Top 5 Steelwater Gun Safes Reviewed

January 5, 2021/Riley Draper Table of Contents

Buying your first safe is daunting. You want something reliable, but reactive. There’s no point in locking away your valuables if you can’t retrieve them, but if any jerk coming in off the street can crack it open with a crowbar and some patience, then what you have is less like a safe and more like an expensive envelope. You need something that only you can get into, something that stands up to fire, firearms, and drills. 

Steelwater Gun Safes has been in the business of protecting your guns, your documents, and other valuables for several years now. They were founded by a man with the know-how, and the drive to create a reliable and impregnable brand of safes, and they’ve kept it that way throughout their lifetime. If you’re looking for your first safe, or you’re just sick of safes that are difficult and cramped, then Steelwater Gun Safes is your best bet!

In a hurry? Here’s the test winner after 10 hours of research:

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5 Best Steelwater Gun Safes – Overview

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1. Steelwater Gun Safes AMSWS-1200C

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If you’re looking for something simple that’s resistant to drill attacks, savvy burglars, and perfect for your handguns, then this is the safe for you. Responsible gun owners know the danger of letting your firearms fall into unprepared or untrustworthy hands, and this safe will be ready to release its contents only to the folks you’ve granted access to. The bolt system is the pinnacle of door seal durability. 

The door is a thick shield of security. The eight locking bolts placed all around the border of the door will keep the door in place regardless of the attempts to break through it. The safe would need to be totally demolished to get at its contents, and that’s not going to be happening with this sturdy safe. It’s drill resistant, and the lack of an electronic lock means that nobody’s going to be button-mashing their way into one of the most secure locations in your home. 

The adjustable shelves make this an excellent addition to any home. No matter what you need to store in here, as long as it’ll fit inside of the safe, it’ll find a comfortable home. This is a simple safe with a plethora of use cases. If you’re looking for something that’ll do it all without taking up all of the space in your home or frustrating you when the chips are down, this is the safe for you. 

PROS

  • Excellent fire protection
  • Robust warranty

CONS

  • Not water resistant

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2. Steelwater Gun Safes – Basic Series 18 Long Rifle Max Capacity – AMBCD551920

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This particularly spacious heavy duty Steelwater Long Gun Safe is great for folks with a need for a great deal of storage capacity. This is a safe capable of packing in well over a dozen long rifles. The modular shelving provided makes this a sure winner. 

The electromagnetic pulse proof locking system means that no matter what, you’ll be able to get into the safe to grab your firearms without anybody breaking into your safe with anything short of an arsenal of tools. This Steelwater safe is just as sturdy as any of its brothers and sisters. The locking bolts all over the doors of this gun safe will keep the door firmly in place long after the hinges have been completely beaten off of the safe. The hinges aren’t a point of weakness, they’re more like a convenience for you, the safe owner.

The 14 gauge steel construction and durability make this a steal on Amazon. Not many safes are this size, this sturdy, and this high-quality. 

PROS

  • Fireproof rated at 45 minutes at 1400 degrees-Fahrenheit
  • Excellent for several storage configurations
  • Comes with a free dehumidifier

CONS

  • Despite being listed as an 18 rifle capacity, any wider barrels or attached optics will cut into the maximum capacity of this safe
  • If you’re looking for a combination lock, you’re not going to find one here

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3. Steelwater Gun Safes AMSWS-610C

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This small, but mighty safe allows for a number of customizations before you have it brought to your home. If you’re the type that refuses to type in your combination, because you don’t want to be beholden to the fickle battery fates, then you can opt for a classic combination dial. Their combination lock is a Korean Group II Key Changeable Combination Dial with Vision Guard Lock, so anybody looking over your shoulder is going to have a nearly impossible time guessing your combination.

However, if you’re looking to embrace the future, then know that the untimely death of your batteries will never lock you out of your Steelwater. Their LaGard (Kaba) Digital Keypad comes installed alongside a secondary key-operated day lock. Just keep your combination in your heart along with the location of your key, and nothing will ever keep you from getting into your safe while keeping unwanted visitors out.

