The Ultimate Safe Buying Guide:
At Blue Ridge Safe, we believe buying a gun safe shouldn't be a hassle. We know there are a lot of brands, sizes, fire ratings, materials, and more that you're bombarded with when you first start shopping for a gun safe. It can be extremely overwhelming and intimidating for some. We put together a safe buying guide to help you begin your journey of purchasing your gun safe. In this guide, we will cover various topics, such as what a gun safe is or isn't, types of safes, fire ratings, locking mechanisms, brands, and more. Let's get started.
Why do I need a gun safe?
When you decide to take ownership of a gun, it comes with responsibility. Controlling who has access to your guns is a fundamental role of gun safety. Locking a firearm in a gun safe not only helps keep it protected from theft and fire but also from anyone else that might be in your home: your kids, their friends, your friends, visitors, etc.
One thing we tell people when they visit us to buy a gun safe is that gun safes are not only for guns. We urge you to buy a safe bigger than you think you need. Gun safes are an excellent way to secure other valuable items like jewelry, cash, important documents, coin collections, etc. These items can also be protected from fire or theft if secured in the gun safe.
Lastly, knowing that your guns are locked away safely, you can have peace of mind knowing they are not accessible to children, thieves, or anyone else who should not have them. You can't put a price tag on reducing stress and anxiety when you know that your firearms and other valuables are locked up when you are home or away on vacation.
Now that we've addressed the importance of owning a gun safe let's figure out what gun safe is right for you by diving into the following topics:
What is a gun safe?
What do you need to consider when buying a safe?
Types of gun safes
Gun Safe Features
Brands we carry
How will you get your safe home?
What is a gun safe?
Simply put, a gun safe is a robust, secure, fire-rated container for your firearms. The California DOJ states, "An acceptable gun safe is either one of the following: A gun safe that meets all of the following standards: Shall be able to fully contain firearms and provide for their secure storage. Shall have a locking system consisting of ,at minimum , a mechanical or electronic combination lock."
Pro Tip: Gun safes are different than regular safes or gun cabinets. Let's take a look at comparing gun safes to gun cabinets and regular safes.
Gun cabinets are just that: cabinets designed to hold guns. Typically, they have a small key lock that can be easily picked or broken off. However, some do not even have locks. Gun cabinets are usually made with wood or very thin steel, offering no protection against cutting or impactful blows. Gun cabinets are not built with any material to withstand fire, water, heat, or humidity.
Regular safes are not built with the same durability, security, or layouts as a gun safe. Gun safes are built more securely to withstand impactful blows, pry attempts, and other things that could go wrong. Gun safes are also typically made with heavier steel and metals or hardened plate steel, which withstand blows better than a regular safe. The layout is one of the most notable differences between a regular safe and a gun safe. Gun safes are designed to hold guns. They give you more space to hold guns, racks, shelves, pouches, and more. Bonus: If you buy a gun safe, you can store more valuables than guns. If you purchase a regular safe, odds are you won't be able to fit your guns in it, too!
Now that you know more about what a gun safe is and the difference between a gun safe, a gun cabinet, and a regular safe, let's talk about some things you must consider when buying a safe.
What do you need to consider when buying a safe?
Buying a safe is not something you just go and do; there are several things you'll want to consider before you pull the trigger. (Yes, pun intended.)
Safe Size: It might seem obvious to you, but it's not apparent to everyone. You will want to measure the space in which you will put your safe before you visit one of our three store locations. Gun safes come in various sizes. They can be small, narrow safes that can fit in your coat closest to safes that can take up most of the room.
Number of guns: Your collection is a vital aspect to consider when you are looking to purchase a safe and if you have plans to grow your collection. I'll say it again: always buy a bigger safe than what you need!
Size of guns or valuables: If you want to put a long shotgun in your new safe, you will need a tall safe rather than a shorter one. Similarly, if you're going to store your coin collection in your safe, you would be ok with a shorter safe with more shelves than if you were going to store your guitar collection in it. Then you would want a taller safe with fewer shelves. (I know, funny thing to mention when talking about gun safes, but we sell a lot of gun safes for people storing their guitars. Who would've thought?)
