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If you don’t need the size, capacity, and strength of a full-size gun safe, however, you still need that secure storage in your home, then a gun cabinet might be for you! Gun cabinets make up for the fact that they have less strength than a gun safe by providing portability, ease of access, and a lower price point.
These safes also make for great options when you need to be able to fit your firearm storage solution into a smaller space than a traditional gun safe may not be able to handle.
With that said, here are my favorite gun cabinets on the market today! Stay tuned till the end, where I also go over everything you should keep an eye out for when shopping for a gun cabinet.
Why should you trust me? I have spent years in the safe industry, with plenty of hands-on experience, conversations with gun safe owners, and much more. I enjoy helping you find what you are looking for and nothing you don’t. You can learn more about me here!
At a Glance
- Editor’s Choice: SecureIt Agile Ultralight Model 52
- Best Smart Cabinet: Vaultek RS Series RS500i Plus Edition
- Best High-End Cabinet: SecureIt Answer Lightweight Model 12 Pro
- Best Double-Door Cabinet: First Watch (Homak) HS30136028 Cabinet
- Best Compact Cabinet: SecureIt Fast Box Model 47
1. SecureIt Agile Ultralight Model 52
- Lock: Electronic Lock w/ Key Bypass
- Dimensions: 52” High by 20.25" Wide by 15.25" Deep
- Fire Rating: N/A
- Steel: 14 gauge
- Weight: 105 pounds
- The BEST Interior of any gun safe on the market
- High quality build
- Lock works very well
- Thinner steel
- Smaller capacity
The Agile series by SecureIt is one of the best gun cabinets on the market today! It comes in two different sizes, the Model 52 (which is what we are talking about here), and the Model 40, which is (as you might guess) 40″ high. Outside of the height of these cabinets, there isn’t any other difference between the two.
These cabinets offer 14 gauge steel, an incredible modular interior, and even a modular exterior build. This means you can build the safe wherever you need it most (whether it be upstairs, downstairs, or down a tight hallway) and customize the inside to be whatever you want. You can easily fit four rifles if you use it all for rifle storage, or you can kit out the cabinet with plenty of handgun hangers, bins, and more if you only need to fit one rifle at a time.
The locking mechanism may not be a name-brand lock. However, I am a massive fan of SecureIt and trust their quality over many other brands.
2. Vaultek RS Series RS500i Plus Edition
- Lock: Biometric, Keypad, Key, Phone Access
- Dimensions: 54" High by 14" Wide by 11.7" Deep
- Fire Rating: None
- Steel Gauge: 14 gauge
- Weight: 93 pounds
- Many lock options to choose from
- Built-in tamper alerts and hygrometer
- Customizable interior
- Thinner steel
- Extremely expensive for its size
If you want a tech-first gun cabinet, there isn’t a more technologically advanced one on the market today! This is not a gigantic safe with a capacity of up to 5 rifles. However, it offers 14 gauge steel, a modular interior, and every access option possible.
This includes a panic button style button, Bluetooth, phone access (via an application), a keypad, biometrics, and an old-fashioned key.
This safe will also alert you if it is tampered with, if the humidity isn’t proper, and of course, it has interior and exterior lighting so you can access the safe, whether day or night.
Like the Agile 52 (and 40) above, it has the mentioned modular interior, allowing you to outfit the safe any way you like, whether it be all shelving, all rifles, or anything in between.
3. SecureIt Answer Lightweight Model 12 Pro
- Lock: Electronic
- Dimensions: 59” High by 36” Wide by 18” Deep
- Steel: 12 gauge
- Fire Rating: N/A
- Weight: 399 pounds
- Quick Access
- Good steel gauge
- Best interior of any gun safe
- No fire rating
Did you like Agile Model 52 & 40 above but wish they had thicker steel? Then the Answer series is going to be a fantastic option. They offer the same modular interior (allowing for complete customizability) and everything else. However, this Ultralight 12 Pro upgraded the steel to 12 gauge, is fully welded, and has a name-brand locking mechanism (SecuRAM) like a standard gun safe.
This safe also has a larger capacity, allowing for up to 12 rifles (there is an eight-gun version). The model 12 is unique in its own right, as it has a double-door design, enabling quick access to more rifles.
On top of this, you can get an upgraded PRO version (featured here) or purchase a less expensive version without all the additional equipment! The most significant idea behind these heavy-duty cabinets is to give an excellent alternative to a gun safe that allows quick access, as they have considerably less depth than their gun safe competitors and perfectly line your firearms to grab quickly.
