Long-gun safe
Browning Sporter 23
12-gauge steel · 95 min fire rating · 530 lb
8.4/10Good$1,649Nov 13, 2026
Best fireproof gun safes, by fire rating
7 safes with a published fire rating, 40 to 95 minutes on the brands' own tests, ranked with fire counting for 60%.
7 results"Fire protection" weightsPrices checked Nov 13, 2026
Fire rated: all 7 in order
Long-gun safe
Winchester Ranger 26
12-gauge steel · 60 min fire rating · Keypad
9.2/10Excellent$1,899.99Nov 13, 2026
Long-gun safe
Liberty USA 30
12-gauge steel · 60 min fire rating · Keypad
9.3/10Excellent$1,969Nov 13, 2026
Long-gun safe
Rhino Kodiak KGXR5933
12-gauge steel · 60 min fire rating · Keypad
9.1/10Excellent$2,449Nov 13, 2026
Long-gun safe
Steelwater Heavy Duty 20
12-gauge steel · 60 min fire rating · Keypad + key
8.3/10Good$1,399Nov 13, 2026
Long-gun safe
Liberty Centurion 24
14-gauge steel · 40 min fire rating · Keypad
8.7/10Very good$829Nov 13, 2026
No. 1Best for fire
Browning Sporter 23
Best for owners who rank fire protection first and want a branded 12-gauge safe under $1,700.
- "95 minutes at 1,200°F", per Browning: the longest fire rating of the 15 safes here
- Solid 12-gauge (7/64 in) steel body and a 1 in formed steel door with an inner plate
- Door storage for 7 long guns plus pistol pouches, so the interior stays usable
The catch: Two blanks. The spec list describes how the lock is protected (triple-steel hard plates, hardened pins) but not which lock is fitted, and Browning's warranty page gave us no readable term. Delivery is also a real line on the bill: $449 to a main floor or garage, $549 with stairs. And the "UL Listed" line does not say Residential Security Container, so we score it one notch below a stated RSC listing.
- Body steel
- 12-gauge steel
- Fire rating
- 95 min at 1,200°F (brand's claim)
- Ways to open
- Not stated
- Approvals stated
- UL listed
- Weight
- 530 lb
- Capacity
- 23 long guns (claimed)
No. 2Best price
Winchester Ranger 26
Best for a large mixed collection that needs depth, a stated RSC listing and a replacement guarantee.
- "U.L. Listed for burglary protection, RSC", stated on the page, and it "Exceeds California DOJ Requirements"
- 60-minute fire rating at 1400°F, a tougher test temperature than most rivals quote
- 12 one-inch steel bolts, 7 active and 5 dead, on all four sides of the door
The catch: Returns go through customer service with an approval number, and the policy page prints no window in days, so you don't know your deadline before you buy. It ships within the contiguous United States only. At 594 lb it is the heaviest safe we rank whose weight we could read, and 25 inches of depth will not suit every closet. The 35-gun figure also depends on Winchester's GunStiXX rods.
- Body steel
- 12-gauge steel
- Fire rating
- 60 min at 1,400°F (brand's claim)
- Ways to open
- Keypad
- Approvals stated
- UL RSC + CA DOJ
- Weight
- 594 lb
- Capacity
- 35 long guns (claimed)
9.2/10Excellent
$1,899.99
At Winchester Safes, checked November 13, 2026
Check price at Winchester SafesRead review
No. 3Best all-rounder
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. 4
Rhino Kodiak KGXR5933
Best for a large collection that needs room to grow, a stated RSC listing and lights that come on by themselves.
- "UL Certified RSC / CA DOJ Compliant", stated on Rhino's page
- "60 Minutes of Fire Protection at 1400°F", with fireboard in the ceiling, walls, floor and door, per Rhino
- Limited lifetime warranty with free repair or replacement after a burglary or a fire
The catch: Sending it back is expensive: Rhino's policy gives 45 days from the ship date, minus a 20% restocking fee and the shipping both ways. On a $2,449 safe that is close to $500 before freight, so measure twice. The page gives no count of locking bolts and no interior dimensions, and "41 long guns" is the brochure figure. Delivery is curbside, about 2 to 4 weeks out.
- Body steel
- 12-gauge steel
- Fire rating
- 60 min at 1,400°F (brand's claim)
- Ways to open
- Keypad
- Approvals stated
- UL RSC + CA DOJ
- Weight
- 536 lb
- Capacity
- 41 long guns (claimed)
No. 5
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. 6
Steelwater Heavy Duty 20
Best for buyers who want 12-gauge steel and a 60-minute fire rating for well under $1,500.
