| Gun safes are fireproof safes that are designed for two major functions. First, to keep unauthorized persons out. Second to secure the guns against fire. The use of gun safes is not required by law, but some states (California in particular has the CDOJ) have passed laws that make it a criminal offense if a child is injured or killed after obtaining unsupervised access to a gun. Storing your guns in a gun safe is the smart and safe thing to do.
Fireproof Gun safes can be divided into two categories - pistol safes, and safes designed to store rifles and shotguns. The two types differ in size (Duh), with rifle and shotgun safes being much larger to accommodate the length of the guns. Pistol safes are available in chest and cabinet style. The smaller chest style pistol safes are designed mainly to restrict access to the pistols inside and to protect them from fire damage. Since they could be easily carried off by a thief, they do not provide security against burglary. The larger cabinet style pistol safes provide much more security from burglars, and provide more space for storage as well. Most Gun safes designed for rifle and shotgun storage use an upright cabinet style housing that will accommodate the extra length of these types of guns. Some models are available with racks on the inside for holding the guns, and with adjustable shelves for ammunition and pistol storage. Some of the other factors to consider when choosing gun safes are…. One, is the fireproof rating. Fireproof ratings, usually specified in minutes or hours, specify how well the contents will be protected during a fire. An example of a fire rating would be a 1 hour 350 degree F rating. This rating means that the safe could be exposed to a 1700 degree F fire for a period of 1 hour, and the temperature inside the safe would not rise above 350 degrees F. This is a low enough temperature to keep the guns inside from being damaged permanently, as well as to protect the ammunition stored in the safe. You will not find any fireproof gun safes with a two hour fireproof that would be considered as a reasonable price. A big factor to consider is the gun safes’ burglary rating. Such as CDOJ. (though I don’t take this to be a high rating) This rating, usually specified in minutes, gives an indication of how long it would take a knowledgeable person (such as a locksmith) to break into the safe using common locksmithing tools. So it gives a good indication of how well the safe would protect your guns from a professional burglar. Gun safes are also available with a variety of locking mechanisms. Models are available with mechanical key locks, mechanical combination dials and with electronic keypad locks. While usually costing a bit more, the electronic keypad locking mechanisms are by far the most convenient. To open the safe, the user simply enters the combination on a PIN pad, similar to the ones used on ATM machines. Multiple users can be given access to this type of safe, each with their own combination number. As you can see, there are a number of factors to consider when choosing among available gun safes. Be sure to keep in mind the type of guns to be stored, the quantity of guns, how much burglary and fire protection you want the safe to provide, and the type of locking mechanism you prefer. Keeping all these factors in mind will help you choose the gun safe that is right for your needs. Feel free to post questions to our blog and they will be answered. |
August 20, 2008