Best AR-15 Gun Safes: All Sizes & Budgets
- Dave McGillivray
- Jun 3, 2024
- 19 min read
Updated: Apr 1
The best safes for your AR-15 are both affordable and incredibly durable. I use them to store all my rifles and shotguns. Here's my personal ranking, along with hands-on reviews.
FYI, Prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. Steelwater - Heavy-Duty + Fireproof
Highlight: 12-gauge solid steel with a twelve-gauge door.
Helpful review: My wife was worried about having guns in the house because we have a child, and I get that, so I bought this safe, and I'm thrilled with it. It's a good-looking safe that stores my rifles, ammo, and pictures. However, it doesn't hold 18 guns as advertised.
I've got it bolted to the floor and built into the wall, holding two AR-15s with scopes, two shotguns, one .22 rifle, one .308 rifle with scope, and several pistols. That's about all it holds, maybe one or two more. The guns with scopes take up a lot of room. If we're talking about long guns with no scopes, it might fit ten.
Everyone who sees it comments on how rugged and serious it looks. My brother-in-law laughed when he saw me open it for the first time because he had never seen a safe like this.
I like to keep mine out of sight to avoid curiosity about what's inside. As mentioned, I bolted it to the floor and wall, so it's not going anywhere. The concrete anchor kit was missing from the delivery package, but Steelwater quickly responded and sent the kit.
I should start by sayin’ that the first safe came dented. Naturally we refused to take it from the trucking company. Steelwater delivered me a newer one without hestiation. Awesome customer service. So buy this safe if you have ten long guns! You'll love it.
A couple of tips for them first-time buyers like myself:
1. Gun Safe labels are well-marked on the package. Be prepared to transport it inside quickly if you don't want to show it off to the neighbors.
2. An appliance dolly is very handy for moving this monster.
3. After unboxing, don't panic about the missing handles of the spoke. They're stored inside the safe!
4. I got the safe with the spoke (you can customize how you want it). When you rotate the spoke to open the safe, it should be easy. If it feels blocked, try slightly rotating it backward (yeah, that would be counter-clockwise like my wife liked to correct me).
Overall, I gotta say that this was a great buy. The customer service is amazing. A friend of mine went to Home Depot to get other kinds of concrete anchors. He forgot the size he needed and called Steelwater while shopping. They pointed him in the right direction.
Get it from Amazon now: $1,795.00 & FREE Returns
2. RPNB - Heavy-Duty + Compact Pistol Section
Highlight: Five live-door bolts and a welded pry-proof body made of steel for ultimate prevention against break-ins.
Helpful review: I ordered this safe to get secure storage at a reasonable price, and I've found it to be excellent value. The safe arrived so fast and was so well packaged with cardboard inserts and foam protection. However, it is heavy (probably 120 pounds), and I'm sure it got manhandled a bit during shipping.
The finish on it was in pretty solid shape—no scratches, etc. I had one minor dent/ding, likely from shipping, but it's not really noticeable, and I don't really blame the manufacturer on that since the packaging was good. I think a large, heavy item like this is probably not treated gently during shipping, and that's not the manufacturer's fault.
I’m happy it arrived in the good shape it did, and I'm very happy with how the quality came, it’s welded well, with no visible seams. The electronics on it are awesome, and the lock was very easy to program in. I like that the steel is pretty thick (I give it four and a half stars). It's not as heavy gauge as some more expensive safes but really a lot thicker than gun cabinets I've looked at in the past. It's what I hoped for in this price range.
My package also came with a small safe, which was a nice add-on. Both safes were easy to bolt to the floor (or shelf for the small one) on the bottom and a wall from the back. I added larger washers to make them more secure when bolting in.
The safe easily holds five longer guns, and you can even add those with scopes on in there, too. Not sure you could have scopes on all five, though. Not sure if it will hold a shotgun with a twenty-eight-inch barrel (I haven't tried yet). It will also accommodate a couple of handguns in Velcro holsters on the inner door, and the Velcro sticks great to the inner door 'carpet.'
