How to fit more guns in a safe?

A common problem gun safe owners face is running out of room in their safes. This can be due to not maximizing space or just not planning the right safe size before hand. Someone might gift you a firearm or a gun goes on sale you have to buy.

Gun organization and storage is something everyone should master.

How to fit more guns in a safe? Here are five things you can use to get the most out of the space in your gun safe.

Rifle rods
Door panel organizers
Pistol racks
Handgun hangers
Magnetic gun mounts

These are some products that can be used in your gun safe. They will allow for better optimization of space and better organization. Each can added to any safe on the market. Minor installation is required but most of them do not require any tools.

Before buying a bigger safe see if these five items can help reorganize and free up some space in your gun safe.

What is a Rifle Rod?

Rifle rods are used to hold long guns in a upright position for storage. They are slid into the gun barrel and are attached to the bottom of a shelf. Rifle rods are made of plastic and use loop fabric to stick onto fabric shelves.

Rods can also work with shotguns and even small barreled rifles (.22 caliber).

A good trait of rifle rods is they keep rifles from leaning against each other. This always for more storage as they help utilize space better. It also prevents the guns from scratching against each other.

Rifle rods work with shorter rifles but only up to a certain point. The rods are flexible and the less that they sink into the barrel the weaker they hold the gun up.

Think like a upside down untied zip tie, the further along to the edge the more flexible it is. Granted Rifle rods are a lot stiffer than zip ties. But you get the point.

Tip: When buying your first rifle rods make sure to get one that is a starter kit. Starter kits come with the loop fabric (also called shelf liner) that the top of the rod sticks to. You can purchase stand alone rods but if the shelf you are attaching them to has no fabric the rods will not stick to them.

You could buy one from a fabric or hobby store probably cheaper, but you will have to figure out the dimensions and make sure the fabric is loose enough that will work with the rods.

Door Panel Organizer for Gun Safes

Door panel organizers for gun safes are hung on the inside of a safe door. They are made of up different compartments and pockets each designed to hold either handguns, ammunition, magazines and other miscellaneous firearm accessories. Depending on the brand and size.

Made up of nylon, mesh fabric and some are a full sheet of Velcro® which then additional holsters or pockets can be attached and the placement is custom.

Safe door organizers turn the back of a safe door into extra storage. Taking advantage of unused space inside.

Picking out which organizer will fit your gun safe can be easy if you go with the same brand that makes your safe. Not all gun safe manufactures make organizers though, so if you can’t find one for yours specifically just match the door size. There are universal gun safe door organizers available.

One very cool thing about some organizers is that they offer placement customization. Meaning you can pick and choose where to have each compartment on the organizer. This can be very helpful so you create a arrangement that allows for enough clearance when closing the safe door.

Making sure there is a enough space left between the inside of the door and any built in shelving is critical. Otherwise you wont be able to fit much into the gun safe organizers. This will insure you are able to pick one that will work for you the first time.

Installing gun safe door organizers can be easy and only take a few minutes. A mounting clip attached to the organizer is slipped between the felt and the door panel. No tools are required for organizers to be mounted.

Pistol Racks for gun safes

Pistol racks also called weapon or handgun racks are slotted holders to place guns in for storing. These racks hold handguns side by side together in a row.

These are a great way for organizing and reducing the amount of space that is needed to store handguns.

Pistol racks come in various sizes determining how many handguns can fit in one rack piece.

A good aspect of most pistol racks is that they allow for your handgun to be easily accessible. Most can accommodate handguns of any caliber. Also with or without magazines. Some have extra compartments for magazines. There are racks made just for magazines as well.

A modular rack is one that can be expanded together with another.

Pistol rack features to look for include:

Closed-non reactive foam cell design (Means less water and lubricant absorption)
Modular design
Shock absorption

What are Handgun Hangers?

Handgun hangers hold guns in suspension by the barrel under a shelf. They are specifically designed for handguns. The top of the hanger slides and grips onto the edge of a shelf, the lower arm of the hanger is meant for a barrel to be inserted into.

Another great way for utilizing space and better organizing your gun safe.

No Tools are required for installation, just need a shelf.

Most handgun hangers can fit as small as .22 caliber and a gun length no longer than 10 inches. They require a shelf to be 1/2”-1” thick. The hangers are separated pieces from each other.

Avoid ones made with cheap metal. They can be too flimsy to hold a heavy pistol, this is a common complaint with a lot of universal handgun hangers.

What are Magnetic Gun Mounts?

Magnetic gun mounts are a small plate with magnets underneath for mounting a gun onto. The magnet attracts the metal of the gun and holds it in place where ever it is mounted.

The magnetic mounts can be used in almost any location including gun safes or vaults.

The strongest magnetic mounts hold up to 45 lbs of weight.

Most good ones are rubber coated to prevent scratching from contact. Although they can be mounted anywhere, magnetic mounts require drilling to install.

Magnetic gun mounts work best with handguns. For larger long guns it is recommended to use two mounts.