Fire Rating: How far are you from a fire department? Can they get there quickly? What kind of materials are in your house, garage, or basement? How much are you putting in your safe? If you lost $10,000 in valuables because you wanted to save $1,000 on a safe investment by going with a lower fire rating, was saving that $1,000 at the time of purchase worth it? Fire ratings vary depending on the safe manufacturer. The safes we have in stock range from 30 minutes at 1200 degrees to 2 hours at 1,750 degrees.
Weight: Gun safes can weigh 300 lbs or 3,000 lbs. Depending on where you want to put that safe, you may need to re-enforce your floor or consider putting it somewhere like your basement or garage.
Your lifestyle: Do you like traveling often or away from home frequently? Do you like to have a lot of house guests over? Do your kids have a lot of friends over? If the answer is yes, you will want a safe with an excellent locking system and a safe that has hardened plate steel.
Long story short, depending on what you want to put in your safe and where you want to put it, there are several things you'll want to consider before investing in a new gun safe. Next on our list to talk about are the types of Gun Safes.
What type of gun safe do I need?
Gun Safes are kind of like work boots. No one size, style, or fit works for everyone. Believe it or not, there are several types of gun safes to choose from.
Fire-Rated Safes: Our bigger safes are fire-rated safes. Because that's what they are. Big, bulky, robust, fire-rated, secure metal containers fit the bill of being gun-safe. These standalone safes range from small to very large, have a fire rating and locking system, and are secure.
Portable Gun Safes: Portable gun safes have a locking system but rarely have a fire rating. However, they are suitable for those who are on the go and want to follow and practice good gun safety rules by securing their firearm when not in use.
Night Stand Gun Safes: These are cool and usually discrete. You can't tell they are safe. They look just like what they are a night stand.
Vault Doors for Safe Rooms: The highest capacity gun safe we have at this time holds up to 78 long guns; some people need a lot more space than that. If you are one of those people, we recommend you build a vault room and secure it with a vault door. People often turn these vault rooms into panic rooms, taking being prepared for anything to a whole new level.
Pistol Safes: Pistol safes are more common for people who have one gun, a pistol or a revolver, and they want to keep it close to them. These are ideal to store on or under your night stand or under your bed for quick access. These typically can be bolted down or secured with a cable. Bonus points: they are easily concealable and discreet.
I know there are other types of safes on the market, but that is a brief overview of what we carry. We've discussed what you'll need to consider when buying a safe, what a gun safe is, and what the types of gun safes there are. Let's get into the good stuff: features of a gun safe.
Gun Safe Features
Fire Rating: We've touched briefly on fire rating already, but just to recap. Fire ratings vary depending on the manufacturer, their testing, and what the safe is made of. Basically, though, if your home caught on fire, the fire rating determines how long your safe would have before it or the contents inside were ruined. If you want more detail about fire-rating or if gun safes are fireproof check out our other blog: Are Gun Safes Fireproof?
Types of Locks: There are a variety of different locks you can put on your safe. They, like most things, have pros and cons. Please get the lock that is easiest to use to access your firearms quickly. We always tell people that the locks on safes today are not the same as they were 30 years ago or even the same ones made 5 years ago. They have evolved and improved drastically.
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Mechanical Lock (Combination Lock): These locks are traditional, like an old bank vault. In the past, the only type of lock we recommended was mechanical. Mechanical locks used to be the safe bet due to technology failures of electronic locks in the past. That's not necessarily the case in current times. Mechanical locks are still less likely to have issues in the long term, though. However, they are not going to allow you quick or easy access to your safe in those urgent situations.