I like how the door is smooth and pushed when it's closed. You’re not going to be able to pry open, that’s for sure, and even if the hinges are cut, you still wouldn't have any to crack the door since the hinged side is recessed behind the outer edge of the safe when closed.
I had one kinda minor issue with the inner storage compartment on the door where the key lock is on my large safe, which RPNB fixed super quickly and to my satisfaction. Honestly, I wasn't sure how it was going to go with customer service, but man I was surprised with how fast RPNB got back to me. Less than a day, and their customer service was so outstanding! I would not hesitate to buy from them again. Customer service is critical, and they did a fantastic job!
Considering I really wanted a secure option at a reasonable price, then this safe is perfect for my needs. It's not fireproof or as heavy-duty as larger, more expensive safes, but it's thicker and better quality than a normal type of gun cabinet. It feels secure to keep children or curious persons from accessing firearms and feels like a solid deterrent from a criminal theft standpoint.
I'm so happy I got this and pretty pleased with how well this came out. And definitely recommend it! For the money, it's perfect for me, and I love it!
UPDATE:
After more than a year, I can attest that this safe still works great, as does the smaller one it came with! I have found it can fit a shotgun with a 28-inch barrel with about an inch to spare for height, along with another shorter shotgun, three rifles (one with a scope and one with a red dot sight), and four handguns in these holsters things attached to the inner door.
Get it from Amazon now: $429.00 & FREE Returns
3. VAULTEK RS Series - Heavy-Duty and Biometric
Highlight: Packed with a full array of additional accessories.
Helpful review: Let me start this by sayin, this isn't just your run-of-the-mill lockbox—this is a full-blown heavy-duty safe. From the moment I unpacked it, I could tell by the exterior coating and interior padding that this was a high-quality product. Standing at 4.5 feet tall, 16 inches deep, and 14 inches wide, this gun safe can fit just about anywhere, offering easy access to its contents. Even with the shelf in place, it accommodates my AR-10, Mini-14, shotgun, and multiple handguns. You could probably store six rifles comfortably: five inside and one on the door. However, the shelf does limit the height of the firearm you can store, so a full-length Remington 700 bolt action won't fit with the shelf in place.
INSTALLATION:
Installing this safe was straightforward. I secured it to an interior wall in my workshop's front room, where customers and guests usually hang out. This setup allows me to store some of my latest tactical projects without bringing folks into my main firearm storage area. I used three of the provided holes and a one and a half inch screw to secure the safe to a stud. I appreciate how the inside holes are covered with a little plate, giving a neat appearance by hiding the screw heads.
SETUP:
I was thrilled to discover that you can set up and use both a custom code and your fingerprint. I have another gun safe that offers both unlocking functions, but setting the fingerprint makes it so you can’t use the code function. With this Vaultek, that's not the case. You can always open the safe with either function. You can add up to twenty unique fingerprints, allowing multiple users access without compromising the master code. You can also delete individual fingerprints online, thereby restricting access.
The instructions are super easy to understand, from battery installation to setting up the code and fingerprints. Honestly, it was the easiest electronic device I've ever set up. No kidding!
One of my favorite features is the absence of an opening lever. Once you input your code or fingerprint, the door pops open and simultaneously activates an interior light. When the door is shoved closed, it locks on its own. The LCD display illuminates when it detects motion, making it easy to input your code or use the biometric reader.
NANO KEY:
This gun safe comes with something called a Nano Key, which sounds fancy, cause it is. Essentially, it lets you open the safe remotely once paired. This could be crucial if you need to retrieve an item quickly. I set this Nano key up in the opposite corner of the room from where I installed the safe, not for any tactical advantage, but simply for a little WOW factor when I access the safe to show off a firearm.
