What I was talking about is the fire testing done on gun safes is from independent labs such as omega and others that are NOT UL. UL does have accurate testing, BUT the UL sticker on gun safes usually means that either the sheet rock is UL listed, or the safe has got a UL listing for home security container, which is a very weak test.
I agree 100%
should have elaborated that more... they dont work in the quantities that are practical in a gun safe. If you would like to put 4 layers of sheet rock ( with gaps in each layer) will that work? Don't know... never tested that, we did test two layers, but layer after layer of sheetrock gets you less interior space and more weight.
There are some companies that use that much, if not more, sheetrock in their safes. They claim it works, and maybe it does. Most safes with two layers are claiming a 45 to 60 minute rating. Again, I think this depends on the specific circumstances of the fire.
Truthfully, I would never store any items requiring protection from a fire in a gun safe.
Do you honestly think super heated steam dose not hurt the contents of the safe? Did you know the storing instructions for sheet rock require a dry climate? What do you think happens to it when it does start steaming?
Steam certainly can damage contents. I am also the first to say that even a UL rated container can have damaged contents.
The theory behind a fireproof container is to leave important records in useable condition. It doesn't matter if the paper is browned or charred, so long as you can read it. Fireproof safes were never designed, nor intended, to keep their contents in 100% pristine condition, in every case, after a severe fire.
This old school tech of using moisture is ok with small money safes, because superheated steam dose not hurt money. They do not have a good rep with arson investigators or fire chiefs
Money safes usually have little or no fireproofing. Some of them are concrete clad, but that is to make them heavy more so than fire resistant. Burned money can be traded for good money with the Feds.
I've seen many photos of burned safes in addition to the safes that I've personally encountered. UL rated firesafes have outperformed gun safes by a wide margin.
Another problem in fire rated sheetrock or other stuff we have read about that has been used simply will not hold enough moisture to have any influence on the inside temperatures. Super headed steam is damaging. I thought everyone knows this already. I burnt my hand one time with steam... am i the only one?
That's probably true, and why you only see sheetrock used in gun safes. Of course, most gun safes get steam inside of them in a fire, and it's not coming from the insulation. It's coming from the water being sprayed on the fire. The fire has to get pretty close to the safe before the seals swell, and the steam and other chemicals typically enter the safe before that happens.
A good safes needs 3 things. the better these 3 things are, the better the safe. They are: Thick steel, a smart locking system, and abusive resistance. With these three things, in good quantities, will generally produce a decent safe
I'm in 100% agreement here as well.
why spend more for an insulated gun safe (RSC type, not the very high $$$, super-heavy, built-like-a-small-fortress true safe type) if, as some appear to be saying (and I apologize if I'm mis-interpreting), the fire lining really won't do much to truly protect the firearms and stuff inside from damage?
Some history and opinion:
Gun safes originally had no fireproofing. They were simply steel boxes with gun racks on the inside.
At some point, manufacturers realized that although the male wanted the safe, a purchase of that size had to be approved by a female. In order to make the sale of the safe more appealing to the female, the figured they had to convince her it was useful for her as well.
Voila! Your multipurpose residential vault was born. Look at your catalogs, and pay close attention to the photos of what is being stored in the safes. A few guns...and a lot of wedding albums, silverware, and women's jewelry.
Or is "fireproofing a gun safe is a waste of money" really the case? The point about smoke and gasses getting past the door seal and causing damage is understood too - a tight door and reliable seal is a requirement.
For a gun safe, it's a waste of money, unless you're buying a high end unit. The Graffunders are built quite a bit nicer than your average gun safe, but they also have a price tag that goes along with that quality.
I've always said that gun safes are for guns. Anything else you're looking to protect needs to go into something specifically designed for that task. Computer media and photographs go in a media safe. Documents go in a document safe. Valuables go in a burglary safe. There are some safes that incorporate more than one type of protection, but they aren't cheap.
If it's something that must be as fireproof and theftproof as possible, then your best bet is a bank vault in a safe deposit box.
I would rather see a gun safe company eliminate the mostly useless fire protection, and make up for the reduced weight with thicker steels.