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Electronic Lock (Keypad Lock): These locks will give you much quicker access to your safe. Your combination is made up of 6 digits you type in and turn the handle. People often say they don’t trust an electronic lock or that the battery will die. Yes, your battery can die, but you have an indicator to tell you the battery needs replacing. Electronic locks have greatly improved over the years, are easy to use, and allow you to change the battery without losing access to your safe. Plus, they gain you access to your safe much quicker than a mechanical lock.
- Biometric Lock (Fingerprint Lock): You can access your safe with the touch of a finger or use a code. Like electronic locks, these locks are electronic, and you will need to change the battery. However, they are easy to use and give you the quickest access to your firearms in an emergency.
We recommend that if you get an electronic Lock, ensure it is UL-listed and EMP-rated. All the electronic locks in our stores are Ul-listed and EMP-rated.
Relockers: Having a good lock on your safe should be a priority, but even the best lock can be defeated. This is where you want to add an extra level of security and get a safe with a re-locker in it. Relockers are failsafes that engage if the original lock has been compromised from the outside by an attempted thief. The relocker engages and stops the safe from being able to be opened.
Locking Bars or Locking Bolts: Locking bars or bolts secure the door to the safe body once the safe is locked. Many of the safes we carry have locking bars on at least 3 sides of the doors, some four sides, and even in the corner. These bars or bolts are there to secure the safe and stop pry attacks. We have a brand of safes here at Blue Ridge Safe that has the Safe-X Locking system by Rhino Metals, and we highly recommend you check it out.
Fireboard: All this talk we've been doing about fire rating revolves around the fireboard inside your safe. Fireboard is an insulation layer of gypsum board inside your safe that is in the safe's walls, floor, and ceiling. The more layers of fireboard your safe has, the more fire protection it will offer.
Capacity: One of the most vital aspects of picking out a gun safe is how much it will hold. If you own 60 guns that you need to lock up, you need to buy a safe that will accommodate all of them. The number that manufacturers list on the safe is not set in stone; it's an estimate. If you look at accessories on your guns, the size of guns, and how you want to organize them inside your safe, you'll find that they often hold less. So, as I've said a time or two so far, buy a safe bigger than what you need. You don't want your guns damaged or have to buy another safe a year from now because you didn't buy bigger.
Size & Weight: The types of guns you are storing in your safe will ultimately determine what size of safe you need. If you have a lot of pistols, you're not likely to need a tall safe but would be ok with something like a Fatboy Safe by Liberty. That Fatboy safe is shorter but wider. It is perfect for storing a lot of pistols and also some long guns. On the other hand, if you have bolt action rifles or long-barreled guns, you'll probably want to go with something like an 1878 by Browning. Not only will it give you the height you need, but it has a door panel that has a scope saver to keep your scopes safe. Another good option for a tall safe for you duck hunters out there would a Colonial 50 by Liberty or a RSX7241 by Rhino Safe. They have good tall storage options with plenty of shelving and racks to keep your duck guns safe.
Let's briefly talk about safe weights—the safes here at Blue Ridge Safe range from 227 lbs-1450 lbs. When customers come into the store, they mainly ask how heavy the safe is to determine if they feel it is heavy enough to stop someone from stealing it. It doesn't matter if your safe is 227 lbs or 1450 lbs; safes are awkward and hard to move. That's why our Gun Safe Moving Team has so many tools to help them move safes. However if something is big and heavy it's hard to move; if you are looking at the weight of the safe to be more secure our team would say that a safe that is over 700lbs would give you good security. It's not easy to move without a hand truck or some other form of equipment. Another thing we can do here at Blue Ridge Safe, is bolt your safe to your concrete floor when we deliver and install it. That will give you an extra sense of security if you are worried about someone walking away with your safe.
How cool are some of those features? We often get asked what brand is best or has the best features. You can't go wrong with any brand we carry. You have some give-and-take with each brand. However, we recommend all the high-quality, excellent, secure brands we carry. We wouldn't sell them to our customers if we didn't trust them ourselves.
What brands of Gun Safes does Blue Ridge Safe Carry?
