With a little research you will learn Winchester Safes have similar manufacturer backdoor codes just like Liberty. I have one, and removed everything except stuff I can do with out until I replace the lock with an aftermarket lock.
Its rated for 30 to 90 minutes in fire. If that fire burned down the house I can assure you it was longer than the rating. So a total loss is to he expected.
Thanks for checking out our video! Most of these ratings you reference are created and declared by the manufacturer, and they are not subject to any independent testing or certification. Buyer beware!
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
@@matthewk6731 Generally a safe dealer, which will often be found at a safe & lock company, will be able to discuss the kind of protection you are looking for and suggest some quality options.
As a firefighter, I can assure you that the fire had been burning for quite some time, and there’s not much that would survive. If you live in the sticks with a fire department that is volunteer or based far away, your chances of loosing everything, house and safe alike, is very great. If you’re in a city or suburb with staffed fire stations, you have a much better chance of loosing very little. A 30 minute rated safe would be fine for someone in the city or suburbs. The FD will be knocking the fire down within minutes of arriving, for the most part. It wouldn’t matter if it was a $500 Winchester safe or a $5,000 Liberty safe, any fire burning for an extended amount of time will destroy most safes. Best thing you can do is get a decent safe, and insure your house/belongings/guns. There are no safes that are 100% fire proof or burglar proof. There’s always a hot enough temp, or a determined enough thief.
Thanks for checking out our video! You are generally correct about most gun safes, due to the fact that they are rarely independently tested and verified. The so-called time & temp "ratings" are usually determined in house and the methods by which they are acquired are highly suspect. However, a UL fire labeled safe is subjected to very precise measurement in extreme tests designed to exceed the temps of an average structure fire, and are therefore much more likely to preserve the contents within them despite the factors you mentioned. "100 % fireproof?" No, with enough effort they can be destroyed, by lava flow, for example. But fireproofed against naturally occuring structure fires, yes, those products are available.
Not to mention. If you happen to be there when they roll up or you get a neighbor on the phone to direct the crew chief to which part of the home to absolutely flood to keep the safe cooled.
It seems odd to me that there is paper that isn't charred, but the pistol in the door pocket looks like the ammunition in the magazine blew the mag out. Paper chars at under 300 degrees and ammunition cooks off at over 400. Unless there just isn't enough oxygen in the safe for paper to char.
@@DonutVIP a gun safe is not regulated by any 3 letter organization. Perfectly legals to remove the serial number from your gun safe. It's about the same as removing the serial number from your refrigerator.
@@schooper. just think about it, all those atf video is floating around the internet, even if you remove the serial number they would still anal F you, my last sentence is just a saying of why law abiding always get f*ck and criminal always get simp on or white knight
@@RedHuntsman I feel like the main job of a safe is to prevent rounds from cooking off, or at least contain them for the sake of any firefighters on scene. Preserving the collection is a nice bonus
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
The polymer gun parts melted only for the gun located near the top of the safe, while the lower one looked superficially intact. The softer plastic of the ammo box got more melt-y even located at the bottom (it softened up enough to mold itself around the vertical support).
It's not just the seals. It's the heat conducted in as the composite walls built temperature. Wonder if it builds pressure inside with smoke and expansion?
That’s why it’s best to put your safe on the exterior wall of your house. It will be in the fire the least amount of time in the center of the house sits at the heart of the fire.
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
@@AplussafeandlockI had to read it about four times to understand, just add commas and it makes a lot more sense with punctuation. He’s asking if it can be had for $400, hold 30 rifles, 10 pistols, and all your documents at °1400 degrees!! Hope that helps with proper punctuation lol 😂👍
I have learned two wonderful things about weapon ownership over my lifetime. Never …. Never keep your weapons or ammo in a safe. Secondly, keep them ready to bug out in less than three minutes.. that means carry bags, backpacks and crates. I have 37 weapons from an 1800’s Kentucky long rifle to a handguns. I can move the lot with ammo and tools in about five minutes.. I have lived through six tornadoes, a house fire and a flood. Lost my home on three different occasions in my lifetime.. still have all my weapons and important documents.. grew up military and it was instilled in me…. Nothing is permanent so pack it to move out quickly. It’s ridiculous to some but over thirty marked backpacks and gun bags. MREs, paper’s, photos, watches, medical bag, three days of clothing, 2000 plus rounds.. It’s a lot but other than my family, cats and dog.. we can move out in less than ten minutes. Call me nutty or a freak but as a kid, I learned to just worry about the importance of being ready to shoot and scoot. Safes are just decoys Update…. FYI, nope not on drugs, lived on a boat that was in a hurricane, lived in 2 war zones with my father. No one breaks into my home because there is always a family member or a friend here 24 / 7. Not a nut job either. Just grew up living from base to base or in a tent. Having bags ready to go in my vehicle, room and stashed at several locations. I am not a gun freak or psycho…. I have been homeless and hungry…. I be damned if I go hungry for lack of trying or preparing. So why not ?? I don’t expect people to grasp it but again, you do you. I just think Gun safes are useless.. And if you are too stupid to teach your family about being adaptable to things or being prepared.. again that’s you. I hate violence.. but I am fine with dealing with it. I respect and treat everyone warmly and kindly until you make me choose otherwise.. I don’t want any problems but if you choose that with me…. I will only tolerate a small amount before I decide not to enjoy your company.. and that’s fine. See, I can and have seen things as a child that I shouldn’t have. I have also served my country with love and life. I don’t mind if you aren’t like minded. It’s really alright. Just don’t waste your money on silly stuff.. The average gun fight is under 2 seconds at 7 feet with at least 3 rounds discharged …. Okay, go unlock your safe. I’ll wait……. I don’t want to hurt a soul but I am going home or doing something more important than waiting around to be a victim.. 30 weapons are my great grand fathers, my grand fathers and my uncles. Pre civil war, world war 1, 2 Vietnam.. they are like family photos …. Private and Priceless.. that’s all.. So crack jokes I and on drugs or they will get stolen.. or I should reevaluate my life. I have clean food and water, clean clothes and my life packed up in bags ready to go. What’s wrong with that?? Nothing .. I sleep just fine.
Bagging up 37 guns and having them by the door is a double edged sword. If you can get them out the door in 5 minutes a few thieves can get them out in under a minute. I was robbed once. They took anything with a handle on it. Bypassed drawers full of ingersall rand pro air tools, Milwaukee battery and electric tools. Went for small tool boxes equipped with handles. The contents were sockets and wrenches and other hand tools. Bizzare! My point being you might be making it too easy for the thieves.
For a old safe in a complete house fire that probably lasted hours, then that's actually really good, and at least those guns can be salvaged and restored
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
Meh idk it they’ll be okay brother, they will probably have to toss at least 75% of it. I wouldn’t even go near any of the ammo if it ended up lasting. Or there is any even. But look at the guns on the floor, idk it’s like an oven for guns
Yeah, Amsec dry-lite concrete fill is definitely better. The gypsum drywall fireboard resists fire by releasing the H2O from the hydrated gypsum, which bathes everything inside with hot steam. That's going to work to keep currency or important documents legible, so you can use them for verification to get certified replacements, and jewelry from being destroyed, but that's about it. Firearm finishes, wood, and polymer, will not fare well.
Correct, a concrete composite mix with a 2 hour UL fire rating, which I believe is the best you can get. The concrete mix also acts as an anti theft feature, pretty hard to drill and cut.
@patrickkearney8774 The concrete fill does help with preventing forced entry, but mainly, it provides a rigid backing to thinner gauge steel from sledgehammer, axe, & chisel attacks. It also makes a Sawzall attack a PITA as the concrete binds and dulls the sawteeth and creates obnoxious dust for the thief. But they use things like "Dry-Lite" concrete, which has stuff like low weight vermiculite, or artificial compressed rock-wool gravel "aggregate" in an attempt to balance fire insulation, strength, shipping, & installation weight. So it's sort of halfway between gypsum plaster & structural concrete in terms of mechanical properties. It only resists a few blows in the same spot before the crumbling lets the steel deform, tear, or get punctured. Which is all fine, as the point isn't to be impervious, just too much hassle for a burglar. One that's likely to be an "opportunistic amateur" just by the odds, rather than a "pro." And do it all at a price-point the homeowner can afford, and at a weight, they can actually ship and get installed. "Pros" often target gunsafes with chains and a large truck. Just ripping it out of the house and then cutting/prying it open somewhere else at their leisure. The best strategy is to place the safe somewhere that limits or makes access to anything but the door difficult, and using floor anchors to prevent tipping or dragging. People need to think like a thief when considering how a "gunsafe" RSC might be broken into. The thief does not care about making a mess, damaging your home, or even very much about the contents of the RSC. Whatever they get is fine, as it's all "free" to start with.
