Winchester Gun Safe

Legacy 53 Review

The best Winchester Gun Safe is arguably the . It is the largest model they make, up to 54 gun capacity, and offers the most protection. This is one big gun safe!

Winchester Safes offer a very good solution for the value conscious and the Legacy 53 is no different. Retail pricing is $4,700, but you can find them for as low as $4,200. Not bad!

The Legacy Series is the top of the line offering that Winchester offers in 2012. It has been vastly improved in 2012. Most notably, it has better steel (10 gauge vs. 11 gauge) and an improved fire rating (2.5 hours vs. 2 hours).

Other 2012 IWinchester Gun Safe mprovements:

1. Interior Upgrades
2. Reinforced Steel Door Jam
3. Increased Sttel Thickness
4. Power/Internet Jacks Added
5. Recessed Door
6. Upgraded Door Hinges

Key Advantages

1. UL RSC Rated: Basic rating that any decent home gun safe should have.
2. Steel: The steel thickness is 10 gauge. This is a massive improvement over 2011.
3. Locking Bolts: The Legacy 53 has 20 locking bolts on all four sides of the door. Each bolt is 2 inches wide, one of the largest sizes in the industry.
4. Two Hour Fire Rating: This safe has an impressive 2 hour fire rating at 1,400° F. (Please see disadvantages below as well).
5. Big and Inexpensive: For a safe this size (up to 54 gun capacity) is very reasonably priced.

Key Disadvantages

1. Made Overseas: This safe is not made in the USA. Normaly, I do not bring this up, but many readers of this site have asked about it, so here it is.
2. Fire Rating: While the fire rating is very good, it is done in house and there is no discussion on the Winchester website about how the testing is done. Again, I like to see an independent lab do the testing, or at the very least, more detail from the company about how it derives its ratings.

Fit and Finish

This safe is rugged looking. I really like it. However, it is not a fancy safe with many different colors and designs. There are only two different glossy colors, black and granite. Not fancy, but good looking nontheless.

The Legacy 53 comes standard with a door storage system. There is no lighting and Winchester does not make a lighting kit. So, if you want lighting, you will have to add a third party kit to make this happen. A dehumidifier hole is pre-drilled, but the dehumidifier itself will cost you an additional $30 or so.

Bottom Line

The Legacy Winchester gun safe is a solid choice for the money. You will need to ask yourself if you can live with higher gauge steel and uncertainty of the fire rating. In exchange, you get a very large safe for a very low price. You also get some great security features, such as the UL RSC rating and the large and numerous locking bolts. All in all, not a bad choice for the large gun collector looking for value.

Winchester Gun Safe – Legacy 53 – By the Numbers