I know you will hear it from so many different people that you can buy a full size safe for under $300. It’s easy to say that, but then you don’t have to live with the ramifications of it failing.
Owning a cheap gun safe that doesn’t work can cause a lot of harm, and trying to just get by with a cheap safe, and not worrying about the future doesn’t do anyone a favor.
In this article, I have found the top 5 best gun safes under $300. You’ll notice there aren’t many full size safes, mainly because once you get into that size of safe, it requires more steel, and thus more cost.
You would be better set saving up around $1000 to get yourself a real full size safe.
The five safes in this list are what I would consider a great blend of safes that offer both security, functionality, but also value. They are high end pistol safes like Vaultek and Fort Knox, but also some safes that will fit full size rifles like a SecureIt.
Make sure to read through the article, and see which one fits your best needs!
- 1. SecureIt Fast Box Model 47 – Best Safe That Will Fit A Rifle
- 2. SnapSafe Medium Under Bed Safe – Best diversion safe
- 3. Vaultek VT10i – Best Quick Access Smart Safe
- 4. Fort Knox Original Handgun Safe PB1 – Best Heavy Duty Pistol Safe
- 5. AMSEC PS1208EZ Handgun Safe – Best Portable Mechanical Safe
- What to think about when buying a safe under $300
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
1. SecureIt Fast Box Model 47 – Best Safe That Will Fit A Rifle
If you visited this article, you likely were hoping for a full size gun safe for $300. Unfortunately because of quality concerns, I can’t really recommend a normal safe for under $300!
Instead I offer you the SecureIt Fast Box Model 47. Why this safe? Because it is extremely flexible in its use.
You can set it up on end like a normal safe, or lay it on the ground like an under bed safe. It also has SecureIt’s Cradlegrid technology that lets you lay out the small space in the most opportune way.
Keep in mind, this will fit 2 full-size rifles without an issue! Scopes and all.
Don’t have any rifles? It will also fit plenty of pistols upright on a bunch of additional pistol pegs, or if you lay it horizontally you can fit a ton of them in that way as well.
Pros
- Inexpensive price for something that fits rifles. At under $300, it is difficult to find a safe that can fit anything that large.
- Modular interior. You can make this safe fit many different things, if you only have one rifle, you can turn the other side into storage bins.
- Can be used horizontal, or vertical. You won’t find this in many other places.
Cons
- Only fits 2 rifles. If you need to fit more, you will want to opt for spending a bit more money.
Specifications
- Capacity: 2 rifles or many pistols
- Lock Type: Electronic
- Steel Gauge: 14 gauge
- Outside Dimensions: 6 3/4″ high by 47 1/4″ wide by 13″ deep
- Inside Dimensions: 6 1/4″ high by 47″ wide by 11 3/4″ deep
- Weight: 39 pounds
2. SnapSafe Medium Under Bed Safe – Best diversion safe
If you are looking for a more roomy option to fit under a bed than the SecureIt option we talked about above, this medium sized under bed safe is perfect for those that don’t need to fit a long gun, but have plenty of other items that need to fit there!
It offers a digital lock with a key backup, 14 gauge steel, and is pre-drilled to be able to be bolted down to the floor.
Overall, I am a bit fan of products that Snapsafe makes! Their modular gun safes are awesome, and the rest of their lineup, including this under bed safes is right on the fine line of offering value, and quality.
Pros
- Easy to access. With an electronic lock, and the ability to be under your bed, you can easily access the safe at night.
- Capacity. If you aren’t in the need of storing a rifle, this thing has a ton of room.
- Out of sight. Having a safe under your bed keeps it out of sight of visitors, meaning less people know about it.
Cons
- It can’t fit a long gun. Generally something of this size should fit a long gun, but to do that you would need to upgrade to the larger version of this safe.
Specifications
- Capacity: Not rated
- Lock Type: Electronic lock with key backup
- Steel Gauge: 14 gauge
- Outside Dimensions: 26″ wide by 5″ high by 20″ deep
- Inside Dimensions: Unknown
- Weight: 51 pounds
3. Vaultek VT10i – Best Quick Access Smart Safe
This Vaultek has been in my collection for a couple years now, and has maintained being my favorite pistol safe on the market even years later.
It offers many different ways to access, including fingerprint, phone access, key, and more.
It has thick enough steel to be secure, but not too thick to no longer be portable.
All that said, the best thing about it is the quality! Everything on this safe is high quality, ranging from the paint to the locking mechanisms.
I like this safe so much, it is also found on my list of best overall gun safes on any budget.
Pros
- Many ways to access. This is probably the favorite feature anyone buying this safe.
- Extremely high quality. Vaultek offers some amazing high quality products, and this one is no different.
Cons
- Expensive. All of these features do come at a price. While the budget allotted is low on the gun safe price range, for the capacity this offers, it definitely is hefty.
- Lower steel gauge. To achieve its lightweight design, it only offers 18 gauge steel. This is similar to what a garage cabinet has.
Specifications
- Capacity: 1 handgun
- Lock Type: Multiple
- Steel Gauge: 18 gauge
- Outside Dimensions: 10.5″ long by 8.5″ wide by 2.125″ high
- Inside Dimensions: 9.875″ long by 5.375″ wide by 1.5″ high
- Weight: 5.2 pounds
4. Fort Knox Original Handgun Safe PB1 – Best Heavy Duty Pistol Safe
If you are looking for a high quality, heavy duty, EMP proof, mechanical pistol safe to store your handgun, the Fort Knox PB1 should be, and likely already is at the top of your list.
