Top Winchester Gun Safe Reviews
Winchester has got to be one of the most popular brands in the firearm industry and has been the most popular for decades. So if you are a firearm collector and haven’t heard of Winchester, you had to have been living under rock. Winchester first started in 1866 in a town called New Haven, Connecticut and was named after Oliver Winchester, which was its largest stockholder at the time. So Winchesters humble beginnings, they have actually gone through tons of changes over time including being licensed by a few different subsidiaries, which includes the Browning Arms Company. As with most companies, Winchester has expanded their product line to not only USA made items but also items made overseas.
The Winchester brand has created a large product line that expands much further than just firearms and ammunition. Also included are a large variety of products like binoculars, scopes and knives. But they are certainly most popular for the firearms and ammunition. Winchester also has produced a full line of gun safes that include 7 different models to choose from and three of them are made right in Fort Worth, Texas.
Here are our Top Picks
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| Company |  Flashbang |
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| Materials | Leather holster | micropoly/Lycra 4-way stretch fabric | 79% polyester and 21% spandex | Stretch lace material with silicone "grip top" to prevent slipping |
| Grip | Right & Left Hand | Right & Left Hand | Right & Left Hand | Right & Left Hand |
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| Price |
When looking for a gun safe there are several features and specs to consider before making the plunge. Unfortunately it is not as simple as choosing something you think looks the coolest or has the most storage. It is much more complicated than that. Every situation calls for something different and unique to certain scenarios. When I review a safe I cover the most important features: Capacity, fire protection, strength and security, aesthetics and warranty. In this next paragraph or so I will give you a brief explanation of each one feature. If you haven’t checked out my article “What to look for in a gun safe”, you should definitely check it out. I will certainly give you a much more in depth knowledge on gun safes.
The actual size and capacity of is an obvious but not so easy decision to make. My rule of thumb is to always choose a safe that you can grow into and not out of. If you choose a safe that fits your current collection perfectly, what will you do when you get that new gun you wanted for Christmas? The next things to consider is fire protection. This feature is often overlooked but plays just as an important part in the overall safety of your items. I recommend going with a safe that has a minimum of 60 minutes of fire protection.
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The next important feature to consider is the strength and security of the safe. Keeping your items out of reach from children and intruders is the point of having a safe so this not something you want to skimp out on. I recommend choosing a safe with a body thickness of 12-gauge or more as well as locking bolts on all four sides of the safes door. The type of lock you choose is also another important feature to consider and will decide on how quickly you access your firearms in the event of an emergency. If you have the choice of an electronic or mechanical lock, go with electronic.
If the safe is being placed anywhere other than a closet, you should consider the actual aesthetics of the safe. More and more safes are being used as a centerpiece for living rooms and game rooms so it is imperative that your safe be pleasing to the eye and not out of place. Last but not least, you’ll want to make sure that your safe comes with a lifetime warranty. Thankfully, all Winchester full size gun safes come with a limited lifetime warranty.
Now that you know what you should be looking for in a safe, let’s take a look at some of Winchester’s best selling models.
Big Daddy
The Big Daddy from Winchester gets its name from its wide stance and large gun capacity. This is the perfect safe for anyone looking to safely and securely store a large amount of firearms and collectables. Even though this safe is huge and secure, it does not come with a huge price tag, which makes it a very hot seller. The Big Daddy comes in one size, big. It can hold up to 48 long guns and measures 60” high by 42” wide and 25” deep so make sure you have plenty of room for this monster. The Big Daddy not only boasts a large capacity, it also provides some great protection and interior features.
To protect your items against the cruel punishment of a house fire, the Big Daddy provides 75 minutes of fire protection at 1400F°, which is 15 minutes over my minimum recommendation of 60 minutes of protection. Winchester uses five layers of fireboard in the door and three in the body to keep your items safe from extreme temperatures. They also have decided to include Palusol’s heat expandable door seal that will swell up to 7 times it’s size completely sealing all four sides of the safe door. This seal keeps your items protected from heat and smoke damage. 75 minutes should but sufficient for most scenarios, however if you live far from the fire department and are placing your safe somewhere other a cement floor, you may want to consider more fire protections.
The Big Daddy’s body is made from high quality 12-gauge steel, which is actually my minimum recommendation. If you are planning on storing items with extreme value, I would suggest going with something with a little thicker body. This model also comes with a 4-way locking bolt system that includes 14 – 1.5” steel bolts that cover all four sides of the safes door. This security feature helps aid in pry resistance along with it’s recessed door and reinforced doorjamb. The UL listed lock is protected by a titanium disk that prevents drilling and lock damage. These features make this safe a great mid level security safe.
