Gun safety and storage must be at the top priority of every gun owner. While guns can help ensure our protection in certain situations, one thing that we should keep in mind is that it won’t be used all the time and it is up to us to make sure that it is properly locked up to prevent theft, potential misuse from the young family members and unwanted accidents.
During those times when you are not using your rifle, the best storage for them would be no other than the best rifle gun safe. But how to choose one? Read this article to find out!
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The most common type of gun safe you would come across would be a pistol safe, but if you own a rifle, this option may not be a good idea for you.
With the size of your rifle, you need to find a safe that has special features which can accommodate its needs. Most pistol safes are designed to hold just a handgun and a small inventory of ammunition. On the other hand, a gun safe that is specially designed to accommodate long guns is large enough to store rifles and shotguns. They also have enough space to store a large stock of ammunition as well as any other valuables that you may have such as jewelry, electronics, and other important documents.
Aside from keeping your gun protected and safe, Safety HUB claims that there are plenty of reasons to own a gun safe.
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Homegear Large 5 Rifle Electronic Gun Safe for Firearms with Internal Jewelry/Valuables Lockbox |
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NEW and IMPROVED Steelwater Heavy Duty 20 Long Gun Fire Protection for 60 Minutes AMSW592818-blk |
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Stack-On 18 Gun Convertible Cabinet |
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Barska Large Biometric Safe |
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SnapSafe Under Bed Safe 75400, Matte Black, Gun Storage and Security |
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With the number of a gun safe in the market these days, you will surely have difficulty in choosing the best one. That is why we did you a favor by narrowing down the options to the top choices, and these are as follows:
This gun safe has a simple design yet classy look. With its dimension of 13.8 x 11.8 x 57.1 inches, this safe is already big enough to accommodate up to 5 rifles and yet, can still be considered to be small enough to fit in the narrow areas and cabinets in your home.
At the top of the safe, there is a separate lockbox designed to hold jewelry, and other valuable items or documents.
This product has achieved CE and RoHS Product certification and has a heavy-duty steel construction. The front door of the vault has a thickness of 4 mm while its walls have a diameter of 2 mm. The safe uses 4 AA batteries which can last up to 2 years.
The thing that we loved most about this gun safe is that it has uses the electronic keypad for entry and a backup manual keys if the batteries die.
The one downside of this safe is it does not have padding at its top or bottom.
This is probably one of the most advanced rifle safes that you can ever find in the market. This electronic safe uses an E.M.P. proof digital keypad that allows you to enter in two programmable user codes with 3 to 8 digits.
Upon opening the door, the safe will be illuminated by an automatic interior LED lighting which will also shut off when you close the door. This will provide visibility during low light conditions in your room.
With the bolt quality and quantity of this gun safe, you will not have to worry about burglars. The safe now uses solid steel locking bolts that are 25% longer. There are also ten bolts that cover all four sides of the door.
The safe is made of 12 gauge steel and a 5-inch thick door and two layers of fireboard that can withstand 1 hour of fire protection at 1875 degrees Fahrenheit.
But just like most electronic safes, encoding its passcode can get a bit complicated.
This safe has a 3-point locking system as well as a key lock for extra protection.
With its original design, this safe can be able to hold up to 18 rifles and shotguns. If you don’t have that many guns, you can modify its design with its adjustable shelving system so you can also accommodate your jewelries and other valuable items.
You can place a steel center partition or put shelves on either the left or right side of the cabinet. The shelves can be adjusted every 4 inches so it can suit your needs. The safe includes the company’s patented gun barrel rests and standoffs designed for scoped guns.
However, some users claim that the safe is a bit flimsy.
With this rifle safe, your guns will surely be protected. The safe uses fingerprint scanning system which can store up to 120 unique fingerprints in its database. But of course, these fingerprints can be added only with the assistance of an authorized user.
If you are worried about the batteries going dead, you will be happy to know that the safe comes with an external battery pack. It also has 2 back up keys so you can open the safe without the need to replace the battery.
Inside the safe, you can store up to 12 rifles. It also has removable shelves and a carpeted interior. Moreover, the safe has 6 pre-drilled mounting points and comes with mounting hardware and tools.
However, the safe has no added layer of protection as it is not waterproof or fireproof.
This electronic keypad safe is made with 14 gauge heavy duty steel, so you are assured of its durability. The safe can be secured to your home in two methods. First, it has pre-drilled bolt holes that allow you to install the safe to the floor permanently. The second option is to anchor its durable 3-foot cable to a stationary object in your home.
