Gun safes

• Read the RSC level. RSC Level I is the common residential standard. Level II is a substantially longer and better-equipped attack test. Higher grades (TL-15, TL-30) exist and cost accordingly.
• Steel gauge is a smaller number for thicker steel. 12-gauge body steel is roughly 2.7mm; 10-gauge is roughly 3.4mm; 7-gauge is roughly 4.5mm. Many budget safes use 14- or 16-gauge bodies with a thick door, which is where the pry attack goes anyway — the body, not the door.
• Fire ratings are a time and a temperature. A '60 minute' rating is meaningless without the furnace temperature it was tested at, and whether the test was independently verified or done in-house. Ask for both numbers.
• Bolt down, always. An unanchored safe can be tipped, walked out on a dolly, or opened at leisure elsewhere. Anchoring to a slab or to floor joists is the single highest-value thing you will do, and it costs almost nothing.
• Humidity control is not optional. A sealed steel box in a garage is a condensation chamber. Plan for a rechargeable desiccant or a low-wattage rod, and a hygrometer so you actually know.
• Locks: mechanical dials outlive electronic keypads. Electronic locks are faster and more convenient; they also have a battery and a circuit board. Many owners keep a mechanical dial on long-term storage and an electronic quick-access box for the bedside gun.

We list individual products here only once we have confirmed them in the retailer's live catalog. Until then, this goes straight to the full gun safes category so you can filter on the specs above yourself.