WI-FI CONNECTIVITY APP:
Setting this up with the App on your smartphone or website allows you to monitor functions and features with ease. Through the App, you can get info and alerts on when the safe has been opened, if the keypad or fingerprint reader has been tampered with, battery power level, and more. Living in Georgia, I appreciate being able to monitor the temperature and humidity of the safe from my smartphone. I can even take out other people’s' fingerprints from the access roster without removing everyone who is authorized. The App also notifies you if you leave the safe open, which I think is a pretty neat addition other safes I’ve used didn’t have in the past.
BATTERY:
This Vaultek operates off one rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The display includes a battery life meter, which isn't common with other battery-operated types of gun safes. To recharge the battery, there is a port at the bottom of the safe on the right side, so you can just plug it in and you're done.
CUSTOMIZATION:
Customization is a significant advantage with this Vaultek! The back wall and the inside of the door feature perforated mounting boards, allowing you to adjust the configuration to achieve any personalized setup you may want. You can accessories with a lot, like full or half-width shelves, even twin handgun racks, plus eight slot magazine racks for hand guns, or even four slot AR magazine racks. There’s also barrel mounts, adapters, and single racks, plus spring loaded mounts for ARs that tighten it around the rear stock part. There are also 2 and 3 handgun holsters and various configurations of handgun and magazine racks and holsters.
ALL IN ALL:
This is a seriously serious safe. It's incredibly tough and rugged, with Vaultek's most upgraded system to stop thieves from breaking in. So, is it worth the money? Absolutely! In the name of my wife’s favorite musical, as Annie would say, (her name is Annie) you can bet your bottom dollar on that!
Get it from Amazon now: $1,999.99 & FREE Return
4. KAER - Biometric + Optional Silent Mode
Highlight: Biometric fingerprint feature is super useful.
Helpful review: Excellent quality and easy to use! I carried this over my shoulder up two flights of stairs without any issue. I lag-bolted it into the floor and wall with the included hardware. Yes, the safe has holes in the back and bottom, which I greatly appreciated.
I bought the extra shelf, and I'm so glad that I did. It definitely came in handy. I currently have an AR with a 30-mag standing up, and just that makes it difficult to stand up another long gun comfortably. But you can do it, as long as the additional firearm is stock. However, the second you add other hardware to your second or third long gun, you're probably gonna be out of luck. Each shelf can easily handle small firearms, some ammo, and mid-to-large frame pistols (like a Walther PPQ, no problem).
However, I did also buy a self adhesive thing that organizes everything, you can grab it at Walmart—a door length, soft shell with pockets for more storage that doesn't get in the way of closing the door. I also have a thin 13.3-inch laptop and muffs that fit with everything mentioned, and the door still closes. Because the safe is pretty affordable, I'll probably buy one or two more to keep thieves busy trying to figure out which one has the best stuff in it :) Good luck ya criminals!
KAER tech department says any decent burglar can get into this model within two hours, so buy three of these, spread the goods around, and it'll take the thieves six hours to get into them all! The biometrics work perfectly. The beep is loud, but I turned it off, so now all I hear is a mild click when it unlocks, not loud enough to wake anyone. The lever is silent, and the hinges are smooth. I was impressed with the size of the bolts. Good stuff!
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
I spent a lot of time deciding whether or not to purchase this safe. There are many bad reviews talking about some pieces of damaged items and some of biometrics that don't work. I also read reviews about people who complained about size, but that's their fault for not looking at dimensions. True, it would be very tight with four rifles. I'm not sure I would have purchased it if I was looking to keep four rifles secured.
However, I was only looking to lock up an AR-15 and my very own four CC pistols. For those purposes, the safe has worked out great. Yes, my AR goes in sideways, but I can fit it without removing the scope or hand grips. My AR is not kept with a mag present, so if you keep yours with a mag in place, it might not fit. The shelf holds three CC pistols. The safe arrived in new condition with no dents, dings, or broken pieces.
