Consider A New Long Gun Safe
Lots of questions about responsibility and keeping your personal items secure have been popping up recently. Texas Safe & Locks is asking you where do you keep all of your firearms and valuables that you don’t need to access quickly? If you have something that will accomodate everything you need, that's great. If you don't, and would like a great suggestion for a safe for home or business, then we suggest a much bigger and more secure type of safe called a long gun safe. Respecting that potential and ensuring that your guns don’t fall into the wrong hands is your responsibility and obligation as a gun owner. This is a great place to begin to understand why you need to own a gun safe. With so many quality manufacturers out there like Hamilton, FireKing, Brown, Liberty, Gardall, Rhino, Haymean, Gardes, Browning, Cannon, and FireKing; you will be able to make a quality selection that will meet your home safe or business safe needs.
Most of us think of a long gun safe being the kind of safe Wile E. Coyote tries to drop on the Road Runner because that’s pretty much what they look like—big, heavy boxes of steel. In today's markets, it's quite a bit different.
Sometimes called long rifle safes, stack-on safes, or gun vaults, these gun safes are designed and meant to safeguard all of your guns in one secure location. They are heavy, generally 750+ lbs. or more and the thought process with a safe of this type is worth its salt and is made from heavy steel and difficult to move. Even though they are cumbersome, long gun safes should still be bolted to the floor, especially if you’re planning on keeping it in your garage. If it’s not bolted down, it can still be lifted into the back of a pickup truck a driven off to a remote location, where the thieves can take their time breaking into it.
That said, if you own more than a few handguns, we strongly recommend keeping your main home-defense weapon in a quick access safe, while storing the rest of your firearms in a long gun safe. Though these bigger safes can be more expensive, we recommend that anyone with one or more long guns (rifles, shotguns, etc.) invest in a full-size gun safe. Long gun safes are traditionally the most secure, generally have the highest fire ratings, and protect large amounts of firearms, ammunition, and other personal valuables you need to protect, but most importantly, they protect your family by preventing your firearms from falling into the wrong hands.
Considerations About Long Gun Safes:
- What Size. General rul is to buy a safe that is bigger than what you think you need. The last thing you want to do is invest in something as large and expensive as a safe, only to run out of space. Keep in mind that a good safe is more than a gun locker. You are also storing your family’s valuables in there, and you’ll find that you quickly fill up the space.
- Fire resistance. Be sure you check the fire resistance rating of the safe you purchase. No safe is “fire-proof”; however, some safes last longer and can take more heat than others. Be specific about the ratings you want or need based on what will go inside.
- Which Brand. It is very true that none wants to pay extra for branding, but when it come to gun safes, different brands can offer you exclusive features you may need for adequate protection. For instance, Browning safes have a unique door-mounted rifle rack (patent pending) that you cannot get with other long gun safe brands. This feature allows you to store more firearms without paying for a bigger safe.
- What About The Location. Just like the quick access gun safes, you’ll want to pick a spot before you shop for your safe. Know the dimensions of your space and whether or not you can deliver a giant steel box to the location you want (can it fit through the door?). And understand why you need what you need.
- Particular Safe Specifications. Remember to check the steel gauge. A heavier gauge steel can be much more difficult to drill through than less-resistant light gauge steel.
- Try To Stop Tampering. Does your safe have extra armor or devices to counteract drilling? In general most low-grade safes can be opened with battery-powered tools in just a few minutes. A good safe will have relockers that trigger when the safe is under attack. These relockers can only be retracted after hours of drilling. Look for a safe that has two or more relockers.
Please, call us today at 469-467-7233. Texas Safe & Lock has served the Dallas/Ft. Worth region for over 36 years with skilled locksmiths that identify and solve locksmith issues quickly and affordably. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, even weekends and holidays, we show up usually within 30 minutes and can handle any emergency with our mobile services, and commercial expertise.
