Mutual Gun Safes model MS-5922

Lets start by looking at the fireproof material used on the MS-5922 gun safe.  The use of a sheetrock fireboard material and the U.L. approved heat activated door seal provide enough protection to protect from fires. The Mutual Gun Safe is lab tested in a oven chamber at 1760 degrees degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes.  While staying at or below 350 internal.  Lots of people ask me “Why 350 degrees?” because just above that tempature paper starts to char and can flash fire at 400 degrees.  So this is very good protection from a house fire.

The Mutual Gun Safe is also equipped with a full arsenal of anti-burglary features.

1.The locking bolts are a massive one inch in diameter.

2.There are at least three dead bolts facing the hinge side, one active bolt at the top, and at least five active bolts along the closing side.

3. The lock is protected from punch-out attempts by a Manganese (HRC 60 hardness) hardplate.

4. The LaGard Dial Lock is a Group II lock and has a spring-loaded relocker. (LaGard is an American lock maker, excellant reputation)

5. There are two bolt-down holes predrilled at the bottom of the safe that accommodate standard 1/2″ bolts to keep the safe where it is meant to stay.

5. 10 Gauge steel which is the largest size used just before you increase to plating.  Many popular gun safe brands you see around are actually a thinner guage of steel such as 14 or 16….larger number means thiner steel. Many of these safes use a 1 inch bolt on their safe too but because the steel is thinner the wall of the safe expands when it gets crowbar attacked.  I personally suggest not to get anything thinner than a 10 guage steel.

These features make the Mutual Gun Safe MS-5922 an excellant choice for a gun safe.  To get a better look see MS-5922.

Sentry Gun Safe G6211.  Is a larger size Gun Safe. NON Fireproof Gun Safe.  Many folks are looking at the price of this gun safe and jumping on it.  But be aware it is not fire rated.  However, it is CDOJ certified.  Stonger steel and better locking bolt system than is its smaller version the Go135.  They have gotten away from the key and gone with a dial.  Which makes it feel more like a safe.  Good storage space and has good interior.  Sentry Safes are one of the few manufactures that are still making a non fireproof gun safe.  So there is not much else in the industry to use as a  comparison to this model. 

I would like to point out a few of the features.  The Sentry Gun Safe model G6211 is the first of its line up to use a real bolt work system on the safe.  It also has drill resistant hardplate in the lock. What is drill resistant hardplate you ask?  Ahh grasshopper let me explain.  Hardplate is placed over the interior portion of the lock to protect it from being drilled.  It is not uncommon for a thief to attack a safe by first taking a hammer to the dial and knocking it off.  But by doing this he is only making it much harder to break into it.  Because the hardplate is protecting the most important part of the lock.  At this point, the thief had better brought a blow torch.  You see the hardplate cannot be drilled but must be melted.  This super strong steel plate is what helps this safe be CDOJ (California Dept. of Justice) certified gun safe. 

Now I can anticipate your next question.  “How do I get in the safe if the thief breaks off the dial?”  Well, thats what our good friend the locksmith makes his living doing. 

To sum up this brief look at the Sentry Gun Safe model G6211. I would call one of the largest Non Fireproof Gun Safes on the market.  Quality is typical Sentry Safe…which is “affordable Chinese Import” (affordable…I think that was very tactful of me).  The pry resistant door is much better door than the small GO135.  But it can still be crowbared after about 5-10 minutes of wrestling with it. (I know this because I have done it just to test it.)  Which is a long time when you consider the average home break in lasts about 3-8 minutes.  Also, at this price range you may want to look at some of the smaller models with fireproof protection. Its not that much more in price but it offers more value.  And thats what we are about at www.ValueSafes.com so check out this model on our site under the heading marketed Safes Discount Gun Safes.

Diamond Back Gun Safe model GS5940H.  Is the largest in Diamond Back Gun Safe lineup.  It is made to the exacting standards of the companies owner, Keith Lavarnay.   Also, a division of Cobalt Safes BUT nothing to do with the old company that produced “Cobalt Gun Safes”.  They went out of business years ago.  Before Cobalt Safes was born.  The “H” series standards for Gun Safes is top notch in the import line up of Gun Safes. 

* 10 Gage Steel for body and door. Plus an added plate of steel within the door. PLUS, hardplate over the lock. Far exceeding CDOJ rating for firearm container.

* S&G group II lock with relocker and spyproof ring. Whats a spyproof ring?  Its so only the person dialing the combo can see the numbers being dialed.

*Huge ball bearing hinges to support the door when open and protect against breakin.

*1 Hour Fireproof Safe protection.

*Adjustable shelving for interior.  Can be used for guns or storage of a varity of objects.

* Multiple bolt down predrilled holes on floor.  For supperior theft protection.

