Types of Gun Safes:

Long Gun Safes: Primarily built to secure rifles and other long guns, these safes offer varying levels of fire protection and burglary resistance.

Pistol Safes:  Ideal for personal defense, these safes offer rapid access to your firearm when needed, often employing biometric or digital keypad locks.

Document storage: Gun safes make excellent document safes. This is because modern gun safes can be purchased in all shelf configurations making one of the best volume per dollar options for large storage needs.

Biometric Safes and Digital Safes: Equipped with advanced fingerprint recognition technology and/or keypads, these safes provide quick access to authorized users.

Gun Safe Fire Ratings: Which to Purchase

Fire ratings determine a safe's ability to withstand fires. Common fire ratings include 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes. Choose a fire rating based on the expected response time of your local fire department and the value of your possessions.

Opt for higher fire ratings if you live in an area prone to wildfires, are far away from an emergency response team, or if your collection includes valuable firearms.

For more information see our YouTube video Safe Fire Ratings Explained.

Safe Burglar Ratings and Construction Features:

Burglar ratings assess a safe's resistance to break-ins. Gun safes come with the following burglar ratings.

• None. These safes are primarily used to keep firearms out of the hands of children.
• Burglar rating build. This is a safe that meets a b-rated or higher burglary build specification. This is not a independently certified rating.
• RSC, RSCII, TL-15 & TL-30.  These ratings are verified by independent testing organizations and meet a specified set of build and tool resistance criteria. See our YouTube video on Gun Safe Burglar Ratings. 

Key features that contribute to higher burglary ratings include:

Steel Thickness: Thicker steel offers better protection against drilling and cutting tools.

Reinforced Doors / Solid Steel Doors: Safes with solid steel doors, anti-drill plates, multiple locking bolts, and deadbolts enhance resistance to pry attacks.

Relockers: Mechanisms that trigger additional hidden locking bolts in response to tampering attempts.

Choosing the Right Size Gun Safe:

Always aim for a larger safe than you initially think you need. Consider not just your current firearms collection but also potential future additions, ammunition storage, and other valuables. An overcrowded safe can lead to difficulties accessing your firearms and reduced overall security.

See our Article: Avoid These Common Safe Buying Mistakes.

If Security is Important Watch Out For:

Thin Metal (or even plastic) Body Wrap:

Thin steel is vulnerable to forced entry tools. Big box store safes my use steel as thin as 18 gauge (or less!). Some cheaper gun safes even come with plastic bodies!

Thin steel and plastic is not only easily to physically bypass, it can also allow a magnet to open an electronic safe. Thick steel disperses magnetic fields, thin steel or plastic do not.

Poor Locks: Low-quality locks or gun safes that use keyed locks can be easily bypassed

Lack of Certification: A reputable gun safe company claiming a specific burglar rating, should carry certifications from independent testing organizations, such as the Underwriters Laboratories (UL), indicating its fire and burglary resistance.

Quality of Big Box Store Gun Safes

While some big box stores may carry gun safes, their goal is primarily to sell inexpensive safes with big claims. To sell a safe cheap, the safe needs to be made cheaply.

You will often find big box store gun safe claims of fire resistance and/or burglary resistance to be internal claims by the manufacture and not independently certified.

They can be a good value when the only concern is child safety, but will suffer if you want any level of real security.

Q&A

1. Do you offer Gun Safes with Free Shipping

Yes. All or the gun safes bought from our Arizona locations (Phoenix, Gilbert, Scottsdale or Mesa), will be delivered curbside by Arizona's own ACME Locksmith company.

Safes bought online are delivered free anywhere in the continental US, curbside (usually direct from the manufacture but sometimes from our Arizona safe warehouse.) 

2. What size gun safe should I choose?

ACME Lock & Safe in Arizoina, highly recommends choosing a larger safe than you think you need. Consider not just your current needs, but also account for potential future additions, ammunition storage, and other items. An overcrowded safe can actually lead to problems getting into the safe.

3. How do fire ratings work, and what rating do I need?

Fire ratings indicate how long a safe can withstand specific levels of heat and protect its contents from fire. Ratings are typically given in minutes (e.g., 30, 60, 90, 120 minutes). Choose a fire rating based on the response time of your local fire department and the value of your possessions. Higher ratings are recommended for areas prone to wildfires or if you have valuable firearms.

4. What features contribute to a safe's burglary resistance?

Several features enhance burglary resistance, including thick steel construction, anti-drill plates, a reinforced door with solid steel and multiple locking bolts, relockers that trigger additional locks upon tampering attempts, and quality locking mechanisms like electronic or combination locks.

5. Are biometric safes secure and reliable?

Biometric safes offer quick access through fingerprint recognition. While convenient, their security depends on the quality of the biometric lock. Choose a digital / biometric lock that is UL and EMP tested.

6. Can I store other valuables besides firearms in my gun safe?

Yes, many gun safes are versatile and can securely store important documents, jewelry, cash, and other valuable items. Be sure to choose a safe with adjustable shelves and interior configurations to accommodate your diverse storage needs.

7. What certifications should I look for in a gun safe?

Look for certifications from recognized testing organizations, such as UL (Underwriters Laboratories) or ETL (Intertek), which indicate that the safe meets certain standards for fire and burglary resistance. These certifications provide assurance of the safe's quality and performance.

8. Can I buy a high-quality gun safe from big box stores?

While some big box stores may carry gun safes, they may suffer from inferior build quality in order to sold as cheaply as possible. Consider all aspects of big box store safes to see if they really are the deal you think they are.