Quick Answer: The Cannon Shield SH5526 is the best all-around Cannon gun safe — a 24-long-gun capacity and 30-minute/1,200°F ETL fire rating with an electronic lock and backup key for around $599-$699. Buyers who want stronger lock security should look at the Cannon Patriot P14, a 12-gauge unibody safe with a three-layer chrome-moly hard plate for around $870-$999. Anyone worried about flooding as much as fire should go with the Cannon Armory AY24-60-MGE, which adds a 60-minute fire rating and a multi-day waterproof rating for around $630-$1,100, and collectors needing more room should look at the Cannon Armory AY48-60-MGE, a 48-gun version of the same fire-and-water protection for around $1,249.
Cannon is one of the most widely stocked gun safe brands in the country — sold at Lowe’s, Tractor Supply, Academy, and Home Depot — and one of the most confusing to shop, because its four series overlap in capacity but differ sharply in fire rating and lock hardware. According to Alpha Guardian, Cannon’s parent company, Cannon became a sibling brand to Stack-On and GunVault in a 2017 acquisition, which explains why some Cannon hardware choices echo Stack-On’s. We compared the lineup on fire rating, water resistance, lock security, and price so you can pick the right tier instead of the wrong 24-gun safe.
Cannon gun safes compared
| Safe | Capacity | Fire/water rating | Best for | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannon Shield SH5526 | 24 long guns | 30 min / 1,200°F | Best overall | ~$599-$699 | ★★★★ |
| Cannon Patriot P14 | 12 long guns | 30 min / 1,200°F | Best lock security | ~$870-$999 | ★★★★ |
| Cannon Armory AY24-60-MGE | 24 long guns | 60 min fire / 14-day waterproof | Best fire + water protection | ~$630-$1,100 | ★★★★½ |
| Cannon Armory AY48-60-MGE | 48 long guns | 60 min fire / 7-day water-resistant | Best large-capacity | ~$1,249 | ★★★★½ |
Cannon Shield SH5526
- ArmorGuard impact-resistant coating and a triple-fin smoke seal are unusual finishes at this price tier, where most budget safes skip both, per Cannon's own product listing.
- 10 solid-steel live-action locking bolts plus 4 dead bolts and anti-pry tabs give real forced-entry resistance despite the entry-level fire rating.
- Electronic keypad with a mechanical backup key means a dead 9V battery doesn't lock you out — see our gun safe lock replacement guide if the keypad ever stops responding.
A 200+ pound safe shipping on its own freight schedule is annoying enough without also waiting on the anchor bolts and dehumidifier separately — try Amazon Prime free for 30 days so those extras ship free in two days instead of trickling in over a week.
Cannon Patriot P14
- 12-gauge unibody construction and a one-inch composite steel door are heavier-gauge than the Shield tier, per Cannon's Patriot spec sheet.
- Three layers of 60+ RC-rated chrome-moly aircraft alloy hard plate shield the lock mechanism, the same drill-resistance approach used on much pricier premium safes.
- Availability note: the 12-gun P14 itself has been marked "discontinued by manufacturer" at several retailers (OpticsPlanet, GunCases) as of this update. Cannon has continued the Patriot line's hard-plate lock protection in the larger P22 (24-gun) and P40 (36-gun) instead, so search for whichever Patriot capacity is currently in stock rather than the P14 specifically.
Cannon Armory AY24-60-MGE
- Doubles the Shield tier's fire rating to 60 minutes and adds a 14-day waterproof rating, per Lowe's product listing — a real advantage for basement or flood-zone storage, not just a marketing bump.
- Same 24-gun rated capacity as the Shield SH5526, so the extra cost buys fire and flood protection rather than more room.
- Prices vary widely by retailer and promotion — shoppers have reported paying anywhere from about $630 on sale to over $1,000 at full price for this model, so it's worth comparing a few retailers before buying.
Cannon Armory AY48-60-MGE
- Same 60-minute fire rating and pry-resistant construction as the smaller AY24, scaled up to a 48-gun-class interior for growing collections.
- Regular pricing around $1,249 per retailer listings, still well under most 48-gun-class safes from Liberty or Browning at a comparable fire rating.
- Worth cross-shopping against our best large gun safe guide if brand isn't a requirement — several competing safes in that capacity class carry higher fire-test temperatures.
Why Cannon’s tiers vary so much
The gap between Shield and Armory isn’t just a bigger price tag for the same box — it tracks a genuine doubling of fire-test duration (30 to 60 minutes) and the addition of a waterproof rating that the Shield and Patriot tiers don’t offer at all. What’s specific to Patriot is the hard-plate lock protection: most brands treat multi-layer chrome-moly hard plate as a premium-tier feature, but Cannon bundles a version of it into a mid-priced 12-gun safe. If flood risk isn’t a concern where the safe will sit, Shield or Patriot deliver most of Cannon’s build quality for less money than Armory. If the location floods or sits below grade, the Armory tier’s waterproof rating is the one feature on this list that’s hard to retrofit later.
For a brand-vs-brand comparison instead of a single-brand rundown, see our Liberty vs Fort Knox guide, or our best gun safe brands overview for how Cannon’s price tier compares against the six brands covered there. And if you’re not committed to Cannon specifically, our best gun safe pillar page ranks top picks across every brand on this site, while our best gun safe under $1,000 guide covers budget picks across multiple brands, not just Cannon’s. Cannon is also one of the five brands stocked in-store at Tractor Supply — see our Tractor Supply gun safe guide for what’s actually on the floor.
The bottom line
For most buyers, the Cannon Shield SH5526 delivers real forced-entry hardware at the lowest price in Cannon’s lineup. Step up to the Patriot P14 if lock-protection hardware matters more than capacity, or the Armory AY24-60-MGE if fire and flood protection both matter. Collectors who need more room should go straight to the Armory AY48-60-MGE for the same fire-and-water protection in a 48-gun-class body.