After your initial gun safe investment, you may find that there are features or accessories that you did not anticipate needing. Some of these accessories include dehumidifiers, pistol racks, pistol holsters, and interior lighting. In this article, we will be discussing the various aspects of interior lighting.

Interior Lighting

Lighting can be an extremely useful accessory. Imagine frantically trying to root through your gun safe in the dark, while a home invasion is taking place. Interior lighting ensures that you will be able to view the contents of the safe regardless of the lighting conditions outside of the gun safe. Even if the room appears to be well-lit, remember that while crouched down in front of the safe, you and the safe door may block much of the light.

When looking at different gun safes and comparing the various details and features, one should know what security features are needed. Potential thieves have a number of ways of attempting to break in to your gun safe, and if you are familiar with the methods used, you will be better equipped when buying a gun safe.

Burglars have a few methods in their repertoire when it comes to breaking into gun safes:

Lock Manipulation

A professional thief can manipulate a dial combination lock and open a safe in about 15 minutes. A possible solution to the problem is to purchase a safe with an electronic lock. These electronic locks are unable to be as easily manipulated, and even if the thief had the tools and computers to accomplish this, it would take far too long to be practical.

Punching the Cam

With this method, a thief will drill near the edge of the cam, insert a punch bar into the hole, and knock the cam out of place, allowing the safe to be opened. This method can be rendered obsolete by the use of relockers. Relockers are spring-loaded bolts that will fire if the lock body has been punched out.

Torches, Sledgehammers, and Crowbars

Most any thief will be able to gain access to your gun safe with these tools and some time. Torches are an incredibly easy way of gaining access to the safe. If a thief is not concerned for the safety of the safe’s contents, a hole big enough to remove the contents can be accomplished in less than two minutes. Sledgehammers and crowbars are also an effective way of breaking in to a safe. Using these tools, once a burglar has knocked your safe over on its side, it’s only a matter of time. Bolting down the safe, making it impossible to overturn, can be a great way to deter this.

After your initial gun safe investment, you may find that there are features or accessories that you did not anticipate needing. Some of these accessories include pistol racks, gun safe dehumidifiers, pistol holsters, and interior lighting. In this article, we will be discussing the various aspects of pistol storage.

Pistol Racks

Pistol racks are an excellent way to store your pistols within your gun safe, keeping them well organized and easily accessible, while efficiently using the space. These racks are available in a variety of materials and styles, and are often covered in cloth or plastic coating to prevent scratching your handguns.

Another option for storing pistols in a gun safe is Velcro holsters on the inside of the safe door. This allows for easy access as well as freeing up valuable shelf space. This option is especially useful if your safe is already filled to the brim with long guns. Whichever option you choose, your pistols will be organized, protected from damage, and easily accessible.

While buying a gun safe, you will come across many unfamiliar terms. Over the course of this blog, we will have posts dedicated to demystifying these terms.

Fireproofing

While there may be no such thing as a completely fireproof gun safe, “fireproofing” is the term used for the measures taken to ensure a safe’s fire resistance. When shopping for a fire rated gun safe, one should keep in mind that although most house fires average at around 30 minutes, a fire could last and hour or more before being extinguished. Because of this, it is recommended to purchase a safe that has been tested to endure 1200 degrees, with at least 1 hour of fireproofing.

Another thing to keep in mind is that “you get what you pay for.” Many of the lower-end safes have fireproofing material simply glued to the inside of the safe, while the higher-end models have fireproofing caulking filling the various cracks and crevices.

Now that you have invested in a gun safe to secure your guns, it is time to invest in a dehumidifier. You may ask, “Why do I need a dehumidifier?” A sealed box, such as a gun safe, does not allow for much air circulation. Thus, moisture is likely to build up inside of the safe. A gun safe dehumidifier is a key factor in maintaining your gun collection and preventing rust and mildew. The two most popular types of dehumidifiers are electronic wands and silica boxes.

Electronic Wands

Electronic wands or rods dehumidify by creating heat that causes slight air circulation within the gun safe, preventing the air from stagnation. As long as the air inside the gun safe is circulating, moisture will be unable to settle and build up. Most electronic dehumidifiers come with hardware for installation and a detachable power plug, allowing you to route the cord through a small hole in the safe.

