Fort Knox was the original creator of this style of pistol safe. At the time, only GunVault was around making low quality electronic handgun safes. Fort Knox makes real safes, not the illusion of security now so common in Costco, Wal-mart and Tractor Supply. They took a lot of the higher security features found in their gun safes and used them in this pistol safe. In these Fort Knox Handgun Safe Reviews, I’m going to help you understand why they are some of the absolute best mechanical pistol safes in the industry.
Lock – Fort Knox Handgun Safe Reviews
First and always most important is the lock. Fort Knox uses the genuine Simplex mechanical push button lock with 1,081 different possible combinations. When installed and used correctly, this is a very reliable lock designed to last forever.
Punch Attack Solution
A few years ago, it was exposed that anyone could easily break into this style of handgun safe with a screwdriver and a hammer, however that was never the case with this pistol safe. Fort Knox responded and added a Steel bar underneath the lock that renders this attack useless. This company actually cares about your security.
Security – Fort Knox Handgun Safe Reviews
These handgun safes are built to full size gun safe standards. They use a 3/16″ steel door with a 10 gauge steel body. This offers maximum pry resistance and is significantly thicker than the standard 16 gauge steel options from nearly every other manufacturer. They have also been tested for and are approved as a firearm safety device by California Department of Justice. This ensures it meets basic security requirements and is authorized for the use of storing a firearm in California.
There are also four bolt down holes on the bottom of the safes for mounting to a fixed surface.
Style and Function
The Fort Knox pistol safes are finished in a speckled gun metal gray that looks tough and is very durable. The interior includes all carpeting or three layers of foam, two layers are egg crate and the top layer is a solid piece. The top layer of foam compresses the handgun into the foam so that it doesn’t slide around or get scratched. Finally, a gas strut is included on the original to help assist in lifting the heavy door and keep it up until you are ready to close the safe.
Warranty
All Fort Knox handgun safes come with a 1 year lock warranty and a lifetime warranty on the safe itself. The lock is the only component that could have an issue so in reality it has a 1 year warranty and they actually just defer you to DormaKaba who makes the lock. This is not a good business practice in my opinion and I would recommend going with a company who honors the warranty on all components of the safe.
The Bottom Line
Would I buy a Fort Knox Handgun Safe to store my pistols? Yes, I absolutely would. It’s a reliable product with a high quality Simplex mechanical lock encased in a protective steel housing with thick steel construction and made in USA. The warranty is the only part of this safe I’m not crazy about.
With that said, these are not my top pick for a handgun safe and I recommend two handgun safes instead of this one. The first is the Stealth ShadowVault which uses a UL rated high security S&G electronic lock. The second is the V-Line Brute XD which is nearly identical to this safe but Made in USA.
