Best Long Gun Safes & Cabinets: Tested by a Gunsmith in 2025

Gary Anderson
Jul 7
42 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Whether you're looking for a sturdy safe for your rifles and shotguns, or just a budget gun cabinet, you need something you can rely on. Read my hands-on reviews.

FYI, Prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.

1. VAULTEK RS Series - Heavy-Duty and Biometric

Highlight: Connects to the internet to send info to your phone.

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!

MY BROTHER'S REVIEW:

This gun safe is a transformer! Many safes on the market are set to hold AR platforms, handguns, rifles, and pistols in their layout. The Vaultex RS800i will fit whatever you need it to fit. I have a massive safe envy over my neighbor's new Vaultex and have placed my order for a new or another safe just before writing this article. My buddy called me to come see this gun safe, so as a red-blooded American, I had to get right over there. The Vaultex is made from heavy steel. It is not as tough as the fireproof, super safes, but it also does not need a safe moving company to move it from the truck to the house either. The manual tells me that the steel is 14-gauge carbon steel. This will not be easy to bend with a pry bar by the criminal aspect. The lining is pretty much the same as the felt gun-safe liner. The actual difference maker for the insides of this safe is the customizability.

I can't find the name of the customizable rack system, so I will call it the mounting system. The Vaultex comes with one on the inside of the back wall and again on the inside of the door. What this can do is hold the movable, customizable accessories racks. The safe came with two shelves and some magazine holders. The accessories attach to the "holes" to mount very solidly. My buddy has his ARs in the safe and puts the rifle holder mount about one-third of the way up the back; it even has a spring-loaded function, which is very cool. He then put two layers or levels of shelves from the top down.

One shelf layer holds his handguns, and the other holds ammo boxes. He has installed two AR magazine holders on the door rack. The safe is not deep enough to use the door-mounted magazine holders and rifles with magazines inserted in the same space. The fix for that is to move the door-mounted holder so it does not run into the magazines in the rifles. Just to make it extra fluffy and awesome, it has a full complement of LED lights that make it easy to see everything inside the safe, and it turns on when the door opens.

The mounting stuff is impressive but not the most fantastic part of this safe. The Vautex RS800i has a wifi connected lock and environmental monitoring system. Yes, you read that right. The internal temperature and humidity monitor sends real-time info right to the app on his phone. The locking mechanism also monitors when and by who opens the lock or if there is a combination or biometric funny business. The electronic lock has a proximity alert and will turn on as you approach the safe; the only thing I have ever had that does this is my Navigator and this safe is much less than that.

The interior electronic items run on a rechargeable battery. The manual says it will last four months between chargings. If the battery dies, the world is not over. Use the key, open the lock, and charge the battery; it's easy money.

Now, let's talk about the option I am most impressed with the Bluetooth Nano Key. This is a remote biometric open button. My buddy can hold his fingerprint on the Nano Key, and from across the room, the lock will open, and the door will auto open. For a room-supporting mechanism, like a ready room for armed folks, the control room can open the door and get long guns in everyone's hands as they approach the safe.

The safe weighs in at 120 pounds, according to the owner's manual. I don't know where this scale is, or I am getting older faster than I think, but it moves around like it weighs much more. The safe can be bolted to the floor, the wall, or both.

Get it from Amazon now: $1,999.99 & FREE Returns

2. Blacksmith - Swiss Fingerprint Technology

Highlight: Easy to maneuver and fits anywhere.

To start this review, I am going to talk about the way Blacksmith packages this gun locker. The outside of the box, or the shipping box, can show up trashed as mine did, but the inside packaging will be perfect. Unless this box gets chopped in half or run over by a tractor, the safe will be in good shape. Blacksmith uses three-inch-thick Styrofoam and hard plastic edge and corner protectors over the Styrofoam.

The Blacksmith gun locker is made from heavy steel. Heavy enough that the locker should be bolted to the wall studs or floor to prevent tipping over when the door is opened.

The locker should also be bolted to the studs for security; that is obvious. A loaded locker can be hauled away with a dolly and done person. Then that bad guy can spend the time opening the Blacksmith and make as much noise as necessary in a different place. If the Blacksmiths are not secured to the studs, it will keep your fingers off of things you want secured or untouchable. I opened mine when taking pictures for it and had the front corner of the door tip forward and bang into my safety socks (I was in my office in my defense); it was easy enough to hold the top of the locker to keep it from tipping if I remembered to do that in the first place.

