While secure gun storage is the most obvious reason to purchase a safe, there are actually many reasons to own a gun safe. A well-designed safe will, of course, help prevent your prized firearms from being the targets of theft and keep them out of reach of those not qualified to handle them. A high level of fire protection will protect against a blaze. A safe with a versatile, convertible interior will allow other expensive and irreplaceable items such as binoculars, spotting scopes, cameras, laptop computers and your wife’s prized earrings from Aunt Pearl to reside inside without eating into precious gun space. Browning covers these three important aspects — security, fire protection and storage — down to a science, and you’ll find them to varying degrees with every safe offered.
Among the safes that wear the Browning name are the Yukon Gold series. Yukon Gold safes are exclusive to Sportsman’s Warehouse and share many features with other Browning models, at a price that makes them very attractive to the first-time safe buyer. Six models are available, ranging from the YG12 with a modest 12-gun capacity, up to the YG40 Extra Wide that is capable of securing up to 56 long guns. This article will focus on the features of the four largest models, the aforementioned YG40 Extra Wide, the YG33 Wide and the YG23 Elite and YG23.Yukon Gold safes begin as a single sheet of 12-gauge steel, 40% thicker than the 14-gauge steel many competitors use in their safes in this price category. Not only does 12-gauge steel make the safe heavier, stiffer and stronger, it also secures an important UL RSC (Residential Security Container) rating that ensures the safe will resist punch, pry and drill attacks using basic hand and power tools for a minimum of five minutes. Essentially, if a safe doesn’t have a UL RSC sticker, it really isn’t even a safe.
Once the body of the safe, including the door frame, is formed from the sheet of steel, it is welded together using continuous welds rather than the weaker spot welds some competitors use. Continuous welds are not only stronger; they help prevent heat from entering the interior in case of fire and won’t break if the body flexes due to heat deformation.
A high security 1” Formed Door is engineered with a rugged steel face and has back and reinforcement panels that provide superior strength and attack protection compared to similar safes. Inside the door is the Force Deflector Locking System (U.S. patent #7,665,405). This system is designed using a rotating cam device that is very effective at preventing pressure, applied to the bolts or handle, from reaching the lock. Attached to the rotating cam on three sides of the door are rock solid, 1” diameter locking bolts that protect against pry attacks. An array of hardened steel pins are placed in front of the lock to protect against drilling. A relocker offers further protection against entry should the lock be breached. Two locks are available on Yukon Gold safes: The gold standard S&G mechanical or the SecuRam electronic.ThermaBlock Fire Protection guards guns and valuables against disaster by eliminating the flaws in safe design and construction that allow heat to enter the interior of a safe. ThermaBlock is a combination of protective features that elevates Yukon Gold’s above anything else in their class. First, ThermaBlock combines thicker sheets of fire insulation arranged in an interlocking pattern that eliminates gaps in the insulation where heat can enter the interior. Second, Yukon Gold safes use external door hinges that, unlike internal door hinges, don’t require insulation to be removed from the safe. Lastly, the thicker steel of the safe body plus continuous weld construction guard against heat caused flex that occurs during a fire. Together, ThermaBlock gives YG40, YG33 and YG23 models an honest fire protection rating of 1,400° for 60 minutes.
Because the whole point of a gun safe is to keep your valuables safe, it makes sense to purchase a safe that allows you to use every square inch of the interior without hampering locating and retrieving your guns and gear. Yukon Gold YG40, YG33 and YG23 models feature the supremely adaptable, industry exclusive, Cantilevered Modular Shelving that borrows heavily from their patented Axis Adjustable Shelving (U.S. Patent #D662341). With Cantilevered Modular Shelving, gun racks and shelves can be added or removed and raised or lowered to fit guns and possessions of all sizes and shapes. Additional long gun storage is located on the back of the door courtesy of the quick access DPX barrel rack.All the aforementioned quality and innovation of a Browning ProSteel Yukon Gold safe comes clad in a durable, attractive finish that is accented by black chrome hardware; and the combination is sure to be the highlight of any room, be it the garage, man cave or den. When you decide on a gun safe, look no further than Browning and the legacy of quality you trust.