Biometrics have performed well so far. I will update as time passes, but I'm satisfied with the purchase. This safe keeps household members away from firearms and has a low profile space-wise. I wouldn't purchase it intending to store more than four rifles. You'd be better off with something larger if you're thinking about storing all my weapons.
Get it from Amazon now: $219.99 & FREE Returns
5. Barska - Upgraded + DOJ-Approved
Highlight: Features an updated finger reader.
Helpful review: I read a lot of reviews and finally decided to go for it. I'm no stranger to gun safes or gun lockers, and I wanted something strong and solid but easy to move since I'll be relocating to another state. This safe is great, though I'm a critical person and no product is perfect. The box arrived and my first impression was that it was pretty small. I had no problem getting it into the house, down the basement stairs, and unboxed by myself. It's fairly heavy, but I can move it.
It comes with these larger bolts to attach it to the wall, which is exactly what I'll be doing and really convenient that they added that. The locker is pretty small and claims to hold up to eight rifles, but that depends on how they're stored. I always store mine barrel down, which allows me to fit more rifles in a safe than if they were stored stock down. I'm waiting to retrieve my many rifles from another location before testing it out, but I'm confident I can fit up to ten with the barrels down.
UPDATE:
Barrel down, I can fit nine to ten but that's really squeezing them in. Stocked right, it fits seven to eight max.
There are pockets on the inside door for storage, which is nice. There's a single shelf that I may need to remove because some of my rifles are long, but no big deal. There's also a separate locking box at the top that takes a different key than the safe door (two keys included for each lock, total four keys). The inner lock box is a bit flimsy and can easily be pried open with a flat head screwdriver.
The lock is strong and a good deterrent. I've been in law enforcement for over 30 years and I'm content with it. It can be defeated but will take work and make noise. I made a very secure "gun room" with a reinforced door and walls and a video camera system with motion text alerts, so combined, these will protect my investments sufficiently.
This safe takes double A batteries, so ignore the part where it answers ‘no’ to the question of ‘are batteries required?’ Kinda a dumb thing to miss, but it was probably translated. The battery compartment slides out from the top inside door to supply power to the electronic fingerprint lock and digital combination. I don't know why the seller lists it as batteries not required unless you plan to only use the key, which is silly.
After storing everything and bolting the lockers in place, I paid more attention to the sturdiness. When I pull on the front handle, I see the door bend a bit. It's thinner metal. Oh, and it also stays put bolted into the 2x6s I have behind it, so it won't move. I know with the tools I own, I could get into these. Thin metal is easy to cut.
When I set the combination, it doesn't allow using both the fingerprint feature and combination—you have to use one or the other. But that's not a deal-breaker.
If you buy this locker you can probably just put it in your home or in your garage and leave it be and when you do that, it's fairly decent. But the entire thing can easily be moved with two people or one person and a dolly or one stronger person. So be smart with where and how you place it. If you don't have a very secure room like I do, invest more money in a worthier gun safe. This alone is vulnerable to being defeated with the right tools. Don't let your guns get into the wrong hands!
Honestly, you just have to reorient your perspective on this. It isn't really a gun safe—more of a gun locker. The metal is too thin, and the safe is too lightweight. But it's perfect for my needs, and it costs merely $400, not $2,500 like the heavy-duty ones. You get what you pay for. Just make sure this is what you want.
Get it from Amazon now: $499.99 & FREE Returns
6. Blacksmith - Swiss Fingerprint Technology
Highlight: Upgraded lock with biometric tech.
Helpful review: This safe is advertised as holding six rifles and two handguns in built-in pouches. It comes with a pistol rack made of this foam to store on the top shelf.
DELIVERY:
The safe arrived while we were out, so the delivery guy laid it in the driveway, and then it rained. The shipping box had some damage on the corner, so this fella had a crazy trip to my house, that's for sure. I cut the box off the safe, and to my happy surprise, the manufacturer had put these like hard cap protectors on top of the corners and super serious protection all around the safe, which was awesome to keep it safe. It is perfect. The box didn't even let the rain in to ruin the day. I was very happy with this gun safe from from the second I saw it!