The Blacksmith is a gun locker and not a true safe. There is no fire rating or heat protection; on that note, there will be zero water protection from a flood. Maybe from fire sprinklers or pipe leaks and things of that nature. The locker inside is nice, very clean, and has a removable shelf to fit longer guns if that is what you need to store.

The door has a nylon storage system installed and holds large handguns. The door also has three cut-out areas that will hold a lot of stuff or smaller handguns if left in the box or a holster. I use the door cutouts to hold ammo boxes. The door cutouts do not fit regular or standard capacity magazines too well. If I get a magazine pushed into the cutout, it takes a bit of wiggling and cussing to get it back out.

The lock is biometric or code and comes with a hidden key lock. I use the key lock right now because I have not taken the time to enter everyone's fingerprint that may need to be entered to get into the safe. The instructions to use the biometrics are clear and easy to follow; in my world, I don’t get that fired up about biometrics, except for the gun lockers at work. The door is secured by six bolts activated by turning the handle and tightly held.

I have two of these gun lockers from Blacksmith, one in my home office and one at the cabin. I plan to give my family these gun lockers for Christmas presents this year because I like this high-quality gun locker option so much.

MY NEIGHBOR'S REVIEW:

This gun locker came to me for review, and I was ecstatic to get my fingers on another BlackSmith product. The materials they use are top-notch and heavier metal than other gun lockers. The combination pad and biometric readers are easy to set up and use.

The Blacksmith is made of heavy-duty metal. The standard gun locker metal is .7mm thick, and this one is made from 1.7mm thick. This makes it very strong but not fireproof. This is a locker, not an actual safe, and will not protect guns or other stuff from the heat of a house fire. This safe is made for keeping things locked away and out of touch. Making the safe form thicker metal also makes it heavier. On a heavy note, this safe is not too heavy to move by one person with a hand truck or two people to haul it up the stairs. That said, it needs to be bolted to the wall studs to ensure it will not tip forward, smash toes under the door, or tip all the way forward and hurt someone.

The interior of the rifle section has a thin pad for the floor and will keep the buttstocks from getting scratched up or ruined. The guns can be held in place with foam cutouts stuck to the back wall. The kit has two foam cutouts and can hold the top and bottom of the gun to keep them nice and secure. The foam cutouts will not keep the guns from tumbling or rattling like some wooden cutouts in a proper safe if the locker is rocked, but the guns will sit where you put them. The top separate lock box uses a separate key than the gun storage uses, in case someone else needs to lock items away but not get into the guns. The top locker is about the size of a gym locker. The lock is a simple turn-lock that will not resist a pry bar very long, but it will keep things put away and out of touch. The inside of this lock box does not have any padding or other protection; it does have a movable or removable shelf to make two storage levels.

The gun vault part has a heavy-duty door and a full-length hinge. Bolts lock the door on both sides of the opening. The bolts are moved by turning a good-looking spindle after opening the lock. The lock is twofold; it has a great key lock for backup or old-school folks like myself. The key is a captured key style that is hard to duplicate. The other method of opening is from the keypad and biometric lock. The keypad has ten digits, like all the rest of them, and the LED readout will tell the operator exactly what is happening.

The biometric fingerprint reader is simple and easy to set up; the owner's manual has easy-to-follow directions on how to put in the batteries and set the fingerprints. This safe went to my son-in-law to keep my grandkids from touching things they are not supposed to and being able to use fingerprints instead of combination codes ensures that my brilliant grandkids are unable to memorize the code.

The locker is coated with a good-looking powder coat finish. The color looks grey-brown, but I have a hard time seeing colors; I am sure it is darker grey or black in some tone. The finish is slick and looks great. It will fit well if this locker sits in an office or living space. The outline of the safe is studded, I guess, is the word with button head rivets, giving a great finished look. The rivets do not add to the strength of the safe but make it look much tougher than other lockers like it.

The outer dimensions are about 12 inches wide, deep, and five feet tall. If I remember the outside of the box, it says it weighs 110 pounds, so get some help, but it will not break the floor or stairs as it gets placed. So this will fit in a closet in the bedroom and only displace about five flannel shirts in the old man's wardrobe. This safe will hold anything I can lift on top of it for a handy shelf. I keep other BlackSmith gun lockers around here and at the cabin, and I move clothing in front of the safe to make it out of sight, out of mind.