The drawer design of this safe makes it the go-to safe for people who wish to save space or take advantage of the area under their beds or other types of furniture. The pry resistant door of the safe can prevent children and other people from gaining access to your safe.
Aside from its electronic keypad locking mechanism, the safe also offers a traditional key entry for easy access when the batteries die.
But please keep in mind that with the compact size of this safe, it can accommodate only a few rifles.
So are you ready to invest in a rifle gun safe? To make sure that you will be able to make the most out of this important investment, you should keep these factors in mind as you choose the safe that you will buy:
Under this factor, you have two options to choose from—electronic or mechanical. To properly choose between the two, you have to be familiar with their pros and cons.
The good thing about using an electronic safe is they are very easy and quick to open. This type of safe uses either fingerprint scanning or RFID readers which work within just a few seconds, giving you quick access during emergencies. However, the batteries of an electronic safe will go dead at some point which will require you to replace the batteries or unlock the safe using a less convenient process.
On the other hand, mechanical safes are opened using a key which may take time. The good thing is, you do not have to deal with the possibility of its batteries going dead.
If you wish to enjoy the best of both worlds (and have money to spare), it is recommended that you for an electronic safe that has a backup mechanical locking system.
When looking for a rifle safe, make sure to go for one that is roomy enough to accommodate multiple rifles and a good amount of ammunition. Besides, it is also of paramount importance that you make sure that the safe you will buy can fit your room well and will not occupy most of the space in your room.
To ensure this, you need to pay attention to the safe’s internal and external dimensions.
The thickness of the door will determine the resiliency of your gun safe. If possible, go for a gun safe with a door thickness of more than 5/16 inches. This thickness will already make it difficult for burglars to blast, drill or pry through it.
You should also look for safes that have doors that are made up of steel pieces because it has bends that give the door more strength.
Bolts are the parts of the safe that keep it from opening. It is the bolts that lock the door in place as they protrude from the door itself to the body of the safe when the lock is engaged.
Of course, the thicker the bolts, the more durable the safe is. In addition to thickness, you should also aim for a safe that has multiple bolts. The more bolts, the better.
Steel comes in different gauges. The higher the steel gauge, the harder it will be for the burglar to break into it. As a rule of thumb, go for a gun safe made of steel with a gauge of above 8.
Just like most of your investments, it is a must that you pay close attention to the safe’s warranty. Most safe manufacturers offer a one-year warranty. This is already a good time frame for you to check if a fault will occur.
If you are not satisfied with the length of this warranty, you can avail of the special plans that manufacturers offer to extend the safe’s warranty period.
As you may know by now, gun safes are not cheap. In fact, they are a significant investment, and that is why you should make sure that the rifle safe that you will buy is well within your budget.
When establishing your budget, check out the market prices of the available gun safes first so you can ensure that the budget you will establish is reasonable and practical.
For more information on gun safety, watch this video
In addition to the factors mentioned above, here are the extra features that you should look for in a rifle gun safe.
You will not be at home all the time so you can’t keep a close eye on your safe. With an alarm system, you will be alerted when an intruder gets access to your gun safe without your permission.
There are different alarm systems used in safes. Some alarms get activated when you input the wrong combination multiple times. On the other hand, there is an alarm that goes off when the safe is picked up or moved to a different place.
If you have availed of a combination safe, a burglar will try to guess what your combination is. With this mechanism, the safe will lock up completely, making it impossible for the burglar to get into your safe.
This may be a hassle if you forgot your code, but the added layer of protection is always welcome.
Imagine this: you place your guns in a safe thinking that it is already correctly protected then a burglar goes inside your home, pick up the safe (and all its contents) and walk away with it.
That doesn’t sound good, right? That is why it is essential for you also to ensure that the safe you will buy comes with anchors and can be mounted to the wall or attached to the floor.
If the safe you will buy doesn’t have this feature, try to contact the manufacturer to ask if you can modify the design of the safe without voiding the warranty.
A good safe will not just protect your gun from burglars but natural tragedies as well. If you wish to take full advantage of your investment, go for a waterproof and fireproof safe which can protect your guns from fire and flooding.
With all the features and specs that these safes offer, it is challenging to choose which is the best rifle gun safe for you.
But when you consider the inclusion of an added layer of protection against fire, we can say that the best rifle gun safe in this list is no other than Steelwater Heavy Duty 20 Long Gun Safe. With its interior lighting and 10 long bolts, we can say that this safe is a cut above the rest.
Source: rsrsteeltargets.com