If you already own one gun or several, you are responsible to looking after them and storing them carefully. This is expected of you, particularly if you have children, or even if you don’t. You also need to consider whether you store your guns in your office or home; and whether you have one gun to take care of or more. These are some things you need to think about before you buy a reputed gun safe.
Next, you also need to think about the features of a good gun safe before buying one. Here are the salient features of the best gun safes:
Locking System: The function of a gun safe is to prevent a burglar or anyone else from getting to your guns without your permission. So, you need to think about the kind of locking system you want. It’s advisable to get yourself a heavy steel gauge safe for maximum protection from fire and theft.
A bolt locking system helps to lock the door of the gun safe securely to its overall frame. These thick bolts made of steel extend from the safe’s door and go into the door jamb that lock its door safely when the handle is turned. The larger the number of bolts, the better. And, if the bolts are thicker and longer, the better too.
Metal thickness: The bodies of the best handgun safes range usually between 12 gauge to 7 gauge. Often, their thickness can also be 3 gauge. The door of the safe also needs to be thick since thieves usually get to the door. So, it’s best to have a thick door and sides with bolts for maximum security, about 0.3125inches or more.
This kind of thickness is essential for gun safes as if a bolt edge is very thin, any burglar can open up the door by just twisting it away from the bolts using pry bars. So, take care to select a safe with as thick a metal edge for the door that cannot be opened up using any instrument.
Brands: The market is full of gun safe brands, some of which are Stack-On and GunVault. The former has been in the market for long, and make security cabinets, tool boxes, gun safes and others. There’s also GunVaultthat specializes in creating vaults that store handguns, apart from your other valuables. With the help of biometric technology, these biometric gun safes lend more security to their products.
Anti-pry tabs: These tabs are brackets reinforced on the top and base of the pin-bar brackets to raise the protection levels against pry attacks by a maximum of 300%. These tabs are usually available on the inner part of the door.
Safety & Construction: All gun safe brands claim to have durable and strong products. Another important consideration is the gun safe’s construction. Ask if it’s made of thick steel and find out its quality. Next, find out if the electronic lock is sturdy and check if it can be opened by just about anyone.Go another step forward to find out if it can be opened without a key and whether its biometric technology is designed to identify you easily or not.
Are there holes drilled in the floor? Check that the gun safe you’re checking out has holes bored into the floor to bolt it down safely. If you live in a highly humid environment, ensure that your gun safe has a hole in its back to let pass the de-humidifier’s electrical cord. However, if the safe is going to be placed on concrete, place anchor bolts in the concrete and place them safely within the safe.
Now that you know what to look for when choosing a gun safe, get one with all these features and buy yourself some peace of mind.