Live in an Apartment? These 7 Gun Safes are FOR YOU in 2024!

The SecureIt Agile Model 52 is easily the best gun safe you can buy for an apartment. Its modular design allows you to move it up and down stairs quickly, its lightweight design means it won’t damage your floor (and lose your deposit), and it is incredibly high quality at a reasonable price. It is larger than a pistol safe, so you should go with the Vaultek VS10i if you want a smaller unit.

With that said, these safes aren’t a one-size-fits-all situation, so here are my favorite options!

Why should you trust me? I have been in the gun safe industry for nearly a decade now, helping hundreds of thousands of people make the right choice in the big metal box. This ranges from working in retail to writing on this site.

1. SecureIt Agile Model 52

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The SecureIt Agile Model 52 is an ultralight safe that can be torn down and put back together quickly via internal bolts (making it an excellent modular safe). This compact safe has 14 gauge steel, an electronic lock (with key bypass), and internal hinges.

That said, what makes this safe special is its interior design. It has not only a modular build but also a modular interior, which is called CradleGrid Technology. This storage system lets you put bins, pistol hangers, and many other accessories throughout the interior, all laid out how you want. It, by far, is THE BEST interior layout out of any gun safe.

What is left afterward is an extremely quick access interior, where the firearms are laid out where you can pick them up in one quick motion, rather than being jumbled up like other gun safe interiors have (such as a U-shaped rack).

This is all packaged in a safe that offers fantastic value for the price and what you get from it.

2. SnapSafe Under Bed Safe (Large)

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Looking to hide your safe underneath the bed because there isn’t anywhere better to put the safe? The Underbed Safe by Snapsafe might be the best option on the market; it is both value-oriented and high-quality.

This larger size can hold firearms and other long guns without touching each other, plus a range of jewelry items and more.

The Snapsafe Under Bed Safe is constructed of 14-gauge steel to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering. While this isn’t an amazing steel thickness, its reasonable for this type of safe and price point.

Another great thing that makes this a good apartment safe is that you can either tether it to a larger object like a bed or bolt it to the floor if your landlord allows this (unlikely, though).

Many people will put this safe right at the edge of the bottom of the bed, open it with the keypad, and then the drawer rolls out into the room itself, making it so you don’t have to dig under your bed to access the inside.

3. Vaultek RS Series

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Did you like the Model 52 at the top of this list but wish it had more tech like the Vaultek 10 series we’ll discuss in a few moments? Well, this one is going to be your best bet then.

The Vaultek RS500i is one of the newer additions to the Vaultek lineup. It has many excellent features, updated with a biometric imaging scanner that unlocks in less than 400 milliseconds.

Some other notable features of this safe are LED interior lighting, a built-in humidity sensor, impact sensors, a high-quality keypad, and many ways to open the safe. You can open it with your phone (via an app), their nano key, standard key, keypad, and fingerprint.

These sensors will also notify you directly on your phone, no matter where you are (as long as you have data).

4. SecureIt Fast Box Model 47

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The SecureIt Fast Box Model 47 gun safe system is ultralight and can be quickly set up. Designed with the same professional-grade craftsmanship that SecureIt uses for the U.S. Military, it features CradleGrid Technology that allows for versatile and organized storage.

If you thought the Model 52 we discussed before was too large, then the Fast Box 47 is an excellent alternative! This little safe can go underneath the bed like the Snapsafe above, or you can put it upright (with additional accessories) like the Model 52. While it doesn’t have a large interior, it is highly functional (with the CradleGrid interior) and reasonably priced.

Weighing 39 pounds without compromising the safety and security of firearms inside, this model is rigid, flexible, and customizable while providing reasonable protection.

5. Vaultek VS10i Smart Safe

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Keep your home safe with my favorite biometric handgun safe on the market! Various product features make this little pistol safe stand out, including but not limited to its quality, a plethora of access options, the great company backing it, and tons of accessories.

The Vaultek VS series also comes with fast fingerprint scanning technology, a quick keypad for easy entry and readability in dark environments, a key backup, phone access, and more.

