Which Gun Safe is best and do I need a gasket?

My stepfather is wanting a gun safe for christmas but was told he needed to make sure he got one with a gasket. We are looking at some from walmart but no one there knows if they have a gasket....Any ideas on which brands are good and which models come with a gasket? The ones at walmart are from a brand Sentry I believe.

I personally just purchased my first gun safe this past summer, and in shopping around and researching, I've found that gasket equipped, air-tight safes are not the way to go. First off, with a safe that is air-tight, most times there will be no mounting holes drilled into them so you can anchor them to the wall/floor. This means the only garuntee you have that the entire safe won't be stolen is the weight of the safe alone.

Also, on several of the safes I looked at, the door, due to the fact it contains all the locking mechanisms, weighs in at about twice as much as the rest of the safe. The door on the one I purchased, in fact, is so heavy that without anchoring it to the floor, when the door swings open, it tilts the rest of the safe forward (my floor is a bit uneven).

When you have an airtight safe, unless you have some type of dehumidifier (chemical or electric), you're effectively locking moisture inside with the guns, which can ruin them much faster than by having a non-airtight safe, due to the moisture in the air settling and becoming stagnant.

I would recommend you purchase a Sentry Fire Safe. It's the most cost effective route I came across, and what I ended up purchasing. Make sure whatever safe you buy is:

- Fire-proof

- Is a gun SAFE, not a gun CABINET (cabinets could be broken into by a determined 6 year old)

- Has at least 4-locking points (one on each side of the door, however, two on each side is much, much better)

- Has a dial, combination lock. (the ones with electric keypads, while more convienient, aren't as good. batteries are internal and can die, meaning a back up key has to be kept outside of the safe where anyone can access it, also, in a fire, the keypad melts, requiring a locksmith to open it, at a SUBSTANTIAL fee)

- Even if only looking to secure at little as 4 guns, get a safe that can hold a number more. This leaves room for any other valuables you with to secure, future firearm purchases, and any ammunition/accessories that go with the gun.

- Whatever type of safe you buy, make sure you get a dehumidifier for it. If you keep the air inside the safe dry, the safe and everything in it should last for, oh, just about forever.

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