A couple years ago I bought a "Tactical American" from Sportsman's Steel Safes. It has a 3/16" body, two layers of concrete fire board, a Palusol seal, a stepped door, and it weighs 2150 lbs. It is 72x50x33 and the door fits so tight that air whooshes out when you close it. I think it has a two hour fire rating.
I no longer have this safe because when I sold the house, the new buyers bought the safe from us. I didn't want to move it anyway. The driveway of that place is 60' long and 45' of that has a 15 degree slope.
We are in our new house now and I should have my new safe this month. It's about a six month wait for it to be built. I bought the same thing except I made it 60" wide this time. I thought about going to a 1/4" outer shell and then adding a 10 gauge stainless liner, but that was a lot more expensive for only a little more practical protection. This new safe should weigh about 2500 lbs. It cost around $8k and it will be another $1k for delivery.
They say a fire is five times more likely than a theft attempt. Also, smoke can severely damage firearms. That is why that Palusol seal and a tight fitting door are important. A tight fitting door also makes it pry proof.
If they damage to lock then four 1" diameter steel relockers will engage and permanently lock the door. They could cut through the 3/16" outer wall with a cutting torch, but they would need to bring their own and know how to use it. They could grab my 7" grinder and cut through, but that would take a lot of time.
A dedicated professional thief can break into just about anything, but that's not the kind of thief that's likely to show up at my house.
All that said, there is value to any firearm security container. They all will keep guns out of the hands of curious kids and keep an honest person honest.
Sportsman Steel Safes is the leading manufacturer of gun safes in America with clients like the FBI, CIA, and the Secret Service. Call for a free quote! 800-266-7150
www.sportsmansteelsafes.com
