How to Buy a Gun Safe
Gun safes protect your children from possible firearm dangers and also protect your expensive or antique guns from theft by keeping them secure. With the myriad of choices in the market today, it is important to choose a gun safe that will provide you with the utmost security while still being economical. By determining which features are most meaningful, you can make an informed decision about the type, size and brand you prefer to purchase.
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Instructions
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Place all of your guns on a flat surface. Measure the length of each gun from the butt to the end of the barrel and measure the width of the gun butt. Set aside.
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Determine the height required based on the measurements of your longest gun and calculate the width required by adding the width of each gun together. Repeat for the depth required. You may want to consider a larger size safe than your current collection needs to account for future purchases.
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Choose the type of lock you want. Gun safes typically come with key, combination or electronic keypad locks. The key lock is the most economical but offers the least protection because the lock could be picked or the keys taken. A combination lock is the most widely available and offers more protection than a key lock and is less expensive than an electronic keypad. Gun safes that utilize electronic keypad locks are the most expensive but are also the safest because they have a lockout feature that prevents the safe from opening if there is more than a set number of attempts to enter the correct code.
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Decide on the level of fire protection you need. Fire protection is usually determined by the amount of time the safe will protect its contents from burning. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has independently rated the claims for all of the major brands of gun safes and has certified the length of fire protection. The most common options are 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 90 minutes. The longer the fire protection, the higher the cost so you will want to consider how close you are to a fire department and whether you have a home security system that includes a fire alarm alert when deciding on the amount of fire protection you need.
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Compare prices of the major brands at sites such as GunSafes.com or GetSafes.com based on the criteria you selected. You may also want to check your local area gun safe dealers to ensure you are getting the best price. Due to the weight of a gun safe, it is important to include the shipping or delivery charges into any quoted price so you can ensure your comparisons accurately reflect what your final price will be.
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