Locks aside, this is a sturdy safe. The 4-inch thick doors are flanked on either side by 2 pairs of 1-inch locking bolts. Anybody trying to make their way into the safe is going to be met with the impossible task of either bypassing the locks and their factors of authentication, the sizable bolts, and their preparedness for the several common methods of entry. Nobody’s going to get into your safe by hacking off the hinges, the non-volatile memory on the keypad is going to prevent would-be crafty thieves from simply replacing the batteries and entering a default code.

PROS

  • Thick and sturdy door
  • Customizable locking mechanisms
  • 2-hour fire rating at 1850 degrees-Fahrenheit
  • Chrome-plated active locking system
  • Removable top shelf tray

CONS

  • Not made in America

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4. Steelwater Gun Safes – Basic Series 12 Long Rifle Max Capacity – AMBC551915

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This safe is tall, dark, and handsome. You’re going to be getting the best protection, the most room, and a great-looking form factor for the price with this safe. The customizable shelving makes this the kind of safe you’ll purchase once and will find uses throughout your entire lifetime. If you bring this safe into your life before you’ve ever purchased a single long rifle, you can set the shelving up to serve all of your ammo and pistols. Maybe you just want something for the corner to keep your most important documentation from going up in flames in the event of a freak accident. The modular nature of this safe means that you can stack about four feet of whatever you need in here.

Once you need to make room for your longer firearms, this safe will be waiting for you. Dependable and unobtrusive, this longarm safe will stick with you through thick and thin. The electronic keypad may be a turn off for some, but don’t neglect its EMP-proof capabilities. You’re not just relying on the keypad and its battery power to get you into the safe. There’s a unique emergency bypass key that comes packaged with each of these safes. No matter what the scenario, this safe will be a quick and easy doorway to your valuables and firearms while keeping intruders (and kids) well out of reach of the contents of your safe. 

PROS

  • Spacious without becoming a burden
  • EMP-proof locking mechanism comes with a unique bypass key
  • Customizable shelf space makes this a great fit for any number of storage solutions
  • Fireproof up to 45 minutes at 1400 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Pre-drilled anchor holes make installation easy

CONS

  • No option for any door organizer
  • Not a great fit if you’re trying to fit your safe under a bed or in a small closet

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5. Steelwater Firepropof Gun Safe AMSWS-610EL

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This safe is a compact little powerhouse. It clocks in at a few inches under two feet tall and utilizes every inch of its capacity to create a fortress of steel. Anybody looking to bust into this thing is going to have to prepare themselves to drill through two full layers of steel. The inner walls and the door are sturdy and provide a case that will sequester away your most valuable documents and keep unwelcome hands away from your firearms. The safe will also stand up to furious flames. This Steelwater safe will last a minimum of two hours of fire at a blazing 1850 Fahrenheit. For reference, the average house fire is about 1500 Fahrenheit, so it’s going to take a lot to make this brick of solid steel and chrome tap out.

If you’re more concerned about human attempts to break into your safe than you are about the elements clawing at the steel barrier, you can rest easy knowing the door of this safe is equipped with two pairs of locking bolts. On the active side, you’re looking at a pair of one-inch long chrome-plated locking bolts. The chrome plating makes for long-lasting rust-resistant pair of difficult to sunder bolts. On the inside of the hinge, you have a pair of equally long inactive bolts. Even if somebody manages to unbolt your safe from its hiding place and concocts a scheme to remove the hinges from the door, they’re going to be stuck trying to saw through four cumulative inches of bolts. This thing is stubborn and well made. It’ll get the job done and then some. 

PROS

  • If you’re in range, you can pick this safe up yourself pretty easily
  • Fireproof for two hours at 1850 degrees-Fahrenheit
  • Incredibly thick 4-inch door

CONS

  • Digital lock can be offputting to some

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Our Winner

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The Basic Series 12 Long Rifle Max Capacity gun safe is the kind of extreme-duty safe that fits neatly into anybody’s lifestyle. This safe is surprisingly affordable, considering the safety features you’re investing in. It’s much taller than their document safes, but it’s also an eye-catching piece of equipment. What you lose in compaction you gain in aesthetics. This safe also isn’t so bulky that you won’t be able to bring it into your home and install it in the best corner of your basement or wherever in the house you decide it should end up. It’s manageable and reliable, without becoming cumbersome or unwieldy.