Just some Info to for those that may not know. A safes fire rating is obtained by being at the lowest level of the home. Due to thermal layering. It's industry standard. The inside of that safe though if it went for another 5 minutes it would have been a loss. As a former interior F.F one of the worse things I've seen was homeowner that had thier basement flooded. Went out on a pump detail and a laminate stock will not hold up in a safe filled with water. Not sure if it's due to laws or regulations but I would be great to see safe companies offer some type of water seal as well. Not only adding another layer of protection from.both a fire or flooding but woidl also help mitigate humidity within the safe.
No not really. Same manufacturer. Winchester doesn't actually make thier safes themselves. Liberty makes them. Liberty and Tractor supply company are both owned by the same parent company.
Happy to see more people paying attention to who we're giving our money to. But we need to do more. There's way to many companies out there that are awful and pray on the kids.
I don’t even bother buying a fireproof safe I have records and pictures of all my firearms kept in separate location from the house. They're covered under my homeowners insurance. I just use a cabinet. Plus by the time the fire department gets there, the fire has probably been going for a little bit. probably about half the time the safe is rated for.
It’s the water and steam that destroys stuff. Best thing is to put what you can into metal ammo cans inside. This provides a whole other layer of protection.
That's a fair point assuming the contents are replaceable. However, many people have extremely rare items or heirlooms that would simply be lost if their safe failed to protect them.
Most safes are only rated for something like 1200* for 20 min, stuff like putting them on an exterior wall can make a big difference. One thing i do in mine that might help is all my cash and paperwork is in a fire resistant box inside the middle of the fire resistant gunsafe. Those fr boxs are cheap extra safety.
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
I will say this. If you have money for A- The safe itself, B- The install of the safe, and C- The contents of said safe, look into even DIY fireproofing. There's a LOT of options and ways it could be done on the cheap, without any more extensive modifications to the home. Fire brick is pretty light, use it to hide the safe or something too. Most safes are not rated for a "burns to the ground" scenario, and the ones that are are closer to rooms than safes. Extending the survivability is very doable though.
I wish you investigated further. It looks like the handgun had a loaded mag that got hot enough to set off the amunition. If thats the case, the fact that we don't see any bullet holes is a good sign of it's protection to the occupants and neighbors against the ammunition going off during the fire.
@@Aplussafeandlock I understand that. I also understand that permission could be acquired from the owners to show something that people don't see every day. I'm not asking about rummaging through their property anyway, just looking at how badly damaged the safe was and if any ammunition went off. It seems that the safe was effective for at least the rated time as the guns weren't burnt anywhere near as much as the house.
Ammunition going off not inside a barrel is not a safety concern. It just pops like popcorn and has no velocity. It's only the rounds that are chambered that can do any harm.
@@MP-ky3hc that's false. My dad was injured when he was a kid because of that very thing. The bullet gets shot forward while the casing gets shot backwards. The casing may even fragment to some degree.
We are talking about a price difference of over $1,000. Those Winchester safes are only $5-600. If you want a safe that can handle a house fire you are looking at $2,000+. I'd say it's well worth the investment if you are storing thousands of dollars worth of guns and ammo.
Anybody gets a gun safe here's a free tip. Encapsulate the safe in a concrete Cube line it with nomex fabric. This will increase the survivability and hopefully save your collection
I’ve been in the trades for the past 16 years and have no fkin idea what you just said 😂😂😂.. I’m guessing what you said was bury the thing is concrete with some fabric around it? Lol
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
My safe says it's waterproof and has a 4 hour burn rating, if you have a fire department they should be able to extinguish it within 4 hours. I have seen a lot of houses burn down and the piles and stacks still be smoldering the next day but I've never seen a house fire take 4 hours to put out, if your fire department is still fighting a HOUSE fire after 4 hours they are horrible!! Even if it burns to the ground it shouldn't take 4 hours. Isn't that the point of fire retardation in safes, to outlast a normal house fire?
If you put the safe next to an exterior wall and if possible get firefighters to spray there in a total loss fire. I'm no expert, just a 30 year residential home builder
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
@Aplussafeandlock It really depends on the materials the home was constructed with, what year the house was built, how many floors it has and whether it is on a crawl space or concrete foundation. I've seen pictures and valuables melted and turned to dust in "Ul class 125" safes
I built a house last year that had a suspended slab under the covers porch and we installed a vault door in it like at the bank I believe that would perform rather well in a house fire.
I hope everybody made it out of there all right praying for them I've had the same thing happen where I lost everything and it's a tough road to go down
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
it looks like did okay. there's paper in that safe. and it's still paper. probably brittle, but, salvageable. I'd like to see a gun smith clean up the firearms and test them.I bet they're fine.
Im trolling bud lol. Just was surprised some idiot hadnt already commented that, being serious lol. We all know the inside of that safe would have looked much different if a woman owned it 😂
Some of the low fire rated safes like that can be improved by putting multiple sheets of fire rated type x drywall around it. Like 5 layers deep. Turn an affordable 20min safe into an hour+ fire safe in a budget.
Considering that safe is really only rated for about an hour in fire, I would say it did remarkably well. And I would think it's quite possible a good portion of those firearms are still usable. But if the ATF asks, "You lost them all in that house fire." lol
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
@@Aplussafeandlock I mean, to be fair it was at least somewhat fire resistant, but I see your point because when you opened the door one thing I noticed immediately is there was no fire seal around the door, like most higher end safes have to keep smoke and water out
Imagine spending that kind of coin on a high and safe and losing everything inside of it anyways. That sucks for the homeowner and I really feel for them. It sucks they lost their house in the first place. Hopefully insurance helps him out. Hopefully nobody was hurt.
That makes me wonder... When will insurance companies "go woke" and put a "no firearms coverage" clause in their contracts??? Everyone needs to call their insurance company and confirm!
There are actually safes readily available on the market that will provide protection through the average structure fire. The best will come from a safe bearing a UL fire label. There are a few variations of UL fire ratings, but all are subject to rigorous testing. Generally speaking, for most valuables excluding electronic media, a UL Class 350 2 hour fire label will provide excellent protection beyond anything the average structure fire will throw at it. Unfortunately, I am unaware of any long gun safe with this certification. The closest you will find to it is a safe constructed like a real fire safe, but lacking a UL label. This means it will have fire resistant insulation poured between two metal plates instead of a sheetrock lining. The Amsec BFII series and Graffunder both use this manufacturing practice. Another company, Sturdy Safe, doesn't go quite to this extent, but they use a superior ceramic and fiberglass insulation which is thoroughly installed in the walls and I have seen excellent reviews on their protection as well. All these products are also extremely well constructed mechanically. Good luck!
More insulation, and isolation helps, but then if it's in the basement or underground...... Where does all the water from the fire hoses go?? Just can't win.
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
My friend was a gunsmith, after the campfire in Northern California, I truly seen what fire can do and no safe is going to withstand home fire combined with forest fire!
Yup. I'd be very interested to know if that's all it did. Maybe if you replace the grips and give all the steel components a good scrub down and re-lubricate, it would be just fine. This short video assumes at a glance that everything inside is ruined. Let's see a 30 min video going through everything and see what was actually destroyed and what (if anything) was salvageable. If my house burns to the ground I don't necessarily expect anything to survive, safe or no safe. That's what insurance is for.
@@mattc9811the "grips" are the all 1 piece called the receiver. The receiver of the gun IS THE GUN per ATF rules. You would have to buy another receiver, and go through a background check as that's the part that is considered the gun. You'd be buying a new gun to get that part... And almost as cheap to buy another gun altogether.
