American Security AMSEC BFII6636 Gun Safe Review

American Security is the oldest, most reputable and highest quality safe company in the world. They’ve been around since 1946 and have always headquartered in California, USA. They make real safes, not the illusion of security but real, actual , high quality, secure, insurable safes. The American Security BFII series is the only gun safe to ever achieve the UL RSC Level II burglary rating, it’s made in USA and my absolute top pick in its category. In this review, I’ll help you understand what makes the American Security AMSEC BFII6636 Gun Safe worth every penny.

Lock – American Security AMSEC BFII6636 Gun Safe

First and always most important for any safe is its lock and the American Security AMSEC BFII6636 AMSEC gun safe comes standard with a Big Red Mechanical Lock, UL approved Type 2. This is one of the two mechanical locks I recommend with the other being made by S&G. This high quality lock is designed to last forever and uses the traditional 3 number combination on a spyproof dial that prevents others from seeing you spin the combination.

There is also a second lock option that is the ESL10XL electronic lock. This lock is UL approved type 1 high security and the absolute highest rating you can get. It has additional features from just the standard code like Time Delay that does not allow you to open the safe again for a specified period of time after each opening. This feature is mainly used in business applications and not really relevant for the average home owner.

Security – American Security AMSEC BFII6636 AMSEC Gun Safe

Now here is what truly makes the American Security AMSEC BFII6636 Gun Safe so special. Most gun safes are one layer of steel and gypsum fire board on the inside to create the fire rating. Even the highest security gun safes made by Liberty and Fort Knox are all built to this style of construction. The BFII series is the only gun safe to pass the UL RSC Level II burglary test. This test doubles the time to 10 minutes of resisted entry with an additional person. To achieve this American Security uses three layers of steel in the body, an outer layer of 11 gauge, inner layer of 12 gauge plus another inner layer of 4 gauge and a special proprietary mixture in the middle called drylight.

The Drylight Concrete Composite Advantage

Drylight is a concrete composite mixture that adds significant burglary protection and vastly improved fire protection. With all of the other style safes, the doors are typically very strong but the sides, tops and bottoms can just be cut open with a standard grinding wheel. It doesn’t matter how much you beef up the doors if the sides can be cut open like butter. That’s why these other companies provide you with the illusion of security and not actual security. This concrete composite drylight mixture with three layers of steel plate is incredibly strong. This creates real security on all 6 sides of the safe, not just the door. It totals out to over 2″ thick on all sides except the door which is substantially thicker.

When it comes to the door, American Security adds a 1/2″ steel plate on the BFII6636 and massive 1-1/2″ thick steel locking bolts on a dual reinforced door frame. The locking bolts extend on gear driven bolts that are sledgehammer proof. Even the inner steel plate is 5/16″ thick. This is significantly thicker than what every other safe company uses on the entire safe. See the image below for just how incredible this safes construction is.

Fire Rating – American Security AMSEC BFII6636 Gun Safe

So not only does the Drylight Concrete Composite mixture add significant burglary protection but it also provides incredible fire protection. The American Security AMSEC BFII6636 Gun Safe is fire rated for 120 minutes at 1200 degrees. This isn’t just any fire rating though, this is an ETL tested and verified fire rating. American Security is now on of the only companies who verify their fire ratings with an independent laboratory. This safe will definitely survive any fire and there are tons of case examples proving this.

Considering American Security is based out of California, wild fires are all too common. There are tons of BFII gun safes that have survived the hottest fires for the longest periods of time. They also use dual genuine Palusol Fire seals which are the high quality seals in the industry. They expand to 7 times their size during a fire to keep smoke and heat out.

Style and Function

The American Security AMSEC BFII6636 Gun Safe is the perfect combination of beauty and the beast. It’s an absolute animal when it comes to security and fire protection but also styled beautifully. American Security uses hand applied, high gloss automotive finishes that will rival the Porsche you wish you had in your garage. There are over 12 different finishes that range from textured black to burnt orange. My personal favorites are the Pearl Essence Gloss or Lazer Red with Black Chrome hardware.

Inside the safe, the back has a full mirror that illuminates with the included LED light kit. The back of the door features a very high quality door panel organizer with pistol holsters and additional rifle storage. An internal power outlet is included so that you can run a dehumidifier and the lights. Finally, the interior is fully adjustable on both sides with side shelves, top shelves, gun racks all upholstered in a rich pin-dot fabric.

American Security offers a lifetime warranty against break-in, attempted break-in and fire in addition to a 5 year parts and labor warranty on all components of the safe.

The Bottom Line

Would I buy the American Security AMSEC BFII6636 Gun Safe for my firearms and valuables. Yes, 1000% I would because this is even better than the second best gun safe, the BFX gun safes. The only gun safes better than this are also made by American Security in the TL rated series which aren’t always practical for the average homeowner due to their weight.

Yes this gun safe is quite expensive, but in the safe world, you get what you pay for. All these other companies that sell safes cheaper have one layer of steel, no independently verified fire rating and only provide you with a strong door. Get full coverage on all six sides, verified fire protection, certified RSC level II burglary protection and made in USA quality with the best looking gun safe in the industry. 10 out of 10, this is the one.

One of the only cons of this product is that it typically takes at least 12-14 weeks to build. That’s why I’ve partnered with Dean Safe company. They have the largest supply of in-stock American Security Gun Safes in the industry. All of their product pages will tell you which models are available as In-Stock and able to ship same business day. You can see all of the available In-Stock American Security Gun Safes Here.