks. With the safe in the desired position, I drilled the first hole, inserted the anchor bolt, did the same for the second bolt, tightened both down, and vacuumed up the debris. Some instructions say to mark the hole positions, move the safe, drill the holes, move the safe back into position over the holes, and bolt. This is a mistake as it is very difficult to accurately line up something as heavy as a gun safe. Just drill the holes with the safe in position.

Moisture protection. Many of us live in a humid climate and are concerned about rust. I solved this problem by installing a GunSaver Dehumidifier by GoldenRod. The GunSaver works by generating a convection current of warm, dry air which circulates through your safe – driving out moisture.

I’m very satisfied with my choice of gun safe. Whether you choose a SentrySafe or another manufacturer, make 2011 the year that you finally secure your weapons in a high-quality fire-resistant gun safe. The initial investment may seem steep but the peace of mind is priceless.

by Mike Coker

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Publisher of Tactical Gun Review and Texas Outdoors Network. I love hunting for Texas whitetail deer, wild hogs, and high-volume Argentina dove. When not hunting you can find me fishing along the Texas Coast or on a wild Colorado river.

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