No, I make no assertion of a total loss of the contents. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
This is why you put you safe on a exterior wall of the house . It does not burn as hot as possibly center of house . Also when fire department shows up you can have them keep that area it’s located in sprayed easily possibly. To help preserve any papers valuables etc that may be in said safe
Gun safes (Residential Security Containers, not really safes) are usually insulated with sheetrock, if at all - rarely with heat resistant ferro cement). Unless you spend a LOT, to get true insulation and heat expanding door seals, do not expect it to survive a house fire and the water. BTW, I’ve seen a full chest freezer on the porch of a house that burned completely: the exterior looked bad, and the meat was thawed inward a few inches, but the central mass was still frozen. There’s a reason people store important documents in the center of the freezer.
Sounds like a big old chest freezer with a padlock would protect your firearms from fire than a commercial gun safe. Plenty of those around that stopped working as a freezer but would be a cheap and effective storage for your firearms to protect from fire?
The fact those documents are still fine is a huge win. Idk what you're smoking, but the overall condition of those items is phenomenal compared to what's left of the house.
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
@@Aplussafeandlock That's what I'm saying. Show us now what a good gun safe should look like after a week in a total loss house fire. All I see is that the paper didn't catch fire so it seems like victory to me.
Are you kidding? Its the best looking thing in the house! And so, so sorry for homeowner. I hope everyone escaped, and that they are able to rebuild their lives.
@@Aplussafeandlock I believe they are worse because you are placing all your valuables in one place and in plain sight. Most of them are no harder to get into than a vehicle with a rock.
@@Heywoodthepeckerwood That's still, by definition, not worse. Also, if you have any type of lock anywhere on your property and are saying that about a gunsafe, you're just wilfully ignorant.
It's true that there's a TON of slapdash minimum effort Chinese "safes" at big box tractor/farm/home-improvement or sporting goods stores that have a license fee paid to brand them as a recognized gun maker. Although, the next few levels up of American made ones, from Amsec. Ft. Knox, Liberty, Champion... those aren't actually "safes" either. They're just "Residential Security Containers" by their UL listing/rating. For am actual 'safe' that has a UL TL-30x6 or TL-60x6, (Tool Attack 30 or 60 minutes resistance, all six sides...) you're gonna pay, maybe more than the value of your gun collection. Other stuff you may be able to do: One, place the RSC or safe somewhere other than a basement. Two, where it's NOT going to fall into a basement in a fully-involved structure fire w/collapse. And three, where it won't get buried in 2+ stories of burning rubble, and possibly a few feet of fire department hose water, or flooding from busted mains. Easier said than done. But, if you're building new construction, maybe something like a non-basement foundation pad for an exterior wall closet that doesn't have a second story over it... could be added, be in local code, and not cost a ton extra. At that point, I'd spec that closet to at least follow attached garage fire-break code, 2x6, 2 layers of 1/2" drywall, steel door w/fire rating. And put my RSC/Safe in that "closet." Of course, it's a matter of how far one goes. "Might as well" could have you building a reinforced concrete bunker/safe-room. 😁
Wouldn't trust the Ammo but some of the firearms may be salvagable. Or at the least have okay parts. I'd take em to a gun smith. Might give you something for them.
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
These are the helpful videos people need to see before they make a purchase! Real world is a total loss house fire. As you can see, the internal temperature exceeded 400° F. Thank you for making this video!
No safe is fireproof. Any safe in a major fire will result in total loss of guns. Also fireproofing safes causes them to be toxic inside with all the chemicals they use. All you need is a safe that will prevent smash and grabs. Just keep your guns documented for the insurance if there is a fire.
Thanks for checking out our video! There are actually U L listed fireproof safes that have been on the market for many years that are put through rigorous testing and provide excellent fire protection without contaminating the interior compartment with toxic chemicals. However, they are not cheap, and not to be found in a big box store!
I've seen others like this from other house fires. Has me thinking about building a gun room but fairly small made of metal studs, cement board, and sheetrock. Won't be a gun vault as the safe still serves it's purpose, but help keep the heat away for a while until the walls eventually fail due to structural collapse, extreme heat, or both.
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
All gun fire safes have a burn rating up to a certain minute of time. Once that time frame is exceeded all bets are off bud. I do fire restorations for a living and emergency services. I’ve seen many many personal contents in fire safes survive pretty bad fires. Choose your manufacturer for your gun safe well. I have seen American Security safes do very well in fires. I own 3 of them because of this reason.
If all you do is plunk a safe in your house, you will still lose most everything in it when subjected to a total loss from fire. The safe needs to be in a heavily insulated fire and water resistant space. You build a concrete mini bunker around the safe that can channel water away from the safe as the firefighters extinguish the blaze. Flood protection would be considerably more challenging to achieve.
Damn dude...had this happen to my dads gun safe...our house burned down and the firefighters sprayed the safes when they was hot and it basically vaporized the inside of the safe...lost alot of collector guns...shit hurts more than most could ever understands. Way of life. Keep going tho
Based on the state of the safe's contents, it looks like the owner had not only stored ammunition inside, but stored some of the guns loaded. Ammo tends to cook off when heated, so it likely caused a fire inside the safe. If the owner hadn't been storing explosive materials inside the safe, everything probably would have been fine.
My brother in law had a fire at his home about ten years ago now. His Remington gun safe had all the paint burned off but everything inside was okay. Remington actually rebuilt and repainted the safe and delivered it to his new home.
There is paper inside, unburnt. Can’t expect safes to have magical cooling properties. If you want guns that don’t melt stop buying plastic. If you ask me, it’s pretty impressive that the ar is completely fine, I’d still check all the parts for warping and make sure they are within spec before throwing new plastic on but all in all it passed my test.
Any safe built with less then 1/4 hardened steel will not survive a total loss structure fire Especially if the safe is located in the center of the structure. Always find an outside wall to place your safe. Best chance of surviving structure fire.
My grandfather’s house got burned out, it didn’t burn down cause it was a old house with thick timber, but anyway I had a small tin with 2$ bills in it that survived In the heart of the fire, and I had other ammo cans with stuff in them that survived, and a cheap metal cabinet saved some of my stuff, but they weren’t in the heart of the fire like the little tin, and my paintball markers survived and weren’t even in anything, just under my dresser low on the floor, the place was a total loss tho, we tore it down over the years and places a trailer on the property
The cheapest diy way to extend the time a lot longer would be to have kiln/forge insulation wraped around and over it. A steel stud wall with multiple layers of dura rock and that insulation would probably work. There are also automatic fire extinguishers that could be fairly cheap.
There are actually safes readily available on the market that will provide protection through the average structure fire. The best will come from a safe bearing a UL fire label. There are a few variations of UL fire ratings, but all are subject to rigorous testing. Generally speaking, for most valuables excluding electronic media, a UL Class 350 2 hour fire label will provide excellent protection beyond anything the average structure fire will throw at it. Unfortunately, I am unaware of any long gun safe with this certification. The closest you will find to it is a safe constructed like a real fire safe, but lacking a UL label. This means it will have fire resistant insulation poured between two metal plates instead of a sheetrock lining. The Amsec BFII series and Graffunder both use this manufacturing practice. Another company, Sturdy Safe, doesn't go quite to this extent, but they use a superior ceramic and fiberglass insulation which is thoroughly installed in the walls and I have seen excellent reviews on their protection as well. All these products are also extremely well constructed mechanically. Good luck!
Shotgun in lower right looks ok. Few mags and knives look like they didn't melt. The smaller handgun on the door looks like it'll buff out. The larger one might be good for parts are disassembly, cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning. The ammo boxes look in good shape.
Place safe on the exterior wall that is on the side of house the wind comes from. So the wind (if any) will blow the fire away instead of towards safe.
Most people dont realize how cheaply made the typical gun safes costing under $3k are. Essentially, they are just thin metal backed by a few sheets of standard drywall. While most gun safes won't protect your firearms in a lengthy fully involved house fire, a more expensive safe (Amsec, etc.) will definitely do a better job in a fire thats extinguished in under 2 hours.
All things considered It actually did protect most of it pretty well, it looks like important documents like birth certificates and other things could have survived
Many people have grown to accept, even expect, poor performance, and we are in favor of individual choice and the free market to serve that sector. We share this content for those who may want real protection, so they know what they can expect in a worst-case scenario from these sheetrock boxes.
Had a Cannon safe one time. Had good fire ratings according to manual. Long story short, left the light on in it one night and it lit up the whole bedroom. There's no way it would have done anything from a fire.
