Bill wrote:
Hello,

I am in the market for fire rated long gun safe, and maybe an
additonal Sentry or Brinks fire rated file chest (or fire rated
cabinet) for important files.

I would love to hear 1st or 2nd hand knowledge of how well those
small fire chests held up in a fire, or how well a particular gun
safe held up against a theft or natural disater.

Real life stories mean more to me than website statistics or promises.

Thanks in advance.

Fire safes and theft safes are (almost) mutually exclusive. You're asking
for the equivalent of a fire truck and armored car. While possible, each is
designed differently.

The best anti-theft safe - for smaller items - is the kind installed in your
concrete slab. You can rent a saw that will drill the hole in the slab for
not much, then drop in the safe, add some concrete around the edge. Bingo.
Now this one IS fire and theft resistant!

Here's one more trick for your gun safe: Drill an itty-bitty hole through
the floor and, through this hole, run some wires connected to a switch on
the door. The other ends of the wire go through a hidden disabling switch to
the holdup alarm on your security system.

When you need to open the safe, activate the secret switch - no problem. If
some do-bad hacks through the safe, or if he's holding a gun to your head to
make you open the safe, the moment the door opens, the calvary is on the
way.

Even more exotic is to wire another switch to the back wall of the safe. If
the safe is moved, same thing.