Most experts agree that the average burglar (not Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, or Thirteen) will become uncomfortable in your house after about six minutes of "shopping" and will want to exit as quickly as possible, (And your wife thought you were impatient!) Having considered storing your guns and other valuables in a gun safe, you can understand the importance of making sure your gun safe can outlast the burglar's attacks for at least that six minutes.

I have refered to that six-minute period as the "intrusion comfort zone." It is the absolute minimum of protection you need to ensure that your valuables are protected. Whether you want a safe that can withstand a block of C-4 or the safe-cracking expertise of Brad Pitt is up to you, but you need at least that six minutes. I refer to people who are happy with the six-minute protection as "six-minute customers."

These people are looking for an affordable way to protect their valuables for that six-minute "intrusion comfort" limit. They may also consider other qualities in a safe to be important: i.e., whether the safe is water proof, fireproof, stylish, etc., but affordability is paramount.

My research of business models, including gun safes pricing and actual sales, shows that Sentry Gun Safes, more than any other gun safe manufacturer, has recognized that a solid majority of shoppers are looking for a product that gives that six minutes of protection for an affordable price. And like any great businessperson, Sentry has mobilized to corner that market.

How did they do it? In our opinion, it comes down to one word--capital. Sentry originally put enough capital into this model to produce a wide range of colors, styles, and designs in a price range that was low enough to capture a large portion of that "six-minute" market. Having captured that market, they could generate a huge volume of sales, which allowed them to again cut costs.

According to many experts, including our site GunSafes.com, Sentry has also done an excellent job providing premium customer service. Their damage rate with us (about 5%), their returns rate (even less), and their response time for customer service questions (almost always immediate) all point back to Sentry's decision to capitalize this endeavor adequately.

Of course, there are other factors contributing to Sentry's success. One of those factors is Sentry's decision to stay away from customization. Other more expensive manufacturers offer full customization, so their returns and other customer service issues simply take more time. For the six-minute customer, customization is an unnecessary luxury, so once again we see that Sentry's focus on this market has paid off. So if you are looking for gun safes that will be considered collectibles or even heirlooms, you are better off shopping for safes from Cannon, Browning, or American Security.

However, for those of us who want an affordable safe, but who still demand a safe that can take on that six-minute burglar and win, Sentry is the perfect answer.