*Massive, over 4 inchs, thick door with back up bolt assembly making it extremly difficult if not impossible to pry bar open.

*Predrilled plugged hole for addition of a dehumidifier to keep contents dry and mold free.

*Semi gloss black paint extended life finish that is easy to repair scratches.  Giving a lifetime of use and a good looking finish.

It is important to read my other comments in this post regarding Diamond Back Gun Safes.  I try not to repeat myself too much.  So you will read other tidbits about Gun Safes on the other areas.  Also, check out www.safesblog.com for other opinions on SAFES.  Or visit us at www.valuesafes.com

GS5936H from Diamond Back Gun Safes.  This is a new size model made to the specifications of the other “H” series models.  Excellant Gun Safe value.  We sell 5 brands of Gun Safes right now and will be adding a 6th. But Diamond Back has my vote for best quality for the price.  This model is made with 10 gage steel just like ALL Diamond Back Gun Safe models. 

Bolts are are a whopping 1 1/2 inches each.  Which is huge and next to impossible to crowbar when locking into a 10 gage steel wall.  I say next to impossible more for legal reasons.  I have never heard of anyone crowbaring open a Diamond Back Gun Safe.  Which says something of the quality and materials!  There is also drill resistant hardplate over the lock that must be melted and cannot be drilled into.  Pushing this model into the area of “Far Exceeds CDOJ Ratings”. 

Lock is one of the best made dial locks in the world.  S&G is made in Kentucky by the Stanley Corporation.  Great design and great quality.  Spring loaded relocker as well as spyproof dial.  You can also get a keypad on this unit.  Such as the Lagard basic.  Made by Lagard for commercial safes.  One of the best keypads in the industry, especially for the price.  I normally suggest going with an electronic keypad like the LaGard keypad for Gun Safes.  Because the last thing you want to be doing is dialing a dial, in a panic, while an intruder is busting down your door.  Keypads just offer the quickest access in the safe industry.  Even better than biometric locks that read your fingerprint. (Biometric locks have a tendency to get dirty or miss read your fingerprint. I have written more under biometric locks).

Fireproof for one hour and double predrilled holes in bottom of safe so that it can be secured to the foundation.  This keeps the fire out and “Bubba” from putting it on a hand truck to pull it out of the house.  (Gotta keep an eye on Bubba.) One hour is very good fire protection in any residential or commercial fire. 

Free shipping is also included in this model and for most of the US there is no tax.  This safe by Diamond Back Gun Safes gets my “Valuesafes seal of approval” for quality and price point.  Check us out at www.ValueSafes.com

Model GS5930H has been recently redesigned by Diamond Back Gun Safes.  The biggest difference on this model is the hinges!  They have chosen to strengthen an area of the safe that is normally neglected and already well built.  Why would they do such a thing you ask?  I’ll tell you.

Good quality safes are made to last 20+ years.  (Don’t get good quality safes confused with Safes you can purchase in Big Box retailers with names like Sentry or worse.  Some generic name that nobody has heard of….) However, the hinges are often the first thing thing to go.  First the door bumps into the wall when trying to close the safe.  Then over the years the top hinge just starts to sag more and more…a lot like the U.S. dollar.  Which hinges like dollars all like to be strengthend.  So Diamond Back Gun Safes added a super duty hinge to this Gun Vault.  Which moves this gun safe into the “way plus side” of 20 years and more.  So much for the idea of planned obsoletion. 

Its important to go over the ingredients on how this model is made.  10 gage steel for body and door.  Place a thick metal plate inside the door, plus hardplate over the lock.  Wow, thats a lot steel!  You normally don’t find safes in this budget range with a fraction of that.  Add to it (10) 1 1/2 inch bolts on the door,hinge side of the door, top, and bottom of door.  With all this steel and bolts making this next to impossible to crow bar open.  (Which I have never heard of a Diamond Back Gun Safe having its door breached)

Bolts are put on the hinge side of a door just in case someone takes a blow torch or grinder to the hinges and cuts them off.  The door still won’t open.  Granted, I ‘ve never seen this happen before but perhaps it was common before my time. 

Did I mention the Group II lock?  Yes, it includes a Sargent & Greenleaf spring loaded relocker with spyproof dial front.  As a side note, if a safe manufacturer puts on a Sargent & Greenleaf lock they want the safe to last a lifetime.  My local bank even has an old one from the 30’s still in use on their vault.  Amazing to me.  You will often see safes in antique shops with S&G locks from the 90’s…thats 1890’s!  Still in use and most likely never had anything done to them.  Did I mention these were really good locks?  Yes, you can also upgrade your lock to an electronic keypad from LaGard.  Making this a very electronic gun safe.

