Long-gun safe
Liberty USA 30
12-gauge steel · 60 min fire rating · Keypad
9.3/10Excellent$1,969Nov 13, 2026
American made gun safes, compared
4 safes whose makers say "made in the USA" on the page, with the exact wording, ranked on steel, warranty and price.
$1,969at Liberty Safe, Nov 13, 2026
Check price at Liberty Safe
4 results"American made" weightsPrices checked Nov 13, 2026
American made: all 4 in order
Long-gun safe
Liberty Centurion 24
14-gauge steel · 40 min fire rating · Keypad
8.7/10Very good$829Nov 13, 2026
Handgun safe
Fort Knox Original Pistol Box
10-gauge steel · Push-button mechanical · 22 lb
8.5/10Very good$299$345Nov 13, 2026
No. 1Best American made
Liberty USA 30
Best for a family collection of long guns that needs one serious safe for the next twenty years.
- 12-gauge folded steel frame with three hardened steel plates over the lock, per Liberty
- "UL-Listed safe body" and a UL-listed electronic lock, both stated on the page
- 60 minutes of fire protection at 1200°F by Liberty's figures
The catch: It is 565 lb and needs a 24-inch doorway, so the delivery matters as much as the safe, and Liberty prices it at checkout. The page also names the lock two ways: "Securam Toplit" in the security list and "S&G Spartan" in the lock selector. We quote the selector, since that is what you order. And 60 minutes at 1200°F is a gentler test than the 1400°F Winchester and Rhino quote.
- Body steel
- 12-gauge steel
- Fire rating
- 60 min at 1,200°F (brand's claim)
- Ways to open
- Keypad
- Approvals stated
- UL listed + CA DOJ
- Weight
- 565 lb
- Capacity
- 30 long guns (claimed)
9.3/10Excellent
$1,969
At Liberty Safe, checked November 13, 2026
Check price at Liberty SafeRead review
No. 2Best price
Liberty Centurion 24
Best for a first real safe for a dozen long guns, without spending four figures.
- $829 on Liberty's store, the lowest price among the full-size safes we compare
- Transferable lifetime warranty that covers fire damage and attempted break-ins, per Liberty
- UL-listed S&G Spartan electronic lock, with a relocker behind it
The catch: The body is 14-gauge steel, thinner than the 12-gauge that California's regulatory standard asks of a single-walled gun safe (the standard gives other ways to qualify, and Liberty does state DOJ approval), and the page gives no UL Residential Security Container listing. Liberty's fire figure is also printed two ways on the same page: 40 minutes at 1200°F in the product text, 30 minutes in the comparison table. And "24 long guns" is a brochure count: plan on fewer.
- Body steel
- 14-gauge steel
- Fire rating
- 40 min at 1,200°F (brand's claim)
- Ways to open
- Keypad
- Approvals stated
- CA DOJ
- Weight
- 375 lb
- Capacity
- 24 long guns (claimed)
No. 3
Fort Knox Maverick
Best for buyers who want the thickest standard body here, built to order in the USA, and will configure it themselves.
- "10 GA body steel thickness": the thickest standard body among our full-size safes
- "Fire rating: 1,600°F in 1.5 hours", from a house-fire simulation Fort Knox says follows UL72
- 3/8 in of steel at the door edge and 9 to 11 locking bolts, depending on the size
The catch: $2,759 is where the Build & Price tool starts, not what you will pay: size, lock and finish all move the total, and the tool would not open for us on the day we checked. The page states no UL listing and no California DOJ line, so the approvals criterion scores as unstated. The warranty also asks you to pay the freight to the factory if the safe needs repair.
- Body steel
- 10-gauge steel
- Fire rating
- 90 min at 1,600°F (brand's claim)
- Ways to open
- Not stated
- Approvals stated
- None stated
- Weight
- Not stated
- Capacity
- Not stated
No. 4Best all-rounder
Fort Knox Original Pistol Box
Best for anyone who wants a bedside handgun safe with no batteries, no app and a lot of steel.