Get it from Amazon now: $279.99 & FREE Returns

3. Steelwater - Heavy-Duty + Fireproof

Highlight: Fireproof safe.

This is a true gun safe, not a locker, available on Amazon. What a time to be alive. The Amazon delivery driver in the electric van is not the person to deliver this safe; that is sub-out to a freight carrier, and for a good reason: this thing is big and heavy. The weight comes from the construction materials, the overall size, and the fireproofing sheets that make this a true safe. The Steelwater gun safe is made to the highest standard, will look like furniture in your main floor rooms, and will be made tough enough that living in the garage will not scare it.

This gun safe will compete all day with other safes priced over triple the price. At about two thousand bucks, the Steelwater gun safe is a true gem of a secret that I am about to let out of the bag. The safe is made from 12-gauge steel. The top, sides, back, door, and door frame are all lined with a double layer of fireproofing material; this gives it a one-hour burn time. What that means is that if you are in a fire, this safe will keep your contents safe from harm for one hour; after that, there are no guarantees.

The door also has a fire or heat-activated seal. In a fire, the heat-activated seal will swell and block flames and smoke from entering the safe; this will also keep the water from the fire hoses out of the contents. The manufacturer states that this safe is water resistant. I am sure what that means is it will do OK in a house with leaking pipes or possibly a flood issue, but it will not hold the water out if thrown in the river or dropped off a boat into the lake.

Like most other modern safes, the lock is electronic and has a code or biometric. What is really cool is that the manufacturer says it is EMP-proof. I have no idea how to test for EMP-proof locking mechanisms, but I am sure it is a cool thing to watch, and being part of it would be even better. The locking mechanism has a double lock or re-locking device. The re-locking device is a safety stop-gap measure that will lock the safe solidly if a drilling or manipulation attempt is made. The door is secured with twenty, one-and-a-half-inch bolts two inches long; when the dial is turned, it would be faster to cut through the side of the safe than try to pry the door open.

The interior of the Steelwater gun safe is basic, not filled with Italian leather or padded wool buffers. The top shelf is double thick and made of reinforced steel to hold ammo. This shelf will never sag under the weight of boxes of ammo. The top shelf will probably hold eight boxes of every caliber rifle you put in the safe.

The door has a nylon hanging system like many affordable gun safes. The Nylon gun storage system will hold five handguns in a holster-looking pouch and five other punches for storage. The other pouches on the inside of the door are zipper-top nylon bags, for lack of a better word. These pouches are not my favorite for holding ammo, but it has a huge and solid shelf to do that work. The pouches will hold a double handful of magazines for everything in the safe. The pouches are not gun-specific and will also hold money or other stuff.

The gun storage area is divided in half and holds the guns around three sides of each portion. This is great to get a high storage count; the one I am looking at states it will hold 22 long guns. The other accessory shelves must be removed to hold this many long guns.

If you have ever seen this storage style, the 22-gun claim is due to math, not practical gun storage. I am sure 12 long guns per side is an easy fit, maybe even 18, depending on the guns. 22 long guns may be a stretch unless this safe is used to store a specific long gun in a store. I can fit 22 over/under shotguns that I sell, imported from Turkey, in this safe all day long, but that gun is only about an inch and a half wide and does not have a bolt handle or scope or other optic on it out of the box.

To make this deal even better, the safe has three onboard outlets with 2 USB power plugs hard-wired in; plug in the outside hook up, and the rinsed is ready to run anything you put in there. The kit comes with a very nice LED light bar to see what is going on inside the safe, in the rifle storage area, or on the top shelf if you put the shelves on one side.

The kit also has a 450-gram desiccant dehumidifying box to keep everything dry. When I finished eyeballing and drooling over this gun safe, I had not ordered it from the store where I stood. I went on to Amazon and put in my order there, and now I have to wait a couple of weeks for it to be delivered. Now, all I have to do is find a place to put it.

MY COUSIN'S 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 also 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 hesitation. Awesome customer service. So buy this safe if you have ten long guns! You'll love it.

TIPS:

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: $1,399.00 & FREE Returns

4. Barska - Upgraded + DOJ-Approved

Highlight: Features an updated finger reader.

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.

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.