GS5930H is now larger in size.  But let me tell you how to look at a model number.  GS stands for GUN SAFE. 59 is 59 inches tall. 30 is 30 inches wide.  The depth is what has changed.  It is now 26 inches deep.  Be sure to note these are outside deminsions not inside.

Paint is your basic semi-gloss black with “rain drop” finish.  Not much choice there but VERY easy to repair scratches!  And if you are going to keep it for a lifetime, that’s important.  There are gun safes with high gloss shiney finishes that look great when new.  But like any piece of furniture is going to get scratched.  The high gloss shine on a Cannon Safe or American Security Gun Safe need to be taken to an auto detail or repair shop…..hmmm, sounds costly to me.

Fireproof is for 1 hour.  Which should be enough for any location unless you anticipate a fire caused by accellerants such as gas, fuel, or propane.  This safe has been factory tested in a propane oven at 1250 for 1 hour.  With the internal temp reaching a max of 350 degrees.  According to the fire dept. a normal house fire burns at 950 degrees. So this very good fire protection.

Interior material lining is bit on the sparce side.  Its a durable grade but I certainly wouldn’t call call it a plush or luxery grader liner.  Shelving comes only one way but can be adjusted or removed intirely for those that want to store something other than guns.

I consider the Diamond Back Gun Safe model GS5930H one of the best priced gun safes on the market. The folks at Diamond Back have really done a great job with this model.  Feel free to leave your opinion if you are an owner.  Also, don’t forget to see my other postings on Diamond Back Gun Safes.

Diamond Back Gun Safe model GS5924H.  New and redesigned model.  This is the first in the H series with larger 1 1/2 inch bolts.  Same 10 gage steel for body but with added plating in the door makes this unit all the stronger.  The is also an upgraded lock by Sargent & Greenleaf, made in Kentucky and designed for a life time.   This is the dial lock that the others would like to be.  Hinges and door steel upgraded.  Along with an increase in depth over the old model. 

1 hour fireproof  for those needing more protection against fire.  Perhaps you have heard me rave about the “L” series as a great quality budget priced safe.  Well, this unit is a great quality upgraded version.  Worth the extra cost.  Compare this to Cannon Safe Dangerous Game series series.  There is a difference in price between Diamond Back and Cannon Safes.  First is the paint jobs.  Only Cannon can be ordered with a High Gloss Finish.  Where Diamond Back Gun Safes

Second is warrenty.  Where Diamond Back Gun Safe comes with 1 year.  Cannon Safes come with a lifetime warrenty against fire and burglary.  I said BURGLARY.   Which means…..if a burglar attempts to break into it.  Damaging the safe.  Cannon Safe will replace it…for life.  BUT pay attention to the cost.  Buying a Cannon is like purchasing a safe with an exteded warrenty.  Some other item to notice is that while Cannon Safes has been very busy the last year.  Some of its customers are having a hard time collecting on the lifetime warrenty.  Don’t if it has stayed that way.  But its something to process.  Nobody ever has a problem with Diamond Back Gun Safes.  Nice folks, and you will get a real person that answers the phone.  Prompt service if you have any problems. 

Third is the interior on a Diamond Back Gun Safe cannot be accused of being “plush”.  Because its not.  It is nicely lined with a basic grey liner.  No option for upgrades.  But Diamond Back Gun Safes are available for immediate shipping.  Where a Cannon Safe will take around 6 weeks or more.  Check our prices at www.ValueSafes.com we normally have both manufacturers on sale and with free shipping.

One last insider note about gun safes.  Most won’t tell you…actually most don’t know!  Both Diamond and Cannon come from the same factory in China but in different stages of finish.  Don’t let that scare you away.  Most gun safes, even those that claim “American Made”, all are made in one of 4 factories in China.  Again in different stages of being finished.  Don’t get me wrong there are still some American brands.  But the price is through the roof on these units.  Normally they are “over built”.  I realize that sounds funny when you want a high quality Gun Safe.  But just to put bolts every 6 inches is really stupid!  Crowbars are going to have a very difficult time getting into anything that is CDOJ rated. 

Be sure to read my other posts on Diamond Back Gun Safes.

Diamond Back Fireproof  Gun Safe model GS5928L is a half an hour fireproof safe.  Very good value in size.  Comes with two bolt holes.  Extra secure for bolting to the ground.  When this model was first sold it had a tendecy to tip forward when the door was open.  This was due to the weight of the safe and narrowness of the body.  But not anymore!  They fixed that several years ago.  Without compromising the thickness of the door.  I would still bolt it to the ground for security reasons.

