Best Fire Rated Gun Safe – 4 Picks and Who Certified Each Rating

The best fire rated gun safe picks

A fire rated gun safe should give you the longest rating you can fit and anchor, with a lock that has a backup. We built this list from the guides that rank for this search, maker spec pages and owner posts, and kept only safes that at least two independent guides recommend and that Amazon sells.

Steelwater Heavy Duty 20 Long Gun: Best overall fire-rated gun safe

3.7Best Safe Spec Score out of 5

• Security (lock and build)8/10
• Fire protection6/10
• Access (speed and ease)7/10
• Capacity8/10
• Value8/10

Security 8 for 12-gauge steel and ten 1.5 in bolts on four sides; fire 6 because the 60-minute, 1875°F rating is the maker's own with published construction details; access 7 for a keypad with bypass key and owner reports of keypads failing after years; capacity 8 for 12-16 realistic long guns; value 8 for the most fire protection on Amazon in this group.

How we score

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What owners and reviewers say from 5 reviews and posts we read

Praised for

• Long-term owners say it works well and feels well made, one after seven years
• Customer service is quick to send parts, including a replacement keypad
• Thick 12-gauge steel and a real fire rating for the money compared with big-box safes

Common complaints

• Keypad or lock failures after three to six years
• Minor cosmetic shipping damage and awkward mounting at install

Read on: Reddit r/CAguns: Steelwater GunSafes?? (search excerpt only) · Reddit r/Gun_Safes: Anyone have experience with Steelwater safes? (search excerpt only) · Yelp: Steelwater Gun Safes reviews (search excerpt only) · Reddit r/guns: Steelwater gun safe (search excerpt only) · Reddit r/Firearms: What safes are you guys using? (search excerpt only)

Who it's for: For a homeowner with a dozen or so long guns plus papers who wants the longest fire rating we found on Amazon; the 60-minute rating is Steelwater's own, not a UL or ETL listing, and at 453 lb it needs a ground floor or slab and helpers to move.

This is the one we’d put on a garage slab or a ground floor. Steelwater rates the Steelwater Heavy Duty 20 Long Gun at 60 minutes at 1875°F, the longest of our four, but its spec page names no testing lab, so treat it as a maker’s claim. The door is a 4 7/8 in composite with two layers of fireboard and a seal that swells in heat. The body is 12-gauge steel with ten 1.5 in bolts on all four sides. Steelwater gives 453 lb and four 7/16 in anchor holes backed by 1/4 in steel plate. The box says 20 long guns; Steelwater itself recommends 12-16, and Top Firearm Reviews says a Steelwater 22-gun claim “is due to math, not practical gun storage.” Owners in r/CAguns report years of trouble-free use. The repeated complaint, also on Yelp and r/Gun_Safes, is a keypad that died after three to six years, and Steelwater sent a replacement keypad. Keep the bypass key where you can reach it.

Kodiak KBX5629: Best for a large collection

3.4Best Safe Spec Score out of 5

• Security (lock and build)6/10
• Fire protection5/10
• Access (speed and ease)7/10
• Capacity9/10
• Value8/10

Security 6 for 14-gauge steel with a UL Listed lock and DOJ listing but thinner steel than the top pick; fire 5 for a 30-minute maker claim with an intumescent seal; access 7 for a single electronic lock with owner reports of lock trouble on Kodiak safes; capacity 9 for the 42-gun body; value 8 for the space and DOJ listing.

How we score

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What owners and reviewers say from 3 reviews and posts we read

Praised for

• Big capacity and a fire lining for the money
• Owners who bought used or on sale felt they got a lot of safe

Common complaints

• Locks breaking, rust and slow customer service on Kodiak models
• A musty smell inside when a rechargeable dehumidifier was never recharged

Read on: Reddit r/gundeals: Kodiak 57 gun safe (search excerpt only) · Northwest Firearms: Kodiak gun safe smelly (read in full) · Reddit r/canadaguns: Does anyone have any experience with Kodiak gun safes? (search excerpt only)

Who it's for: For a homeowner with a big long gun collection who wants a California DOJ listed safe with some fire protection; the 30-minute rating is Rhino's own, the steel is thinner than the Steelwater's, and some owners of Kodiak safes report lock and service trouble.

