Stack-On Gun Cabinets?

[Frog48]

A few years ago, my parents gave me a wood & glass gun cabinet (see below). Since then, my collection has grown gradually, to the point that I've run out of room. This is what I have now, as you can see its not that big and easy to outgrow:



I've seen the Stack-On gun cabinets at Cabelas. They look like a good value. I realize that they're not fireproof or waterproof, but its gotta be at least as secure as what I have now.

This is what I'm looking at:



It holds 16 long guns, double doors, and plenty of shelving for handguns and accessories.

Anybody have experience with Stack-On products? Is $550 too much for this? Any recommendations for other safes/cabinets in this price range?

 

[BADUNAME37]

Yeah, if you own your own home, build yourself a separate room just for your guns.

It can be your gun & reloading room.

 

[WardenWolf]

I would not pay $250 for one after examining it in the store. It's a piece of junk. StackOns are the lowest of the low.

 

[Dienekes]

I have a couple of basic Stack-Ons--but they do sort of scream, "guns inside", and offer VERY little protection against anyone with a large screwdriver who really wants in. I only keep guns I'm not particularly attached to in them.

If you can, try to get something that will give you more security. Losing one decent gun is about the same cost as a basic, basic safe that will serve you better.

Google up an outfit named "English" somewhere in OK that has some online. Might help.

 

[gpr]

250 would be a fair price...i have that one...it holds and orgainises well..it is not a safe, but it will keep the kids out...they did change the lock, so as not to be opened by a bic pen...i think i got mine from bass pro...gpr

 

[280shooter]

I have one, yea they're cheap,but its better then just having guns sitting out for easy pick ups and walk offs.if u want to make it even harder for being riped off,, drill a hole in the floor well maybe two hole and run a cable up through the floor,through the stack on,and run a cable through all the trigger guards, with a pad lock,so if they open the door. they'll have a harder time getting the guns out.thats what i did with mine,

 

[sturmgewehr667]

i got one at a flea market for $10

i only use it for my "project" guns, meaning the ones that are not worth anything. you could easily punch through it with a large screwdriver


imo, save your $ and get a decent safe

 

[AR2A]

I have also been looking at safes and dicks sporting goods seems to have some good prices ($400+) for fireproof safes. Take a look at their site, they may have something affordable for you.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I would never buy a stack-on to store guns in. The glass faced cabinet you have is more secure. If somebody gave me one, or was throwing it out(I've seen this with stack-ons), I may use it to keep ammo in, or make a smoker out of it

 

[sturmgewehr667]

^i know a guy who has two stack ons welded together in his front yard that he uses to cure meat

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

At that price range you are getting close to the price of a real RSC. You might look into Sentry safes for another cheap alternative RSC. They might deter smash and grab theives a little better than that unit. We store old software in a similar unit at work and it would be easy to get into with a screwdriver.

 

[czarjl]

I have one. I would call it a gun cabinet not a safe. Its more secure than under the bed and much less than a real safe. A Stack-On might keep the kids out but any BG with a couple of simple tools would have no problem.

Save up a little more money and get a real safe you are almost there in price already. Fire and water resistant safes are a good investment.

 

[Logos]

A locking metal cabinet is a huge improvement over any cabinet with glass doors.

Especially if it's in a closet and bolted to the floor and a wall, getting into it takes time that thieves usually don't have.....much different from simply and quickly breaking the glass in a basic locking wood cabinet.

Very few crooks are smart or competent and most of us are not likely to be rich enough to attract the real pros.....instead, we will usually have some dumb losers bungling their way into our property.

Security has many aspects and layers, not the least of which is keeping a low profile about owning guns.....but anything you can do to make things more complicated for thieves and slow them down will help.

 

[jon_in_wv]

I agree with logo. Besides its getting a little deep in this thread when a glass cabinet is better than a steel one and a screwdriver could just pop a gun cabinet open. How does a Stack On cabinet scream guns but a glass cabinet with the guns showing doesn't??? C'mon. Its not a good steel safe thats for sure but its a LOT cheaper and its a better option that not having one at all. If you guys think its such crap than off something more constructive like another option rather than just making nonsensical claims about this one.

 

[WardenWolf]

Those StackOn cabinets are so bad that you could force them open without tools. A critical flaw in the design has the lip used to open the door running the entire height of the door, allowing someone to easily apply force in areas far away from the latches. The door (and likely the latches themselves) can be bent and pulled open. The pieces used to hold your expensive rifles in place are also hard plastic, applying wear to them with a hard surface. Note that real gun safes normally have these pieces padded.

