Introduction — What You Need in a Security Gun Safe
If you own firearms, you need a gun safe. In some states, such as California, if you don’t own a safe, you face potential liability if your firearms are stolen. Purchasing a safe is no easy decision however. There are dozens of safe manufacturers and countless design options. Sorting out the facts from the marketing claims can be difficult.
Today’s seven Saturday Showcase videos explain the most important qualities you should look for in a safe, and help you with the tough decisions, such as “Should I get a digital lock or a dial lock?”, “What kind of fire-proofing is most effective?”, “How big a safe do I really need?”, and “What interior works best with long-barreled scoped rifles?” You’ll find reviews of full-size safes, modular safes, and smaller handgun safes. Plus you’ll find expert advice on how to install your safe in your home and how to keep the contents free from rust.
Budget $1200-1500 for a safe from a major maker, with external hinges, and an interior at least 58″ high. That gives you room for 30″-barreled rifles with a top shelf for handguns and other valuables. A rotary rack and slide-out drawers are great additions.
Keypad or Dial? We favor rotary dial locks. With minimal maintenance they will function flawlessly for decades. But the digital locks offer quick-access and convenience. If you go digital, get a commercial-grade unit.
Fire-lining is worth getting, but a thin layer of sheet-rock doesn’t make a safe truly “fire-proof”.
Interior at least 58″ High and 30″ wide Overall Weight 750+ Pounds 8 Gauge or Heavier Wall Thickness Double-Wall, Composite Door with Relockers Minimum UL RSC Rated. TL-15 or TL-30 Rating is Desirable External Hinges
Mechanical UL Group II (or better) Lock with Standard Dial Or UL Type 1 Commercial-Grade Electronic Lock
Custom Interior Suitable for Scoped Guns with Long Barrels On-Door Storage System for Non-scoped Long Guns OR Rotary Gun Rack for Scoped Rifles and ARs
Internal (sandwiched) Insulator, Reinforced if Sheet-rock Palusol? Heat-Activated Expanding Door Seals
Slide-out Drawers for Handguns Fire-lined Inner Safe for Paper and Media
Low Gloss, Rust-resistant External Finish Pre-Drilled holes for Lag Bolts and in Rear for Electric Cord Overhead Fluorescent Lamp and/or LED Mini-lights on Strings
Advice for Gun Safe Buyers — Seven Key Things to Consider
This video covers key gun safe features — Seven Things to Consider Before Buying a Gun Safe. Not all gun safes are created equal. There are many variables — fire ratings, burglar ratings, colors, lock choices, internal capacity, door storage, and more. And with the recent controversy involving Liberty Safes, you should check the safe-maker’s policies regarding digital passcodes — you don’t want your passcode revealed without a warrant and/or without your consent.
DOs and DON’Ts of Safe Buying
DO purchase a safe that is bigger than you think you need.
Your gun collection is bound to grow over time. A good safe is more than just a gun locker–it becomes a secure storage device for your family’s other valuables as well. You’ll find you quickly fill up even a large safe. Spend the money for the size, protection, and features you want. Your gun collection may be worth many tens of thousands of dollars. Some people who visit this site wouldn’t hesitate to spend $1300 for a custom action or $1800+ for a competition scope, yet they don’t want to spend more than a few hundred dollars on a safe. That’s not common sense. If you’re on a tight budget, consider a used safe. Unlike many other products, safes don’t really wear out over time. When businesses change locations, you can get a very high quality commercial safe for little more than the cost of removing it.
DO spend more for a safe that offers fire-resistance.
But you have to do your homework–you can spend a lot of money for “fire-proofing” that actually is not very effective. Make sure if sheet-rock is used that it is properly installed. If you have valuable documents and media files, it’s not a bad idea to purchase a smaller, commercial-grade fire safe to put inside the gun safe. This gives you double protection.
DO look at many different brands of safes before you buy.
