Optimizing gun safe space

I like them, helps get a few more into a safe but isn't magic.

Look into putting a spare shelf near the top if you have room, that also helps some. Door hangers also if you don't have them as well as the under the shelf pistol rods.

Not matter what it will fill up...........

I'm starting a new Gun Safe Service. Just send any items taking up too much gun safe space to me. No charge for the first 100 items, Customers will have to pay S&H

No experience with those rods but I do know from experience that once you get another safe it will give you GAS, ( have you seen the thread on that here in General Gun Discussions? ). Once you get GAS ( Gun Acquisition Syndrome) you will be at a gun show or LGS, and see an interesting gun with a good price and begin justifying a reason to buy it, whereupon you will think; " Hey, I've got room in the safe for that and it would be neat!" Eventually you will once again run out of room in the safes but by that time you'll have a lot more neat guns that you picked up at a good price. Guess how I know all this...............BTDT, but now I'm retired and I'm thinning out the safe queens.

IF you are storing guns like AR or others with scopes, etc.; your capacity is about 1/3 what the safe says it will hold. Depending on what you own, a second safe may be a better option than just getting a bigger one and selling the old one.

George P said:

IF you are storing guns like AR or others with scopes, etc.; your capacity is about 1/3 what the safe says it will hold. Depending on what you own, a second safe may be a better option than just getting a bigger one and selling the old one.

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Indeed, we should demand that the safe manufacturers stop rating their safe’s capacity by the number of Crickett and Chipmunk rifles it holds and instead determine the rating using only scoped Rem 700 Senderos and FN-FAL’s.

Stay safe!

I use the rifle rods. They are great. I bought the pack of the 10 rods and cloth for $29 a few years ago. It's $35 now on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Gun-Storage-...70T3R4?ref_=bl_dp_s_web_6126717011&th=1&psc=1

I bought a couple pack of the rods from a different manufacturer but have not installed them. I think they still may increase the capacity of my safes but not by much. They are worth a try.

I have some pistol rods that slide over a shelf and allow for a pistol to hang below the shelf. They work well for me.

I find it frustrating that safe manufacturers do not advertise a truer safe capacity.

Riomouse911 said:

Indeed, we should demand that the safe manufacturers stop rating their safe’s capacity by the number of Crickett and Chipmunk rifles it holds and instead determine the rating using only scoped Rem 700 Senderos and FN-FAL’s.

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............. You forgot to mention Savage Rascals, also.... I increased the capacity of one of my safes by leaning a step grand kids Rascal up against the safe wall between two full size rifles.

The “no room at the bottom and empty space up top” is why the rods wouldn’t work for me, half the rifles are muzzle down.

I do use dish strainers to hold pistols vertical though.

Lol, I did forget that one!

I don’t have one of the single shot bolts for the kids, but I do have a Remington #4 rolling block .22. Its about as small a rifle as I can find... and it also squeezes into some tight spaces.

Stay safe!

cfullgraf said:

I have some pistol rods that slide over a shelf and allow for a pistol to hang below the shelf. They work well for me.

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Interesting, I've never heard of those. Is this basically what you've got?

https://www.amazon.com/Safety-Solut...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3YSZW2YPH0SC3BCGB3NT

My issue is I'm running out of handgun storage. My top shelf in my safe is full of important documents and knives and my single handgun rack up there is getting crowded, not to mention some of my shotguns are so tall I have to put that shelf so high there's little clearance to get anything out. I have a door hanger for handguns, but it's full too so I need a second solution.

Just remember:
Plastic stock, muzzle up;
Wood stock, muzzle down.

theotherwaldo said:

Just remember:
Plastic stock, muzzle up;
Wood stock, muzzle down.

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Until one of those wood ones falls out of the safe and cracks the stock through the wrist - which is what happened to me with one of my Browning O/U shotguns. An expensive learning moment.

