Are you looking for the best fireproof gun safe? We have some bad news: no home or gun safe is completely fireproof. In fact, there’s not even regulation on what’s considered “fire resistance certification.” The duration of a fire, the placement of a safe, and the temperature at which the fire burns are all factors that can impact the performance of your safe. But simply put, if a fire burns hot enough and long enough, any safe can be destroyed.
The Good News About Your Gun Safe
Don’t lose hope yet! You might not be able to trust a “certification,” but you can trust the numbers. Make a point to research exactly what’s in your gun safe, because the more layers of fire-board your safe has—plus a thicker gauge of steel—the more likely it will successfully protect your valuables in the unfortunate event of a fire.
Pay Attention to Your Safes Fire Testing
In addition to comparing the fire-board layers and steel thickness when you’re researching fire-resistant safes, look into the way the safe company conducts their fire testing. Companies who are serious about fire testing will burn ALL their safe models in a furnace to make sure each offers the protection promised.
The best tests involve heating a safe up to 1200 degrees (the average temperature of house fires) within 10 minutes, then keeping the safe at that temperature throughout the fire test. Some companies ramp up their furnace to 1200 degrees over 30 or 40 minutes, then call the test successful if the safe survives. We think that’s cheating. At Liberty Safe, we ramp up our furnace temps quickly and hold them there. If we promise you a 60-minute fire rating, that means 60 minutes at 1200 degrees.
When it Comes to a Gun Safe, You Get What You Pay For
Stepping up in fire protection will definitely add some cost to the price of your safe. It means more fire-board, thicker steel, and a better smoke and fire seal around the door. But if there’s one feature we recommend paying more for, it’s fire protection. Should the unthinkable happen and you experience a house fire, you won’t be sorry you paid for the upgraded protection.
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