- 12-gauge steel for $1,399: the cheapest 12-gauge safe on our list
- "60 minute fire proofing at 1875°F", the highest test temperature any brand here quotes
- Keypad with a double-bitted bypass key, so a dead battery never locks you out
The catch: The policy pages on steelwatergunsafes.com answered "Access Denied" when we read the site, so the warranty length, the return window and the shipping terms are blanks in our data, and blanks score low. The page claims no UL listing for the body or the lock. At 18 inches deep outside it is also the shallowest full-size safe here: fine for shotguns, tight for scoped rifles.
- Body steel
- 12-gauge steel
- Fire rating
- 60 min at 1,875°F (brand's claim)
- Ways to open
- Keypad + Key
- Approvals stated
- CA DOJ
- Weight
- 453 lb
- Capacity
- 20 long guns (claimed)
No. 7
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)
6 safes in this table: scroll sideways to see them all
| Safe | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 23 long guns (claimed) | 35 long guns (claimed) | 30 long guns (claimed) | 41 long guns (claimed) | Not stated | 20 long guns (claimed) |
| Body steel | 12-gauge steel | 12-gauge steel | 12-gauge steel | 12-gauge steel | 10-gauge steel | 12-gauge steel |
| Fire rating | 95 min at 1,200°F (brand's claim) | 60 min at 1,400°F (brand's claim) | 60 min at 1,200°F (brand's claim) | 60 min at 1,400°F (brand's claim) | 90 min at 1,600°F (brand's claim) | 60 min at 1,875°F (brand's claim) |
| Ways to open | Not stated | Keypad | Keypad | Keypad | Not stated | Keypad + Key |
| Approvals stated | UL listed | UL RSC + CA DOJ | UL listed + CA DOJ | UL RSC + CA DOJ | None stated | CA DOJ |
| Weight | 530 lb | 594 lb | 565 lb | 536 lb | Not stated | 453 lb |
| Warranty | Not stated | Lifetime | Lifetime | Lifetime | Lifetime | Not stated |
| Sold by | Browning | Winchester Safes | Liberty Safe | Rhino | Fort Knox | Steelwater |
| Where to buy | Check price at Browning | Check price at Winchester Safes | Check price at Liberty Safe | Check price at Rhino | Check price at Fort Knox | Check price at Steelwater |
✓ 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
Let's clear one word first: no gun safe is fireproof. What brands sell is a fire rating, a number of minutes at a stated temperature, and almost always from their own test, not from an independent lab. Two safes with "60 minutes" on the door can have been tested at 1200°F and at 1875°F. So this ranking quotes every claim exactly as the brand writes it, and orders the seven fire-rated safes with the minutes counting for 60%.
The Browning Sporter 23 comes first with 95 minutes at 1,200°F for $1,649. The Fort Knox Maverick quotes 90 minutes at 1,600°F, a harder test, but leaves more blanks on its page and starts at $2,759. In the middle sit four 60-minute safes: the Winchester Ranger 26 and the Rhino Kodiak at 1400°F, the Liberty USA 30 at 1200°F and the Steelwater Heavy Duty 20 at 1875°F. Where you live matters as much as the number: minutes buy time for the fire department to arrive. Our gun safe fire rating guide explains how to read these figures.
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 "Fire protection" weights: fire rating claimed by the brand 60%, price 10%, body steel thickness 10%, published approvals 10%, 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, Liberty USA 30 vs Browning Sporter 23, Liberty USA 30 vs Winchester Ranger 26, Liberty USA 30 vs Rhino Kodiak KGXR5933, Winchester Ranger 26 vs Browning Sporter 23, Liberty Centurion 24 vs Steelwater Heavy Duty 20.
Other rankings: best gun safe, biometric gun safe, handgun safe, best rifle safe, budget gun safe, american made gun safes, gun safe for apartment.
By Grant Holloway, editor, gun safes · updated November 13, 2026
Fire rated: questions buyers ask
More answers in our guidesIs any gun safe really fireproof?
No. Every rating is a time limit at a test temperature. SnapSafe says it plainly on its own product page: "no safe is totally fire proof". Buy minutes, and keep irreplaceable papers elsewhere.
What fire rating should a gun safe have?
Sixty minutes is a reasonable target for a full-size safe, and all but one of the safes here reach it. If you live far from a fire station, favor 90 minutes or more: the Browning Sporter 23 and the Fort Knox Maverick.
Which gun safe has the best fire rating?
By minutes, the Browning Sporter 23: 95 minutes at 1,200°F, per Browning. By temperature and time together, the Fort Knox Maverick: "1,600°F in 1.5 hours".
Who tests gun safe fire ratings?
Usually the brand itself. Fort Knox says it follows UL72 in a house-fire simulation; Liberty calls its 60 minutes "certified". None of the pages we read names an independent lab report for the model.
Does a fire rating protect ammunition and papers?
It is a rating for the safe's interior temperature, not a guarantee for what you store. Paper chars and plastics deform well before steel does, so use a small fire chest inside the safe for documents.