The exterior of this model comes in your choice of two different colors, granite gloss and black gloss. Since these are both pretty neutral colors, the safe should fit well in really any room. The interior of the safe is lined in gray carpet and has several adjustable shelves and gun rests for a large variety of configuration for most any collection. Also included is a handy door panel organizer that comes with several pockets, pouches and gun holders for a large variety of accessories and handguns. The Big Daddy comes with your choice of either a mechanical lock or electronic lock for quick easy access.
Winchester provides a lifetime warranty on of their for size gun safes. This warranty protects your safe from defects in materials and workmanship, burglary attack and fire damage. Also included is a two your warranty that protects your lock from defects.
| Model | Guns | Height | Width | Depth | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BD36 | 54 | 60" | 42" | 28" | 805 lbs. | $$ |
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Ranger Deluxe
The Ranger Deluxe is a mid-level security safe from Winchester that provides a few different sizing options and a great price. This is a great option if you’d like near the same security as the Big Daddy series but need something with a few more sizing options. The Ranger Deluxe comes in 3 different sizing options: Small, medium and large. The smallest of the bunch can hold up to 24 long guns, the medium size can hold up to 30 and the largest can hold up to 51 long guns. Remember; choose a size that you can eventually grow into and not out of! Now that you know the different size options available in the Ranger Deluxe, let’s check out the other specs.
This series offers 60 minutes of fire protection at 1400°F, which is what I recommend as a minimum protection solution. Even though 60 minutes is my minimum recommendation, it should be enough for most situations. This is especially true if you’re planning on storing your safe in the garage or basement where it is surrounded by cement. The Ranger Deluxe also includes the Palusol heat expanding seal that help aid in protecting your valuables from heat and smoke damage. This series includes three layers of fireboard in the door and two in the body.
The safe’s body is made from 12-gauge steel with a reinforced door jam, which exceeds the California DOJ requirements. To keep your safe protected from pry attempts, the Ranger Deluxe includes a 4-way locking bolt system that incorporates 18 – 1.25” solid bolts that cover all four sides of the recessed door. To keep your lock protected, it also comes with a titanium drill resistant hard plate and an auxiliary re-locker to protect your safe from drilling and lock tampering. These are great mid-level security features especially for the affordable price.
The interior of the safe comes in gray carpet with several adjustable shelves for accessories and ammo. In addition, it also includes a handy door panel mounted organizer that includes several pockets, pouches and handgun holder. I find that the pouches and pockets are great for hold things like passports, birth certificates, etc. The exterior of the Ranger Deluxe comes in your choice of two different colors, granite gloss and black gloss. These basic colors match most any interior color scheme. Also included is your choice of a mechanical or electronic lock. For quicker access, make sure to choose the electronic option.
The Winchester Ranger Deluxe comes with a limited lifetime warranty that protects your safe from break-ins and break-in attempts, fire damage and manufactures defects. The actual lock comes with a 2-year warranty that covers malfunctions due to manufactures defects.
| Model | Guns | Height | Width | Depth | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R19 | 24 | 60" | 28" | 23" | 520 lbs. | $ |
| R31 | 30 | 60" | 36" | 28" | 685 lbs. | $$ |
| R45 | 51 | 72" | 42" | 30" | 935 lbs. | $$ |
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Silverado premier
The Silverado Premier is near top of the line in the Winchester lineup. This is due to its excellent security, amazing fire rating and capacity options. If you’re looking for a safe place to store expensive collectables, irreplaceable guns and important documents, this is it. The Silverado comes in 3 different sizing options to accommodate several different sized collections. The smallest of the 3 is a 24 long gun model, the mid size will hold 51 long guns and the large will hold about 54 long guns. Now that we’ve covered the different capacities of the Silverado Premier, lets check out the great features it includes!
When it comes to fire protection, the Silverado Premier has got you covered. It sits situated at near the top of the Winchester product line 2 hours of fire protection at 1400°F. This is accomplished by using five layers of fireboard in the door and four layers in the safes body. Also included is a double layer of the Palusol heat-expanding seal that protects your valuables from smoke and heat damage. With two hours of protection, your valuable should be protected in pretty much any area of your home or office.
