Whether you are buying guns for hunting, target shooting, personal protection, or a myriad of other reasons, they are an investment. By locking them up in a controlled space not only do you protect your investment but also keep them out of untrained or unsupervised hands. One of the ways to do this is by buying a safe. Buying a safe can be overwhelming and costly, but we will break it down and hopefully make the whole experience more enjoyable.
One of the first things to consider is the size. Most people will only look to buy for what they currently own not where their collection is headed. When considering safe sizes always go bigger than what you currently have so you don’t have to buy another safe. Plan that if the company advertises it as a XX number gun safe, it may not fit XX modern scoped rifles. I have taken my guns to a local store and test-fit them in a safe before purchasing. I learned very quickly what the options were for me. My current gun safe which is a 32 comfortably holds 10 guns. After going through the process of picking one out, you really don’t want to have to find another one because you bought too small.
After you have taken all of these things into consideration make sure you don’t go for the cheapest option. Well-built safes last for years and years and can be passed down from generation to generation. This safe is protecting your firearm investments. If you are spending thousands on guns, you can spend at least a thousand on a safe to protect them.
Here are a few things to consider after you have bought your safe.
Where are you going to mount it? Make sure it’s in a spot that doesn’t say “hey look at me! I’m a vault with valuables inside.” Some spots to consider are in a closet, bedroom, or possibly in the garage. You don’t want the safe to be easily stolen with a hand truck, so, make sure to anchor it somehow. This will also prevent heavier safe doors from pulling the safe over when they are open. Depending on where you live a humidity control device may be a necessity or just an option, to prevent moisture build-up and guns rusting. The Goldenrod brand has been a popular choice used in gun safes for years, but there are many others. And one last thing that has become much cheaper over the years is lighting. This is in no way dire and can be added later, but some type of lighting in your safe is nice when you need to grab something out of it.
Hopefully, this helps when you go out to purchase your safe or at least window-shop for one. If you were one of the lucky ones to get a firearm for Christmas to go out and get a safe. Happy New Year, and practice good firearms safety.
worst thing is you buy a safe you think if large enough then you fill it faster then you expect!…lol
I always assume I’ll get AT BEST, half the advertised capacity… Depending on how you want your things set up, you may get less. I also keep things seperate, one smaller “cabinet” for reloading components, one for ammo, and a bigger safe for firearms.
This is very true when you add scopes and bipods or other accessories it really makes it hard to but more guns in the safe.