There ARE significant differences among brands. For example, Browning offers a unique (patent-pending) door-mounted rifle rack. Zanotti offers slide-out drawers and a modular design that is much easier for an owner to move. Ft. Knox uses an advanced method to secure and stabilize its fire-proofing layers within the safe. Brown offers custom exotic wood interior shelving and safes with commercial-grade burglary protection (much thicker steel with heavy composite doors and walls). Amsec offers a proprietary “DryLight” poured concrete-type fire insulation with greater structural strength than typical sheet-rock panels.
DO investigate the safe’s specifications.
Just because a safe is big and heavy doesn’t mean it’s particularly secure. Heavy-gauge steel is much more resistant to cutting and drilling than light 12- or 14-gauge steel. Some safes on the market have walls so thin they can be penetrated with a fire ax. We recommend 10-gauge steel at a minimum, and 8 gauge is much better. The safe should carry a UL RSC (Underwriters Laboratories “Residential Security Container”) or better rating.
DO ask about the safe’s safeguards against tampering.
A quality safe will feature extra armor or devices to defeat drilling. Low-grade safes can be opened in a few minutes with simple, battery-powered hand tools. All safes should have relockers to help ensure the safe remains locked in the case of a burglary. Relockers are hardened pins that are triggered during an attack, and cannot be retracted without hours of drilling. The number of relockers on a safe ranges from 2-10+ depending on the safe’s size and burglary grade.
DON’T store powder in your safe. A tightly-sealed metal box with a large quantity of powder inside is a bomb. Store powder in a separate, lightly-constructed cabinet or plastic box. The main thing for powder is to keep it dry and away from moisture and light.
Don’t Make the Mistake of Buying an Undersized Safe
The most common mistake people make when buying a gun safe is getting a safe that’s too small. This video explains why you should probably invest in a bigger safe. First, the rated gun capacity is exaggerated — rifles with mounted optics, long barrels, wide forearms and/or pistol grips take up considerably more space than a small rimfire rifle or a lever gun with iron sights. Second, your gun collection will likely grow in years to come. Third, you may want to store other valuables in the safe — such as vital documents, jewelry, watches, and pricey electronics. In this video the host notes: “Get a much larger safe than you think you’ll need at first. This will guarantee that you will have enough room for future purchases and all the guns and equipment you currently have.”
What Happens in a Fire and Deluxe Features
This video shows what can happen INSIDE a gun safe during a fire. This Winchester safe did not fare well during a major hourse. That’s why you want to buy a safe with a good fire rating.
This video shows the features of a large Superior Safe Co. gunsafe with internal organizers and door storage for handguns and accessories.
Modular Safes — Smart Option for Easier Moving
This article features a great video showing how to assemble a modular safe in under 30 minutes. This article also explains the benefits of modular gunsafes — primarily easier transport and installation. “Modular safes have been around for a few years now and are becoming more popular. Here’s why: The safe comes delivered to you in panels, so you can bring them into your home one at a time and put it together anywhere you like. This makes it easy to carry up and down stairs, onto elevators or anywhere! Security — Is it as secure as one that comes pre-assembled? The answer is, absolutely.” READ FULL ARTICLE on NRAWomen.com.
Five Good Gun Safes Under $500
We know some readers have a tight budget. This video looks at some recommended lower-cost safes under $500.00 list price. Note, however, that this video was produced in 2022. Now in 2023, with Bidenflation, the actual gun safe prices may be higher. For a full-size safe, we do recommend you spend quite a bit more — the investment in a higher quality safe, with better fire rating, is worth it.
Locking Device–Mechanical Dial vs. Digital Locks Recommendation: UL Group II mechanical dial lock or commercial-grade electronic.
For gun safes, we prefer rotary-combination dial locks, although commercial-grade electronic locks are now very good. While less convenient, and slower to open than electronic locks, combination locks are still more durable and trouble-free than the digital locks found on many low- to medium-cost gun safes. Among the combination locks, the Sargent & Greenleaf model 6730 (UL Group II) remains an industry standard. The director of Sturdy Safes noted: “An S&G 6730 will be working fine when your grandchildren have grandchildren.” For home use, we also recommend the standard, high-visibility “front-read” white on black dial.