MY BROTHER'S REVIEW:

I read all the mixed reviews on this safe and was a bit nervous about ordering it. Weighing sixty six pounds, I wasn’t eager to ship it back if I didn’t like it, so that was a little bit of a concern. Yet then I arrived and wow! I’m so happy to say I couldn’t be more pleased with the purchase. The unit arrived in perfect condition - no dents, no rust, and literally nothing wrong with it, like I had worried about. No other damage, like the ones mentioned in some older reviews. And the keys were outside the cabinet, so setup was easy. Other reviewers are right about some things, though - this unit is tipsy before you mount it, so this is your warning to be careful! Testing the location was tricky. But that’s expected with a compact unit like this. I spent time and money ‘dressing it up,’ inspired by another reviewer. I lined the inside with adhesive-backed carpet squares to protect the firearms from metal contact. Some loosened up, so in hindsight, I’d use spray adhesive.

HELPFUL TIPS:

- I recommended that you hang a magnetic, battery-powered LED light with a motion sensor under the shelf. It turns on automatically when the door is opened.

- Use an Eva Dry E-500 Wireless Dehumidifier on the top shelf. It absorbs humidity and can be recharged when saturated. I should have bought a smaller one, as this one barely fits and takes up space.

- So you can hang larger handguns, I recommend installing a Rack’Em 3 Pistol Holster that operates as an in safe rack for hand guns.

OVERALL:

It’s a pretty small safe, but with creativity and accessories, I stored three rifles and three handguns inside without issues. One shotgun was as tall as the safe, so it had to be placed sideways in front of the shelf. No harm done. Pistol grips, scopes, and other add-ons challenge the space. Some reviewers are saying it’s more of a locker than a safe, and I’d have to agree that they’re probably correct for most part. It’s great for keeping guns safe from kids and will slow down a thief but won’t help much in a fire. The biometric feature works well; I took several scans of several fingers and had no problems with quick access. So, in summary, this safe is perfect for the average person wanting to organize and protect their firearms from accidents. If you’re a collector or have a large collection, you might need something more elaborate.

Get it from Amazon now: $513.99 & FREE Returns

5. KAER - Upgraded + DOJ-Approved

Highlight: Upgraded fingerprint reader.

This KAER safe is not actually a gun safe but a gun locker. What is the difference? A safe cannot be pried open and will have a fire rating. A locker is exactly that: secure storage, keeping fingers off the goodies by people who should not be touching the guns or whatever you put in the locker.

The KAER has a nice inside compartment, not plush like a padded room, but nice and clean. The long gun sections may not fit a full-size rifle unless the shelf is removed or not installed in the first place. I did not think to pull out the shotguns with full-length barrels to check the fit, and I am pretty sure even with the shelf removed, they will not fit. The top of the locker has a secondary lockbox built in. I don’t know what the locker inside a locker is good for, but if a client needs that, I will happily suggest this locker to them.

The shelf will need some padding or liner if you plan on storing handguns outside the holster or carry case, which comes from the manufacturer. The door also has four built-in nylon holsters to hold handguns. The built-in Nylon holsters will fit full-size Glock frames and revolvers without a hitch. The door compartment has two zipper cases to hold other items, like knives or papers. This nylon pouch system may lead to rusting if you live in a high-humidity area, so a dehydration system must be placed in the locker. The dehydrators are easy to get and find on Amazon or local shops that sell shooting sports items.

The long gun compartment is said to hold eight rifles - maybe eight 22LR guns, but full-size rifles will occupy one and a half of the gun slots. The KAER will hold eight battle rifles unless they have large scopes mounted on them, which will burn up some space. The gun slots are located across the back and down one side of the inside. With scoped rifles, the gun will occupy space inside the L formed by the gun slots.

The door is hard to pry open, or at least I suppose it is. I did not own the one I had hands-on experience with to break the door; if I did, I would not break it to see if I could. The door is secured with six bolts around the door perimeter. I am sure to break into this locker; the door will not pry away, and the bad guy will have to pry away the frame from the door. To bend this locker that much will take space and time. The locker has the ability to bolt to the wall studs or the floor joists. This can be defeated, but it will be a long and loud process.

The bottom of the door frame is about an inch from the ground, so it could repel a light flood, but if the flood is two inches high, the guns will get wet. The safe does not have a fire rating at all, and it will damage the guns inside if the fire is closed.