I have had quite a bit of experience with this little safe (as the brand had gifted me its precursor, the VT10i), and I really like the ability to have so many options for entry.

6. Fort Knox Original Pistol Box (PB1)

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If you have spent any time at all looking for a gun safe for your apartment, then the Original Pistol safe from Fort Knox likely has shown up on your screen at some point. This high-security, low-tech safe is one of the best out there. It utilizes a Simplex Lock that has similar usability to an electronic lock but without batteries.

Fort Knox PB1’s gas strut-assisted door means that the lid opens and keeps itself open when you open it. It also has four pre-drilled anchor holes, which will be helpful if you have doubts about how much weight your floor can handle.

If security matters (as it should), let me tell you! You’ll find more than enough of that with this 3/16″ steel body and door combo.

Looking for security and reliability for your new safe? This is going to be it.

This will be a safe that you likely will secure to a nightstand (here are some tremendous mechanical gun safes) or in your closet, as you will want to bolt it down during installation so that no one can carry it away.

7. Tactical Walls Wall Clock 1410

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This diversion “safe” looks just like a wall clock you would typically have; however, it has a hidden compartment behind the fact of the clock. It provides a convenient storage space that is easily hidden from view but still accessible.

Made in the USA out of durable material, this clock will go well in any setting while providing peace of mind for unexpected emergencies. If you don’t like the face of the clock, you can choose from several different versions at purchase.

Please remember that while this is incredibly cool, it isn’t recommended if you have children or are gone for extended periods, as it is not truly locked and is just covered by a clock face that is tilted outward for access.

What to look for in an Apartment Safe?

Buying a gun safe for an apartment is a very different experience than buying one for an average home you own! Apartments are generally rentals (otherwise, it’s a condo), so you can’t damage the flooring, can’t have anything too big, and so much more. Let’s take a look at the things you should be thinking about!

1. Lightweight

Apartments generally have units on top of units. Because of this, you don’t want something weighty on the floors that will cause structural issues. This rules out almost all of the standard gun safes on the market today, so you have to start looking at some lighter-weight alternatives. This also means you likely won’t have a fire rating or thick steel.

2. Good locking mechanism

Just because you don’t have a fire rating or thick steel doesn’t mean your safe has to have a cheap locking mechanism! This will keep you safe, not just from burglary of the inside of your safe, but also the quick access to the inside of the safe that you need.

Make sure that on full-size safes, you look for a name-brand lock, and on other safes that are smaller, you are looking for a reputable brand gun safe manufacturer. The ones on this list above will move towards that latter.

4. Can be owned without being bolted down

Apartments are a pain, as you cannot damage the flooring in the unit. Why is this a problem? Because gun safes need to be bolted down to be the most secure and not allow anyone to carry away the safe.

The larger safes on this list can be modified at your home to be bolted into the wall, and then the wall can be patched up later. It’s not ideal, but it’s not the end of the world.

On the other hand, the smaller safes on this list can be tethered to something or bolted to a piece of furniture somehow.

5. It can be hidden away.

Hiding away a gun safe in an apartment is extremely important! There are unique situations with apartments homes don’t have, like landlords looking through the place, handypersons hired by the landlord, or even people looking to buy the complex from the current owners.

All of these people will be accessing the home, and you need to make sure you are making your best effort to keep your firearms out of the eyes of these people you don’t know or at least don’t know well.

6. Causes the least amount of damage possible

Going back to what we discussed earlier, minimizing damage to the apartment will allow you to keep a more significant portion of your deposit and save you time and money in the long run! Finding the right gun safe for your life is essential, but you have to also walk that fine line.

7. Relatively Inexpensive

While not a firm rule by any means, you tend to move often when living in apartments, and if you have ever had to move a standard gun safe, you have found that damage will occur. So not investing a ton into glass-like finishes or expensive additions will keep you from freaking out if damage happens.

How does damage happen to a gun safe? Dropping it, hitting door frames, dragging it along the ground, falling off the truck, sliding down the stairs, shipping damage, stuff falling on it in the moving truck, and so much more.

Frequently Asked Questions