Posted on 05/21/2020 9:21:04 AM PDT by w1n1
A Brief History
Safes in one form or another have been around since the days of Julius Cesar. While sometimes disputed, Jesse Delano is credited with the first fireproof safe design patented in 1826. The modern gun safe has its roots in the 1850s designs of Silas Herring. He used plaster and steel to create a fire rated gun storage safe.
What's interesting and disappointing is that the gun safes of today are not built to standards anywhere near Herring's 1850 design. Price and profit pressures have caused the whole industry to move away from true fire rated safes. The majority of what are commonly called and sold as "Gun Safes" are actually UL (Underwriter’s Laboratories) listed as "RSC" or "Residential Security Containers" and are not actual safes. This includes the "safes" available at all the big chains with popular brand names including “Liberty,” "Winchester", "Browning," etc.
Yes, you may have guessed it. The industry did not want to build to the UL Safe classification standard so they created a new standard, RSC – "Residential Security Container."
What is an RSC (Residential Security Container)?
An RSC rated container (gun cabinet) will resist forced opening for up to five minutes by an attacker using simple, non-powered hand tools. We're talking screwdrivers, hammers (must be less than 3lbs), and pry bars (must be less than 18″ long). RSC containers are not rated against any attack by power tools of any kind, or any attack lasting longer than five minutes. This is security designed for 1850’s threat level.
Today, a high powered battery operated grinder with a cutoff wheel can cut a "gun safe" (Residential Security Container) in half in less than 15 minutes. A small portable plasma cutter will do the job in under 3 minutes. People assume that because it weighs 1,000 lbs it must be secure.
Fire Rating
RSC Certified gun safes are not fireproof.
The only consistent, reliable and independent fire rating is the UL fireproof safe class rating. The lowest rating is "Class 350 1-hour" The ratings go up to 4 hours (Class 350-4). Unfortunately, there are no RSC gun safes that meet this rating as the materials and construction required to offer this kind of protection are deemed too expensive by the gun safe industry. Read the rest of gun safes.
Yes, you just don’t want piles of cash , photos, and documents to self immolate in the big one. They say take pictures of pictures and documents just in case.
“If your house is burning down and bullets explode guess what the fire department will not do?”
Internet old wives tale to claim they back off. Fire departments already know the ammo results in no velocity of the bullets.
“He should come to my place and try to get past my motion sensor and Mossberg 590.”
Easy enough to do really. You’re not always home and if you are then you can die the same if they have a Mossberg 590.
They'd rather have your x box and perhaps large led tv.
I think the best means to obtain some level of security is to get smaller safes that offer some fire protection. It keeps nosy kids or adults away from your guns, but it, of course, doesn’t stop the determined thief.
Don't forget the very large dog water bowl near the front door.
It gets noisy when the grinder sets off the ammo.....
And you will open it willingly when an intruder has a gun in your four year olds ear at 3am.
If you don’t have a concrete surface you can use 3 1-2” lag bolts into wall studs and floor joists, preferably both, securing it in two directions. Mounting in a corner, with lag bolts to studs on rear and one side, plus floor joists is another option. Big plus is to hide safe behind false wall or other camouflage too.
Aye.
But those are people who want me dead, whatever the excuse.
I am a harder target than 99.9% of everyone else.
Why pick me?
Nay, they’ll pick Goober.
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