I have had a lot of coments on the pallet that this one has built into it.  The pallet is two metal rail type pieces that come bolted to the bottom.  It doesn’t come shipped on a wooden pallet.  It came be a little cumberson to unbolt.  Unlike on a wooden pallet.  That you would just cut the strap on the Fireproof Gun Safe and wiggle to the floor to be handcarted around.  No, this one must be leaned forward and held while someone unbolts the gun safe from the rail.  Its not as hard as it sounds and can be done by one person.

10 Gage steel is rare to find in a gun safe.  Especially in the under $3000. range.   But this one has it!  Its normal retail is around $950 in gun shops and local locksmiths.  Valuesafes always has it on sale and with free shipping to your home.  I would like to point out something.  If inflation stays on it current path world wide.  I will not be surprised to see the price of this model jump considerably.  Or be redesigned with a 12 or even 14 gage steel.  (I will anounce it on our website to inform anyone of changes in the quality of this safe) BUT for today, I think if you are looking for a fireproof gun safe.  With a 30 min fire protection. Top quality but on a budget.  This is one to consider.  I would put this one in first place position when considering also. 

Be sure to check out more writtings in this section on Diamond Back Gun Safes.  I try not to bore people with repeat information.  You may also wish to check out more reviews at www.safesblog.com I am not sure if they have commented on this unit yet.  But leave a little feedback if you own one.

Diamond Back Gun Safes have a model GS5922L that I think is one of the best buys in small gun safes.  For those of you that have never heard of Diamond Back Gun Safes this will be good information for you.  Diamond Back Gun Safe is a division of Cobalt Safes.  Which is a major importer of safes.  Very few safes are actually made in the States anymore.(I know, it makes me sad too)  Until you get to units costing thousands of dollars.  Which this one is considered an excellant medium grade gun safe.  Equiped with drill resistant hard plate, relocker, 30 min fireproof fire rating, (9) 1 inch bolts incased in a 10 gage steel body.  Saaaweeet!  Also meets and far exceeds CDOJ (California Dept of Justice)

Compared to Sentry gun safe or a Honeywell gun safe.  These are truelly a huge cut above and the next step up in quality.   The negative on them is they only come in semi-gloss black.  OR semi-gloss black.  So much for choice.  But the color is very is to repair scratches or blemishes.  Diamond Back Gun Safe can supply a bit of black paint.  But any semi-gloss black paint will do.  Just run by you local automotive parts store and you should find some or even a your local hardware store.  Easy to repair.  Which is important.  We all move at one time or another.  With the average person moving every 7 years. (I  heard that somewhere…)  You are bound to scratch it in your move.  Note: The high gloss finish of a Cannon or American Security do scratch easy and have to be repaired by an automotive repair shop.  That high gloss sure looks good though. 

My estimate on this safe, when its bolted down, is very good against a prybar attack.  10 gage steel just doesn’t bend much and the door thickness will keep a prybar from getting a good grip on it.  So this one is a favorite for the budget minded gun safe person. 

The Diamond Back gun safe model GS5922L does have a slight downside.  That is I wish it came with a Sargent & Greenleaf dial lock.  But instead it only comes with an import lock.  Its not a bad lock, I just really like the S&G locks made in Kentucky.  Now then the H series do have a S&G dial lock on them.  But other than that we got many positive comments on this safe from customers.

Hi Folks, I have included the CDOJ standards below. Been having a lot of questions regarding this from callers so I thought it best be  put in the blog for Valuesafes.com If anyone gets more confused feel free to call me. If you have a gun safe and would like to know if it meets CDOJ standards feel free to email me as well with the model and make of your gun safe.  The year you bought the safe would be helpfull in some cases.  Thanks, Zack

Regulatory Gun Safe StandardsDOJ regulatory standards require a gun safe to meet either:
All of the following requirements:

B-RATE SAFES (ALSO U.L. RSC, RESIDENTIAL SECURITY CONTAINERS):

B-Rate is a catchall rating for essentially any box with a lock on it. The safe industry had an unwritten standard of ¼ inch body, ½ inch door. As steel prices (and shipping costs) increased manufacturers tried many things to reduce their costs. No tests are given to provide this rating. When buying a B-rate safe, look at things such as lock work, hard plates, and relocks.

U.L. Residential Security Container rating (RSC) - This UL rating is based on testing conducted for a net working time of five minutes, on all sides, with a range of tools. See U.L. TL-15 and TL-30 descriptions below for “net working time” description.

B/C-Rate Safes

This is a catchall rating for safes with at least a 1/4″ steel body, 1/2 inch door PLUS additional 10 or 12 guage metal layers where composite fire resistant material is also deployed. No tests are given to provide this rating. Look at the lock work, relocks and other features when making your decision.

C-Rate Safes

This is defined as a ½ inch thick steel box with a 1-inch thick door and a lock. As before, NO tests are given to provide this rating. Look at the lock work, relocks and other features when making your decision.