Avoid the cheap, imported electronic locks. These are known for failing relatively quickly–the keypad internals just wear out. With some of these designs, if the lock fails while the door is closed, you’ll have to employ a professional gunsmith to drill your safe and replace the locking assembly and keypad. With any electronic lock, re-program your combination now and then so that keypad wear patterns don’t reveal the numbers you push to open the safe. But when you change the combination, be sure to record the new setting.
With a dial lock, choose a design that meets UL Group II (or better) certification. If you choose a digital lock, we strongly recommend that you select a UL Type I, Commercial Grade lock from LaGard, Sargent & Greenleaf, or Kaba Mas. Commercial-grade locks, such as the S&G Comptronic” 6120 or LaGard “SafeGard” are much more robust and are designed to be used 20 times a day or more in retail and banking environments. A good commercial digital keypad lock should give 10 years or more of continuous use before replacement is required. With any digital lock, however, you should replace the battery at least once a year. Normally this can be done without professional assistance.
A rapid-access bedside safe is a great way to keep your pistol secure, but also readily available, close at hand. Not all rapid-access pistol safes are created equal, however. In this video, John of Pew Pew Tactical explains what to look for in a small pistol safe, and points out the pros and cons of the four safes tested:
Fort Knox FTK-PB Simplex Pistol Box
Strong case, reliable no-battery locking system. Very good safe, but expensive ($299.00 on Amazon).
Vaultek Electronic Pistol Safes
Multiple styles, thin profile, 5-button electronic ($159.99 on Amazon), or Biometric VT10i + 5-button ($269.99 on Amazon), both with rechargeable batteries.
GunVault SpeedVault Handgun Safe
Designed for vertical mount under desk on vehicle, One gun only, requires batteries, $142.00 on Amazon.
Sportsman’s Warehouse (SW) is running a great Father’s Day Sale running June 2nd through June 18th, 2023. There are some truly great deals. You can save up to 25% on optics, hunting gear, archery equipment, rifles, pistols, and shotguns. There’s even a special bargain — if you buy a Liberty Gun Safe you quality for a free firearm. Here are some of the top deals we spotted. To see the full SW Father’s Day Sale Flyer, CLICK HERE then enter your Zip Code.
Here are 8 Great Deals we found — these will be available from 6/2/23 through 6/18/23.
NOTE: To load individual sale items go to Father’s Day Sale Flyer Page, then click on the item you want. That will launch a pop-up.
Share the post "Sportsman’s Warehouse Father’s Day Sale Starts 6/2/2023"
Memorial Day Weekend Edition — Some Sales End Monday Night!!
At the request of our readers, we provide select “Deals of the Week”. Every Sunday afternoon or Monday morning we offer our Best Bargain selections. Here are some of the best deals on firearms, hardware, reloading components, optics, and shooting accessories. Be aware that sale prices are subject to change, and once clearance inventory is sold, it’s gone for good. You snooze you lose.
1. Brownells — Memorial Day Super Sale, up to 56% Off
Over the past few weeks we’ve featured a number of complete reloading kits but many folks really just need a strong, versatile, and reliable single-stage press. If that’s what you’re looking for, Natches has the Rock Chucker Supreme for only $149.99. Excellent deal — this press sells for up to $190.00 elsewhere. Rock Chuckers can be used for a multitude of reloading tasks. These strong presses have legendary durability and RCBS backs the Rock Chucker with a great warranty.
3. Action Target — 15% Off ALL Steel Targets
Action Target sells some of the best reactive targets you can buy. They have a full range of steel targets, from ground targets as shown above to dueling trees, gongs, spinners, falling plates, large torso targets — you name it. Right now ALL Action Target Steel Targets are 15% Off. Go to ActionTarget.com and use Code MEMORIAL15 during checkout. Action Target also sells a wide variety of printed paper targets but the discount applies to steel only.
4. Bruno’s — $75 Off BAT Actions, 10% Off McMillan Stocks
Bruno Shooters Supply is offering great savings on premier products. Right now BAT Actions (rarely discounted) are $75 Off while McMillan Stocks are 10% Off. If you’ve got an F-Class, Benchrest, or ELR project in the works, you may want to jump on these offers. Plus right now Bruno’s is offering Free Shipping on Krieger Barrels and/or Free Shipping on orders over $119.95 (restrictions apply).