This Rhino Metals import trades steel thickness for room. Rhino lists the Kodiak KBX5629 at 56 x 29 x 22 in with a 42 long gun claim, 14-gauge steel and 30 minutes at 1400°F, again with no lab named. Its UL Listed electronic lock is a lock listing, not a fire rating. The intumescent door seal expands up to eight times, and Reviewed singled out that seal when it named this its best fireproof gun safe. It is listed as a California DOJ firearm safety device and comes pre-drilled to bolt to the floor. Rhino gives about 333 lb net; Amazon says 390 lb, likely with packing. Owner reports on Kodiak safes are mixed. One r/gundeals reply calls the line’s locks unreliable and its service slow. A Northwest Firearms member who bought a used Kodiak found a musty smell traced to a dehumidifier nobody recharged. Budget for a dehumidifier for a gun safe, because fireboard holds moisture.

Fortress 24 Gun Fire Safe: Best budget long gun fire safe

2.8Best Safe Spec Score out of 5

• Security (lock and build)5/10
• Fire protection4/10
• Access (speed and ease)6/10
• Capacity7/10
• Value7/10

Security 5 for 14-gauge steel and three 1 in active bolts; fire 4 for a 30-minute, 1200°F maker claim with few published details; access 6 because owners report keypad failures; capacity 7 for a 24-gun claim that fits fewer scoped rifles; value 7 as the cheapest long gun fire safe here.

How we score

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What owners and reviewers say from 4 reviews and posts we read

Praised for

• Solid, sturdy safe with a heavy door for the money
• The keypad works well for most owners

Common complaints

• Electronic lock failures, including one owner whose override key also failed and who got little help from the maker
• An error light locked one owner out, with batteries not reachable from outside

Read on: Walmart: Fortress 24 Gun Fire Safe 24EBF reviews (search excerpt only) · Tennessee Gun Owners: Fortress 24 gun safe from Lowes, any opinions? (search excerpt only) · Lowe's: Fortress 24-Gun Fireproof Electronic Keypad Gun Safe reviews (search excerpt only) · Facebook group: Who can unlock a Fortress 24EBF gun safe with error light (search excerpt only)

Who it's for: For a first-time buyer with a handful of long guns who wants basic fire protection on a budget; the 30-minute, 1200°F rating is the lowest of the four and the maker's own, and owners report electronic lock failures, so keep the backup key outside the safe.

Here is the entry point for a first long gun safe with some fire lining. Fortress rates the Fortress 24 Gun Fire Safe at 30 minutes at 1200°F, the shortest rating and lowest test temperature here, and names no lab. Fortress lists 14-gauge steel, three 1 in active bolts and two dead bolts, and the Amazon listing gives 55 x 24 x 21 in. The electronic lock has an Alarm-U function and a mechanical backup key, and Fortress backs it with a lifetime warranty. Gun Safes Resource ranks it first among fireproof gun safes. Walmart buyers describe a solid safe with a heavy door. The worry is the lock: a Lowe’s reviewer says a static shock killed the keypad and the override key failed too, and a Facebook owner was locked out by an error light with no outside battery access. Test the backup key the day it arrives and store it outside the safe.

Hornady Fireproof Keypad Safe: Best for handguns and papers

2.8Best Safe Spec Score out of 5

• Security (lock and build)5/10
• Fire protection5/10
• Access (speed and ease)6/10
• Capacity5/10
• Value8/10

Security 5 for a 16-gauge body and 8-gauge door in a 49 lb box that must be anchored; fire 5 for a 30-minute maker claim; access 6 for a keypad that owners call slow for defense use, with a report of a loose knob; capacity 5 for a few handguns and papers; value 8 for adding fire protection and anchors at a modest cost.

How we score

Check price on Amazon

What owners and reviewers say from 4 reviews and posts we read

Praised for

• Solid and the right size to bolt down out of sight
• Good for one or two handguns plus ammo boxes and papers

Common complaints

• Not a fast-access safe
• Opening knob worked loose for one owner, and one arrived dented from shipping

Read on: Reddit r/CAguns: Safe similar to this Hornady safe? (search excerpt only) · Rural King: Hornady Fireproof Keypad Safe 95407 reviews (search excerpt only) · Mammoth Safes: Hornady 95407 reviews (search excerpt only) · Dean Safe: Hornady Fireproof Keypad Safe reviews (search excerpt only)

Who it's for: For someone who keeps a few handguns, passports and cash together in a closet and wants some fire protection; it is a storage safe, not a quick-access bedside safe, and the 30-minute rating is Hornady's own.

Not every fire rated gun safe needs to hold rifles. The Hornady Fireproof Keypad Safe is a 49 lb box with a 16-gauge body, an 8-gauge door and 30 minutes up to 1400°F, a rating Hornady assigns itself. Inside it measures 15 x 13.2 x 10.2 in, enough for a few handguns plus passports and letter-size papers. The keypad takes a 4-6 digit code, backup keys are included, and a light comes on when you open it. Concrete anchor bolts come in the box, which matters at this weight. American Firearms calls it the one genuinely fire-rated safe worth buying in its budget bracket. An r/CAguns reply recommends it for one or two handguns and ammo but says it is not a fast-access safe, and a Rural King buyer reports the knob working loose. For a gun you need at night, pair it with a nightstand handgun safe.

