What Size Gun Safe Do I Need? A Gun Safe Buying Guide

What size gun safe do you need? Buy a bigger one than you think. Count every gun you own today, add the ones you expect to buy, then plan on a safe whose real-world capacity, not its advertised gun count, holds all of them with room left for documents and valuables. The number one complaint from new safe owners in our Gun Safe Buying Guide series is simple: “I wish I had a bigger safe.” This page walks through sizing and links to every part of the series for locks, anchoring, fire ratings and more.

How to Figure Out What Size Gun Safe You Need

Start with an honest inventory, then size up.

• Count long guns and note which wear scopes, bipods, lights or slings. Scoped rifles and AR-15s with optics take far more room than a bare shotgun.
• Count handguns. Door panel organizers and shelf racks can move handguns out of the long gun space.
• Add what else goes in: passports, deeds, cash, jewelry, hard drives, optics, knives and ammunition you want to secure.
• Add your next five years of purchases. Most gun owners buy more guns, not fewer.

Advertised Gun Count vs Real Capacity

Safe makers rate capacity by how many guns fit when they are packed tightly, often without scopes and with the interior configured entirely for long guns. Real collections do not fit that way.

As an editorial rule of thumb, plan on usable long gun capacity of roughly half to two thirds of the advertised number once scopes, accessories, shelves and handguns are in the mix. A safe sold as a 24 gun model often works best for about a dozen rifles and shotguns plus handguns on the door. If you can, take your largest scoped rifle to the store and test fit it.

Plan for Space, Weight and Delivery

A bigger safe only helps if you can get it into the house and keep it there.

• Measure doorways, hallways, stair turns and the spot where the safe will sit, including room for the door to swing fully open.
• Large safes can weigh many hundreds of pounds or more. Ask about delivery, and for upper floors or older homes, check floor load with a contractor.
• Plan to anchor it. Bolting the safe to the floor keeps it from being carried off or tipped over, and it improves fire performance by keeping the safe upright. See Part 3 of our series on anchoring your safe.
• Think about where heat goes in a fire and where moisture builds. Location choices are covered in Part 4 on fireproofing and Part 9 on moisture.

Security Ratings: What RSC Really Means

Most boxes people call gun safes are, by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards, Residential Security Containers. An RSC rating means the container withstood a short attack by one person using common hand tools such as a screwdriver and a hammer. That is meaningful protection against a smash and grab, not a true high-security safe.

Many safes carry no UL rating at all, and some brands advertise their own self-defined ratings that cannot be compared across brands. Also look at:

• Steel thickness. Steel is measured in gauge, and a lower number means thicker steel. Our series noted that steel security cabinets are often 17 gauge, while better safes use much thicker steel.
• Door fit and bolts. The door is the main point of attack. A tight gap and locking bolts on all four sides resist prying and warping.
• The lock. Look for a UL listed lock protected against drilling and punching. Lock types are covered in Part 2 on electronic, biometric and manual locks.

The best theft prevention costs nothing: limit the number of people who know you have a safe.

Fire Ratings

Paper chars at around 350 degrees Fahrenheit, so fire ratings are usually expressed as how long a safe keeps its interior below about 350 degrees while the outside is exposed to a much hotter test temperature, often 1,200 degrees.

• Most home gun safes do not carry an independent UL fire rating. Manufacturer ratings vary in how they are tested.
• Our series author recommended at least 30 minutes at 1,200 degrees, and more is better. He chose a Liberty Fat Boy, rated at the time for 75 minutes at 1,200 degrees.
• Look for a heat-expanding door seal and fireboard cut to fit without gaps.

Bigger safes are not automatically better in a fire. A larger door has more seam to protect, so check the rating on the specific model.

Which Size Class Fits You?

These are general size classes, not standards. Advertised counts vary by brand.

• Small (under about 24 advertised guns): a handful of long guns and handguns, apartments, closets, or a first safe. Expect a tight fit with scoped rifles.
• Medium (about 24 to 36 advertised guns): the most common choice for a growing collection and a good default for most families.
• Large (about 40 advertised guns and up): bigger collections, hunters with many scoped rifles, or anyone who wants room for valuables and future guns.

If you are torn between two sizes, choose the bigger one.

You May Need More Than One Safe

A large safe in the basement does a great job storing a collection and a poor job of getting a defensive handgun into your hand at 2 a.m. Many gun owners pair a big safe with a quick access safe by the bed and a vehicle safe.

• See our best quick access gun safes guide and Part 7 on quick access safes.
• Reviews of specific models include the Hornady Vexis, the SnapSafe two gun keypad vault and the Vulcan Headrest Safe for vehicles.
• For display rather than security, our Hold Up Displays Gun Wall review covers a wall system.

Insurance Is Part of the Plan

A safe is a form of self-insurance, but check your policy too. Our series author found that some homeowner policies covered guns for as little as $500 in 2016, if at all, and that adding coverage was inexpensive. Review your coverage and keep serial numbers and photos of your guns somewhere outside the safe.

The Gun Safe Buying Guide Series

Our nine-part series goes deeper on every topic above.

• Part 1: Introduction to Gun Safes: the basics of fire ratings, theft ratings and what to look for in a safe’s construction.
• Part 2: Electronic, Biometric and Manual Locks: lock types, how they work and how to keep your lock from failing.
• Part 3: Anchoring Your Safe: where to place your safe, how to secure it, and planning for fire and break-in attempts.
• Part 4: Fireproofing Your Gun Safe: what fire ratings mean, when contents burn and how hot guns can get.
• Part 5: Understanding the Threats: knowing when your safe is under attack and dealing with the aftermath.
• Part 6: Specialty Safes: safes for special needs, customizing and accessories.
• Part 7: Quick-Access Safes: small safes for fast access and whether the technology is reliable.
• Part 8: Buying and Selling Used Safes: whether to buy used, what to look for and selling your old safe.
• Part 9: Moisture, the Constant Battle: fighting humidity and whether you need a watertight safe.

For safe handling and storage habits beyond the safe itself, see our handgun safety guide.

What Size Gun Safe FAQ

How many guns will a 24 gun safe really hold?

Fewer than 24 in most real collections. With scoped rifles, accessories and some handguns, plan on roughly half to two thirds of the advertised long gun count as an editorial rule of thumb, and test fit your largest rifle if you can.

Is it better to buy a bigger gun safe?

Yes, within the limits of your space, budget and floor. Our series author’s advice was to always buy one size bigger than what you need today.

What fire rating should a gun safe have?

Our series recommended at least 30 minutes at 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, and longer is better. Check whether the rating is independently tested.

Does a gun safe need to be bolted down?

It should be. Anchoring prevents thieves from moving the safe to work on it elsewhere, and it helps keep the safe upright in a fire.

Should I buy a used gun safe?

Used safes can be a good value. Part 8 of our series covers what to check before buying and how to sell your old one when you upgrade.