MY BROTHER'S REVIEW:

Contrary to the dimensions listed, the actual size of the 9-11 rifle cabinet is 14.71"D x 17.71"W x 57.08"H, with the door on the side that’s 17.71", the front part. The steel is thick enough to keep kids out, but a hatchet or ax could easily breach the sides or back. There are pre-drilled holes for wall mounting, but you can drill new ones if needed. The lock requires four double AA batteries and works with a key. There’s a default combo of 1-2-3-4- hashtag, though you can change it. Instructions are minimal, but the lock supports biometric fingerprints, which I haven't tested yet.

There are two keys for the main door and two for the small interior compartment, each numbered. The company doesn’t provide replacement keys, so plan ahead. Inside, there's only a felt liner, so no fire protection. The lack of insulation means more space, but the advertised 11-12 rifle capacity is exaggerated - it's more like 4-5. The provided rifle rack is nearly useless but can be removed easily. The light in the door is tiny, so plan to add more lighting. The main benefit of this cabinet is its lightweight just about a hundred and fifteen pounds, making it manageable for one person to move, though a second person is safer.

Now, I have to include some negatives here. The package was a mess when it arrived, but fortunately the safe itself was undamaged. The paint and lock were scratch-free, though there was a small crack in the paint from the internal lock box installation. Because the interior is lined, the dimensions are smaller than the exterior. A 50 inch air rifle with a scope just barely fits under the top cabinet, so I can't use the removable shelf.

The flanges for the shelf can be cut or bent down if scratches are a concern. My wife insisted that the instructions for setting up fingerprints were brief and confusing, but I managed to get it working. The pre-cut holes for wall attachment are a few inches from the edge, making it hard to bolt to two wall studs spaced 18" apart. I was worried about the metal thickness but was pleased with the strength and weight.

This safe would be difficult for an unarmed person to break into. The recessed door is pry-resistant, and there are no visible seams. For the price, it exceeded my expectations. I call it a safe/cabinet because it feels more substantial than a mere cabinet but lacks the thickness of a true safe.

MY SISTER'S REVIEW:

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.

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6. Langger V - Electronic Gun Cabinet

Highlight: Made to secure AR platform rifles.

Before you consider anything else about this, you should know this fact – If you’re looking for a bank vault for your guns, this isn’t the safe for you. Save your money and add a couple of grand and get yourself something bigger. But! If you’re looking for a three hundred dollar option for about five or so firearms, then look no further.

The door is sturdy, and it comes with concrete bolts for the back and bottom, lockable storage, and a removable shelf. I fit two boxes of shotgun ammos, three boxes of 9mm, ten boxes of .22, three boxes of .38, two boxes of 7.62, and seven boxes of 5.56, plus two loaded thirty-round magazines, all in the lockbox.

It’s like playing a game of Tetris, but it fits, so I really don’t mind!. The shelf came with a pistol foam rack for up to five pistols. Below it, you can place about six rifles. My longest is a 16g crack barrel and it wouldn’t fit below the shelf, however, it stands in front of it, which is good enough.

I had to remove the optics from one rifle. Overall, for the price point, this is the best safe on the market. No assembly other than placing the removable shelf. The external power pack is a nice touch, plus the emergency keys give you two ways to access if the batteries die. Setting the combo was easy.

I mainly needed this gun safe because my sister was staying with me for a few months to get back on her feet and she brought my nephew, a toddler who just learned to walk and open things, into the house with her. After searching and debating, I ultimately chose this one because I decided it would be good to keep things secure, which is the main reason I needed it. The size was perfect for my bedroom closet and because I don’t have a ton guns, it worked, and ended up being enough space, despite how tightly they fit, it got the job done.

Just remember what I said earlier, if you have a lot of guns, this might be tight, too tight, in fact.

Keep in mind that there’s also not much room to move the guns around. The extra lockbox inside is a nice addition, and while I put weapons inside it, you can also store other valuables or ammo. It uses a different key than the main door, too, so that’s a nice place.

Oh, and the safe comes with felt pieces, a shelf, and gun supports. Everything looks neat and organized. I ended up buying an extra support for the shotgun to stand in front of the shelf. I used a magnetic one, and it works perfectly. My husband plans to make a few upgrades, like adding more light. I placed a motion sensor light bar inside for now, providing decent illumination. We plan to buy more to place beneath the lockbox and handgun shelf. Overall, this is a great safe! If you need something small to protect kids, this is perfect. I wouldn’t rely on it to keep out thieves. It’s easy to get into or carry away if not bolted to the wall.