LOCK:
One great piece of kit with this safe is the biometric locks, which are easy to set, and the webpage, heck, even the listing has a video on how to set the biometric lock. I was most impressed with the locking mechanism; it has steel bars that secure on both sides of the door. The bars don't secure on the top and bottom as the expensive safes do, but this safe can be carried by one strong young guy or two strong old-timers (like myself cough cough) to the upstairs bedroom office. The lock part of the system can be opened by a separate manual key just in case the batteries ever go dead or something goes badly with the lock part. The keys also are cut individually. They’re definitely not like some of the older gun lockers like those with round keys, like a soda machine with three or four general keys. As a novice lock picker with my awesome leather pouch kit, there's no way to sense the pins in this lock, so it's a good one.
USE:
The gun locker isn't fireproof and won't protect guns in a fire or from water for more than five minutes. Its strong point is keeping hands off the guns. I will bolt it to the wall studs, probably taking a crowbar to pry the wood screws out.
INTERIOR:
The inside is very nice, felt-lined which feels pretty pricey but yay, and keeps your favorite super cool AR-15 all shiny or flat black. The outside is pretty good-looking and blends into a large enough closet corner. The rifle compartment will hold any AR platform rifle. I extended the stock fully on mine, with an 18-barrel, and had plenty of room to spare. The pistol rack on the shelf is a no-go unless you plan to store micro pistols. If you place your EDC stuff on the shelf, so the pistol lays flat and longways, you're in good shape, but a 1911 won't sit on the shelf in the foam rack; the handle sticks out of the doorway. It also fits my Mossberg 590 and a hunting rifle, but a bird gun is too long.
DOOR:
The pistol holsters built into the door will hold just about anything, so that's a better alternative. Use the shelf for ammo boxes and magazines. The door also has two nooks that would be good for magazines, but they're tight if you need to get to them quickly.
SUMMARY:
Would I recommend this safe? Duh. Wouldn’t be writin’ this otherwise. So absolutely! Fact, I might get another one for the cabin to secure rifles when we go there. It's affordable, nicely made, good-looking, and easy to move. What's not to like? It's easy to move to wherever you want to put it, so don't worry about the floor giving out or needing a safe moving crew. Mine will be in the closet, keeping everything nice and safe, out of the hands of the littles and curious folks, but handy when needed.
Get it from Amazon now: $289.99 & FREE Returns
7. Langger V - Electronic Cabinet
Highlight: Comes with pre-drilled holes and mounting hardware.
Helpful review: I research and read reviews on everything I buy to the point that I could be a salesperson for the product. Let me start by saying, if you want a fireproof safe or something that can't be easily carried away, your price point needs to be about a grand or higher.
I read all them reviews out there and, like most people, I was pretty skeptical. But after reading everything I could find, I decided to give this safe a shot and haven't been disappointed. It arrived within a few days and was packed well. Set up was easy. In about 15 minutes, I reset the password, scanned about 30 different angles for fingerprints, and moved it to its final resting spot.
If I have any tips, I’d recommend keeping a piece of the packing foam, cutting it to fit the base of the safe, and putting the piece of floor carpet on top. There's next to zero padding on the floor of the safe, but the foam is the perfect height to fill the gap, and when you put the carpet back on top, you don't even see the foam.
Facts are facts, folks: with enough time, anyone can break into any safe, regardless of cost. You get peace of mind more than total security. However, for the money, it is a worthwhile investment for peace of mind. If possible, mount this safe in a closet or a corner to restrict access to cut it open, as they aren't going through the front door. All in all, this safe does what it's supposed to do, and that's worth every penny.
Could the keypad and canner work a little nicer? Yeah, probably but it has opened every time I've tried.