4. First Watch (Homak) HS30136028 Cabinet
- Lock: Key Only
- Dimensions: 57” High by 32” Wide by 10” Deep
- Steel: 18 gauge
- Fire Rating: N/A
- Weight: 255 pounds
- Double-door design (for controlled access)
- Lightweight for easy moving
- Great size for the price
- Only equipped with key locks
- Very basic interior
Honestly, I don’t know why I like double-door safes and cabinets like this! It likely is because they are much more unique than other safes on the market. Regardless, this double-door cabinet from First Watch (also called Homak) offers superb usability! The left door gives you great storage for ammunition or other valuables, while the right side provides storage for your long guns.
The safe’s 18-gauge steel may not be the highest out there; however, it is right up there with most other competitors in this price point (please don’t think it will be an impenetrable fortress). The doors offer 3 points of contact to the frame for locking, and there is a rigid plate in front of the locking mechanisms to help with drill attacks.
Remember, don’t store your ammo and rifles in the same container! While this isn’t a perfect solution to having the two doors, it’s better than the alternative of keeping them together.
5. SecureIt Fast Box Model 47
- Lock: Electronic Lock w/ Key Bypass
- Dimensions: 6.75" High by 47.25" Wide by 13" Deep
- Steel: 16-gauge
- Fire Rating: N/A
- Weight: 39 pounds
- Great value for the price
- Modular CradleGrid interior
- Can be placed upright, or horizontally
- Easy to use lock
- Smaller capacity
By now, you are probably tired of hearing about SecureIt and its products; however, to be fair, they specialize in gun cabinets and offer a fantastic quality gun cabinet solution alternative to the gun safe.
These Fastbox 47 cabinets (and the shorter Fast Box 40) are a cool concept! The 40 can only lay horizontally and is generally considered an under-bed safe. However, the 47 can be used horizontally or vertically with an additional accessory.
Making the 47 go vertical allows this to be a proper compact gun cabinet but a skinny one that can be placed easily between dressers, behind doors, in closets, etc. It also can easily handle two long guns with the help of the modular interior on these safes.
The Fast Box 47 also offers excellent quality, customer service, warranty, and more. The major downside to this unit is its lower 16-gauge steel, and of course, while being compact, it also has a relatively small rifle capacity of just two at a time (in the vertical format).
6. Format GL07 Gun Locker
- Lock: High security key lock
- Dimensions: 59" High by 16" Wide by 13" Deep
- Steel: 11-gauge
- Fire Rating: N/A
- Weight: 187 pounds
- Extremely thick steel for a cabinet
- Great price point
- Controlled access box on the inside
- Key lock is only option
- Very basic interior
Format is an excellent company that offers a lot of actual gun safes for a great price, which has also trickled down into their gun cabinet. If you are looking for a heavy-duty gun locker, it doesn’t get better than this, as it has 11 gauge steel, which is quite frankly insane for a gun locker.
On top of this, it also offers a lifetime warranty for fire and break-in and handles up to 7 rifles. Its electronic locking mechanism is backed up with physical keys attached to 7 locking bolts distributed across three sides. This cabinet is a much heavier-duty SecureIt Agile 52 without any of the other cool features that the SecureIt cabinet has to offer.
That said, this is a great deal if you are looking for basic features mixed with a high-gauge steel build and a relatively great price!
7. Hornady RAPiD Safe Ready Vault
- Lock: RFID, Keypad, Physical Key
- Dimensions: 52.2" High by 20" Wide by 15.1" Deep
- Steel: 16-gauge
- Fire Rating: N/A
- Weight: 165 pounds
- Utilizes RFID technology
- Application alerts you to when safe is unlocked
- Reasonably priced for full-size smart cabinet
- Interior not as configurable as major competitor
- Lighter steel gauge for the price
Hornady may be an old name in the firearm industry. However, it is still trying to make a name in the gun safe industry! It’s doing a good job.
This gun cabinet is unique on this list, as it only offers an RFID entry option! You can tap a sticker, ring, or whatever RFID tag you have programmed into the cabinet and open it up with that. This makes for high-speed access! If you don’t like the RFID entry, it also has a keypad for easy access and a key backup.
It also has a modular interior that lets you put pistols, long guns, and more all around the safe to your taste. I also like how it looks, with its somewhat futuristic but reminiscent of the traditional gun safe past.
