What is your theory on the best safe location? Closer to bedroom for defensive purposes? Closer to vehicle to make loading vehicles easy for hunting trips? What about storage of gun cases? Considering options and going back and fourth.

Only you can answer that question. I have three large safes in different locations, for all of the reasons you mentioned, basically.

A place where temperature and humidity levels outside the safe are relatively constant, with far ranging temperatures being the worst.

Wherever it’s most out of the way

Right now I’m strongly leaning towards a second safe but seems overkill but makes things much more practical.

AC, heat or dehumidifier. In any case, room temps year round and no great humidity. But I'll suggest getting one that can be hidden reasonably well. My son and I just put one in and it disappears in its location. No point advertising.

Mine is located based on convenience. Mostly the wife’s convenience. It’s in my closet, she didn’t want it in the room and I didn’t want it outside the room.

I'm debating this myself. Just found out my cerakoted beretta shotgun is getting all scratched up due to being too crowded, and I have no access to guns in certain parts of the house anyway. I may add a 2nd safe somewhere far from the primary

Somewhere out of sight and in an HVAC controlled environment.

The thing that bugs me about obvious safes (big, heavy, hard to hide) is it tells everybody where all the goodies are. The bigger and stronger the safe the more goodies are implied to be in there. The only robbery we ever had in my neighborhood (last 35 years anyway) was because the homeowners told the visiting nurse their secrets (it was cash in this case). The robbers broke in and got what they knew was there.

Use silicone gun socks over your guns when storing in a safe.

I see so many people keep a safe in their garage or shop! No way to keep steady temp and humidity at bay.
I inherited a few guns years ago that had to be refinished because my relative didn’t think to keep better care of them.
I guess the main reason folks leave them in the places I mentioned is laziness. It takes a lot to get a nice safe in the home and away from prying eyes.

The old saying is, "find the biggest safe you can afford and buy the next size bigger".

As the Dude stated above, place all guns in silicone sleeves.

I don't have children or have and young visitors, so I have a few loaded guns throughout my house. I do lock them in my safe on maid day, or whenever I'm gone for a period of time and have my dog sitter coming or any similar situation.

A gun locked in a safe is useless if the SHTF.

Exactly!

Quick access for self defense is not really what a gun storage safe is meant for, therefore it is not a consideration when I decide where to put safe. For me, it is an out of the way spot that is not readily visible when I have guests in my home.

Mine have been in the garage for as long as I can remember. Never had a problem.

Out of sight, out of the way, and HVAC is best, but not mandatory. We are converting our 3 car garage to safe storage and making it HVAC controlled.

Ditto!

The location of your safe is as much of a function of your ability to access it, environmental conditions, and the compromise that you are willing to strike with your wife.

If you are along the Gulf Coast then humidity is a key determinant, with HVAC being pretty important. You can take additional steps to reduce impact of moisture by using silicone gun covers and a heating element (Golden Rod) inside the safe. If you live in West Texas then keeping sand out is your issue. Its a Big State with several unique climate zones/geography.

It is nice to have you safe somewhere out of sight and with limited access. This is all dependent about where you live, proximity to neighbors, and ability to access your property. My opinion is that the Garage is "okay", but its easy to access, offers limited protection, and potential to be seen by everyone when the garage door is open. Also, its gotten easier to break in by hacking the electronics operating your garage door. If your garage is used for parking cars and you have younger kids then greater likelihood that garage door will periodically be left open and maybe forgotten while bringing in groceries or kids getting their bike out or playing on driveway. . Ask me how I know...

Depending upon the size of your collection or passion for the sport you may want additional space that will eventually get filled. Depending upon the type of gear and price, you may want to consider upgrading to a safe with increased fire resistance and theft resistance. These things can get expensive... A top tier safe, such as American Security, can be $3k-$5K, but this might be the price of 1 or 2 of your firearms so not really outlandish cost when compared to the assets you're trying to protect. Also, if you have NFA items then you may want the additional protection. Each person will have a different perspective and available budget. Spend once and sleep carefree.

Very valid points. Well said.

I've had at least one safe in an un-insulated shop or garage for the last 8 years and have has no rust issues. I use a folder odd style element and canned desiccant. I live within 15 miles of the coast with year round humidity. Just food for thought.

Mine is in a sun room with no temp control. 10+ years with no issues.