I know I know buy once cry once and you get what you pay for, but…
My daughter is getting old enough to wander and I honestly do not have a lot to spend. Looking for a locking gun cabinet to store my ARs Shotguns and rifles (around 8 long arms) to keep them out of sight and reach. Don’t need to stop thieves or fires (all my rifles are scheduled on insurance), just the kid.
What is considered the best piece of shit locker in my price range?
I have been keeping them in locked cases, but I’d like to get one consolidated cabinet where they can breath.
Academy/Dicks/Gander usually have an el cheapo safe made from sheet metal, for $100ish and up depending on size. Not criminal rated, but it should keep the little ones out (At least for a little while till they get older/smarter). I believe they even come with pre-drilled holes and hardware for bolting down as well.
If it really only needs to be kid-proof? Here’s kid-proof plus, I think. A length of 5/16 cable, it’ll go through the magwell and ejection port, run it through a couple lag-eyes in the floor, and get a good padlock. Number of AR’s limited only by the length of the cable and size of the closet. Against a burglar, I might guess it’s better than the sheet metal cabinet. Anyway it’
Anyway it’s practically instant until you find something better.
Thanks Ned - I thought about that but the little girl is so curious she just likes to touch everything - I worry about the lead residue and cleaning solutions left over on the rifles almost just as much and don’t want her near them.
Out of sight, out of mind. I have two Homak cabinets and a big StackOn. They worked exactly as I wanted and met my every need raising two kids, and now with multiple nieces/nephews and a granddaughter. I never felt the need or desire for an actual safe. IMHO, a bargain-level $1000 safe only provides only a little more security from even a half-savvy burglar than a $100 StackOn. I’d make the several-thousand dollar investment in a high-security safe if I thought I needed the security and was willing to hassle with moving the sucker into my house, but I don’t and I’m not.
If you want to go thru that much trouble. A large screwdriver and a hammer can be used to cut open any sheet metal safe. Drive screwdriver in with hammer to make hole, back out a little then use blade of flat head driver as a cutting edge, and hammer downwards cutting metal. As mentioned good for small kids, not so good for criminals or any determined individual.
Yes, the Stack-on is pre-drilled & will serve your intended use. I’ve had one for several years & has worked well for what it is. The one I have was the 14 gun model I believe & actually secures the door at the lock itself as well as the top & bottom of the door with a bar. I put a strip of 1/4 foam weather stripping around the door to seal it better & control humidity a bit with a can of desiccant. Well worth the $100 or so it cost me.
That would indeed solve the ease of entry issues that the cheaper cabinets have. I didn’t see your original reply until after I’d made my post. I’d also say that rocking a light cabinet back and letting it drop is significantly less work than hammering on a screw driver, but different strokes for different folks. In any case, it should suit your needs with an additional padlock.
Stack on makes a 14 gun one that’s under $200. There is also a 10 gun that’s cheaper. They are about 1/16 of an inch have keys. 3 locking points and have holes ready to bolt to the wall. Pretty nice for a piece of shit