8. RPNB RP1ER Rifle Safe
- Lock: Keypad, Physical Key
- Dimensions: 49.21" High by 13.62" Wide by 13.62" Deep
- Steel: 16-gauge
- Fire Rating: N/A
- Weight: 98.55 pound
- Extremely inexpensive for what you get
- Interior controlled access box
- Basic security features
- Uninspiring interior
- Low steel gauge
It takes a while for me to warm up to new brands and to be willing to add them to my list of recommendations. However, RPNB has finally made it here with their RP1ER. While this may be less secure or the most feature-rich, it should do a great job getting you through until you can upgrade later. With one of the lowest entry points (price-wise) on this list, it allows almost anyone to give some form of storage and protection for their firearms.
The company itself is a newer company that I have been watching, and they have been slowly growing and gaining people’s trust. Just make sure to bolt this safe to the floor, though! It’s a good deal with its 16-gauge steel, electronic lock, and controlled access box.
9. American Furniture Classics Storage Cabinet
- Lock: Physical Key
- Dimensions: 59" High by 14.5" Wide by 10" Deep
- Steel: Unknown
- Fire Rating: N/A
- Weight: 68 pound
- Extremely inexpensive
- What you see is what you get
- Controlled access box on exterior of safe
- Unknown steel gauge
- Extremely basic security
This is one of the only actual gun cabinets on this list; what I mean by that is that every other cabinet is trying its best to be safe while still being a gun cabinet. However, this unit here is doing its best to be a cabinet, nothing more and nothing less, and there is something nice about that, as you get what you see. This company has been around for quite some time and has built an excellent reputation in the industry.
While the safe may only have a key lock, an unknown steel gauge (likely 18-gauge), and a basic interior, its price point is still in line with the features, making for a great deal for someone this works for. Like above, I highly recommend bolting this cabinet to the floor (you should bolt any safe or cabinet, regardless of weight, to the floor).
What to think about when buying a gun cabinet?
1. Manufacturer of gun cabinet
When it comes to gun cabinets, the product’s manufacturer becomes much more critical than when it is the safe! Why is this? Because gun cabinet makers don’t utilize industry standard locking mechanisms like SecuRAM, LaGard, etc.
This means you must rely on the cabinet maker’s reputation for the lock’s reliability rather than the locking mechanism’s reputation. That said, it is also always a good idea to buy anything from a reputable manufacturer just for that! While some lesser-known names are on the list above, brands like SecureIt, Vaultek, Hornady, and Format are all highly well-known brands in their category.
2. Locking Mechanism
Besides ensuring you get a good quality cabinet with a good lock (like we just talked about), you should also ensure you get the right one! This means considering whether a key lock is good enough for your purposes or if you want to upgrade to an e-lock or even a biometric or phone-accessible lock. All of these different locks offer an array of quality but also prices. Here is a quick rundown of each lock type and its upsides and downsides.
- Key Lock – Easy to access and use, lower on security, unless it’s something like a high-security Abloy Lock.
- Electronic Lock – Very easy to use, low failure rate, but requires batteries, which can fail or lose power.
- Mechanical Lock – Expensive to install on a safe and slow to access. Extremely reliable. Not commonly found on gun cabinets.
- Biometric Lock – Rapid access, high failure rate.
- RFID – Speedy access, but you must keep a physical item to scan.
3. The thickness of the steel gauge
Gun cabinets are not exactly known for their steel gauge, and most sit in the 16 gauge range! This is mainly because cabinets need to be portable, inexpensive yet still high quality, so having a thick steel gauge doesn’t make sense.
That said, get the thickest steel you can while still being able to maintain the needs that you have for your purpose. Steel gauge can range from 11 gauge steel to 18 gauge steel; however, both have upsides and downsides.
4. Do you need a fire rating?
Before buying a gun cabinet, consider whether you need a fire rating. Why is that? Because gun cabinets inherently don’t have a fire rating associated with them. Their need to be portable, inexpensive, and secure means they must ditch heavy and expensive fire-resistant materials such as cement and drywall.
5. The capacity of the gun cabinet
Like pistol and gun safes, you must always be on the lookout for how big of a gun capacity you need! Unfortunately, gun cabinets are not exactly the biggest of storage containers, and ten guns will be about as big as it will get. If you need more than that, consider upgrading to a full-out safe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Gun cabinets can be an excellent addition for many people in many homes! If you don’t need the craziest amount of security and don’t have a huge budget, then a gun cabinet might be right up your alley.
Any of the safes on this list should work well for you. However, being able to look at the differences and what we like about each point you toward the right cabinet for your purposes.
