There are a number of factors to consider when choosing gun safes. One of the first things to consider is that, given enough time, any safe can be broken into. What this means is that if it’s possible for thieves to carry your gun safe off to someplace where they can work on it at their leisure, they will. So the first thing to look for is a gun safe that can be bolted down. It should have at least four bolt holes in the bottom of the safe. You should bolt the gun safe to bolts mounted in a concrete floor if at all possible.
You should also consider getting a home alarm system as a first line of defense — a loud alarm going off will discourage thieves from spending very much time in your home. The next thing you should consider is the construction of the safe. The number of seams is important, because these are welded, and thus become weak points. You should look for a gun safe that uses seams in as few places as possible. Most gun safes have a one-piece body with a separate top and bottom. They are 3-piece devices. This narrows the number of welded seams down to eight. One manufacturer, Liberty Safes, has a model that has only two welded seams, one at the top and one at the bottom.
The next thing to consider about construction is the thickness of the steel used to manufacture the safe. The body should preferably be made of 10 gauge steel, but should at the very least be 3/16″ thick. The door should be made of even thicker steel, with a hardened drill-resistant steel plate protecting the locking mechanism. The number and size of the locking bolts used to lock the door are also important.
You should look for a safe that uses at least four locking bolts on each side, 1 on the top, and 1 on the bottom. More is better up to a point. Over 12 total is probably overkill. You should also consider the size of the locking bolts. 1″ to 1-1/2″ locking bolts are a good idea. You can get safes with 9/16″ locking bolts, but 1″ is fairly common. Also, you want to make sure that the hinges on the door of the safe are on the inside, where they can’t be pried off.
The next consideration is the type of lock used on the safe. We’ve already mentioned a hardened steel plate to protect the locking mechanism. Liberty has gone one step better by placing a sandwich of steel plates and ball bearings over the locking mechanism. If someone manages to drill through the outer steel, the drill will slide off the ball bearings and break the bit. The outside door handle or star wheel should include a clutch that will allow it to slip if someone tries to force it open.
The next thing to consider is fire resistance. You should look for a safe that has at least a 30 minute 1200 degree F rating. What this means is that the safe has been exposed to a 1200 degree F fire for a period of 30 minutes, and that the temperature inside the safe did not rise above 350 degrees F. This is a low enough temperature to protect your guns (and any papers or other valuables stored in the safe) from permanent damage. The safe should also be tested for humidity on the inside, to make certain that it protects the contents from the water used to put out the fire.
For more information about gun safes, visit the Vault and Safe website at the following link: http://www.vaultandsafe.com/mutual_gun_safe.shtml