Straight stocked 22 leverguns fit as well as the single shots too (bl22, henry,Ithaca, winchester,etc) . I can fit 15 in silicone socks in the back area of my safe which has notches for only 6. Dont change the safe just plan ahead by buying certain guns.

I helped a guy move many years ago. He had a safe full on single shot shotguns and such. He had removed all shelving and used a bungie across the front to hold them in. Each was stacked meticulously alternating muzzle up/muzzle down. Then On top of the butts and barrels was a stack of pistols. He had at least 150 in a 24(ish) gun safe. every single one I checked was loaded (long guns not the handguns, not a great plan but maybe he is the official safe number designated. Who knows.

I may have to look into those rods though

George P said:

Until one of those wood ones falls out of the safe and cracks the stock through the wrist - which is what happened to me with one of my Browning O/U shotguns. An expensive learning moment.

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Yeah, I keep forgetting that most folks have delicate civilian guns.
Most of mine are old milsurps, designed for butt-stroking the enemy and then beating them to death once you run out of ammo.

The three primary things that I do to optimize my gunsafe space:

1 - store boltgun bolts on the door
2 - create my own dividers (plywood + holesaw)
3 - ARs are stored in 2 pieces on upper shelves
--- Uppers: Right2Left
--- Lowers: Front2Back
(if my gunsafe were deeper, I would also store the Uppers Front2Back)

Here is a pic of my north gunsafe that I took last year:



Those rods are nice (if a bit pricey, IMO) and I am sure that they would do a good job.

I have done something sorta like that for a long time. Short rifles (like AKs) that do not reach the divider have an "extender" dowel rod inserted in their muzzles.

You can get inexpensive Delrin rods for using in barrels of guns too short so they hit the cross support piece.

1st remove all the stock shelving and re-configure the inside of your safe based on your needs.
All that thick carpeted mbf is only in there to add weigh so they can advertise a heavier weight safe as being more secure...it's not.
Use thin material for any shelves or even coated wire shelving to maximize space.
Look at online for pics of safe layouts for ideas and build what you need, don't try and adapt what you bought.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?...uts&qpvt=images+of+gun+safe+layouts&FORM=IGRE

What has worked for me is rifles around the perimeter 3 sides, alternately up/down, and a slide out shelf/cubby unit in the middle for handguns.
jmo

What ever happened to "never stick anything that could break off in the muzzle of your guns?" Am I the only one that heard that growing up?

I know the chances are slim with those rifle rods, but every time I see them I think about it.

I've used brazing rods with small, powerful magnets peened onto the ends instead of those expensive safe organizers.
Most brazing rods are also strong enough to be bent into pistol hangers.

bassjam said:

Interesting, I've never heard of those. Is this basically what you've got?

https://www.amazon.com/Safety-Solut...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3YSZW2YPH0SC3BCGB3NT

My issue is I'm running out of handgun storage. My top shelf in my safe is full of important documents and knives and my single handgun rack up there is getting crowded, not to mention some of my shotguns are so tall I have to put that shelf so high there's little clearance to get anything out. I have a door hanger for handguns, but it's full too so I need a second solution.

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Yep, mine are similar or the same as those. The rods are coated with a rubber like compound and will not damage the bore with a bit of care when installing or removing the hand gun.

lionking said:

nice layout but still looks like you have to move a bunch to get to the rear.

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Yes, but that is one cost of doing business when you are "optimizing gun safe space".

With my homemade dividers that 48-(long)gun gunsafe will actually easily accommodate 48 longguns with none touching in the 2 lower sections.

I also built a pair of rolling/folding longgun racks that will each handle 22 guns for those times when I am digging thru the inventory of one (or more) of my gunsafes. With one of those racks, accessing one of those rear guns is pretty quick.

Before the racks, I found myself wandering all over the basement to various places where I could safely lean a gun ... and then I had to remember (good luck with that ) the order in which I had to return them to the safe. The racks allow me to quickly remove intervening guns and easily replace them in the same order.