Hello,
I am in the market for fire rated long gun safe, and maybe an additonal Sentry or Brinks fire rated file chest (or fire rated cabinet) for important files.
I would love to hear 1st or 2nd hand knowledge of how well those small fire chests held up in a fire, or how well a particular gun safe held up against a theft or natural disater.
Real life stories mean more to me than website statistics or promises.
Thanks in advance.
I bought an American Security gun safe. Still hoping I do not find out if it works or not. Mine was in the middle of the fire ratings and was the bottom end explosion proof.
I am skeptical of the theft protection of most of these homeowner safes but fire resistance is a real issue, U/L rates them and I trust the U/L fire rating. Theft protection is only as good as the next "trick" U/L didn't think of.
What kinds of stuff do you need to protect? If it's papers you rarely need to access, get a safe deposit box. If it's guns, find someone who's got the latest issue of the NRA's American Rifleman magazine, which contained a good article on safes & fire protection ratings. If you can find a gun shop, they might have a copy under the counter. It's a 5 minute read. Take notes.
With the house alarmed and the safe weighted in at 800 pounds empty. I figure if they can get it to the front door loaded I will hold the door for them.
If you have ever used a diamond blade in a cutoff saw you start to wonder just exactly what it would take to stop a determined thief. Unfortunately it is the guy who figures out the next "trick" who is the most dangerous. I am reminded of the "pick proof" drum locks that can be opened with a ball point pen..
Fire safes and theft safes are (almost) mutually exclusive. You're asking for the equivalent of a fire truck and armored car. While possible, each is designed differently.
The best anti-theft safe - for smaller items - is the kind installed in your concrete slab. You can rent a saw that will drill the hole in the slab for not much, then drop in the safe, add some concrete around the edge. Bingo. Now this one IS fire and theft resistant!
Here's one more trick for your gun safe: Drill an itty-bitty hole through the floor and, through this hole, run some wires connected to a switch on the door. The other ends of the wire go through a hidden disabling switch to the holdup alarm on your security system.
When you need to open the safe, activate the secret switch - no problem. If some do-bad hacks through the safe, or if he's holding a gun to your head to make you open the safe, the moment the door opens, the calvary is on the way.
Even more exotic is to wire another switch to the back wall of the safe. If the safe is moved, same thing.
I don't believe that's true at all.
Theft protection requires a strong steel shell and provisions for attaching it to the house or floor with bolts that require the box to be opened for installation and removal.
To make the box "fire safe" you just add some insulation on the inside and protect the insulation from physical damage with a plastic or thin guage metal sheet.
But the strong box also protects the box from crushing and destruction of the contends if the house falls in as a result of the fire.
BTW: a floor safe should be VERY waterproof as one result of a fire is a lot of water ending up in the basement. It would not hurt to put important stuff (even handguns or watches) into zipper type freezer bags for extra protection from water damage.
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