Hey guys - I wasn't real sure where to post this, or if it was allowed. But I thought I would share.

A friend of mine got a hold of a fireproof gun-safe that had been in a house fire. I keep all of my rifles in a similar safe. We sawed the thing open and it was eye-opening!

I'm thinking twice about how to protect my investments.

Here's a video of us cutting it open.

https://youtu.be/zq4hYpkgT9s

Looks like they are mostly salvable.

The finish and plastic didn't melt the ammo didn't cook.

Don't think it got hot enough to hurt them that way.

It wasn't the heat so much as the water. They were all very rusted!

Could have been a lot worse. Most of the damage seems cosmetic, but I would worry about what effect the heat had on the tempering of the metal.

I would definitely have the guns "proofed" again before I would try and shoot them.

It does seems that the high humidity of the water and heat did quite a number on the metal finishes, but the wood seemed in pretty good shape, considering.

BH63

quote:

but I would worry about what effect the heat had on the tempering of the metal.

Didn't get hot enough to char the ammo boxes or set the ammo off.

It didn't get hot enough to worry about the metal.

My friend’s house burned down. As it was burning they got his guns out and cleaned them up. But from that point on they kept rusting. He would have then cleaned up, and the rust would come back. Something about the smoke caused the metal to be sensitive to rusting and it would not stop.

The best gun safe / fire protection I have found is a good insurance policy.

I don't want any of my guns after they've been through a fire. I would prefer a total loss and to start fresh.

^
Some of my guns have a lot of history. Just replacing them wouldn’t be the same.

BH63

We have a rule in our house in case of fire

1. Family including pets
2. Guns
3 Ammo etc
4 Important papers, wifes jewlery, pictures etc, all together

When wild fires are near I rent a uhaul trailer and keep it hooked up to our Excursion. It takes us less than 10 minutes to get everything in the trailer and bug out.

I would check the springs first, they tend to fail first of all with too much heat..

You get what you pay for most of the time. Looked like an extremely cheap safe to me, both from the size and number of locking bolts as well as their depth in the body of the safe, and from the lack of sheet rock protection. The quality/value of the guns inside is another indicator. Cheap guns, cheap safe.

When I had safes, they were the 1,500+ lb. top of the line Liberty safes with multiple layers of sheet rock, much thicker steel, and expanding door seals to help prevent smoke and water damage. Anything inside would have faired far better than in that cheap thing.

Now I have a vault with 8” thick walls. The house could burn to the ground (unlikely with a fire station just up the hill) but the vault will still be standing and nothing inside would see any significant heat. What you spend depends on the size and value of your collection. Insurance covers the rest.

from a resale - these are a total write off .. they will require EXTENSIVE refinishing, scopes are likely junk ...

but, the temps didn't exceed ~470f - as the paper didn't burn ..

steel isn't "more sensitive" to rust, after fire.. steel rust badly when hot+water (or humidity).. that's how it's rust blued ..

in short, if insurance would buy them, let them REPLACE them ...

if not, well, there's a whole lotta bubba gunsmithing there

Interesting. Thanks.

I would need to see a video of the rifles which were NOT stored in a safe for comparison!


Ski+3
Whitefish, MT

They don't need water on them to rust. There is a good chance they never got wet and rusted from the caustic fumes.

I want no part of any gun that's been in a fire, good insurance is the best protection you can have...

Fire safes ‘work’ by releasing the water in the gypsum board insulation.

After a fire, you have to get out and completely disassembled, cleaned and oiled.

How long did they sit after the fire and before opening the safe?

generally,
the problem is "getting to them"
as in-- the Fire Marshall will not let anyone other than "his" people into the "scene" fast enough to save the rifles

typically in even 12 to 24 hrs they are toast in any significant fire
that is near or directly around the "fireproof" safe

the steam rusts them FAST
as in almost right before your eyes
as well the steam "cooks" the wood, aluminum, etc

insure them- and learn to let them go--
(and yes, i had "irreplaceables" lost; prototypes , etc)

sad , but having been through this,

trust me , you do not want to fight with insurers about which ones are "restorable" firearms,
that is- in THEIR ESTIMATION

it gets ugly
yes - I won but what a hassle

Interesting video.

I bought a fire proof safe years ago manufactured by Fireking. It was intended as a document safe. The liner was actually impregnated with water.

Seems they had a bad batch and I got one of them. I did everything I could but the moisture inside was out of control.

Do your homework before buying a safe.

There's no such thing as a "fire proof" safe.

And I've seen "after" pics of a bunch of house fires that involved gun safes. (Used to sell gun safes, and worked with insurance co's and customers to work out claims after fires)...

Anyway, what surprised me most was it the guns were in a Sack-Up brand gun sock, there was very little to no rust damage after the fire. Assuming the internal safe temperature stayed low enough not to damage them with heat. But taking 2 different guns out of the same safe (house fire), one in a Sack-Up, and one not, the difference was really surprising. The one that was in the Sack-Up looked "normal", and the one that didn't was rusted all to heck.

Most of my lessor used, and "keepsake" guns, sit in my safe in Sack-Up gun socks now.

The best protection for your guns, and family, is a sprinkler system.

quote:

Originally posted by wwgreener:
The best protection for your guns, and family, is a sprinkler system.

My sentiments exactly! However I think that because the whole house burned to the ground gave the heat plenty of time to cook the firearms, destroying the finish on the steel. Notice the fact that all fire proof safes are rated to withstand a certain temperature for a certain length of time. With this house being totally destroyed, that safe was under the whole material in the very large bonfire for a long while. I don't think the damage was done by the water as much as the heat inside the safe over a long period.


The suggestion of having a sprinkler system is a good idea, at least in the room where valuable documents, and a fire proof safe is. The best place is in a under ground storm shelter In your yard away from the house all together. The last opinion is from a guy who lives in tornado alley, where the best shelter is underground and made of concrete away from the house!

……………………………………………………. Mac