At $20.61 you can’t go wrong with this Caldwell Steady Rest, even if you use it just for pistols, or sighting in hunting rifles. Use the front section by itself as a pistol rest, or connect both units for rifle use. We’ve used this for pistols and it worked very well — the design provides a nice handrest. Lightweight yet stable, the Caldwell Steady Rest is easy to store, easy to transport, and ultra-affordable.
6. Sportsmans Warehouse — Liberty Flag Safe, $699.99
In uncertain times keeping your guns and other possesions safe is more critical than ever. When it comes to safes, Liberty is one of the best in its price range and we found this Liberty Flag Safe on sale. These are well made safes that will stand the test of time and this one actually features a digital keypad and a subtle but cool flag design on the front. Keep in mind the sale price is for in-store pick up only.
7. Remington — 15% OFF Site-Wide
Here’s a deal you don’t see very often. The Remington Store is running a massive sale on everything on their site. Check out the Remington 15% off site wide and get discounts parts, accessories, rifle cases, gun care products and more. This is a good deal on merchandise that rarely goes on sale.
Here’s a good ultra-compact carry pistol that is reliable, accurate and backed by a rock-solid warranty. The Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm shield. This single-stack 9mm has a 7+1 capacity and weighs just 19 ounces unloaded. DAO pull-weight is 6.5 pounds. If you’re looking for something larger check out the Smith & Wesson M&P EZ 9mm which features a full size grip and accessory rail.
Here’s a great deal on rugged binoculars — just $187.97 on Amazon. With 10x magnification and a wide 300 foot field of view the Steiner 10×25 Military-Marine binoculars provide fast and easy focus.. With these binoculars you set the focus with the diopters. Then everything from 20 yards to infinity is sharp. You can also grab the 8×30 model for only $249.99 — that’s the model used by our Editor.
10. Optics Planet — 10% Off All Wheeler Engineering Tools
Wheeler Engineering makes a wide selection of cleverly-designed, firearms-focused tools. For AR owners, Wheeler tools solve problems everyone faces, making cleaning and maintenance tasks easier to perform. Right now Optics Planet is offering 10% off all Wheeler Tools. We’ve highlighted some great AR-platform Wheeler tools, but there are many other Wheeler products on sale also.
11. Amazon — Reusable Silica Gel Desiccant, $12.79
To protect your valuable firearms from corrosion, it’s important to avoid moisture build-up inside your gunsafe. It’s smart to have a Goldenrod, but you’ll also want something to absorb moisture. These reusable Silica gel desiccant cans do a great job of keeping moisture levels under control. NOTE: You can “re-condition” this canister easily. Simply put the cannister in your oven to dry out moisture and then return it to the safe. With regular drying cycles, these canisters will function for a very long time.
12. Amazon– Magnetic Charging Cables, 4-pack $22.99
Do you own countless electronics along with tablets or phones to run them all? If you’re like us, keeping your Labradar and Shotmarker charged plus other accessories requires a myriad of cables. Simplify your life by getting a set of Magnetic Charging Cables. The beauty of using this system is that you only need one cord to charge your Apple, micro-USB, and USB-C devices plus an added benefit is that you aren’t wearing out the charging ports. This Amazon’s Choice kit has four cables (1′,3′,6′,6′) plus multiple tips. We produced a video showing how these Charging Cords work. Check it out:
Share the post "Bargain Finder 244: AccurateShooter’s Deals of the Week"
Liberty Safe has just introduced the SAFELERT wireless monitoring system. This will notify the safe owner instantaneously if the safe is moved, if the safe door is opened, or if there is a notable change in safe temperature or humidity. Liberty’s SAFELERT is small, battery-powered sensing device placed inside your safe (easily hidden out of view). When something happens to your safe (e.g. movement, door opening, humidity change etc.) the device detects the activity and sends alerts (via texts or emails) directly to the safe’s owner.
