One question that eventually crosses firearm owners' minds, whether they are a hunter or a collector, is whether or not they should buy a gun safe. The answer is yes, you should, but where do you go from there? Everybody wants a trusted brand with great features to keep their guns safe. There is a lot of value in firearms, both monetary and sentimental. Also, having a secure place to lock away your firearms is a good way to safe-proof your home, especially if you have children.
We feel like trying to save on a large purchase like a gun safe shouldn't mean you have to sacrifice quality or effectiveness. With that in mind, we'll pass on some general gun safe shopping advice, then suggest a few reasonably priced safe options for storing your firearms.
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Gun Safe Shopping Tips
In today's world, the price of quality gear is increasing daily, and with other economic factors affecting Americans, saving money has become a necessity. So it is important to find quality and budget-minded options for everything, including gun safes. There are plenty of great safes in the $500-$700 range that will serve your purposes perfectly, but you want it to hold enough firearms. Most safes claim they will store a certain number of guns, but that may not include dimensions for longer barrels or space for optics and accessories. So you will want to find a safe with plenty of room for the things you intend on storing. Pay close attention to interior dimensions, and find out what shelves might be adjustable and what parts might be permanently in place if customization of the setup is important.
There are a lot of safes available, and they aren't exactly inexpensive items. However, if you focus on a few necessities and ask yourself a few questions, about you and your gun-owning style, then you can narrow in on a safe that will work for your needs. The best gun safes all use a heavy-gauge steel construction, have a trust-worthy locking mechanism, and offer high-quality fireproof and flood-proof features to keep your guns and valuables safe from things other than break-ins from burglars. An electronic lock is pretty much standard these days, and things like interior lighting, adjustable shelving, and storage space for items other than firearms (such as ammo, scopes, and other valuable shooting equipment) are often included.
If peace of mind is what you want, check out one of these recommended gun safes.
Union Safe Company 24 Gun Safe
The Union Safe Company 24 Gun Safe offers a sleek design with a sharp black color, and it's also fire-rated to temperatures up to 1,400 degrees. This safe is large enough to hold guns up to 51 inches long and will hold 24 guns, which is a decent number of long rifles. Removable shelving and an electronic keypad give this safe several handy features.
Redfield 24 Gun Safe
Found at Academy Sports + Outdoors, the Redfield 24 Gun Safe positions itself as a great all-around option. A sturdy, heavy-duty design with quality electronic components makes this safe as good as they get at its price point. The safe has fire protection and is rated for 40 minutes at 1,400 degrees, ensuring that your valuables remain secured. This one can store 18 long rifles, and has achieved a perfect five out of five rating on Academy's website.
Winchester 26 Gun Safe
When it comes to firearms and firearms accessories, there are few legacies that can rival Winchester, and the brand offers a 26 gun safe that has a lot to like. It's equipped with electronic components and includes a backup key feature for any electronic malfunctions. The safe holds up to 26 long guns while also being fire-rated for 45 minutes at 1,400 degrees. The quality of this safe is sure to be unmatched at its price point. It almost received a near-perfect review score on Tractor Supply's website.
Machir 12 Gun Facial Recognition Safe
The high-quality Machir 12 Gun Safe offers some very unique features at a reasonable price. This safe offers a slightly slimmer frame and build and is fire-rated for 30 minutes at 1200 degrees. What this safe offers that nothing else does on the list is an electronic facial-recognition system. Talk about sweet! All this at $598, and it sounds like a great deal.
Wasatch 18 Gun Safe
Dick's Sporting Goods
Finally, we recommend the Wasatch 18 Gun Safe sold at Dick's Sporting Goods. This is a good mid-sized long gun safe with plenty of gun room, even for serious firearm owners. The safe is fire-rated for 30 minutes at 1,400 degrees and is even waterproof for 72 hours in two feet of water. The safe sports an electronic locking system for easy use, and packs a lot of solid, no-nonsense features for a good price.
Gun Safe Takeaways
Though they can sometimes be overwhelmingly expensive, there are great deals on gun safes throughout the year; you just need to keep an eye out. If you're lucky, you may land a high-quality safe at highly-discounted price. Good-sized, quality safes can be bought for less than $500—if you know where and when to look. Gun owners know there is no better way to store and secure their gun collections than a high-caliber safe.