The contents actually look pretty good. Some of the polymer framed hand guns appear only slightly damaged if at all. I think I see a p-mag that looks undamaged. Very possible any fully metal firearms would be salvageable with some cleaning. And some of the plastic boxes look intact.
Sad to see the devastation of people losing their possessions like this. Also sad to see how unprotected everything was in the safe that people think and believe that safe are fire proof, well they are suppose to be.
Considering those are rated for like 30-60 min max and it burned down a whole house seems pretty decent in my opinion some of those guns and stuff in there looked salvageable
Furnace insulation on the outside would be a smart fix. There is a hardener as well. Obviously a primary door with fire proof seal would be in order with internal hinges.
Quite frankly, considering that the dwelling around it is totally burned to the ground, I would say that the safe did pretty well, most everything is beyond saving, but everything looks recognizable.
It’s not make to withstand a typical house fire for hours. They are usually rated for a time and temperature TIME IN FURNACE TEMPERATURE REACHING Class A 4 hours 2000 degrees Fahrenheit Class B 2 hours 1850 degrees F Class C 1 hour 1700 degrees F Class D 1 hour 1700 degrees F Class E 30 minutes 1550 degrees F
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
A friend of mine who has 7 full size gun safes full of antique Winchesters built himself a separate garage just for them because he didn't want them in his old turn of the 19th century farm house.
Thats actually insanely good. It protected it from the fire. They're usually rated to survive for like 90 minutes. That fire probably went 2 days. It doesn't have infinite insulation from heat so all the plastic inside is obviously going to melt or warp.
Began cleaning guns within several hours of a house fire. They were stored in a newer safe of heavy construction. An acrid film from the smoke had settled on the guns and rust was immediately visible. I was amazed at how sudden it took place.
No matter the fire rating or where in your house you have it, this is the end result. Outside wall or in the garage even cinderblocks won’t stop heat past a certain point.
its best if you install your safe on a exterior wall on the front of your home so you can tell the fire department there's a safe full of ammo in there and they will keep water on it
6 hours, wow. All you had to do is contact the ATF for the combination Winchester gives them the combinations to their safes without a court order and without the owners knowledge.
Other than the melted USP on the door and fabric falling from inside the magazines in the door look fine along with the other handgun on the door. The papers and cardboard inside look fine.
People are slobs and love to waste in my opinion most of what's in the safe is perfectly fine just needs to be cleaned off but according to all these princesses in the chat it's all completely destroyed and has to be thrown out
Sorry for your lost I had a car fire and got a call from the fire marshal if I had insurance could have been bad was near a tire shop it was getting body work but the wireing should have been addressed no one was hurt stay safe
I bought a Superior Untouchable series safe about 6 years ago. It’s their top tier line, I think called something else now.. Spent a lot of $ on that safe. I hope it’s never needed, but knowing my contents will survive a fire or burglary, is worth the price
@@jethrolionheart182 Oh yeah, how do you guarantee this? It’s rated at 1865 degrees for 110 minutes.. The location I chose has little fire load around it, “concrete” and sits on a concrete floor. (I spent 10 years as a professional FF) 1/2” plate on the door,then stepped into the interior with fire proofing and steel. 1/4” plate on exterior, then filled with 3” thick composite with 3 layers of fire insulation. (Not sheet rock) The interior “liner” is thicker than most gun “safes” BUT, I’m guessing you work for some underwriting/insurance company and have some experience with this brand of safes. So, there are better safes, but I thought $8k would buy me enough protection.. (Specs are available online.) How the hell you know how far I live from the FD tho? Response times, water availability, the works.. You must have some serious connections from within the intelligence community.. Or, you’re full of 💩. Most likely the latter.. 😉
If it was a liberty it would have opened for the firefighters😂
Underrated comment
Exactly 👍
@@Hopefullythisnameisnottaken need to keep up on your recent history
Lol
With a little research you will learn Winchester Safes have similar manufacturer backdoor codes just like Liberty. I have one, and removed everything except stuff I can do with out until I replace the lock with an aftermarket lock.
Its rated for 30 to 90 minutes in fire. If that fire burned down the house I can assure you it was longer than the rating. So a total loss is to he expected.
Thanks for checking out our video! Most of these ratings you reference are created and declared by the manufacturer, and they are not subject to any independent testing or certification. Buyer beware!
It looked to me like other being knocked around it looked like very little was harmed in the gun safe.
@@jackbarnes9728are you blind lmao
@@jackbarnes9728get your eyes checked ASAP
@@dill5500😂😂😂😂😂
Note to self, if buying a big safe. Put a smaller fireproof safe INSIDE for the valuables 😂
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
@@Aplussafeandlock
And where do we get these products?
@@matthewk6731 Generally a safe dealer, which will often be found at a safe & lock company, will be able to discuss the kind of protection you are looking for and suggest some quality options.
Need to spray fireproof insulation around the safe inside of the wall
I love how you clearly made a joke..
And it went over so many heads..
The secret is to have 2 safes..
One filled with water
As a firefighter, I can assure you that the fire had been burning for quite some time, and there’s not much that would survive. If you live in the sticks with a fire department that is volunteer or based far away, your chances of loosing everything, house and safe alike, is very great. If you’re in a city or suburb with staffed fire stations, you have a much better chance of loosing very little. A 30 minute rated safe would be fine for someone in the city or suburbs. The FD will be knocking the fire down within minutes of arriving, for the most part. It wouldn’t matter if it was a $500 Winchester safe or a $5,000 Liberty safe, any fire burning for an extended amount of time will destroy most safes. Best thing you can do is get a decent safe, and insure your house/belongings/guns. There are no safes that are 100% fire proof or burglar proof. There’s always a hot enough temp, or a determined enough thief.
👏🏾
Thanks for checking out our video! You are generally correct about most gun safes, due to the fact that they are rarely independently tested and verified. The so-called time & temp "ratings" are usually determined in house and the methods by which they are acquired are highly suspect. However, a UL fire labeled safe is subjected to very precise measurement in extreme tests designed to exceed the temps of an average structure fire, and are therefore much more likely to preserve the contents within them despite the factors you mentioned. "100 % fireproof?" No, with enough effort they can be destroyed, by lava flow, for example. But fireproofed against naturally occuring structure fires, yes, those products are available.
And a $5000 liberty safe can be opened by anyone who asks nicely so you might as well just get the cheap Winchester anyway😂
Not to mention. If you happen to be there when they roll up or you get a neighbor on the phone to direct the crew chief to which part of the home to absolutely flood to keep the safe cooled.
It seems odd to me that there is paper that isn't charred, but the pistol in the door pocket looks like the ammunition in the magazine blew the mag out. Paper chars at under 300 degrees and ammunition cooks off at over 400. Unless there just isn't enough oxygen in the safe for paper to char.
Safer then a Liberty safe
They can't look up the combination if they don't know your serial number. Just remove the sticker from the top of the safe. Not that hard.
@@realtyrocks1969if I'm guessing that can get you in trouble also, man hate being an law abiding but aint that low like a low life criminal
@@DonutVIP a gun safe is not regulated by any 3 letter organization. Perfectly legals to remove the serial number from your gun safe. It's about the same as removing the serial number from your refrigerator.
@@DonutVIPthat isn’t being a low life criminal at all what do you mean
@@schooper. just think about it, all those atf video is floating around the internet, even if you remove the serial number they would still anal F you, my last sentence is just a saying of why law abiding always get f*ck and criminal always get simp on or white knight
Honestly seeing the condition of the house I think it did pretty well.
i agree, some of the stuff in the safe might still be useable/ recoverable.
The polymer frames didn't survive that well, but the steel seemed to do fine. That said the heat might of missed with the steel hardness.
@@RedHuntsman I feel like the main job of a safe is to prevent rounds from cooking off, or at least contain them for the sake of any firefighters on scene. Preserving the collection is a nice bonus
I swear, this dude acts like it’s not supposed to have any damage.. 🤡
Right. There were papers in there , top left ..id say pretty good ..but yea there better ones. #Liberty
Actually looks pretty good. Papers not burnt. Grip went in the first minute as seals swelled.
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
Agreed, not that bad considering
The polymer gun parts melted only for the gun located near the top of the safe, while the lower one looked superficially intact. The softer plastic of the ammo box got more melt-y even located at the bottom (it softened up enough to mold itself around the vertical support).