The SAFELERT works wirelessly via your home or business network. You just need a WiFi router plus at least one networked device (computer, tablet etc.) on the system. If you can open an internet browser page and enter a few numbers, you can get the SAFELERT running in minutes. Communicating via the web-based elertus.com service, SAFELERT monitors your safe and immediately sends you (and up to 4 recipients) alerts when the “triggers” are activated by tampering, door opening, or temp/humidity changes (inside the safe). The SAFELERT also sends a message if its batteries run low or if your WIFI connection fails (hourly network checks). You can “test-drive” the system via Liberty’s SAFELERT demo page. Log in to set a trigger type and receive a simulated alert message.
By now you may be wondering — “what’s this high-tech gadget going to set me back?” Liberty’s SAFELERT Costs $199.00 and there is an ongoing service charge to maintain continuous monitoring. Annual fees are: 3 Years at $39.95/year; 2 Years at $49.95/year; 1 Year at $59.95/year.
As an extra incentive, Liberty is currently offering the first month of monitoring for free.
Optional Antenna for Enhanced WIFI Reception
In most cases, SAFELERT will function well with your wireless router (WiFi system) without a separate antenna. But for situations where WiFi network reception is weak, Liberty includes an antenna to enhance SAFELERT’s reception range. The antenna is placed on the exterior top/side of the safe, with a wire connecting it to the SAFELERT device hidden inside the safe.
Only as Secure as Your WiFi Connection
Writing in the Firearm Blog, Richard Johnson points out some issues with any WiFi-Based security system: “The system … connects to the internet via your home WiFi connection. Therein lies the point of failure. If thieves are breaking into your home, they might first hit your phone/cable connection which will prevent the SAFELERT from contacting you. A workaround would be to have a MiFi or similar device that connects to the internet via cell signal.” We should add that the elertus.com service does promise to check your WiFi connection every hour and send you a message if the WiFi connection drops. But a lot can happen in an hour….
Share the post "Liberty Safe Offers Wireless Monitoring Device for Gun Safes"
It seems like every week, readers send us questions about gun safes. They want to know how much they should spend and who has the best deals. They also have numerous hardware questions, such as: “What’s better — digital keypad vs. rotary (spin dial) lock?”, and “Should I look for a safe with internal or external hinges?”. We answer many of these questions in our comprehensive Gun Safe Buyers Guide, which is definitely worth reading.
After reading our Gun Safe Buyers Guide, if you still have more questions, tune in to Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk Radio Show this Sunday, September 30th. On this Sunday’s broadcast, Liberty Safe’s Jamey Skousen talks about the important features of gun safes and security vaults, and Skousen explains what to look for when shopping for a safe. As an added bonus, Liberty Safe is offering a special rebate in connection with this Gun Talk broadcast. To save money on your next safe, click the graphic at right to download the rebate form. Or, go to LibertySafe.com and click on the photo of Tom Gresham in the upper right hand corner. On a $1500.00 Liberty Safe you’ll get a $50.00 instant rebate plus a $50.00 mail-in rebate, for $100.00 total savings.
In its 18th year of national syndication, Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk Radio airs live on Sundays from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm Eastern. Gun Talk Radio runs on more than 135 stations, plus XM (Ch. 165) Satellite Radio. The Gun Talk Minute on XM also airs on XM 165, 166, 168 and Fox Sports every day. Gun Talk shows can be downloaded as FREE Podcasts via Gun Talk’s Podcast Archive.
Share the post "Web Buyers Guide and Gun Talk Radio Provide Gun Safe Info"
For gun safes, we prefer rotary-combination dial locks, although commercial-grade electronic locks are now very good. While less convenient, and slower to open than electronic locks, combination locks are still more durable and trouble-free than the digital locks found on many low- to medium-cost gun safes. Among the combination locks, the Sargent & Greenleaf model 6730 (UL Group II) remains an industry standard. The director of Sturdy Safes noted: “An S&G 6730 will be working fine when your grandchildren have grandchildren.” For home use, we also recommend the standard, high-visibility “front-read” white on black dial.
By now you may be wondering — “what’s this high-tech gadget going to set me back?” Liberty’s SAFELERT Costs $199.00 and there is an ongoing service charge to maintain continuous monitoring. Annual fees are:
In its 18th year of national syndication, Tom Gresham’s 