 

[rioalumni05]

i have the stack on 14 gun rsc. got it from dicks for like $120 on sale one time.. it does what i need it to do(keeps guns away from kids and guests) it also came with bolts to secure it to studs or the floor... i havent done that yet, but with ammo and the weight of guns it would be difficult to flip over without effort.. i have found out that unless the guns are on top of each other it would be hard to fit 14 guns in mine.. im not sure if the 8 gun or 16 gun ones are the same i would think so...

 

[Deanimator]

They'll keep small children out. That's about it.

They're trivially easy to break into.

I never even considered one. Stack-On and a Sentry make real gun safes that actually require a minimum of effort to defeat. They're not that expensive, especially if you order on-line from Walmart.

 

[statelineblues]

It also depends whether you live in an apartment or your own home. That can really narrow your choice of safes/lockable cabinets.

 

[devildog4329]

I own a stack on safe and love it. Yeah its not the greastest but it does the job. here is a link check it out. Its a liitle more expensive. If you shop around you can find it for cheaper i bought it last year and got it for $600

 

[Logos]

I have to laugh at some of this silly talk.

I'd like to see one of these geniuses breaking into a metal gun cabinet in ten seconds with his bare hands.



Come on, use some common sense.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

It is a poor deal at that price. At that price point, perhaps a little more, you could get a real safe. It is OK for keeping small children out or storing less valuable items like ammo, but would not even slow down a "smash & grab" burglar.

 

[bonza]

I have an 8-gun Homak, which I think is an early Stack-On, at least they look very similar. I bought it some years ago from K-Mart for less than $80. I've been fairly happy with it, but am under no delusions that it's actually a safe.
For the price you mentioned you could do far better. I was at Lowes a couple of days ago & they had a decent looking 'real' safe for $500 or so. Shop around a bit, I'm sure you'll find something more secure than the Stack-On.

 

[FreuderLocks]

I have the most basic 10 gun storage cabinet, this is not a safe, although i welded some heavy steel plate to its outer parts. Still not a real safe though. Since my house is reasonably well secured (I would assume nothing is foolproof) I dont feel too bad about storing some of my less expensive guns in there but if I lived in a less safe neighborhood or had a jerk roommate I would strongly suggest something else. Im the big green box in the corner with guns in it.
-FL

 

[texas bulldog]

i think that there's a terminology issue that's causing some of the wild disagreement in this thread. for instance...

stack-on cabinet: these are made from a fairly thin sheet of steel. when empty, they are very light. i assure you that these can be broken into with minimal effort. the same basic tools a burglar uses to get into your house (screwdriver, hammer, crowbar, etc) can be used to pry the door open in a matter of a few minutes, maybe even seconds. if you've never seen video of a burglar at work, you should google around for some video...it's impressive. we've been burglarized at my workplace before when people were at the store...they got in and out without even being seen (unique situation, but still). trust me, even a "smash-n-grab" type can get into one of these lickety-split. good for protection against children and the honest...that's about it.

example:

residential security container (RSC): these are what i think some here are referring to as a "real" safe. they look like a safe, and they're certainly much heavier than the metal cabinets above. however, beneath a relatively thin layer of steel, the walls and door are actually filled with fiberboard. they may provide (or claim) some fire and/or water resistance, and the interior is certainly gentler on your guns. but an experienced thief can still defeat these relatively quickly, and there's video around to prove this one as well (a quick THR search will lead you to a link). the main difference is that the thief needs better tools, more experience, and just a bit more time to get it done. this one actually will prevent "smash-n-grab" types, unlike the cabinet that can be defeated will little or no expertise, and they're much heavier, which may prevent a thief from just taking the whole thing to work on elsewhere.

example:

actual safe: these will likely cost you a couple grand minimum. while any safe can be defeated with enough time and the right tools, these will take significantly more time than the RSC above and way more time than the steel cabinet. they use much more steel and less fiberboard. for a great run-down on the difference between a safe and a RSC, check out this thread or search for posts by a1abdj, who sells them and has shown a great deal of knowledge in all the various save vs. RSC threads here on THR.

examples:

 

[inherentical]

You'd be better off picking up an industrial metal cabinet that locks for the price they charge for the Stack-On cabinets. You'd get more space with the same level of protection.