Every modern MetroNeck needs a place to store his valuable stuff. Where do you keep your grandfather’s antique Rolex or your 1986 Superbowl ring (replica)? What about your boat title and other important papers? If you are like me you have several firearms that you have collected over the years. The answer is a gun safe. It’s a great addition to that Man Cave. But what are the best gun safe brands? What is the best gun safe for the money? How big should your gun safe be? This guide will cover the answers to these questions and more.
Gun safes are awesome. Point blank. They protect your stuff from fire and theft. You can put most anything in a gun safe. Got an old bottle of bourbon or wine that you have been aging or saving for a special occasion? Put it in the gun safe. Does your wife have a few pieces of jewelry that are family heirlooms and irreplaceable? Put them in the gun safe. The possibilities are endless. Oh yeah, you can also pack that sucker full of firearms big and small.
When I started looking for my first gun safe, I did all the research. I started with the fire rating. That is probably one of the most important factors in good safes. If your house catches on fire, how long will your safe protect your valuables inside? Usually, it is measured in hours. The best gun safe for the money is the one that won’t let your valuables burn up. If you visit websites for gun safes, you will no doubt see pictures of homes burnt to the ground and a safe sitting there looking like hell. But then you see the picture of it opened and all the valuables and guns and such looking unharmed and intact. That is peace of mind. Knowing that what you put in there will be there and be safe. There are layers of fireboard listed in these safes. The more layers, the better the fire protection. There are layers in the door and layers in the body of the safe. There will be a rating of Fire certified minutes and degrees (For example 60 minutes fire certified at 1200 degrees). There is also a BTU’s rating (For example rating of 83,000 BTU’s). These are average numbers and with anything else, you get what you pay for.
Another big factor in a good gun safe is if you can keep it secure. If you can’t keep someone from breaking in, what use is it? Most all of your name brand safes are proven. They have done the testing and are secure. The best gun safe for the money is the one that will keep all your valuables and firearms safe and secure. They are made of high-grade steel and are impenetrable by crowbar or blowtorch. Some might even say dynamite. (maybe). These safes will usually offer different thicknesses of steel and numbers of steel bolts that are in the door locking mechanism. Chances are if a gun safe is made of top quality materials, it will be harder to get into. Do the research and see what kind of testing has been done. They will put this information out there because they want to prove to you theirs is the best and most secure. The other feature of a good gun safe is that you can bolt these suckers to the floor (from the inside). That means that whatever floor you have (wood or concrete) you can drill and install galvanized steel bolts thru prefab holes in the safe floor into the floor it is sitting on. This means they can’t bring in a crane (these babies are heavy AF) and haul your safe off. Extra security and peace of mind right there.
Gun safes come in all different sizes and configurations. There are bedside gun safes just large enough for one handgun, and there are gigantic gun safes that hold 50-60 guns. You should look at how many guns and other items you plan to store in a safe. If you have 20-30 long guns and a few pistols, you will need a decent sized safe with plenty of room. The interior shelving will vary in the different safes and usually will come adjustable to fit your needs. If you have a very large arsenal, you can even get a vault door to fit a room in your house. These are not so great for fire protection but you get the point.
Guns are only effective if they are accessible. Some of the gun safes have a keypad to type in a code for access. Some have a fingerprint scanner or a series of buttons to push to get in. I would say the easier and quicker you can get in the better. You need to be able to get your hands on that firearm quickly in an emergency. All the while keeping others out of your safe. The Modern MetroNeck recommends a push-button keypad that is battery operated. The battery lasts a LONG time and you will just need to change it maybe once a year or so. The best gun safe for the money is the one you can access quickly and easily.
Another type of gun safe is a bedside pistol gun vault. What is the best bedside gun safe? The one you can hide and get into quickly and easily. These small pistol sized gun safes are just big enough to put a pistol or two and maybe a few papers and jewelry and such. These are also fireproof and pretty darn secure. Remember not only are you trying to make sure you can get into these safes quickly in an emergency, but you want to keep kids and/or intruders from getting in it. These safes will usually have some buttons to press in a pattern or a finger pad that will read your fingerprint for access. (That is some real James Bond 007 stuff there).
These days they are getting extremely creative with gun safe designs that are built into furniture, walls, bookcases, headboards, etc. You can find just about any size, shape, color, finish, or configuration out there now. Whatever gun safe you decide on, do the research and find the one that is right for you. The Modern MetroNeck recommends USA made. Some of the best gun safe brands we have found are Liberty, Browning, Fort Know, Cannon, Fortress, and Rhino. The Modern MetroNeck recommends that the best gun safe for the money is the one you have researched and fits your specific needs. Make sure you can keep your valuables safe from theft and firearms safely away from kid’s hands. Oh and also that 1986 Superbowl ring replica. LOL