Seems like the paper wasn't in direct contact with interior surface. Everything touching the wall and floor conducted heat from the shell.
It's not just the seals. It's the heat conducted in as the composite walls built temperature. Wonder if it builds pressure inside with smoke and expansion?
That’s why it’s best to put your safe on the exterior wall of your house. It will be in the fire the least amount of time in the center of the house sits at the heart of the fire.
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
@@Aplussafeandlock but are they affordable for $400 credit hold 30 rifles 10 or more pistols and all of your documents at 1400°
@@jaboff-road1776 I don't know if I completely understand the question, but I think the answer is no.
@@AplussafeandlockI had to read it about four times to understand, just add commas and it makes a lot more sense with punctuation. He’s asking if it can be had for $400, hold 30 rifles, 10 pistols, and all your documents at °1400 degrees!! Hope that helps with proper punctuation lol 😂👍
@@Legion-xq8eothanks for clearing that up I was confused
I have learned two wonderful things about weapon ownership over my lifetime. Never …. Never keep your weapons or ammo in a safe. Secondly, keep them ready to bug out in less than three minutes.. that means carry bags, backpacks and crates.
I have 37 weapons from an 1800’s Kentucky long rifle to a handguns. I can move the lot with ammo and tools in about five minutes..
I have lived through six tornadoes, a house fire and a flood. Lost my home on three different occasions in my lifetime.. still have all my weapons and important documents.. grew up military and it was instilled in me…. Nothing is permanent so pack it to move out quickly. It’s ridiculous to some but over thirty marked backpacks and gun bags.
MREs, paper’s, photos, watches, medical bag, three days of clothing, 2000 plus rounds..
It’s a lot but other than my family, cats and dog.. we can move out in less than ten minutes.
Call me nutty or a freak but as a kid, I learned to just worry about the importance of being ready to shoot and scoot.
Safes are just decoys
Update…. FYI, nope not on drugs, lived on a boat that was in a hurricane, lived in 2 war zones with my father. No one breaks into my home because there is always a family member or a friend here 24 / 7. Not a nut job either. Just grew up living from base to base or in a tent. Having bags ready to go in my vehicle, room and stashed at several locations.
I am not a gun freak or psycho…. I have been homeless and hungry…. I be damned if I go hungry for lack of trying or preparing. So why not ?? I don’t expect people to grasp it but again, you do you. I just think Gun safes are useless..
And if you are too stupid to teach your family about being adaptable to things or being prepared.. again that’s you. I hate violence.. but I am fine with dealing with it. I respect and treat everyone warmly and kindly until you make me choose otherwise.. I don’t want any problems but if you choose that with me…. I will only tolerate a small amount before I decide not to enjoy your company.. and that’s fine. See, I can and have seen things as a child that I shouldn’t have. I have also served my country with love and life. I don’t mind if you aren’t like minded. It’s really alright. Just don’t waste your money on silly stuff.. The average gun fight is under 2 seconds at 7 feet with at least 3 rounds discharged ….
Okay, go unlock your safe.
I’ll wait……. I don’t want to hurt a soul but I am going home or doing something more important than waiting around to be a victim..
30 weapons are my great grand fathers, my grand fathers and my uncles. Pre civil war, world war 1, 2 Vietnam.. they are like family photos …. Private and Priceless.. that’s all..
So crack jokes I and on drugs or they will get stolen.. or I should reevaluate my life.
I have clean food and water, clean clothes and my life packed up in bags ready to go. What’s wrong with that?? Nothing .. I sleep just fine.
What’s your address?……. Just in case you need help lol
Why would you bug out with 37 guns and ammo for them? Desperado over here
Three days of clothing and…… 37 fucking guns!!!! 💥 💥 💥!!! Bro are you coked up right now?
@@ndnOutlaw-nm9dr would you recommend 4 days clothing?
Bagging up 37 guns and having them by the door is a double edged sword. If you can get them out the door in 5 minutes a few thieves can get them out in under a minute.
I was robbed once. They took anything with a handle on it. Bypassed drawers full of ingersall rand pro air tools, Milwaukee battery and electric tools.
Went for small tool boxes equipped with handles. The contents were sockets and wrenches and other hand tools. Bizzare!
My point being you might be making it too easy for the thieves.
Thank you for showing people this and helping people who may be about to purchase a gun safe. We are looking into buying one soon.
For a old safe in a complete house fire that probably lasted hours, then that's actually really good, and at least those guns can be salvaged and restored
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
I don't know specifically about guns but metallurgy changes may effect their safety
@@chazlabreckthey'll be ok
Meh idk it they’ll be okay brother, they will probably have to toss at least 75% of it. I wouldn’t even go near any of the ammo if it ended up lasting. Or there is any even.
But look at the guns on the floor, idk it’s like an oven for guns
What?! No they can't be saved...
My prayers to that family.
Amen 🙏🙏
Prayers.
Indeed, Sorry for your total loss, happy you are unharmed! Blsgs, gg
The actually fireproof safes had cement or concrete poured inside. Today most use one thin layer of fire resistant drywall.
Amsec!!
Yeah, Amsec dry-lite concrete fill is definitely better. The gypsum drywall fireboard resists fire by releasing the H2O from the hydrated gypsum, which bathes everything inside with hot steam.
That's going to work to keep currency or important documents legible, so you can use them for verification to get certified replacements, and jewelry from being destroyed, but that's about it.
Firearm finishes, wood, and polymer, will not fare well.
Correct, a concrete composite mix with a 2 hour UL fire rating, which I believe is the best you can get. The concrete mix also acts as an anti theft feature, pretty hard to drill and cut.
@patrickkearney8774 The concrete fill does help with preventing forced entry, but mainly, it provides a rigid backing to thinner gauge steel from sledgehammer, axe, & chisel attacks.
It also makes a Sawzall attack a PITA as the concrete binds and dulls the sawteeth and creates obnoxious dust for the thief.
But they use things like "Dry-Lite" concrete, which has stuff like low weight vermiculite, or artificial compressed rock-wool gravel "aggregate" in an attempt to balance fire insulation, strength, shipping, & installation weight.
So it's sort of halfway between gypsum plaster & structural concrete in terms of mechanical properties. It only resists a few blows in the same spot before the crumbling lets the steel deform, tear, or get punctured.
Which is all fine, as the point isn't to be impervious, just too much hassle for a burglar. One that's likely to be an "opportunistic amateur" just by the odds, rather than a "pro."
And do it all at a price-point the homeowner can afford, and at a weight, they can actually ship and get installed.
"Pros" often target gunsafes with chains and a large truck. Just ripping it out of the house and then cutting/prying it open somewhere else at their leisure.
The best strategy is to place the safe somewhere that limits or makes access to anything but the door difficult, and using floor anchors to prevent tipping or dragging.
People need to think like a thief when considering how a "gunsafe" RSC might be broken into. The thief does not care about making a mess, damaging your home, or even very much about the contents of the RSC. Whatever they get is fine, as it's all "free" to start with.
It's actually firebrick like inside a wood heater. Perlite and/or vermiculite with a bit of cement
Just some Info to for those that may not know. A safes fire rating is obtained by being at the lowest level of the home. Due to thermal layering. It's industry standard. The inside of that safe though if it went for another 5 minutes it would have been a loss. As a former interior F.F one of the worse things I've seen was homeowner that had thier basement flooded. Went out on a pump detail and a laminate stock will not hold up in a safe filled with water. Not sure if it's due to laws or regulations but I would be great to see safe companies offer some type of water seal as well. Not only adding another layer of protection from.both a fire or flooding but woidl also help mitigate humidity within the safe.
Still beter than a traitor libery safe , but not much ,sorry about your loss
the fire has just to ask them for the code. 🙂
No not really. Same manufacturer. Winchester doesn't actually make thier safes themselves. Liberty makes them. Liberty and Tractor supply company are both owned by the same parent company.
Happy to see more people paying attention to who we're giving our money to. But we need to do more. There's way to many companies out there that are awful and pray on the kids.
Who libery safe 😂😂😂
This is why I bought a cannon
Looks pretty good. Papers survived, and that's far more important than the guns I keep in my gun safes.
