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Vault doors are the ultimate alternative to a gun safe! The ability to turn an existing room into a safe by replacing a standard door with a vault door is a great option. With years of experience in the industry, I have put together the ultimate list of the best vault doors on the market today.
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1. SnapSafe Vault Door
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- Awesome price for a vault door
- Great steel gauge
- Can convert most doors to vault door
- Other vault doors have thicker steel
- Can break through drywall on the sides of the door, if not reinforced by brick
- Imported
- Dimensions: 81" High by 31.4" Wide
- Steel: 12 gauge
- Fire Rating: N/A
- Weight: 350 pounds
While this Snapsafe Vault Door may not have the thickest steel, it is an imported option and doesn’t have any fire rating, so it is a fantastic choice. If you want to add some security to an existing room in your home, an inexpensive door like this is a great option. I would highly recommend keeping your firearms inside another safe and using this for general security.
2. Rhino Ironworks IWVD8035 Vault Door
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- Includes a fire-rating
- Quality components
- Distressed finish
- USA-Made
- Very expensive
- Would expect a bit thicker steel gauge for the price
- Dimensions: 80" High by 35" Wide
- Steel: 10 gauge frame, 12 gauge door
- Fire Rating: 120 min at 1400 degrees
- Weight: 1030 pounds
Rhino Metals has long made fantastic, USA-made gun safes and vault doors. They also pioneered the now popular distressed finish! This distressed finish 10-gauge steel frame (12 gauge door) is heavy-duty (1030 pounds) and fire-resistant! This may not be a budget-based door; however, it is a fantastic one meant for homes that need that additional oomph regarding security.
3. Ironman 7230 Vault Door
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- USA-Made
- Extremely thick steel gauge
- Fantastic value
- Features are customizable
- Bland styling
- Dimensions: 72" High by 30" Wide by 4.5" Deep
- Steel: 3 gauge
- Fire Rating: Included (Unknown timeframe and temperature)
- Weight: 650 pounds
If you have a USA-made door but are on a budget, look at Ironman’s selection of vault doors! They are one of the lowest-priced American-made vault doors on the market, but they still offer impressive specs, such as 3-gauge steel, fire-resistance, and are customizable (to a point). These remarkable features are priced at almost half the comparable USA-made vault doors.
4. Browning Universal Vault Door
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- Multiple lock options
- Thicker steel gauge (on the frame at least)
- Backed by Browning with a great warranty
- Has fire protection
- Fully customizable
- Very heavy
- Lock: Electronic, Mechanical or Biometric
- Dimensions: 82.5” High by 30.5" Wide
- Fire Rating: Included
- Steel Gauge: 7-gauge
- Weight: 645 pounds
Browning is one of the biggest and best vault door and gun safe companies in the USA, and their flagship out-swing door is the best of the best. This is an excellent door with 7-gauge steel, a fire rating, and a relatively lightweight 645 pounds. However, it is also one of the most expensive, so you will want to ensure it is within your budget. This price is offset by the massive amount of customizations you can add to the door, including paint colors, lock options, scenes, and so much more. My favorite color is black cherry.
5. AMSEC VD8030BFQ Vault Door
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- USA-Made
- Extremely thick steel
- Drylight fire resistant fill keeps door lightweight
- Expensive
- Limited options (for the price point)
- Dimensions: 79.5" High by 29.5" Wide
- Steel: 3 gauge
- Fire Rating: Included (Unknown timeframe and temperature)
- Weight: 518 pounds
This American-made vault door is hands-down one of the most innovative doors on the market today. Even though it has incredibly thick (1/4 steel), it only weighs a lightweight 518 pounds, as its fire rating comes from the AMSEC proprietary Drylight fill rather than the heavier drywall alternative. This door should definitely be on your shortlist if you have the budget.
What should you look for when buying a gun safe?
1. What surrounds your vault door?
Buying a vault door can be a massive step towards security firearms and your valuables. However, it would be best to consider what surrounds your vault door.
While a vault door may be highly secure, if you place it into a wall made-up of drywall, the thickest steel won’t keep an intruder out if they need to break down the walls instead.
Vault doors are not only secure but also large and will give someone a reason to wonder what is behind that wall that is so important. Because of this, you have to consider additional security outside of just the door.
2. Steel gauge
Like a gun safe, you should always consider the steel gauge of the vault door you buy. Generally speaking, I would not recommend purchasing a vault door with anything less than 12-gauge steel, and thicker would be recommended.
3. Lock options
A great lock can mean the difference between being locked out of your door and being able to access it quickly at a moment’s notice. Make sure you keep an eye out for high-quality manufacturers of locks! It isn’t good enough if you don’t know the brand of the lock on your vault door. Common high-quality names are SecuRAM, S&G, and La Guard.
4. Fire-resistance
This is an interesting category for the vault doors, as the fire resistance of the door is only as good as the fire resistance of the surrounding walls and home.
You should only opt to spend additional money on a fire rating if you are also going to upgrade your home’s walls and ceiling (and possibly the floor). A fire-rated door is just a waste of money if those need to be fortified.
Conclusion
So there you have it! Those are the best vault doors on the market today for different categories and price points. I hope this helped you find the right vault door for your purposes.