Must ask questions before purchasing a gun safe
#1. Can any sheetrock lined safe protect the contents 100%
if the house burns to ground even if they are rated for 2 ½ hours?
No. Home fires can easily exceed 2000 degrees in a very short time exceeding the fire rating on a sheetrock line safe. Home fires are not likely to burn 1 1/2 hours without exceeding 1800 degrees, Paper and ammunition burn and cook off at around 400 degrees.
#2. Will expanding seals protect the contents of my safe from all smoke damage in a fire?
No. The seal must reach over 200 degrees before it expands likely sealing smoke inside. Also the seal fails after sever fires exceed the seal rating. When smoke contacts the blued finish on most guns the finish is ruined.
#3.Do sheetrock lined gun safes have a UL fire test rating/sticker?
No. The UL residential security container rating sticker is commonly mistaken for a UL fire sticker, yet it has nothing to do with a UL fire rating.
#4. Home fires easily exceed 2,000 degrees and sheetrock lined gun safes are rated much lower than 2,000 degrees. Does that make them useless in all fires?
No. Some home fire will not exceed the time and temperature they are rated for, thus greatly reducing damage. It has been our personal experience that if a home fire gets hot enough and burns long enough, to cure out the moistener in a gun safe rated for 30 minutes, more layers of sheetrock make no difference in actual home fires.
#5. Does a larger diameter door bolt increases the burglary protection or keeps bolts from bending?
No. larger door bolts weaken the door frame in many cases. Also more door bolts weaken the frame as bolts are added past the optimum number for pry protection. The door frame or carrier bar that moves the bolts will bend in most safes first.
#6. Do more door bolts make a safe more secure?
No. Once the optimum number of bolts is reached for most bolt work systems no extra bolts are necessary. More door bolts weaken the safe against pry attacks.
#7. Is there any lock warranted by the lock manufacturer for life?
No. All locks can malfunction.
(Note any lifetime warranty should be examined by an attorney to determine what it actually covers)
#8. Are electronic locks better than mechanical locks or vice versa?
No. As long as both are high quality locks years of service can be expected from both.
#9. Is any sheetrock lined safe truly water proof?
No. Sheetrock contains moisture for fire protection. Floods are not likely to stay within the factory water proof specifications, listed in their written warranty. Also there are no gun safes with a UL water proof rating.
#10. Can most gun safes be easily side punched to open them?
No. Side punching is a method that works on some very specific commercial safes. It does not work on most gun type safes because of their much thinner construction.
(Note the criminal that knows how to side punch specific commercial safe (UL burgled rated safes) will most likely know many faster ways to open sheetrock lined residential security containers.)
#11. Is there any gun safe company that covers the contents of their safe against fire and smoke damage or loss due to a burglary or water damage?
No. Any safe can be successfully burglarized if a thief has the correct tools and time to defeat the particular safe quality that is being attacked. Home fires easily exceed sheetrock ratings, smoke fills most safes before the seal expands and smoke damages the bluing finish on most guns even if the safe never reaches the flash point on the inside. Blued guns should be stored in gun socks to protect them from smoke damage. Also papers should be stored in a fire box.
#12. Do key locking dials improve the security of a safe?
No. key locking dials are designed to be used while you're home, the combo is dialed in, dial partially turned and locked in place with key, If the dial is force or knocked off, the safe can open. Most key locking dials can also be picked in seconds with little or no experience.
Proclaimer /Disclaimer
These 12 questions have been compilied using over 25 years of real life experiences (fires, floods, burglar attacks, opening locked safes, etc.) Questions apply mainly to sheetrock lined gun safes/residual security containers. There can be exceptions to any rule. These answers are what we have actually experienced in the real word in most cases. Not exceptions that give false impression as to what a safe will do in most scenarios. When asked, should you get any answer other than (NO) to any one of these questions, proof of why the safe in question is an exception to the norm should be asked.
