Gun Storage Cabinet

[SIMP]

Well, I really wanted a nice gun safe, but with Christmas around the corner I have to be unselfish and get what I can afford at the moment. So I decided on a Stack-On steel gun cabinet for 8-rifles. I'll really only use it to store 3 rifles, a shotty and some ammo. I know it's a not a "safe" and you get what you pay for, but does anyone have any experience with these cabinets?

It's main purpose at the moment will be to keep honest folks out of my guns and provide somewhat of a better feeling for myself knowing that they're not being stored in hard cases with foam lining. Please post here if you have any opinions on these cabinets. I do plan on anchoring it securely to my closet wall.

What I got: http://www.stack-on.com/categories/security-cabinets-gun-cabinets/products/194

 

[JimDandy]

I have something like that. I picked up a scratch and dent Gladiator cabinet about 5ish feet tall, 3 or so wide, two doors. One door is wide open, for long guns, cleaning rods, with a clothes hook in the center of the ceiling for Upland and Trap vests. The other side is 5 or 6 shelves, ammunition, and handguns go there. Much like your stackon, it's not going to keep a burglar with a crowbar out exactly, but to know that I have them, where I keep them, and so on it was probably a lost cause trying to protect them anyway.

 

[scsov509]

I started out with one of those same cabinets and used it for many years before upgrading to a true safe. I bolted mine into the studs with I think 6 long bolts, and then also mounted an old kitchen cabinet over the top of it so that one couldn't really pry at it from the top if they tried. It worked really well as my first "safe" and is something I would certainly recommend to others who didn't have the budget for anything much larger or more robust.

 

[SIMP]

I'm curious as to how you used a kitchen cabinet in conjunction with yours. Would you mind going into a little further detail, please? Sounds interesting. Thanks.

 

[atticor]

I have one of those, with a larger safe now on the way. The stack on serves one purpose for me really well: keeping my guns out of the hands of little grandkids. Otherwise, I don't believe it's worth that much. A thief who gets in my house will be able to get the safe and carry it out. That's why I've ordered a larger, heavier, true safe. My 2 cents.

 

[taylorce1]

Good thing to keep kids out of the guns and honest people out like you said. Sure won't keep a criminal out longer than a few seconds. I don't have a super expensive safe at the house but I picked up a Sentry for $150 off of craigslist a few years ago. It is a 14 gun safe, and I'll either buy another one or upgrade to like a 48+ gun safe later on.

I have a 10 gun stack on and a 12 gun oak gun case full as well out at the farm. I'd sure like to get all of my rifles in one location. However I've pretty much always got something to shoot close by.

 

[scsov509]

I'm curious as to how you used a kitchen cabinet in conjunction with yours. Would you mind going into a little further detail, please? Sounds interesting. Thanks.

I had some extra kitchen cabinets from a kitchen remodel at a friend's home, and so I mounted one of the cabinets directly over the top of the gun cabinet flush against the top of it. The cabinet was used for storage of magazines, cases, etc; but also served as an additional level of security in terms of someone trying to pry the gun cabinet off the wall. The cabinet was mounted in a corner so that prying on one side was not a possibility, and then the bolts on the other side were close enough to the edge of the cabinet that prying there afforded little leverage. So between the bolts and kitchen cabinet it was fastened pretty securely in the room should someone have wanted to just carry the whole cabinet out of the room.

We remodeled the room several years later, and for kicks we decided to try and pry the cabinet out with a big crowbar to see how secure it really was. Surprisingly we were not able to get it out with the crowbar even after substantial effort. Now if we'd wanted to simply pry the door off or cut into it with a reciprocating saw, well that's a different story. But since most residential theft around here is smash and grab, my solution provided short term security until I could save the coin for an actual safe.

 

[SIMP]

Thanks for the insight everyone. Yeah, primary use is to keep kids out. I have never kept my guns a secret from my kids and they understand what to do if they ever see a gun. But I'd still feel better if they were secure if you know what I mean. I do, however, keep all ammo stored separately in a locked dry box except for my home defense weapons.

I'm looking forward to getting this cabinet and also to a future upgrade as my collection grows. Thanks again!

 

[madcratebuilder]

With small hand held plasma cutters and battery powered cutting tools nothing is theft proof anymore. A safe or locked cabinet well stop most smash and grabbers as they well only spend minutes in your house. A pro that knows what you have, knows when you are gone and well take any and all of what he is after.

I converted a walk in closet for my collection. Added solid core door and three dead bolt locks. It well only slow someone down, not stop them.

I think a monitored alarm system is a better investment than a high dollar gun safe.

 

[SIMP]

That's a good point. I do have a home alarm so I hope the alarm going off and the locked cabinet is enough deterrent for a would be robber.

You know, I work at a steel shop and I'll bet I could build one heck of a cabinet here. Well, not actually me as I'm an IT guy in the office. It'd be a very heavy cabinet!!

 

[Eppie]

Like many others I have turned a walk in closet into my armory/reloading room.

I have a regular door lock on it. Since the door open outwards that makes it slightly more difficult to break into it. But as you already said it only keeps honest people honest.

I'm really fortunate because it is the only closet that also happens to have a ventilation duct for heating and cooling. That helps with the powder storage.