No surprise, just a budget safe not meant for a real fire like that
I don’t even bother buying a fireproof safe I have records and pictures of all my firearms kept in separate location from the house. They're covered under my homeowners insurance. I just use a cabinet. Plus by the time the fire department gets there, the fire has probably been going for a little bit. probably about half the time the safe is rated for.
@@twerkulies2600fax ong
@@twerkulies2600smarter not harder
@@twerkulies2600 I agree, the only upside of the budget fire proof safes is extra with if that is an advantage, none will save your stuff
It’s the water and steam that destroys stuff. Best thing is to put what you can into metal ammo cans inside. This provides a whole other layer of protection.
This is what insurance is for. Separate firearm policy. I don’t want any firearm that has gone through a fire.
That's a fair point assuming the contents are replaceable. However, many people have extremely rare items or heirlooms that would simply be lost if their safe failed to protect them.
@@kevinroark5024Slap em on new lowers and good as new
You can't insure sentimental stuff to its value.... omg....... insect
@@electronbeing5473 Oh you can. It takes special expensive insurance but you can
@@servicetrucker5564 lmfao thanks dear, charge enough for anything it's for sale
Thank you for this video. This just proved to me that a $500 safe or $5000 safe will both be destroyed in a house fire.
Most safes are only rated for something like 1200* for 20 min, stuff like putting them on an exterior wall can make a big difference. One thing i do in mine that might help is all my cash and paperwork is in a fire resistant box inside the middle of the fire resistant gunsafe. Those fr boxs are cheap extra safety.
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
I will say this. If you have money for A- The safe itself, B- The install of the safe, and C- The contents of said safe, look into even DIY fireproofing. There's a LOT of options and ways it could be done on the cheap, without any more extensive modifications to the home. Fire brick is pretty light, use it to hide the safe or something too. Most safes are not rated for a "burns to the ground" scenario, and the ones that are are closer to rooms than safes. Extending the survivability is very doable though.
I wish you investigated further. It looks like the handgun had a loaded mag that got hot enough to set off the amunition. If thats the case, the fact that we don't see any bullet holes is a good sign of it's protection to the occupants and neighbors against the ammunition going off during the fire.
I understand, however I am just the locksmith that opened the safe. We do not rummage through people's property as a professional courtesy.
@@Aplussafeandlock I understand that. I also understand that permission could be acquired from the owners to show something that people don't see every day. I'm not asking about rummaging through their property anyway, just looking at how badly damaged the safe was and if any ammunition went off. It seems that the safe was effective for at least the rated time as the guns weren't burnt anywhere near as much as the house.
Ammunition going off not inside a barrel is not a safety concern. It just pops like popcorn and has no velocity. It's only the rounds that are chambered that can do any harm.
source: am FF and was concerned about that myself at first 😂
@@MP-ky3hc that's false. My dad was injured when he was a kid because of that very thing. The bullet gets shot forward while the casing gets shot backwards. The casing may even fragment to some degree.
We are talking about a price difference of over $1,000. Those Winchester safes are only $5-600. If you want a safe that can handle a house fire you are looking at $2,000+. I'd say it's well worth the investment if you are storing thousands of dollars worth of guns and ammo.
Anybody gets a gun safe here's a free tip. Encapsulate the safe in a concrete Cube line it with nomex fabric. This will increase the survivability and hopefully save your collection
I’ve been in the trades for the past 16 years and have no fkin idea what you just said 😂😂😂.. I’m guessing what you said was bury the thing is concrete with some fabric around it? Lol
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
@@buckfiden156 no shit, what did he sayyyy
I've been considering on new home to just build a walk in safe room and store firearms there.
My safe says it's waterproof and has a 4 hour burn rating, if you have a fire department they should be able to extinguish it within 4 hours. I have seen a lot of houses burn down and the piles and stacks still be smoldering the next day but I've never seen a house fire take 4 hours to put out, if your fire department is still fighting a HOUSE fire after 4 hours they are horrible!! Even if it burns to the ground it shouldn't take 4 hours. Isn't that the point of fire retardation in safes, to outlast a normal house fire?
Same. Our safe was highly rated for fire survivability. Not even close. Nobody on the mountain had one that survived the fire from what I heard.
If you put the safe next to an exterior wall and if possible get firefighters to spray there in a total loss fire. I'm no expert, just a 30 year residential home builder
I've always thought the same thing except I've thought about the exterior wall having less heat than keeping it in the middle of the house
And for sure don’t put the damn thing in a garage 🤦♂️
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
@Aplussafeandlock It really depends on the materials the home was constructed with, what year the house was built, how many floors it has and whether it is on a crawl space or concrete foundation. I've seen pictures and valuables melted and turned to dust in "Ul class 125" safes
I built a house last year that had a suspended slab under the covers porch and we installed a vault door in it like at the bank I believe that would perform rather well in a house fire.
I hope everybody made it out of there all right praying for them I've had the same thing happen where I lost everything and it's a tough road to go down
looks like it did damn well
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
@@Aplussafeandlockexactly. These are safe-like objects and never expect them to be anything like fire resistant.
it looks like did okay. there's paper in that safe. and it's still paper. probably brittle, but, salvageable. I'd like to see a gun smith clean up the firearms and test them.I bet they're fine.
Dude must've died in the fire. I can't imagine not checking my gun safe the moment it was cool to the touch.
Never knew superman was so sexist! How you know it wasnt a woman’s gun safe u mysoginist!
Im trolling bud lol. Just was surprised some idiot hadnt already commented that, being serious lol. We all know the inside of that safe would have looked much different if a woman owned it 😂
Once the stupid electric combination lock (plastic) melts off, you need to break into your own safe!!
Some of the low fire rated safes like that can be improved by putting multiple sheets of fire rated type x drywall around it. Like 5 layers deep. Turn an affordable 20min safe into an hour+ fire safe in a budget.
Considering that safe is really only rated for about an hour in fire, I would say it did remarkably well. And I would think it's quite possible a good portion of those firearms are still usable.
But if the ATF asks, "You lost them all in that house fire." lol
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
@@Aplussafeandlock I mean, to be fair it was at least somewhat fire resistant, but I see your point because when you opened the door one thing I noticed immediately is there was no fire seal around the door, like most higher end safes have to keep smoke and water out
I'd imagine the seal melted after time or temperature limit
Imagine spending that kind of coin on a high and safe and losing everything inside of it anyways. That sucks for the homeowner and I really feel for them. It sucks they lost their house in the first place. Hopefully insurance helps him out. Hopefully nobody was hurt.
Eh I bet the precious metals are ok
That makes me wonder... When will insurance companies "go woke" and put a "no firearms coverage" clause in their contracts???
Everyone needs to call their insurance company and confirm!
This is actually a budget safe from a big box store which explains the poor performance, but thankfully they were insured!
They lost maybe 10% of what was inside im sure if the home owner survived they are tickled pink anything survived let alone most of it
I've never seen a safe do anything for guns in a house fire, they're always toast.
There are actually safes readily available on the market that will provide protection through the average structure fire. The best will come from a safe bearing a UL fire label. There are a few variations of UL fire ratings, but all are subject to rigorous testing. Generally speaking, for most valuables excluding electronic media, a UL Class 350 2 hour fire label will provide excellent protection beyond anything the average structure fire will throw at it.
Unfortunately, I am unaware of any long gun safe with this certification. The closest you will find to it is a safe constructed like a real fire safe, but lacking a UL label. This means it will have fire resistant insulation poured between two metal plates instead of a sheetrock lining. The Amsec BFII series and Graffunder both use this manufacturing practice. Another company, Sturdy Safe, doesn't go quite to this extent, but they use a superior ceramic and fiberglass insulation which is thoroughly installed in the walls and I have seen excellent reviews on their protection as well. All these products are also extremely well constructed mechanically. Good luck!
Almost every fire safe fails to protect guns in a major fire
I would think some kind of below ground level and fire/heat resistant box is the only way to maybe keep things from cooking
More insulation, and isolation helps, but then if it's in the basement or underground...... Where does all the water from the fire hoses go?? Just can't win.
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
My friend was a gunsmith, after the campfire in Northern California, I truly seen what fire can do and no safe is going to withstand home fire combined with forest fire!
It definitely melted the grip of that top pistol.
