Gun Safe Combination Lock Guide: Mechanical Dial Gun Safes

A mechanical gun safe opens with a dial, not a battery

A combination gun safe with a mechanical lock uses a dial connected to a set of wheels inside the lock. Turn the dial left and right to the right numbers in the right order, and the wheels line up so the bolt can retract. Then you turn the handle.

No part of that needs electricity. That's the whole appeal, and the reason people search for a gun safe without batteries or a gun safe non electric. The table on this page lists gun safes whose lock includes a mechanical combination dial.

The same lock shows up on other safes too. Home and office safes with a dial are on our combination safes page. For the parent list of every gun safe we track, see gun safes.

A note on pistols: searches for a mechanical pistol safe or a combo handgun safe usually mean a small safe with a mechanical push-button lock. Those are handgun safes, not full gun safes, so they're on our handgun safes page rather than in this table.

Who a gun safe with a dial lock suits, and who should skip it

A gun safe with a mechanical lock suits owners who value reliability over speed.

It fits:

• Long-term storage, where the safe is opened weekly or monthly, not hourly
• Garages, cabins and basements where a dead battery would mean a long trip back
• Owners who don't want to think about batteries, ever
• Non-biometric preferences, whether from distrust of fingerprint readers or from the recall history of some biometric safes

Skip it if:

• You need fast access. A dial takes longer than a keypad, especially in poor light or under stress. For a gun you may need quickly, look at keypad gun safes or our quick-access gun safes.
• Several people need different codes. Electronic locks can store more than one code. A dial has one combination.
• You'll change the combination often. On dial locks, a change is a careful job, and Liberty Safe sends mechanical changes to a dealer or licensed locksmith.

Children and storage laws

If children live in or visit the home, keep the safe locked whenever it isn't in your hands, and never write the combination where a child could find it. A dial lock only protects anyone when the dial has been spun after closing.

Storage laws differ by state. A U.S. Department of Justice commentary on model safe storage legislation notes that some states require secure storage only when a minor could gain access, some when a prohibited person is present, and some whenever a firearm is unattended. Check the Department of Justice commentary and your state's official site. This page is not legal advice.

What to look for in a gun safe with a mechanical lock

The dial is one decision. The safe behind it is several more.

Is the dial lock UL-listed?

UL 768 is the standard for mechanical combination locks on safes and vaults. It tests a lock's resistance to being opened by sight, touch or hearing. It doesn't cover electronic locks; those have their own benchmark, UL 2058.

A UL 768 listing is about the lock, not the safe. A safe can carry a UL-listed dial and no rating on the steel box around it, so check for both.

Locks are grouped into classes under UL 768, such as Group 2 and Group 1. I haven't verified the test durations for each group from UL, so they aren't quoted here. If a listing names a group, it names a real classification; ask the manufacturer for the details.

What California's standard asks of the lock

California's Department of Justice gun safe standard is a useful checklist anywhere. For the lock, it asks for a combination lock with at least 10,000 possible combinations, protected by a hardened drill-resistant plate. It also asks for at least three ½-inch steel locking bolts operated by a separate handle.

That last part matters on dial safes. The dial sets the lock; the handle moves the bolts. Check both on the spec sheet.

Relocker and hardplate

A relocker is a hidden backup that keeps the bolts locked if the lock is attacked. A hardplate shields the lock from drilling. Listings that mention neither haven't necessarily skipped them, but haven't told you. Our safe relocker guide explains what the relocker does and why it can make a lockout harder.

Steel, rating and fire

• Steel gauge. Lower is thicker. Under the federal gauge table, 12-gauge is 0.1094 in; 14-gauge is 0.0781 in.
• UL RSC rating. At Level I, a 5-minute attack by one person with common hand tools and a small electric drill, without the door opening or a 4-inch hole being made.
• Fire rating. Separate from the RSC label. Look for time, temperature and the lab.

Living with a dial

Dialing takes practice. Manufacturers' instructions differ on which way to turn first and how many times to pass each number. Our guide to opening a combination safe covers the common patterns, and changing a safe combination covers who can change it.

(Sargent & Greenleaf's instructions say to try a new combination three times with the door open before closing it. It's the most sensible sentence in the safe business.)

Dial, keypad or fingerprint: the trade-offs side by side

• Mechanical dial. No batteries or electronics. Slower to open, one combination, changes can need a locksmith. UL 768 covers the lock.
• Electronic keypad. Faster to open, often several user codes, easy to change. Needs batteries; check for a backup key and where the battery lives. UL 2058 is the high-security benchmark.
• Fingerprint reader. Fastest when it reads you. Needs batteries and a backup.

A plain note on that last one. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced several recalls of biometric gun safes because the fingerprint lock could be opened by unauthorized users. One example: on October 19, 2023, Fortress Safe recalled about 61,000 biometric gun safes sold under several brand names. That history is part of why some owners search for a non biometric gun safe. A dial avoids the question entirely.

Some gun safes offer both a dial and a keypad, or let you swap one lock for the other later. If a listing mentions a lock upgrade, the manufacturer's site will say which locks fit.

How to read the mechanical gun safe table

Each row is a gun safe whose lock includes a mechanical dial. Variants of the same model share a row, and a dash means the manufacturer or listing didn't confirm the spec.

To choose between rows:

1. Check the lock column for a second entry. "Dial" alone means mechanical only. A keypad as well means a combination of dial and electronic, depending on the model.
2. Look for a UL listing on the lock and an RSC rating on the safe. They're two different labels.
3. Compare steel gauge. Lower is thicker.
4. Read the fire column as a triple. Time, temperature and who tested it.
5. Check interior size and weight. The dial doesn't change how much fits or how hard the safe is to move.

If you're torn between a dial and a keypad, decide by how you'll use the safe. Daily access favors a keypad. Long-term storage favors the dial.

Pick the dial safe whose lock and box are both documented: a UL-listed dial, a stated gauge and a rating with a lab's name on it. Practice the combination with the door open until it's routine. Then check the price, and keep the combination somewhere other than the inside of the safe.