Best Gun Safe Reviews

The question over whether or not someone should have a gun safe is one that is often debated with strong feelings on both sides. There are some states now that require that if you have children you must have a gun safe and there are even some states that require gun safes even if you don’t have children. Whatever your reason for considering getting something to protect your guns, we will take a look at some facts and gun safe reviews to help you.

There are a wide range of gun safes to choose from. Some are big and some are small, some are expensive and others are cheap. While it’s natural to assume that a better quality safe is more expensive and a cheaper one is of lower quality, but when it comes to gun safes there’s more to it than that. If the safe does not carry an RSC rating then in most cases it doesn’t really matter what price that you pay because most of them can be broken into with basic tools and in a minute or two.

If the gun safe does carry an RSC rating they will be substantially more pricey than those that don’t. But another consideration is that those that do carry this rating are not much different in their level of protection regardless of price. The price often varies widely between models but overall protection is about the same.

Professionals who regularly drill into lock safes to open them on the behalf of customers say that there is little difference between the lower-priced models with an RSC rating and those that are more expensive. For the most part, safes with that rating are all of similar quality regardless of the price.

Some Features Often Have No Meaning

It is common for a gun safe manufacturer to promote certain aspects of their safe to show why and how it is better than another. For an example, there are some that talk about the size and the number of locking bolts but if the gun safe has an RSC rating those features have very little meaning. Because it carries that rating it will withstand attempts to break into it with basic tools for several minutes. Of course, if someone has more substantial tools they can usually get into such a gun safe within a couple of minutes.

Many gun safes that carry the RSC rating will also make claims that their safe will protect your gun against fire. The assumption by many consumers is that since it carries the recognized RSC rating then it must also be up to standard against fires. But RSC doesn’t test for fire. So, the only way to know if it genuinely can resist fire is through an independent testing agency.

Very often, expensive safes that carry the RSC rating will often add features that drive up the cost of the safe but that doesn’t really offer any added protection for your guns. In most cases, the average consumer is better off buying the lower price safes that carry the rating because they will have all of the minimum requirements that you’re looking for.

Which Features Should You Look For?

1. Where Was It Manufactured? – An American-made brand will cost more than those made in other countries. But in most cases, consumers will find that the American-made safes are better. There’s also a concern that in some countries they may use fake ratings.

2. UL Rated Combination Lock – While the cheaper gun safe reviews are favorable for the average consumer, not all of them have UL rated locks. Locks that are not UL rated very often have a number of problems and consumers are generally unsatisfied with them. For that reason, it’s recommended that you don’t try to save by getting a cheaper lock.

3. Body Seams Should Have Continuous Welds – This is something that will need to be checked because they will not come with all safes, even those that carry an RSC rating. Those that don’t have this type of welding can be considerably weaker.

Gun Safe Reviews

Liberty is the biggest gun safe manufacturer in the US. They stand behind their products pretty well and most consider their customer service to be decent. Some customers say that Liberty is considerably faster to respond to a customer complaint or question than other manufacturers. Some customers feel that Liberty is simply less frustrating to deal with than other companies they might have chosen.

Because Liberty is a large company and based inside the US they have invested heavily in technology that allows them to make safes that are stronger and a better quality while maintaining reasonable prices. Much of their manufacturing process uses robots that do the welding which results in lower-cost and consistent quality. This company does make some models that do not carry the RSC rating and for this reason, it’s important that you make sure the one you’re thinking of buying does carry that.

Many independent gun shops carry the Liberty brand and you will find that the cheaper gun safes can be installed by yourself and they’re reasonably easy to handle. This makes them not only convenient but also gives you an opportunity to support a local shop when purchasing. Because gun safes with an RSC rating only offer basic protection then there’s no reason to buy the more expensive models with this rating.

American Security is another large company and despite their name, many of their safes are made overseas. Despite that, they have models that are a bit higher priced than their foreign-made safes and some of these do carry the RSC rating. In addition to that rating, this manufacturer does make gun safes that carry additional ratings for fire and burglary. Their BF true safes are among those that carry these ratings.

There are other models that go beyond the protection offered from a safe with RSC ratings, but they will often be much more expensive. Most gun safe reviews agree that the average consumer will be satisfied with the price and basic protection provided by a gun safe with an RSC rating.