Yup. I'd be very interested to know if that's all it did. Maybe if you replace the grips and give all the steel components a good scrub down and re-lubricate, it would be just fine. This short video assumes at a glance that everything inside is ruined. Let's see a 30 min video going through everything and see what was actually destroyed and what (if anything) was salvageable. If my house burns to the ground I don't necessarily expect anything to survive, safe or no safe. That's what insurance is for.
It’s an HK USP too bloody out $1,200 there
@@mattc9811the "grips" are the all 1 piece called the receiver. The receiver of the gun IS THE GUN per ATF rules. You would have to buy another receiver, and go through a background check as that's the part that is considered the gun. You'd be buying a new gun to get that part... And almost as cheap to buy another gun altogether.
No, I make no assertion of a total loss of the contents. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
That’s a dog that got ahold of that
This is why you put you safe on a exterior wall of the house . It does not burn as hot as possibly center of house . Also when fire department shows up you can have them keep that area it’s located in sprayed easily possibly. To help preserve any papers valuables etc that may be in said safe
Gun safes (Residential Security Containers, not really safes) are usually insulated with sheetrock, if at all - rarely with heat resistant ferro cement). Unless you spend a LOT, to get true insulation and heat expanding door seals, do not expect it to survive a house fire and the water. BTW, I’ve seen a full chest freezer on the porch of a house that burned completely: the exterior looked bad, and the meat was thawed inward a few inches, but the central mass was still frozen. There’s a reason people store important documents in the center of the freezer.
Sounds like a big old chest freezer with a padlock would protect your firearms from fire than a commercial gun safe. Plenty of those around that stopped working as a freezer but would be a cheap and effective storage for your firearms to protect from fire?
Interesting idea!👍Also, job boxes, like Knaack, Jobox, etc. will work as well as many “gun safes.”@@stevemarkle6609
@@stevemarkle6609you need the ice. That's 50% of what stops the fire
Sheetrock in safes is designed to protect paper, by giving off steam. That steam lasts a finite period of time.
The fact those documents are still fine is a huge win. Idk what you're smoking, but the overall condition of those items is phenomenal compared to what's left of the house.
Paper didn't burn, everything that's metal. Looks fine, only the plastic seems to have melted some. What does one expect from a safe?
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
@@Aplussafeandlock That's what I'm saying. Show us now what a good gun safe should look like after a week in a total loss house fire. All I see is that the paper didn't catch fire so it seems like victory to me.
I worked in paradise Ca after the fire and I was amazed at how well the American security safes did. Everything in it was fine
I store my ammo in a separate safe from my firearms. Both Winchester safes!
Not a bad idea!
At least your ready if ya need em😂
Are you kidding? Its the best looking thing in the house!
And so, so sorry for homeowner. I hope everyone escaped, and that they are able to rebuild their lives.
Quit buying gun “safes” at big box stores. They are worse than no safe at all.
I don't know if it's worse than nothing, but they are misleading in their marketing about the protection they offer!
@@Aplussafeandlock I believe they are worse because you are placing all your valuables in one place and in plain sight. Most of them are no harder to get into than a vehicle with a rock.
@@Heywoodthepeckerwood That's still, by definition, not worse. Also, if you have any type of lock anywhere on your property and are saying that about a gunsafe, you're just wilfully ignorant.
It's true that there's a TON of slapdash minimum effort Chinese "safes" at big box tractor/farm/home-improvement or sporting goods stores that have a license fee paid to brand them as a recognized gun maker.
Although, the next few levels up of American made ones, from Amsec. Ft. Knox, Liberty, Champion... those aren't actually "safes" either. They're just "Residential Security Containers" by their UL listing/rating.
For am actual 'safe' that has a UL TL-30x6 or TL-60x6, (Tool Attack 30 or 60 minutes resistance, all six sides...) you're gonna pay, maybe more than the value of your gun collection.
Other stuff you may be able to do: One, place the RSC or safe somewhere other than a basement. Two, where it's NOT going to fall into a basement in a fully-involved structure fire w/collapse. And three, where it won't get buried in 2+ stories of burning rubble, and possibly a few feet of fire department hose water, or flooding from busted mains.
Easier said than done. But, if you're building new construction, maybe something like a non-basement foundation pad for an exterior wall closet that doesn't have a second story over it... could be added, be in local code, and not cost a ton extra. At that point, I'd spec that closet to at least follow attached garage fire-break code, 2x6, 2 layers of 1/2" drywall, steel door w/fire rating. And put my RSC/Safe in that "closet."
Of course, it's a matter of how far one goes. "Might as well" could have you building a reinforced concrete bunker/safe-room. 😁
Sorry about your loss. but glad that you could show up the durability of the safe
I can still see paper in ok condition , not so bad really
Wouldn't trust the Ammo but some of the firearms may be salvagable. Or at the least have okay parts. I'd take em to a gun smith. Might give you something for them.
@@martymcfly8535that’s also why you keep ammo in a separate safe. Gets hot and it goes off, which in turns ruins the firearms more.
@@martymcfly8535 yeah , i just think that that safe went through a whole lot more than it was rated for
@@martymcfly8535Mcfly! I thought I told you not to come in here..
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. I am comparing the performance of this sheetrock lined metal box marketed as a fire resistant gun safe to a properly manufactured gun safe.
These are the helpful videos people need to see before they make a purchase! Real world is a total loss house fire. As you can see, the internal temperature exceeded 400° F.
Thank you for making this video!
No safe is fireproof. Any safe in a major fire will result in total loss of guns. Also fireproofing safes causes them to be toxic inside with all the chemicals they use. All you need is a safe that will prevent smash and grabs. Just keep your guns documented for the insurance if there is a fire.
Thanks for checking out our video! There are actually U L listed fireproof safes that have been on the market for many years that are put through rigorous testing and provide excellent fire protection without contaminating the interior compartment with toxic chemicals. However, they are not cheap, and not to be found in a big box store!
Nice try mr atf agent slipping that documented line in there 😂
Fire containers and theft containers are 2 entirely different things…
I've seen others like this from other house fires. Has me thinking about building a gun room but fairly small made of metal studs, cement board, and sheetrock. Won't be a gun vault as the safe still serves it's purpose, but help keep the heat away for a while until the walls eventually fail due to structural collapse, extreme heat, or both.
That is one possible mitigation, however, There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
All gun fire safes have a burn rating up to a certain minute of time.
Once that time frame is exceeded all bets are off bud.
I do fire restorations for a living and emergency services. I’ve seen many many personal contents in fire safes survive pretty bad fires.
Choose your manufacturer for your gun safe well.
I have seen American Security safes do very well in fires.
I own 3 of them because of this reason.
Yes, that's why we sell them!
A great example of why residential sprinkler systems are a good investment.
The black ops 1 Commando in the bottom left 😭
Rip Usp tactical aswell
This channel would blow up if you would make full videos and spend more time talking about the contents of the safe
If all you do is plunk a safe in your house, you will still lose most everything in it when subjected to a total loss from fire. The safe needs to be in a heavily insulated fire and water resistant space. You build a concrete mini bunker around the safe that can channel water away from the safe as the firefighters extinguish the blaze. Flood protection would be considerably more challenging to achieve.
Damn dude...had this happen to my dads gun safe...our house burned down and the firefighters sprayed the safes when they was hot and it basically vaporized the inside of the safe...lost alot of collector guns...shit hurts more than most could ever understands. Way of life. Keep going tho
If you read the fine print on fore ratings. It's 3 sides. They recommend the back of the safe being on an exterior wall
Nice safe oven. I always heard that things survive fire best in wooden boxes. Outside burns a bit but inside stays cool and dry
Based on the state of the safe's contents, it looks like the owner had not only stored ammunition inside, but stored some of the guns loaded. Ammo tends to cook off when heated, so it likely caused a fire inside the safe. If the owner hadn't been storing explosive materials inside the safe, everything probably would have been fine.
My brother in law had a fire at his home about ten years ago now. His Remington gun safe had all the paint burned off but everything inside was okay. Remington actually rebuilt and repainted the safe and delivered it to his new home.
There is paper inside, unburnt. Can’t expect safes to have magical cooling properties. If you want guns that don’t melt stop buying plastic. If you ask me, it’s pretty impressive that the ar is completely fine, I’d still check all the parts for warping and make sure they are within spec before throwing new plastic on but all in all it passed my test.