The safe is a Steelwater through and through. The shelving is customizable and intuitive without sacrificing any quality or safety. If you want it less for its long gun capacity, then set up some of the shelving and suddenly you’ve got a fireproof cabinet that will last you and your family decades. The electronic locking mechanism is EMP protected. That sounds futuristic, but Steelwater Gun Safes has a down-to-earth solution. Just keep their high-security double bitted backup key somewhere safe, and even the most Mission Impossible sounding heists won’t break into this obsidian behemoth. Anything you could think to keep in a safe will fit snug and dry in here for years to come. This is easily the best gun safe for your money.  

Why Steelwater Gun Safes?

Steelwater Gun Safes is a unique brand among safe manufacturers. They’re all about long-lasting reliability and predictable products. They’re not churning out dozens of new models each year with the intention of convincing buyers that they’re reinventing the wheel every single time. Steelwater Gun Safes has been very slowly tinkering with their base models to give you a solid piece of safety in your home. Everything from documents and family valuables to precious guns you don’t want falling into the wrong hands can live a long safe and dry life in any of the safes they have out on the market.

The secret is dedication. Some companies fall into the trap of lusting after higher and higher profit margins year over year, but this safe company knows that’s an unsustainable trajectory. Eventually, you’ll hit a quality ceiling. Either your prices will have to go up, or you’re going to have to start churning out safes that don’t live up to their name. But Steelwater Gun Safes has taken the time to create safes that are going to stay in your home as long as you need them to.

Their dedication to a smaller roster of products means that even if something in your precious safe does malfunction, you’ll be able to find replacement parts. You’re not going to be left out in the cold by a model that no longer exists. After nearly a decade Steelwater Gun Safes have kept the mechanical aspects of their products unchanged. They’re the epitome of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That’s the kind of reassuring quality you’d want from a brand of safes. The confidence they have in their own product for so many years in a row should lend you confidence that you’re not going to lose the valuables you’ve entrusted to these safes. 

What Makes Steelwater Gun Safes So Safe?

Steelwater Gun Safes quality controls every single safe a second time before sending it off to you. Of course, the safes are quality controlled after rolling off of the manufacturing line, but a second check before shipping is another layer of protection that other brands don’t tend to grant you. The shelving inside of most of their larger safes is made from u-channel steel plates. If you’ve ever owned a cheaper safe, you’ll notice the particleboard they use for their shelving tends to warp after a while. You want these things to last you a long time, and having the innards warp or break from just sitting around is far from ideal. The lock bodies on most of their safes are essentially impenetrable.

The hardplates they have built into the safes are about 10 times larger than the 4 x 5-inch plates you’ll find on other brands of safes. Steelwater Gun Safes takes their ballistic-resistant hard plate a step further and protects not only the lock body but the internal relocking device, the gear drive system, and all of the most vital linkage areas. Even in the event of someone breaking in, stealing your safe, and grabbing the schematics, you can rest easy knowing that they’re not going to be able to just smash it open or take a regular drill to the hinges.

The owner of Steelwater Gun Safes should also put your mind at ease. This isn’t just some guy that wanted to make a quick buck off of steel boxes. He spent five years in law enforcement and took the time to get elbow deep in locksmithing. After more than 22 years of servicing, repairing, and opening safes, he took that knowledge and started Steelwater Gun Safes. He’s seen pretty much everything you could possibly see in the world of safes and applied that wealth of knowledge to the safes they produce. 

The customer service, the quality, and the reliability that you get from Steelwater Gun Safes set them apart from your run of the mill safe brand.

Bonus tip: Buying your safe is only the first step. If curbside or garage drop off of your new safe isn’t going to cut it. Here’s a video guide to removing your safe doors to lighten to load for self-installation!

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Riley Draper

Riley Draper is a writer and entrepreneur from Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a world traveler, he has been to more than fifty countries and hiked some of the most elusive trails in the world. He is the co-founder of WeCounsel Solutions and has published work in both national and global outlets, including the Times Free Press, Patch, and Healthcare Global. When he’s not writing, he’s probably on a hiking trip or climbing in the mountains.

Riley Draper

Riley Draper is a writer and entrepreneur from Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a world traveler, he has been to more than fifty countries and hiked some of the most elusive trails in the world. He is the co-founder of WeCounsel Solutions and has published work in both national and global outlets, including the Times Free Press, Patch, and Healthcare Global. When he's not writing, he's probably on a hiking trip or climbing in the mountains.

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