Is the Liberty Centurion 24 worth buying?
The Centurion 24 is the cheapest way into a full-size safe from the best-known name in the business. For $829 on November 13, 2026 you get a 375 lb steel safe, a UL-listed electronic lock, a 40-minute fire rating by Liberty's own figures and the same transferable lifetime warranty as safes three times the price. What you give up is thickness: the body is 14-gauge steel, where every other full-size safe we rank is 12-gauge or better. As a locked door between children and firearms, it does the job well. As protection against a determined attack with tools, the dearer safes do more.
Buy it if
- You own a handful of rifles and shotguns and they currently live in a closet
- Children or visitors are the reason you are buying, and you want a real lock at a fair price
- You want Liberty's lifetime warranty without a four-figure price
Skip it if
- You want thicker steel for close to the same money: the Steelwater Heavy Duty 20 is 12-gauge with a 60-minute rating for $1,399
- Your collection is valuable enough to tempt a prepared thief: look at the Liberty USA 30
Is the Centurion 24 enough safe for the money?
For most households, yes. The honest job of an entry-level safe is to stop the two things that actually happen: a curious child and a smash-and-grab burglar who has ten minutes and no tools. A 375 lb box with seven locking bars and a UL-listed lock handles both, as long as you bolt it to the floor.
It sits No. 1 of 4 in our budget gun safe ranking for that reason. The 14-gauge body is where Liberty saved the money, and we say so in the score. If thicker steel matters more to you than the badge, read Liberty Centurion 24 vs Steelwater Heavy Duty 20.
How many guns does it really hold?
Liberty lists 24 long guns. That number assumes slim, unscoped guns packed muzzle to muzzle in every slot. Real collections have optics, bolt handles, slings and a couple of AR-pattern rifles that each eat two slots. Steelwater, the one brand on our list that prints an "average" next to its maximum, gives 12 to 16 guns for a 20-gun safe. Apply the same ratio here and you land on about 14 to 19, fewer with big scopes, with handguns on the shelves.
That is not a Liberty problem; every brand counts this way. The rule that saves regret: buy for the collection you will have in five years. The Centurion also comes as a 32 for $939 on the same page.
What does the fire rating mean here?
Liberty's text says "40 Minutes Fire Protection at 1200°F" for the 24, and the table lower on the page still says 30. Either way it is the brand's own figure, not an independent certificate, and 1200°F is a mild test temperature: Winchester and Rhino quote theirs at 1400°F. Treat it as protection against a fire that is put out quickly, in a house close to a fire station.
Our guide to gun safe fire ratings explains why two "60-minute" safes are rarely equal. If fire is your main worry, the fire-rated ranking starts at 95 minutes.
Video: "Liberty Safe Centurion 32 | Affordable Entry-Level Gun Safe (40 Min Fire Rated)", Liberty Safe on YouTube. Not made by us; chosen because it shows the safe or the topic clearly.
What's in the box?
Liberty lists adjustable shelving and the S&G Spartan electronic lock. There is no interior lighting and no door organizer at this level; both are sold as accessories. A dehumidifier is not included either, and a closed steel box needs one in most climates.
How do you set it up?
Choose the delivery level at checkout: curbside leaves 375 lb at the end of your driveway, in-home puts it where you want it, and the top option bolts it down for you. Bolt it, whatever you pick: an unbolted safe this light can be tipped onto a hand truck. Then set your own code and keep it away from children, as the American Academy of Pediatrics advises for every firearm in a home.
Storage laws differ from state to state: our guide to California DOJ approved gun safes shows what one state asks for. This is not legal advice.
What does it really cost?
The price is before delivery, which Liberty quotes at checkout. The lock is covered for 5 years; Liberty sells extensions to 10 years for $99 or to life for $159. Add a dehumidifier rod or a desiccant canister, and lighting if you want it. Our gun safe dehumidifier guide covers the cheap options.
What do we like, and what should you know?
- $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
- Liberty states it is a "California DOJ-approved firearm safety device"
- 375 lb: heavy enough to stay put once bolted, light enough for two movers and a dolly
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.