The safe’s body is made from thick 10-gauge steel that protects the safe’s body from intense blows and prying. It also includes a heavy duty recessed safe door that has 18 – 1.5” solid steel locking bolts that cover all four sides of the safe door and make it near impossible for an intruder to pry it open. The lock comes with a titanium disk, drill resistant hard plate and an auxiliary relocker to keep your lock protected from drilling and tampering. These security features earn the Silverado Premier with a high security rating.
The exterior of the Silverado Premier comes in your choice of two different color options, granite gloss and black gloss and comes with a cool beveled edge design. The interior of this series comes in gray carpet and has several adjustable shelves and gun barrel rests for near limitless interior configurations. Also included is a handy door mounted panel organizer that allows storage of several handguns, documents and accessories. This model comes with the power docking system that has two outlets, Ethernet and USB for accessories like lighting and dehumidifiers.
Included is a lifetime warranty that protects your safe from break-ins, break-in attempts and fire damage. Winchester also provides a 2 year warranty on the lock.
| Model | Guns | Height | Width | Depth | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S23 | 24 | 60" | 30" | 25" | 795 lbs. | $$ |
| S38 | 51 | 60" | 40" | 30" | 1,095 lbs. | $$ |
| S49 | 54 | 72" | 42" | 31" | 1,370 lbs. | $$ |
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Legacy premier
The Legacy Premier is Winchesters top of the line flagship model and is the perfect solution for anyone looking for a safe built strong enough to store very expensive, irreplaceable items. This safe is definitely one of my top picks in the high security category. This series comes in 2 different sized models, a small 24 long gun model that weighs nearly half of a ton and a large 54 long gun model that comes in at nearly 1700lbs.
The Legacy Premier comes with a whopping 2.5 hours of fire protection at 1400°F, which should be more than enough for any situation. This amount fire protection makes it perfect for anyone that lives far from the fire station and plans to situate the safe directly on a wood floor in their living room. This will give you complete peace of mind when faced with an unfortunate house fire. To help aid in fire protection, the Legacy Premier also includes a dual layer Palusol heat expanding door seal that will completely seal all four sides of your safe when exposed to high temperatures. This feature protects your valuable from smoke and heat damage.
The safes body is made from thick 10-gauge steel to protect your belongings from attempted break-ins from side impact and also aids in the fire protection. The door of this safe is seriously a beast. It is plated in ¼” solid steel and ha 14 – 2” thick solid steel locking bolts that keep the recessed door tight against the body in the event of an attempted break-in. The UL listed lock comes in your choice of mechanical or electronic and is protected by a titanium disk as well as a drill resistant hard plate. An auxiliary relocker is used in the even of a drill attempt or lock tampering to provide extra protection against intruders. This is truly a high security safe.
Winchester does not place a high priority on exterior and interior customization. It is simply not their forte. The uniquely beveled body comes in two different color choices, granite gloss and black gloss and both with come with chrome hardware. The interior of the safe is lined in premium gray pindot fabric and comes with several adjustable shelves and barrel rests. Like most of the other models that Winchester offers, the Legacy Premier comes with a handy door mounted storage panel that is perfect for storing handguns, accessories and documents. Also included is the power docking system, which includes 2 power outlets, Ethernet and a USB port. I find this perfect for adding must have accessories like lighting and dehumidifiers.
Winchester provides a limited lifetime warranty on all of their full size gun safes. This warranty includes protection against break-ins, break-in attempts and fire damage. They have also decided to include a 2-year warranty that covers your mechanical or electronic lock from manufacturers defects.
| Model | Guns | Height | Width | Depth | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L26 | 28 | 59" | 30" | 28" | 965 lbs. | $$ |
| L53 | 54 | 72" | 42" | 33" | 1,600 lbs. | $$$ |
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Bottom Line
Winchester has established their name as a legend in the hunting world and is dedicated to creating a wide range of high quality products at an affordable price. Whether you’re looking for a new rifle, scope, or something to keep them in, Winchester has your back. With over 150 years of experience, it’s hard not to trust the Winchester name. If you are as serious about your sport as Winchester is, I’m sure you’ll find a great safe to fit your needs.
If you’ve read some of my other brand reviews, some of this information may sound redundant, but that does not make it any less important. It is imperative that you really narrow down your search and decide really what you need to have for your specific situation. I cannot simply tell you what to purchase. As stated in the Winchester outline as well as my article on what to look for in a gun safe, there are several important factors in purchasing a gun safe that only you know the answer to. If you’re sold on the Winchester name, I would suggest going with the most popular best-selling model the Silverado Premier. It comes with tons of great security and protection at an affordable price.
