How Big Of A Gun Safe Do I Need?
The answer to your question is how many guns you own. Each safe has different models made for holding a specific amount of firearms.
Whether you’re a hunter, a gun collector, or just want to keep your family safe from accidental shootings, it’s important to choose the right size of gun safes. How big of a gun safe do you need will depend on the number of guns and the type of guns you have.
A standard size safe is thirty inches wide, 60 inches in height, and 28 inches deep. And the weight of these average safes weighs from 800-1000 pounds. And these standard safes can gold up to 22 guns at max.
It is recommended to buy a safe a bit bigger than you need because your gun collection will eventually keep growing over time. And buying a safe is like a long-term investment.
Also, ensure that the gun safe fits through your doorway, so measure your doorway.
Buy A Small Safe And You’ll Regret It
The average person has a lot of things to keep safe – jewelry, cash, personal information, and other valuables. People usually buy a safe to protect what they have and their loved ones.
But the most common regret is buying a compact gun safes that can’t fit all the items they need to store. The best way to avoid this regret is by doing research before buying anything.
There are many different types of safes available on the market – from small ones to big ones that can fit more than one person’s worth of belongings.
Also, buying a small gun safe is not wise because it will only be able to hold a few guns, which means that you’ll need to buy another one if you have more than three guns. If you only one handgun, you do not need anything else than a bed mounted gun safe.
How Many Guns Fit In A Gun Safe?
Most safes will list quite a number, indicating what number of lengthy weapons the producer estimates the secure can hold. Even though they state the numbers, it necessarily doesn’t mean that it’s accurate.
A safe’s gun count is decided through the wide variety of slots within the safe’s gun racks. Unfortunately, however, that wide variety doesn’t always indicate the precise wide variety of firearms you’ll be capable of fitting into the safe.
But why aren’t the numbers accurate? You might be pondering upon this question. Well, it’s because not all guns come in the same shapes and sizes.
Guns are different because of their shapes and attachments; some will take way more space than usual. Using a safe number, you can determine how many cutouts are available for gun barrels. These figures don’t include optics, stocks, or accessories.
You may have seen on a gun safe these types of numbers; Gun Safe Capacity 12-19-31 +2 Guns. Let me break these down for you.
The first two numbers, 12 and 19, add up to 31, which is the third number. This means the safe can hold up to 31 guns, and the +2 at the end indicates the extra storage capacity on the door organizers.
But as I wrote before, these numbers aren’t always accurate due to the size, shape, and attachments factors of a gun. For a safe to accommodate so many guns, the entire lower portion would have to be reserved for rifle racks.
The lower portion of the store is often used by customers for shelf space, meaning half of the rifle space is devoted to shelves. As a consequence, a 36-file safe is usually able to hold only ten to twelve average-sized rifles.
Does A Bigger Safe Have A Better Fire Resistance?
It’s not the size of a safe that determines its fire resistance. That’s determined by the manufacturer. Moreover, not all safes have identical fire ratings.
Manufacturers of safes (like Costco) just give ratings without testing. However, American manufacturers such as Liberty Safe test extensively and are totally transparent about their process.
How Long Should A Gun Safe Be Fireproof?
This depends on the particular model and the build quality of the safe, its resistance power, the ability to keep the heat inside down, and the proximity of the heart of the fire. It is essential to get a safe with a higher fire rating.
The industry standard safe rating is 30 min 1200 degrees since general household fire temperature does not get above 1200. If you live in a larger building, you should consider getting a fireproof safe rating of 1500 an hour.
Most fire liners inside the safe release steam when it gets too hot, and the moisture keeps the interior of the safe cool. A standard 30 min fire rating for a safe is considered moderate.
But keep in mind about where you live and how fast the fire response time might be. So to get a higher fire rating, I am going to state the obvious fact that you have to pay higher.
The Safe I Bought Is Too Small For My Needs, What Should I Do?
If you purchased a safe and it is too small for what you need, then you have a few options. The first thing to do is to determine if the safe you purchased is still in the return/exchange period.