Any safe built with less then 1/4 hardened steel will not survive a total loss structure fire Especially if the safe is located in the center of the structure. Always find an outside wall to place your safe. Best chance of surviving structure fire.
My grandfather’s house got burned out, it didn’t burn down cause it was a old house with thick timber, but anyway I had a small tin with 2$ bills in it that survived In the heart of the fire, and I had other ammo cans with stuff in them that survived, and a cheap metal cabinet saved some of my stuff, but they weren’t in the heart of the fire like the little tin, and my paintball markers survived and weren’t even in anything, just under my dresser low on the floor, the place was a total loss tho, we tore it down over the years and places a trailer on the property
The cheapest diy way to extend the time a lot longer would be to have kiln/forge insulation wraped around and over it. A steel stud wall with multiple layers of dura rock and that insulation would probably work. There are also automatic fire extinguishers that could be fairly cheap.
There are actually safes readily available on the market that will provide protection through the average structure fire. The best will come from a safe bearing a UL fire label. There are a few variations of UL fire ratings, but all are subject to rigorous testing. Generally speaking, for most valuables excluding electronic media, a UL Class 350 2 hour fire label will provide excellent protection beyond anything the average structure fire will throw at it.
Unfortunately, I am unaware of any long gun safe with this certification. The closest you will find to it is a safe constructed like a real fire safe, but lacking a UL label. This means it will have fire resistant insulation poured between two metal plates instead of a sheetrock lining. The Amsec BFII series and Graffunder both use this manufacturing practice. Another company, Sturdy Safe, doesn't go quite to this extent, but they use a superior ceramic and fiberglass insulation which is thoroughly installed in the walls and I have seen excellent reviews on their protection as well. All these products are also extremely well constructed mechanically. Good luck!
Shotgun in lower right looks ok. Few mags and knives look like they didn't melt. The smaller handgun on the door looks like it'll buff out. The larger one might be good for parts are disassembly, cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning. The ammo boxes look in good shape.
honestly that was in way better condition than I was expecting. That AR in the bottom left looks like it might even be functional
Place safe on the exterior wall that is on the side of house the wind comes from. So the wind (if any) will blow the fire away instead of towards safe.
Most people dont realize how cheaply made the typical gun safes costing under $3k are. Essentially, they are just thin metal backed by a few sheets of standard drywall. While most gun safes won't protect your firearms in a lengthy fully involved house fire, a more expensive safe (Amsec, etc.) will definitely do a better job in a fire thats extinguished in under 2 hours.
All things considered It actually did protect most of it pretty well, it looks like important documents like birth certificates and other things could have survived
Prayers for you and Your loved ones. Much love from Arkansas.
I was actually impressed by how good it looked inside, 😂
Many people have grown to accept, even expect, poor performance, and we are in favor of individual choice and the free market to serve that sector. We share this content for those who may want real protection, so they know what they can expect in a worst-case scenario from these sheetrock boxes.
That’s good. Put companies on notice when they claim something it does. It makes customers shop around and companie fix issues
Had a Cannon safe one time. Had good fire ratings according to manual. Long story short, left the light on in it one night and it lit up the whole bedroom. There's no way it would have done anything from a fire.
Boycott Liberty. Buy Winchester. Melted the pistol grip. But! Replaceable. I’m impressed.
The contents actually look pretty good. Some of the polymer framed hand guns appear only slightly damaged if at all. I think I see a p-mag that looks undamaged. Very possible any fully metal firearms would be salvageable with some cleaning. And some of the plastic boxes look intact.
Sad to see the devastation of people losing their possessions like this.
Also sad to see how unprotected everything was in the safe that people think and believe that safe are fire proof, well they are suppose to be.
Man, that is depressing. The house AND the guns.
Considering those are rated for like 30-60 min max and it burned down a whole house seems pretty decent in my opinion some of those guns and stuff in there looked salvageable
The safe is not supposed to be in the center of the home. Outside wall, in a corner or both is what will make it work according to design.
Furnace insulation on the outside would be a smart fix. There is a hardener as well. Obviously a primary door with fire proof seal would be in order with internal hinges.
Quite frankly, considering that the dwelling around it is totally burned to the ground, I would say that the safe did pretty well, most everything is beyond saving, but everything looks recognizable.
My friend had two safes in a house fire a couple weeks ago. Nothing left inside but warped barrels.
It’s not make to withstand a typical house fire for hours. They are usually rated for a time and temperature
TIME IN FURNACE
TEMPERATURE REACHING
Class A
4 hours
2000 degrees Fahrenheit
Class B
2 hours
1850 degrees F
Class C
1 hour
1700 degrees F
Class D
1 hour
1700 degrees F
Class E
30 minutes
1550 degrees F
Yes, I've seen worse. I evaluate these situations from a professional perspective, knowing what a properly manufactured container is capable of doing. There are containers readily available on the market that can effectively protect contents from the temperatures generated by a structure fire.
A friend of mine who has 7 full size gun safes full of antique Winchesters built himself a separate garage just for them because he didn't want them in his old turn of the 19th century farm house.
Thats actually insanely good. It protected it from the fire. They're usually rated to survive for like 90 minutes. That fire probably went 2 days. It doesn't have infinite insulation from heat so all the plastic inside is obviously going to melt or warp.
Began cleaning guns within several hours of a house fire. They were stored in a newer safe of heavy construction. An acrid film from the smoke had settled on the guns and rust was immediately visible.
I was amazed at how sudden it took place.
No matter the fire rating or where in your house you have it, this is the end result. Outside wall or in the garage even cinderblocks won’t stop heat past a certain point.
its best if you install your safe on a exterior wall on the front of your home so you can tell the fire department there's a safe full of ammo in there and they will keep water on it
6 hours, wow. All you had to do is contact the ATF for the combination Winchester gives them the combinations to their safes without a court order and without the owners knowledge.
American Security BF safes are the only readily made commercial safes that will actually protect the contents.
Yes, particularly the BFII series if one is seeking protection for long guns! Otherwise, stick with a UL class 350 2 hour fire labeled safe.
Other than the melted USP on the door and fabric falling from inside the magazines in the door look fine along with the other handgun on the door. The papers and cardboard inside look fine.
People are slobs and love to waste in my opinion most of what's in the safe is perfectly fine just needs to be cleaned off but according to all these princesses in the chat it's all completely destroyed and has to be thrown out
Sorry for your lost I had a car fire and got a call from the fire marshal if I had insurance could have been bad was near a tire shop it was getting body work but the wireing should have been addressed no one was hurt stay safe
Look at the temperature rating the time duration a safe is rated for. House fires are often hotter and burn longer than the safe is rated for.
I've got a safe from the 1890s that has a plaque saying "fire and explosive proof". Not sure I'd want to test that though
Those old fire safes were built much better than these common sheetrock boxes, but simply due to age and it's effects, I would not test it either!
Had fire in UK. Ammo stored with guns cooked off. Everything ruined. It depends on temperature rather than flames.
Not very surprised. Just imagine how hot that safe got during a total loss fire.
Exactly, that's why we share this information, so people can anticipate what to expect in a worst case scenario!
Enough to keep an honest man out and that's about it 😢
I bought a Superior Untouchable series safe about 6 years ago. It’s their top tier line, I think called something else now.. Spent a lot of $ on that safe. I hope it’s never needed, but knowing my contents will survive a fire or burglary, is worth the price
lol it will end up slightly crispy just like this one if it does guaranteed
@@jethrolionheart182 Oh yeah, how do you guarantee this? It’s rated at 1865 degrees for 110 minutes.. The location I chose has little fire load around it, “concrete” and sits on a concrete floor. (I spent 10 years as a professional FF) 1/2” plate on the door,then stepped into the interior with fire proofing and steel. 1/4” plate on exterior, then filled with 3” thick composite with 3 layers of fire insulation. (Not sheet rock) The interior “liner” is thicker than most gun “safes” BUT, I’m guessing you work for some underwriting/insurance company and have some experience with this brand of safes. So, there are better safes, but I thought $8k would buy me enough protection.. (Specs are available online.) How the hell you know how far I live from the FD tho? Response times, water availability, the works.. You must have some serious connections from within the intelligence community.. Or, you’re full of 💩. Most likely the latter.. 😉
I'm impressed with the metal roofing!