Looking at Gun Safe Size (written for Dallas Gun Safe Small)
A gun safe is quite like a storage shed, no matter how big it is, you need more space. Because you pick a gun safe to specifically store your firearms and keep them safe from fire or theft, you may not think about expanding your collection. You also may not think about all the other things a gun safe can be good for storing. When you choose to buy a gun safe make sure to keep in mind what you and your family would like to store in it. Many of the gun safes available will list how many guns they are capable of holding; if you possess guns with scopes or long barrels you may want to take into consideration the amount of space these will occupy. It is a good idea to cut about 25% off of the total capacity to make sure the gun safe is big enough to hold your collection.
You may consider two safes of similar size but very greatly and cost, keep in mind the higher-priced safes usually are manufactured in thicker steel. You may find a cheaper option made out of two thin pieces of steel layered on the outside of a fireboard. These safes may provide good fire protection but not good security. Make sure you look at how much the total weight of the safe is. This will give you an idea of how thick the steel is, you can also knock on the door with your fist -- if it sounds hollow then most likely it is not built with thick steel. Some of the higher quality gun safes will be tested by the UL, these tests usually consist of the UL giving experienced safe crackers tools to try to open the safe, if they can open the safe within 30 min. the safe fails the test.
Another possibility that two safes of the same size may vary in price is because of the fire rating. Many safes will show a fire rating on the inside of the door it may say something like 1300°, 30 min., 325°. This means the safe can be put next to fire of 1300° for 30 min. and will reach an internal temperature of 325°. Truthfully there is no such thing as a fireproof safe; no safe can withstand a hot fire for a long period of time, the contents within will perish.