Fire rated gun safes compared

The Steelwater has the longest rating and thickest steel, the Kodiak the most room, and none has an independent fire listing. The table compares the four on the specs that decide how well each holds up; how we score safes explains our scores.

What a gun safe fire rating means (and who certified it)

A fire rating is a time and an outside temperature during which the inside should stay below the point where paper chars, around 350°F. NW Safe points out that gun safe fire ratings aren’t regulated, so a maker can assign its own number. That is why we name the certifier for every pick:

• UL 72: an independent Underwriters Laboratories test. A Class 350 1-hour safe kept its interior under 350°F through a one-hour furnace run that reaches about 1700°F, per NW Safe; Class 125 is the stricter class for digital media.
• Intertek/ETL: an independent lab mark that verifies some fire and water claims.
• Maker’s own rating: the brand ran or commissioned its own test and names no lab. All four of our picks fall here.

The outside temperatures (1200°F, 1400°F, 1875°F) can’t be compared across brands. NW Safe explains that how fast the furnace heats up and where the interior sensors sit can skew a test, so a 1875°F claim isn’t automatically tougher than a 1400°F one. A UL burglary label (UL RSC) is not a fire rating either. For passports, papers and drives that need a UL Classified rating, our guide to UL-rated fireproof safes for papers covers safes that carry one.

How to choose a fire rated gun safe

Pick the rating length first, then size the safe to what you really store and how you’ll anchor it. We weigh these, in order:

1. Rating length. NW Safe reports a home that burned for close to an hour before water reached the fire, so 60 minutes beats 30 when papers and heirlooms are inside.
2. Real capacity. Plan on about two thirds of the box count for scoped rifles.
3. Lock backup. Every pick here has a key; keep it outside the safe and away from the safe’s room.
4. Steel and bolts. A lower gauge number means thicker steel; bolts on all four sides resist prying.
5. Weight and floor. A 453 lb safe belongs on a slab or ground floor; read how to move a heavy gun safe before delivery day.

Storage rules differ by state and city. California keeps a roster of firearm safety devices; check your own state and local rules, since this guide isn’t legal advice.

Problems owners run into, and the fix

Most fire safe complaints come down to trusting the label, the lock and the gun count. These repeat across the forums we read.

“Fireproof” isn’t fireproof

Doubt about fire claims comes up again and again, as in this r/homeowners thread on storing documents. The fix is to buy the longest rating you can and treat it as time, not immunity. Bag papers in plastic, since a sealed safe can trap steam and hose water.

Ratings that can’t be compared

Shoppers in r/Safes keep asking how one brand’s minutes and degrees compare with another’s. Compare the minutes first, then ask the maker who ran the test. If no lab is named, read it as the maker’s own rating.

The keypad dies

A Winchester owner on The High Road was locked out with no backup key, and a reply summed it up: “Electronic locks fail. Mechanical locks keep working.” All four picks include a key. Change batteries yearly, and if the lock fails, contact the maker with your proof of ownership.

The gun count is a fantasy

Owners on The High Road say to “always take the max number of long guns they say the safe will hold and cut it by at least 1/3.” Steelwater’s own 12-16 recommendation for its 20-gun safe matches that advice.

Bolting down on a slab

A Las Vegas owner on AR15.com learned that “drilling in to a post tension slab is a very bad idea.” Look for a stamp in the garage or ask the builder; if it’s post-tension, have the slab scanned before drilling or anchor to wall studs instead.

From our notes: When we lined up the four fire ratings side by side, the first thing we noticed was that each maker picked a different outside temperature: 1200°F for Fortress, 1400°F for Kodiak and Hornady, 1875°F for Steelwater. The second was that none of the four spec pages named a testing lab. We also found two weights for the Kodiak, 333 lb from Rhino and 390 lb on Amazon, and went with the maker’s figure.

Our verdict on the best fire rated gun safe

For most homes, the best fire rated gun safe is the Steelwater Heavy Duty 20 Long Gun, bolted to a slab, with the bypass key stored elsewhere. Choose the Kodiak for a big collection, the Fortress for a first safe on a budget, and the Hornady for handguns and papers. So for that first-time buyer on Reddit, a fire rating is worth having, as long as you know whose rating it is. Run through our safe buying checklist next, and if you want quick access by fingerprint, compare our biometric gun safes.