As an added bonus, you get a card with the safe for a door organizer that some people have mentioned. I haven't received mine yet, but it shows the company cares about its customers by adding something extra (whereas other manufacturers give you a safe only, and most are at least a hundred to two hundred bucks more pricier.
Get it from Amazon now: $269.99 & FREE Returns
8. Paragon - Durable 18-Gauge Solid Steel
Highlight: Equipped with a LED lock and also programmable with a combination of three to eight digits, 2 keys includes and runs on four double A batteries.
Helpful review: I bought the safe online from Lowe's and opted for free shipping, because why not? The box was delivered to my porch with no problem. Because the safe is heavy, my wife and I had a hard time lifting it to the second floor, unpacking, and installing it.
After all that, I discovered the locking mechanism was defective. The safe is supposed to lock automatically after you twist the latch and handle counter clockwise, but nope, it doesn't. You can't lock it back with your passcode. Instead, I managed to lock it by pressing random buttons, turning and shaking the latch and handle, and doing all kinds of magical passes. All this—each time you need to lock it.
On Lowe's site, the safe is listed under “Fleming supply,” but on the manual, it's 'Paragon'. There's a support site link. I pretty much just described the problem and applied for support. They quickly got back to me and offered some troubleshooting on how to take apart the door to reach the electronics, and pull out wires to reset things. I followed the instructions with zero results.
Nothing changed in the locking mechanism's stupid, wild behavior. At that point, I was requested to send a copy of the invoice, which I did. Then they suggested returning the safe to Lowe's since it was a recent purchase. I refused, because dragging the unpacked safe down the stairs and back to the car would be a major ordeal, possibly destroying my stairs, porch, and car. Then they requested a video of the malfunction to "continue assisting" me. I did, and the next response was unexpected: they said they wouldn't provide further assistance because they weren't the makers of the safe.
They said I needed to contact the mythical 'Fleming Supply' instead. Like, what? Seriously? Yeah, that was my train of thought. But wait a minute, isn't it just a name Lowe's slapped on your safe for marketing purposes? Didn't you verify before that it's a "Paragon" safe I own? Isn't your company name and support link on the manual? Really? You couldn't find any good reason to refuse service, so you do it without any reason?
Well, the company contacted me, apologized for the error, sent a whole new safe without additional charge, and said I could keep the old one. I haven't installed the new one yet, but I'm impressed with their service and support. Even though I didn’t have a great first impression, overall, this is a company to trust.
Get it from Amazon now: $449.99 & FREE Returns
9. Quicktec - Deep Interior
Highlight: Includes double A batteries, plus emergency keys, and anchor bolts.
Helpful review: Let's be real: if someone with a large sledgehammer wanted in, they could bash their way in. But who breaks into a house with a sledgehammer? Even if you did, it would still be a pain to get in.
It keeps honest people out, and it's sturdy. I screwed it against the wall with two one quarter inch bolts into the two by fours. As a tip, I cut away the trim at the bottom of the wall so it could fit flush against it. I tried shaking it, and it's strong and tight. I got a few pistols with ammo and a Keltic. Overall, I like it. I think it's a great thing to invest in if you ask me.
ON TO A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
Okay, let's get something out of the way. This isn't a heavy-duty safe. It's not designed to be. If that's what you're looking for, you'll need to spend a lot more. That wasn't what I was looking for. I needed a safe that would keep my kids away from my long guns while still allowing me to access them quickly in an emergency.
This fits the bill. It weighs about ninety pounds, which took me some time to get it to my second-floor master bedroom. I was very happy with how it was packed—foam on all sides, and some thick cardboard covering the edges, oh and plastic on the corners. No damage at all, even though I heard FedEx drop it from the truck. So nice of them.
The combination is easy to program. First, you need to pop out the plastic cover to reveal the keyhole, and open it with the key. Once open, hit the reset button along the inside edge of the door, and punch in your code. That's it–it’s really that easy.
Get it from Amazon now: $209.99 & FREE Returns
