How to Compare Gun Safes

Decide and Rank the Main Features you are looking for in your gun safe.

• 1

  Decide what are the more relative threats and rank them accordingly. For instance, if your home is already relatively secure but you live in a rural area or in one with a low fire rating, protecting your collection from an extended fire should be your main concern. The opposite is true if you live in a moderate- to high-crime area with a good fire rating. This helps you prioritize your needs to fit your price range.

• 2

  Compare fire ratings of various safes. Make sure your safe has a legitimate fire rating. Several inexpensive thin 12-16 gauge safes sold for the $100 range in big box stores have no fire rating at all. If fire is a concern, look for ratings from UL or ETL and not an arbitrary claim from the manufacturer's own testing. These independent laboratories subjected submitted safes to fires from 350-1,850 degrees F and issued a rating in the number of minutes the safe can withstand the temperatures. Keep in mind that the average house fire can reach over 1,200 degrees F in just a few minutes

• 3

  Compare the ability of the safe to prevent theft. While shopping around ask about the "TL" rating of the safes in your price range. This tells you how long in minutes to the main door from common tools such as sledgehammers, chisels, drills and other items that a burglar may bring into your home. For instance, a safe rated TL-30 could be expected to withstand 30 minutes of your average burglar with common tools before being compromised

• 4

  Decide on the size and location of the safe. Evaluate both your current collection and where you see your collection in the next few years. It is always better to have too much room and not need it, than to have not enough room and have firearms unsecured around your home. As far as location is concerned be sure to keep it as close to the center of the home as possible in a room easily secured. This helps with keeping the safe "safe."