The Drywall makes the safe real heavy and “feel” secure. It is a thin steel box lined with drywall and covered with some carpeting. If a safe does not have a UL class 350 fire rating then it is not a fire safe. The fire rating or “fire certified” sticker on the door of an RSC means very little as each gun safe (RSC) manufacturer creates their own standards and fire tests. Unfortunately, there are no RSC gun safes that meet this rating as the materials and construction required to offer this kind of protection are deemed too expensive by the gun safe industry. The lowest rating is “Class 350 1-hour” The ratings go up to 4 hours (Class 350-4). The only consistent, reliable and independent fire rating is the UL fireproof safe class rating. RSC Certified gun safes are not fireproof. People assume that because it weighs 1000 lbs it must be secure. A small portable plasma cutter will do the job in under 3 minutes. Today, a high powered battery operated grinder with a cutoff wheel can cut a “gun safe” (Residential Security Container) in half in less than 15 minutes. This is security designed for 1850’s threat level. RSC containers are not rated against any attack by power tools of any kind, or any attack lasting longer than five minutes. We’re talking screwdrivers, hammers (must be less than 3lbs), and pry bars (must be less than 18″ long). Learn more: Gun Safe: Understanding Ratings and Certifications What is an RSC (Residential Security Container)?Īn RSC rated container (gun cabinet) will resist forced opening for up to five minutes by an attacker using simple, non-powered hand tools. The industry did not want to build to the UL Safe classification standard so they created a new standard, RSC – “Residential Security Container”. This includes the “safes” available at all the big chain with popular brand names including “Liberty,” “Winchester”, “Browning,” etc. The majority of what are commonly called and sold as “Gun Safes” are actually UL (Underwriter’s Laboratories) listed as “RSC” or “Residential Security Containers” and are not actual safes. Price and profit pressures have caused the whole industry to move away from true fire rated safes. What’s interesting and disappointing is that the gun safes of today are not built to standards anywhere near Herring’s 1850 design. He used plaster and steel to create a fire rated gun storage safe. The modern gun safe has its roots in the 1850s designs of Silas Herring. While sometimes disputed, Jesse Delano is credited with the first fireproof safe design patented in 1826. Safes in one form or another have been around since the days of Julius Cesar.
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