For many of us, a house fire is among our worst fears. If disaster were to strike, would our gun safe protect our firearms and other valuables? Let’s delve into the matter and see if “Fireproof” safes are truly fireproof, or if it’s just another myth.
I’m wary of anything that claims to be “proof” against something. Proof suggests that something is completely impervious to whatever it claims to be protective against. Waterproof? Hardly! It’s water-resistant. Windproof? Not a chance. Fireproof? I guess we’ll see.
The fact is that no safe is fireproof. Instead, fireproof safes are only rated to withstand certain temperatures for a certain amount of time. How long and at what temperature the safe will survive is dependent on construction, coating, and wall thickness, among other factors. But at some point, they will all fail.
How Do They Protect From Fire?
Gun safes can use a variety of materials to protect firearms, ammo, and other valuables. Let’s take a look at some of the more common ones.
Fireboard
Many safes these days use layers of fireboard (basically gypsum), which is similar to drywall. The thickness of the fireboard generally ranges between 1/4 inch and 5/8 inch thick. This material has some moisture in it, and during a fire, the heat releases the moisture to keep the interior of the safe cooler for a longer period of time. The more layers of fireboard used in the safe, the longer it stays cool.
The steam from the fireboard will create positive pressure inside the safe, which helps keep out the heat and smoke. After all the water in the gypsum is gone, it will run out of steam (literally) and the fireboard will begin to fall apart. Whatever is left will crumble and fall to the bottom of the gun safe, offering zero protection to your valuables.
There are some potentially negative factors to consider with fireboard. One is that this super-heated steam inside your gun safe will affect your firearms with rust and in other ways. Unless you can get them out very soon after the fire, they will continue to deteriorate.
Also, since many safes are now made in China, they sometimes use very nasty chemicals in their gypsum drywall insulation. Even in their dry state, these chemicals aren’t necessarily healthy for us in our homes.
Finally, gypsum can eventually lose its moisture inside and dry out, causing it to simply fall apart. Gypsum, as a result, is a very poor way to fireproof a safe.
K-Wool
K-Wool is another type of insulator that comes in blanket form and is used by a few manufacturers. Besides its use in gun safes, K-Wool is also used to insulate pipes because it’s easy to form a curved surface. Although some manufacturers claim a fire rating of 2,300° F for an hour, these claims are dubious at best.
Composite Material
Composite material resembles concrete and is sandwiched in between the layers of steel. Although it resembles concrete, Composite Material is lighter than concrete. It acts as an insulator to keep the heat from a fire from reaching the inside of the safe.
What Do Fire Ratings Mean?
A safe rated for 60 minutes at 1,200° F means that in a 1,200° F fire, the inside will stay under 350° F for at least 60 minutes.
Safe Contents
It’s a good thing to note that various contents of safes are affected differently. Guns can tolerate higher temperatures. However, plastics, depending on their thickness, have different melting points. And, people don’t just keep firearms in safes; sometimes folks store important paperwork in their gun safes, like photographs, cash, precious metals, and more. Unfortunately, though, paper begins to discolor at just above 350° F, and it will scorch at about 410° F. At 451° F, it will ignite.
Types of Fire
Typical house fires can range in temperature from 800° F to 1200° F. Normally, they are brought under control in under a half hour.
Wildfires can have higher temperatures because of the vast size that they gain. Those increased temperatures are certainly significant (and foreboding). However, another factor comes into play — the fact that it’s unlikely that the wildfire will be extinguished within that one-hour window that safes are normally rated for as fire-resistant. In such cases, the safe will likely be subjected to very high temperatures for an extended period. This could very well exceed their ability to protect your valuables.
Obviously, the best fire-resistant safes are going to cost the most. One suggestion is that, if you’re chiefly after fire protection for non-gun items, you can always get a firebox. Smaller boxes are less expensive and can have very high fire ratings.
Certifications
There is no federal or industry-regulated standard for conducting temperature tests, so there is no minimum standard for what a fire rating should be. Basically, manufacturers can make up their own criteria for what it means to be “fireproof”.
There are two different types of certifications that safes can be tested for.
Independent
Some manufacturers have their safes tested and certified by independent companies. Typically, a safe is placed into a furnace with thermal couplings placed inside the safe and connected to computers outside the furnace.
The furnace temperature is raised to at least 1,200° F within 10 minutes and is held there for the entire test. As the temperature of the furnace is raised, the computer monitors the temperature inside the safe. When the temperature inside the safe exceeds 350° F, the test is concluded.
Factory Certified
A Factory Certified test is conducted in-house, with no independent witnesses being present. This method leaves all sorts of factors up in the air and is not considered to be reliable by most. For example, the furnace temperature might take 45 minutes to reach 1200° F, and then they might only maintain that temperature for a very short time.
Sometimes the thermal couplings are placed at the bottom of the safe where temperatures are cooler, since heat rises. That gives a false test result and makes the safe look better than it really is.
Another trick is to pack the thermal couplers into materials that insulate them from the heat so that the safe looks more efficient than it really is.
This is not to say that every factory that conducts tests in-house is fraudulent or inaccurate, but just be aware that there might be a reason why they don’t seek independent tests.
Gun Safe Companies
There are many companies that offer safes, both economical and very expensive.
Liberty Safe seems to be a reputable company. They offer a lifetime warranty that covers replacing or repairing any safe that is damaged by fire or an attempted robbery. They are made in America, and they make safes for the NRA, Colt, and Cabela’s. They are expensive, but this seems to be a case of “you get what you pay for.”
Champion Safes also has a solid reputation, although their prices are, like Liberty Safes, substantial.
Granted, these are just two of the many companies among the top tier of gun safes. There are many others, and prospective buyers should launch into their own research and see what suits them best.
What To Look for in a Fireproof Gun Safe
There are certain things that we should check before purchasing a gun safe if we’re concerned about it being fireproof…er, excuse me, fire resistant.
- Is there a warranty in the event of a fire?
- What sort of testing did the safe undergo to determine its fire rating?
- What material is used to insulate against fire?
- How many layers of this material were used?
- Are the certifications independent or factory?
- Price is also likely going to be a factor unless you’ve recently hit the lottery.
As you can see, a lot of variables go into choosing a fire-resistant safe. However, we hope that this article has armed you with enough knowledge to start your search for your new gun safe. But just remember to embrace the Latin phrase, Caveat Emptor – Buyer Beware. Carefully read the specs, do your research, and if possible, be sure to see the safe in person before you buy.