- "10-gauge steel body, 3/16 in wrap-around door": the thickest handgun safe we compare
- Simplex mechanical push-button lock: nothing to charge, nothing to fail electronically
- Gas strut lifts the lid; concealed continuous hinge
The catch: There is one way in: the push-button code. Fort Knox quotes "over 1000 possible combinations", far fewer than a digital keypad offers, so pick a code that isn't a child's first guess. There is no key, no light inside and no cable; at 22 lb it should be bolted down. The page gives no return window and no California DOJ statement.
- Body steel
- 10-gauge steel
- Fire rating
- No rating claimed
- Ways to open
- Push-button mechanical
- Approvals stated
- None stated
- Weight
- 22 lb
- Capacity
- Handgun size
4 safes in this table: scroll sideways to see them all
| Safe | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 30 long guns (claimed) | 24 long guns (claimed) | Not stated | Handgun size |
| Body steel | 12-gauge steel | 14-gauge steel | 10-gauge steel | 10-gauge steel |
| Fire rating | 60 min at 1,200°F (brand's claim) | 40 min at 1,200°F (brand's claim) | 90 min at 1,600°F (brand's claim) | No rating claimed |
| Ways to open | Keypad | Keypad | Not stated | Push-button mechanical |
| Approvals stated | UL listed + CA DOJ | CA DOJ | None stated | None stated |
| Weight | 565 lb | 375 lb | Not stated | 22 lb |
| Warranty | Lifetime | Lifetime | Lifetime | Lifetime |
| Sold by | Liberty Safe | Liberty Safe | Fort Knox | Fort Knox |
| Where to buy | Check price at Liberty Safe | Check price at Liberty Safe | Check price at Fort Knox | Check price at Fort Knox |
✓ marks the best figure of the row. "Not stated" means the seller's page doesn't publish it. Fire ratings and capacities are the brands' own claims. Each safe keeps its one overall score; this page only changes the order. Prices checked November 13, 2026.
What to know before you choose
"Made in USA" on a safe can mean anything from American steel welded in an American factory to final assembly of imported parts, and brands choose their words with care. We don't audit factories. What we do is quote exactly what each maker writes on its own page, and list only the safes where the claim is made in plain words. Four qualify.
Liberty's product pages say "Made in the USA with American and global parts", and its made-in-USA page places the factory in Payson, Utah: that covers the Liberty USA 30 ($1,969) and the Liberty Centurion 24 ($829). Fort Knox calls the Maverick "American-made" and prints "Made in the USA" on the Original Pistol Box, a $299 way to buy American steel. The other brands we compare don't state a country of manufacture for the models listed, so they are not here. That is a statement about their pages, not about their factories.
How this ranking is weighted
Every safe keeps its overall score from the public formula. For this page we re-order the eligible safes with the "American made" weights: body steel thickness 25%, price 20%, warranty 20%, fire rating claimed by the brand 15%, and the rest for the other 2 criteria. The full table is on the methodology page.
Head-to-heads between safes of this list: Liberty USA 30 vs Fort Knox Maverick.
Other rankings: best gun safe, biometric gun safe, fireproof gun safe, handgun safe, best rifle safe, budget gun safe, gun safe for apartment.
By Grant Holloway, editor, gun safes · updated November 13, 2026
American made: questions buyers ask
More answers in our guidesWhich gun safes are made in the USA?
Among the 15 we compare, four make the claim on their pages: Liberty USA 30, Liberty Centurion 24, Fort Knox Maverick and Fort Knox Original Pistol Box.
Are Liberty safes made in America?
Liberty says "Made in the USA with American and global parts" on its product pages and names Payson, Utah as the factory on its made-in-USA page.
Are Fort Knox safes made in the USA?
Fort Knox describes the Maverick as "American-made" and the Original Pistol Box as "Made in the USA".
Are Winchester or Browning safes made in the USA?
The pages we read for the Winchester Ranger 26 and the Browning Sporter 23 don't state a country of manufacture, so we don't list them here. Ask the seller.
Is an American-made safe better?
Not automatically. Judge the steel gauge, the fire rating and the warranty, which is what our scores do. Country of manufacture is not a scoring criterion.