Call MIKE GRIFFIN for any safe questions you may have 800-301-3562 3/25/2015
No. Home fires can easily exceed 2000 degrees in a very short time exceeding the fire rating on a sheetrock line safe. Home fires are not likely to burn 1 1/2 hours without exceeding 1800 degrees, Paper and ammunition burn and cook off at around 400 degrees.
#2. Will expanding seals protect the contents of my safe from all smoke damage in a fire?
No. The seal must reach over 200 degrees before it expands likely sealing smoke inside. Also the seal fails after sever fires exceed the seal rating. When smoke contacts the blued finish on most guns the finish is ruined.
#3.Do sheetrock lined gun safes have a UL fire test rating/sticker?
No. The UL residential security container rating sticker is commonly mistaken for a UL fire sticker, yet it has nothing to do with a UL fire rating.
#4. Home fires easily exceed 2,000 degrees and sheetrock lined gun safes are rated much lower than 2,000 degrees. Does that make them useless in all fires?
No. Some home fire will not exceed the time and temperature they are rated for, thus greatly reducing damage. It has been our personal experience that if a home fire gets hot enough and burns long enough, to cure out the moistener in a gun safe rated for 30 minutes, more layers of sheetrock make no difference in actual home fires.
#5. Does a larger diameter door bolt increases the burglary protection or keeps bolts from bending?
No. larger door bolts weaken the door frame in many cases. Also more door bolts weaken the frame as bolts are added past the optimum number for pry protection. The door frame or carrier bar that moves the bolts will bend in most safes first.
#6. Do more door bolts make a safe more secure?
No. Once the optimum number of bolts is reached for most bolt work systems no extra bolts are necessary. More door bolts weaken the safe against pry attacks.
#7. Is there any lock warranted by the lock manufacturer for life?
No. All locks can malfunction.
(Note any lifetime warranty should be examined by an attorney to determine what it actually covers)
#8. Are electronic locks better than mechanical locks or vice versa?
No. As long as both are high quality locks years of service can be expected from both.
#9. Is any sheetrock lined safe truly water proof?
No. Sheetrock contains moisture for fire protection. Floods are not likely to stay within the factory water proof specifications, listed in their written warranty. Also there are no gun safes with a UL water proof rating.
#10. Can most gun safes be easily side punched to open them?
No. Side punching is a method that works on some very specific commercial safes. It does not work on most gun type safes because of their much thinner construction.
(Note the criminal that knows how to side punch specific commercial safe (UL burgled rated safes) will most likely know many faster ways to open sheetrock lined residential security containers.)
#11. Is there any gun safe company that covers the contents of their safe against fire and smoke damage or loss due to a burglary or water damage?
No. Any safe can be successfully burglarized if a thief has the correct tools and time to defeat the particular safe quality that is being attacked. Home fires easily exceed sheetrock ratings, smoke fills most safes before the seal expands and smoke damages the bluing finish on most guns even if the safe never reaches the flash point on the inside. Blued guns should be stored in gun socks to protect them from smoke damage. Also papers should be stored in a fire box.
#12. Do key locking dials improve the security of a safe?
No. key locking dials are designed to be used while you're home, the combo is dialed in, dial partially turned and locked in place with key, If the dial is force or knocked off, the safe can open. Most key locking dials can also be picked in seconds with little or no experience.
Proclaimer /Disclaimer
These 12 questions have been compilied using over 25 years of real life experiences (fires, floods, burglar attacks, opening locked safes, etc.) Questions apply mainly to sheetrock lined gun safes/residual security containers. There can be exceptions to any rule. These answers are what we have actually experienced in the real word in most cases. Not exceptions that give false impression as to what a safe will do in most scenarios. When asked, should you get any answer other than (NO) to any one of these questions, proof of why the safe in question is an exception to the norm should be asked.
Call MIKE GRIFFIN for any safe questions you may have 800-301-3562 3/25/2015