Best High Security Gun Safes

Overview

These high security gun safes are the absolute best of the best. They sit at the top of the mountain alone. The American Security BFII, Fort Knox Legend and Vault Pro American Eagle Gun Safes are of premier quality with up to 1/2″ steel doors, UL rated high security locks, at least a 1/4″ steel body and at least 90 minute fire ratings. I’ve tested all of the safes and compiled this list of the Best High Security Gun Safes.

Lock -Best High Security Gun Safes

First and always most important for any gun safe is the lock. All three of these gun safes from American Security, Fort Knox and Vault Pro feature high quality UL Rated Type 2 High Security Mechanical Locks. UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories and they are an independent agency that certifies that the locks are both secure and high quality. I always recommend to purchase a UL rated lock and all three of these options are very high quality. All three models also have the option to upgrade to a UL Rated type 1 High Security Lock.

S&G Mechanical Lock

Included in the price of all three gun safes is the S&G UL Type 2 Mechanical Lock. This is one of only two mechanical locks I recommend as it is high quality, reliable and known for longevity. It uses a three number combination that rotates into the lock body on the inside of the safe. This lock is designed to last for decades and features over 1 million possible combinations. You can’t go wrong with this lock, I highly recommend it.

Hard Plate and Re-Locker

All of these locks are also protected by both a hard plate and internal spring-loaded re-locker. The Hard plate is a piece of hardened steel that absolutely destroys drill bits. The internal re-locker fires if the lock is punched through securing the bolts in place. Both of these are essential security features and included on all of these Best High Security Gun Safes. The style of hard plates used is 1″ thick hardened steel.

Security – Best High Security Gun Safes

When it comes to security, these gun safes use two different methods. Vault Pro and Fort Knox use the traditional thick steel layers to achieve security. Vault Pro uses a 1/4″ steel plate on the outer edge of the door, another 1/4″ steel plate on the inside of the door and 1/4″ steel in the body. Fort Knox uses a 3/8″ steel plate door, 1/4″ body and an additional 10 gauge inner steel liner.

Now this is where the American Security BFX Gun Safes absolutely destroys the Vault Pro and Fort Knox. American Security starts with a full 1/2″ steel plate door, then uses concrete composite insulation material and an additional 11 gauge inner liner. In the body they use an 11 gauge outer steel plate, the same concrete composite insulation material as the door, a 12 gauge inner steel liner and then finish it off with another layer of 4 gauge steel plate underneath the 12 gauge liner.

Passing the UL RSC Level II burglary test ensures the safe can withstand an attack on the door with multiple different tools for a minimum of 10 minutes each. Two attackers are used in the test and the American Security BFII gun safe is the only safe to ever pass this test. This also allows it to carry insurance up to $50,000 when combined with a home burglar alarm. Fort Knox is rated as UL RSC Level I and the Vault Pro has not been tested for UL RSC but far exceeds the security requirements for level I.

Fire Rating – Best High Security Gun Safes

When it comes to the fire ratings, they are near identical but with a few key differences. Vault Pro has a 2 hour fire rating from a combination of UL Rated fireboard and ceramic wool blanket that allows it to achieve very high temperatures. Next, American Security BFII Gun Safes have a 2 hour ETL Verified rating due to the concrete composite material and this is by far the highest quality fire rating. Finally, Fort Knox uses Inferno Shield fire protection. Fort Knox limits the thermal conductivity by lining the inside of their vaults with a proprietary blend of a hydrogen bond fireboard and lock it in place using a stud weld process. They also test this process with a full 9 sensor house simulated test

In addition, they both include intumescent door seals along the door frame that expand up to 7 times their size during a fire to keep smoke and heat from entering the safe. However, Fort Knox includes a dual activated thermal door seal. First the cold smoke seal and then the Palusol seal that swells to keep the door shut.

Style and Function – Best High Security Gun Safes

Paint

American Security, Fort Knox and Vault Pro all have a variety of high quality gloss color options and matching hardware. You can customize the safe to your exact style and home decor.

Interior & Accessories

American Security includes a high quality door panel organizer on their BFII Gun Safes. All three companies feature the standard plush carpeting material. In addition, American Security adds a very nice mirrored back wall to their safes.

Finally, all three companies include power outlets.

Warranty

All three companies include limited lifetime warranties on their gun safes that cover burglary, attempted burglary and fire. They also include parts and labor warranties where they will pay for a locksmith or safe technician to come out to your home and repair the gun safe on site and at no cost to you. These are reliable warranties from good companies that keep their word. The key differentiator in this category is that American Security only provides a 1 year parts and labor warranty. Fort Knox and Vault Pro offer a lifetime parts and labor warranty on all components except the lock for Vault Pro. The longer the warranty, the more the company believes in the product. It’s really that simple.

The Bottom Line

All three of these gun safes are easily the Best High Security Gun Safes available. While they are all excellent quality products with very high levels of security, the American Security BFII gun safes stand out as the absolute best with the 1/2″ thick steel door, concrete composite fire and burglary protection, inner steel liners and ETL 2 hour fire protection. Finally, American Security is the oldest and longest standing safe company in the United States and the BFII is the highest security gun safe available.

Are these high security gun safes above your budget? Check out these lists of the Top 3 Gun Safes under $1,200, the Top 3 Gun Safes under $1,600, the Top 3 Gun Safes under $2,000 and the Top 3 Gun Safes Under $5,000.