Unfortunately, the majority of gun safes on the market are relatively easy to break into. Many safe companies can be misleading in their advertising and trick consumers into purchasing cheap safes that are not quality safes. They are builkt down to a price point, but lack the qualitity necessary to prevent a break in. It is so important for gun owners to purchase high quality safes that are secure. Here are the main mistakes gun owners can potentially make when choosing a safe:
The Safe is not Bolted Down
If your safe is carried into your home, it can be carried out of your home. Unfortunately, burglars know this and they know how heavy the safes can be. Burglars can very easily use the same equipment to get the safe out of your home that you used to get it into your home, and they can move the safe and spend as much time as they need breaking into it from another location.
Make sure the safe you are purchasing comes with 4 anchor bolts and that there are 4 pre-drilled holes in the base of the safe so it can be installed properly and be bolted down. Intruders will have to spend more time figuring out how to get the safe unbolted (almost an impossibility) which will increase the chance of them getting caught as time ticks away.
Is the Gun Safe's insulation barrier made of drywall? Do you feel that draywall provides any additional security?
If you have ever seen drywall, you know that it is not adequate enough to add additional protection in a gun safe. Many safe doors today are made of thin metal sheets over drywall. This is simply not enough to keep your guns and valuables protected. If the gauge of the outer body steel is too thin it can easily be cut through with a portable hand grinder.
What you want to look for instead are safes that are either filled with cement for fire protection, and having an inner steel liner...or a safe that has a thick steel outer body with drywall insulation. (Remember the drywall or fireboard acts only as fire protection, it is not a security barrier). Just keep in mind that safes having cement or concrete fire protection can weigh significantly more than those safes having sheet rock for fire protection.
Does a Gun Safe With a “Thick” Door Mean it is MORE Secure?
You may have noticed that as you have shopped around for a safe, that a lot of times you will see safes made with extremely thick doors, but unfortunately, this can sometimes be a facade. These safes may look sturdy, but what are the doors actually made from? Just because the door is thick does not mean the safe will be secure. Make sure that when you are purchasing your safe that the door does not only look thick but actually has either cement insulation or has a solid layer of steel continuously welded to the overall face of the door. More often than not most cheap gun safes are constructed with thin steel and sheet rock giving it the appearance of being strong, but not actually creating a strong barrier.
You’re Paying For More Than What You’re Getting
It is very easy for many safe companies to make their safes look like they are expensive, but really they are not using adequate materials. They like to make things look “cool” with art and nice paint and even fancy lights, but these safes may not actually provide enough safety for your guns and most valued possessions. Even if you don't have the budget for a top of the line safe, it would be smart to put your money toward something that is reliable and secure, with a thick layer of steel.