Silica Boxes

Silica boxes or packs are simply boxes packed with silica, the same stuff that is used in boxes of shoes. Silica works by absorbing moisture from the air inside of the safe. These silica boxes can be “recharged” after they are fully saturated by baking.

Whether you prefer the cost-effectiveness of the silica box, or the ease-of-use of the electronic wand, both are effective in preventing moisture buildup. If you own a gun safe, do yourself a favor and invest in a quality dehumidifier.

During the process of buying a gun safe, you will probably come across a variety of buzzwords and terms that you may have little to no familiarity with. Over the course of this blog, we will define and demystify vocabulary words that will prove useful in choosing a gun safe.

Hard Plate

One of the many vocabulary terms you will come across when buying a gun safe is the term “hard plate.” A safe’s hard plate is a hardened steel plate that protects the vulnerable areas of the lock body from being accessed. Typically, a thief will attempt to drill to gain access to the lock body in order to manipulate it. The hard plate, being made of a more durable metal than the drill bit, will dull or break the drill bit, protecting the lock body.

Most hard plates are made of extremely wear resistant steel, while some hard plates are composed of a casting of alloys with carbide chips embedded within. These carbide chips serve to further protect the safe against specialized drill bits. A skilled thief could still potentially drill through a composite hard plate with special carbide or diamond bits, but accomplishing this task would take much time and ruined drill bits.

When buying a gun safe, one is presented with many questions. How much security do you need? What is your budget? What features do I need to look for? The following are things to keep in mind during your search for a gun safe that best suits your individual needs.

1. Welding and Construction

Welding is a facet of safe construction that directly correlates with how easily the safe can be pried into. Ideally, what you want is long beads of weld entirely surrounding the joints of the steel plates and the bolt mechanism. Bolt mechanisms on cheaper safes are often tack-welded just enough to hold them on, then covered up with putty and paint, providing significantly weaker protection against prying. Another aspect of construction to keep in mind is fireproofing. Cheaper safes have the fireproofing material simply glued to the inside of the safe; while more advanced models have fireproofing caulking filling the cracks and crevices. The cheaper gun safes use flat rods (often made of inexpensive pot metal) that when pried will bend the materials around the rod, allowing the bolt to fall out, thus enabling the door to be opened. Higher-end safes use U-channel steel plates that help prevent the bolt from bending and reinforcement beams at the bolt to prevent it from flipping out.

2. Gear-Driven OR Cam-Driven?

Cheaper safes are cam-driven, meaning that all rods work off of one small, cheap cam. This makes it easier for a thief to drill, knock the cam off, and then enter your safe. Gear-driven safes help prevent this.

3. Digital Lock

The outside portion of the digital lock should only contain a source of power (such as a battery) and a chip which sends the combination into the lock body located in the interior of the safe. It is crucial that anything that stores memory, activates the lock, or pertains to the security of the safe is stored inside the safe. Cheaper safes often have digital locks in which all electronic features are stored in the external keypad with power wires leading into the safe. These safes can be broken into by simply splicing the wires directly into the battery.

4. Relocker

Many safes feature relockers. Relockers are a crucial component of safe security. If the lock body or electric motor is tampered with, it sets off an internal spring-loaded bolt that secures the handle in place. So, even if a thief manages to knock the lock off, the safe still will not open. More advanced safes can have two relockers. This second relocker secures the lock body in place if a thief manages to knock the lock off through the spindle hole behind the keypad. Many budget safes do not even include relockers in their design, while higher quality, more sophisticated safes can have up to three relockers.

5. Hard Plate

Some safes have hard plates which resist drilling. Experienced thieves will attempt to drill into the safe lock, manipulate it, and then open the safe. Using a standard, battery-operated drill, a skilled thief could accomplish this within five minutes. The hard plate protects the lock body against any common drill bit, dulling the bit until it is rendered useless. Hard plates can, however, be drilled through using a specialized bit such as a carbide bit with a drill press. Many safes do not have hard plates, making the safe cheaper, but ultimately less effective against break-ins.

6. Flooring

In most cases, it is not necessary to worry about the weight of the safe and its effect on flooring. While is it extremely unlikely for a safe to fall through a floor, it is always recommended to have a contractor inspect your flooring to confirm it can hold the weight.

When shopping for a gun safe, it is important to realize the relationship between cost and effectiveness. Naturally, the more security features included, the more time it will take for a thief to enter the gun safe, but also the more costly the investment.