Liberty Safe: As of right now, Liberty Safe only has American-made safes, showing a strong commitment to our country and its people. Liberty Safe is the leading expert in the industry that consistently produces a great product. They have brought things to the market like rolled steel, American-made steel, and military-style locking bars. They are the leaders in fire-rating testing and customer service. They put a lot of time and research into how their safes perform and function. They have various useful accessories and bundle packs to utilize your safe to its maximum capability. Plus, their lifetime warranty is phenomenal. A Liberty Safe Warranty protects you in case of a fire or attempted break-in. They repair or replace your safe, cover shipping and installation costs, send your new safe out to you, and remove your old safe without cost. If your safe was damaged enough to be put into lockout mode, they will pay a professional to open it for you. They also have a warranty on the locks on your safe, standard for 5 years. However, they also offer very affordable extended warranty options if you want your lock covered for 15 years or life.
Browning Safe: If you have previously trusted the Browning name with their firearms, you know they don't play regarding quality and performance. That same level of quality has flowed over into their safes. Browning safes are patented inside and out and have features that make storing your guns easier, safer, and with more usable space than other leading manufacturers in the industry. Browning Safes have superior customization. How they have designed and patented their safe layouts allows you to add or move shelves, racks, pouches and even hang jewelry or file boxes. One of the best things about Browning Safes is you have more usable safe inside your safe to store firearms. You have the scope saver on select safes, giving you two storage front rows. Plus, they have a raised floor design to protect your stocks better, so your guns slide in and out like butter. These safes also feature Brownings ThermaBlock technology, which seals every crack and crevice with interlocking fire board. Even in the hinges and door frame. Which allows their safes to offer 2-3 times the fire protection and withstand a hotter fire. Browning safes have duo-formed doors made from multiple layers of steel, extra systems put in place to withstand drilling or pounding on the locks, and multiple layers of pry protection. Browning Safes also has a lifetime warranty that covers any damage from break-ins and fires. The warranty also covers a five-year lock warranty and 90 day warranty on lighting and accessories. Browning Safe also has the option to buy an extended lock warranty for 10 years to a lifetime.
Rhino Metals: Rhino Metals is an American-made, veteran-owned company that listens to the feedback of its dealers and customers to continue to improve and innovate as they go. The thing that has impressed us most about Rhino Metals at Blue Ridge Safe is their SafeX locking system. It is out of this word secure. This locking system is virtually unpryable and locks the safe door to the body making it one piece using the locking bars to secure to a bolt system implemented onto the safe construction. The SafeX locking system also allows for complete fire protection in your safe. In addition, the external hinges have eliminated the hot spot issues found with internal hinge safes. The way Rhino Metals have designed their safes has allowed for more usable space and customization than traditional safes. Rhino Metals is also the only safe manufacturer on the market that offers a swing-out gun rack system, allowing you to get to your guns quicker. Their customer service is as excellent as their product. Rhino Metals Limited Lifetime Warranty covers not only defects in workmanship, material for labor, and parts but damage by unlawful attempted break-ins or fire. Their locks have the standard 5-year warranty and also give you the option to buy an extended warranty.
Now that you feel confident about what you're looking at when buying a safe gun, it's time to visit us. Wait, I bet you have one more question, though.
How am I going to get this gun-safe home?
At Blue Ridge Safe, we pride ourselves on customer satisfaction. One of the biggest differences between us and the other big box stores is that we deliver the safes we sell. We do not outsource any of the work or services we offer.
Our in-house, experienced, professional Gun Safe Delivery Team does a fantastic job. Plus, they also work in our stores and know about the products they bring into your home. They have the tools, training, and experience they need to ensure they get your new gun safe into your house without damaging it, your home, or themselves. Once they install your safe in your home, they will go over how to change your battery, how it works, how to register your new safe, and any other questions you have before they leave.
We hope our Ultimate Safe Buying Guide has helped you gain the knowledge you need when it comes time to pick out your new gun safe. If we have missed something you want more information about, drop it in the comments or call us. We are here to help you keep your valuables safe and secure!