I did a search but didn't see this posted. It's a little long but very informative if you know little/nothing about safes.

 

 

Hopefully this can help anyone that is looking into one.

I like your screen name

Aw sheit I just bought a safe a week before I saw this video. DAMN

they are only meant to keep honest people out

All safes can be cracked its just a matter of time, when you buy a safe the question is how much time are you looking to buy, and or how much can you afford to buy. A thing that alot of people dont consider is you can increase the security level of your safe based on placement, the weakest parts of "entry" level gun safes are its walls. This is depending on the gauge of steel thats used acourse, but for the most part with decent effort and 10 mins with a good sledge or axe you can pop the side in these safes.

Place your safe in a closet or something similar to a pantry to protect the walls and make the only point of entry the front which is the strongest side of these safes. Bolting it in buys you alot of time since they cant take it out of the enclosure to get at walls or knock it down to get leverage on prying the door open.

In the show it takes a thief the guy rarely spent more then 5-10 mins in a residental house usually it was less, and he usually avoided having to work on anything that would cause alot of noise. By surrounding your safe with some walls it gives you some big advantages with a lower end safe and buys you time which is the whole point of having a safe.

I watched the entire video, it's very informative. He tells you what you already know in your gut; you get what you pay for.

 

That said, can you imagine that giant Graffunder safe? The only way you're getting in that monster is with a torch and someone who knows how to use it. Holy crap that must be heavy.

He briefly mentions that UL doesn't have a test standard for gun safes specifically. He also touches on RSC, the rating on these "safes". RSC stands for Residential Security Container.

 

In general, as Mark above said, you get what you pay for. As a result, I stay away (in general) from things rated or named "Residential" just like some people stay away from things labeled Tactical. I have no professional experience to backup the following statement (only personal experience): It seems to me that a used commercial safe (often found on CraigsList) with a UL rating is far better than many of these RSC's.

 

In some cases, Contractor's Job Boxes (ala http://www.deltastorage.com/jobox.html) are often as secure or MORE secure than many RSC's though the RSC has a (questionable) fire rating. You could line a job box with two layers of fire rated sheetrock and in some cases equal or exceed many of these RSC's.

 

Also, some guys think a 5 spoke wheel on the front of the safe makes it more secure, nothing could be further from the truth. Some of the ugliest dingiest nastiest looking used safes on the internet are far more secure than that "pretty" new safe. Looks can be deceiving.

Very good Video.

Good info. I like the "anti-emp" model that has both electronic and mechanical mechanisms.

 

As predicted, $$ makes a difference. Comes down to your risk factor, typically based on the value of your guns x perceived probability that someone will try to steal them. Of course consider other things like if you are nearly always home, have a home security system, dog, surveillance, heavy duty security door on your gun room, etc. The safe is just another delay mechanism the bad guys have to get through.

Yeah, you definitely get what you pay for and as mentioned you're simply buying time.

Here's a very good article on helping you decide which manufacturer to go with.

http://www.6mmbr.com/gunsafes.html

Good watch, very informative, and it was actually interesting enough to keep my attention for the entire video, which is damn near a miracle for me. lol

This was a good vid. I learned a lot of things i can use for future safe buys

I think one needs to distinguish between some of the top-of-the-line estate safes which this guy is selling (with that one with $150K in valuables in his backroom which the robbers tried to pry), and gun safes, which hold a strictly utilitarian purpose. With the post's title being The truth about Gun Safes, I think that's the focus. If someone comes to my home with a thermic lance, chances are, they can easily have far better guns than I will ever be holding in my meager safe, what do you think?

I think one needs to distinguish between some of the top-of-the-line estate safes which this guy is selling (with that one with $150K in valuables in his backroom which the robbers tried to pry), and gun safes, which hold a strictly utilitarian purpose. With the post's title being The truth about Gun Safes, I think that's the focus. If someone comes to my home with a thermic lance, chances are, they can easily have far better guns than I will ever be holding in my meager safe, what do you think?

 

I think the basic principle of a safe is pretty universal; to keep what is inside safe from external elements (e.g. fire, water, people). I'm guessing the distinction between safes is just marketing related based on size, price, quality, and perceived use. Most people realize any safe can be broken into with enough time and tools. Therefore, you're paying for time and resilience. Higher quality safes give more of both.