If it is, then you may be able to return or exchange the safe for a larger one.
Another option is to get more than one gun safe and keep them in different places like your home, the office, or at your friend’s house.
This way when you want or need access to one of your guns, it will be accessible no matter where it is stored. If this isn’t an option, then you can use a large box or crate to store your valuables in until you are able to purchase a new safe that will meet your needs.
How Much Does A Typical Gun Safe Costs?
The cost of a gun safe will also depend on its size and features. A small gun safe can cost as low as $200 while a large one can cost more than $1000.
So before buying a safe, make sure to do proper research about the safe and its features since your upcoming generations will also get to use it. Moreover, you can use this guide.
- How big of a gun safe do I need?
- Safe attributes
- Securing you safe in your house
- Fire protection and fire lining
- Exterior finish and decoration
- Interior accessories
- Having your safe delivered
- Moving your safe
- Storing your guns
- Gun safe or cabinet
I will write an in-depth buying guide soon covering all of the topics above. For now, keep those key points in mind.
What Type Of Gun Safe Lock Do I Need?
There are quite a few different types of locks that you can choose from, with each offering different types of security.
Mechanical Lock
This lock is a pretty standard one and the most reliable. Most actually have a key lock inside the dial. This key solely locks the dial, stopping it from spinning.
This will keep your door locked or unlocked through now, no longer being capable of rotating the dial. Mechanical locks will usually work; however, take time to open. A lot of gun safe for vehicles will feature this type of locking mechanism.
Electronic Safe Locks
Electronic locks have advanced during the last decade to the factor that they may be significantly reliable.
The bugs in previous models were very well removed. Electronic locks are extraordinarily fast, and you could set your combination.
They can regularly be programmed for multiple users. Electronic locks can hold the combination of the safe in its memory in case the safe fails, or the battery dies. To update the battery, it will be back to its normal state.
EMP Safe Locks
The EMP or electromagnetic pulse results in a pulse when a nuclear blast is emitted. This type of pulse destroys all modern time electronics.
A safe company named cannon uses the locking mechanism EMP, but it means Extra mechanical Protection lock on top of a mechanical lock system with an electronic keypad.
You always have the option to open the lock through a mechanical dial in case the electronic lock fails.
Key Locks
Key locks don’t stand out much in this era of electronic advancement in lock systems. They are primarily used in gun cabinets. Anyone with a crowbar with the correct strength can crack it open.
Biometric Gun Safe Locks
Biometric locks work by reading your fingerprint for those who don’t know. So place your finger on the scanner and watch the magic happen, just like in the movies.
These locks are the most common one since you can have quick access to your guns in case of emergency. Also, they can be programmed for multiple users.
Some superior biometric weapon safes even provide Wi-Fi connectivity, permitting you to monitor gun safe entry and modify settings remotely.
Furthermore, Wi-Fi gun safes offer real-time indicators of unauthorized access, making them an exquisite desire for households who need to screen their firearms 24/7.
Can I Increase The Capacity Of My Gun Safe To Store More Guns?
I’m afraid not. You cannot adjust the safe’s square footage. Buying a bigger safe would be the best way to increase the size of your safe. Having said that, there are ways to maximize the space you have.
The capacity of a gun safe is determined by the size and type of firearms it is designed to store. Some bedroom rifle safe are designed for specific types of guns or certain firearm lengths. If this is the case, adding on additional storage space may not be possible without purchasing an accessory kit.
If you have more guns than the safe can hold, you can add more gun slots to your safe by purchasing an accessory kit. The kit will come with everything you need to install the new gun slots and make it so that your safe can hold more firearms.
Final Words
I hope the article gave you a proper insight to help you decide how big of a safe you need with what type of locks and how many guns you can fit into the safe.
A word of advice that many gun safe users regret not following is not taking an extra size gun safe than required.
Later, when their collection grew, many had to buy an extra safe for that, but of course, it will cost you quite some money. And also, consider the fire rating factor according to where you live.