This safe uses a Simplex lock, which basically is like an electronic lock without the batteries that can die.
It offers a crazy heavy duty 10 gauge steel design, and is made by one of the best gun safe brands in the industry today.
The only thing I don’t like about this safe, is it really isn’t meant to be portable. Remember, the similar capacity VT10i above is 5.3 pounds, and the PB1 sits at around 23 pounds.
Pros
- Heavy duty. With 10 gauge steel, you won’t find many other reasonably priced handgun safes on the market offering thicker steel.
- High quality. Fort Knox stands for quality, and this one is no different.
- Easy access. The Simplex lock is really awesome, and allows for quick access in a reliable way.
Cons
- Only 1,082 combinations. Due to how it is made, the simplex lock can only handle 1,082 different combinations. Anyone with enough time could test those all quickly.
- Extremely heavy. If you plan on taking this with you, think again.
Specifications
- Capacity: 1-2 handguns
- Lock Type: Simplex mechanical lock
- Steel Gauge: 10 gauge
- Outside Dimensions:
- Inside Dimensions: 11 5/8″ wide by 3 5/8″ high by 10 1/4″ deep
- Weight: 23 pounds
5. AMSEC PS1208EZ Handgun Safe – Best Portable Mechanical Safe
If the Fort Knox PB1 we talked about before this one is just a little bit too heavy duty for your liking, but like really everything else about it, this safe is probably a better bet for you!
This Amsec safe takes all the great features of the aforementioned, but cuts down on the steel, and makes it portable!
It still uses a Simplex mechanical lock but has 14 gauge steel, cutting the weight down to a more reasonably portable 14 pounds.
Pros
- Portable. Yes, it may not be as portable as some others, but for this style of handgun safe, it definitely is.
- Simplex Lock. Many people will only get a safe with this lock on it, and it is really great.
Cons
- Simplex Lock. Yes I know this was on the pros as well. However with only 1,082 combinations, it also can be an issue.
Specifications
- Capacity: 1-2 handguns
- Lock Type: Simplex mechanical lock
- Steel Gauge: 14 gauge
- Outside Dimensions: 8.125″ high by 12.25″ wide by 4″ deep
- Inside Dimensions: Unknown
- Weight: 14 pounds
What to think about when buying a safe under $300
Buying a gun safe under $300 takes a very different approach than safes with a much higher price point. You have to compromise somewhere, and most of the time that is going to be a compromise on space to be able to have the quality you need to be able to comfortably keep a firearm in it.
Here are the categories, and the things you likely will be keeping an eye on when shopping at this price point.
Quality locking mechanism
If there is anything you should be prioritizing when shopping, a quality locking mechanism should be at the top of that list by far!
Unfortunately in this price range of under $300, most gun safes will either not have a brand name on them, or they are going to be a pistol safe, that again won’t have a brand name.
Because of this, I recommend spending time researching the brand, instead of just the specific product you are looking at.
If the brand seems reputable, and is held in high regard, then the safe you are looking at likely is as well.
Steel thickness
Steel gauge in this price range is going to… range heavily! Because handgun safes intermingle in this sector, you may actually want a lighter gauge steel.
Just know what you are buying, and don’t expect something from a safe that isn’t reasonable.
Fire rating
At this price point, I wouldn’t bother even trying to get fire rating. Due to the cost that a fire rating takes, really no safes in this price range are going to have a fire rating.
If you do find a safe in this price point with a fire rating, it likely will not be holding up to the quality standards that you are going to want out of your safe.
Security Features
While gun safes in the $2000+ range are going to have a ton of options like corner bolts, cool hinges, and exotic car style paintwork, this isn’t going to be a thing at the $300 price point.
Because of this, expect a simple locking mechanism, and just search for high quality basic components.
Warranty
Gun safes in this price range don’t tend to have the best warranties, unless you go with a lower capacity. If you need larger capacity, expect a 1 year range for warranty. However if you go with a nicer pistol safe, you will probably find a lifetime warranty which is awesome.
Aesthetics
If there were any one thing to compromise on, this would be that portion of the gun safe. Don’t worry about the aesthetics of the safe in this price range, just get the best quality of materials.
Thankfully, these are products that need to be marketed and sold, so the aesthetics can only get so bad.
Frequently Asked Questions
You really can own a gun safe at any price point! However if you are looking for quality safes, you are going to want to spend a little over $1000 to get a good quality full-size safe. However you can also find quality safes for as little as $300 or less if you are willing to give up things like capacity, and fire-rating.
Whatever you do though, don’t compromise on quality, make sure whatever you buy is built well, and be aware of its pros and cons.
Never store ammo in an air tight, or semi-air tight space. This specifically means, don’t keep it in a gun safe. If ammo starts to leak its gasses, it will fill the space that it is in. If it leaks in a gun safe, it can become explosive.
I would keep ammo in an ammo cabinet, or something that is by no means air tight.
Pro Tip: Keep your ammo separate from your firearms. For obvious reasons.
There are two different places you should be keeping your firearm during the night. Neither of those places are outside of a locked container.
You should be keeping your firearm either in a full-size safe, or in a pistol safe. Always locked.
As you probably have noticed on this list of gun safes under $300, there are no real, true, full-size gun safes. However there is a gun cabinet from Secureit! So are gun cabinets secure?
They really are! As long as you know what you are buying. Don’t expect an impenetrable fortress of a gun safe, but do expect something that is quality, and works for what it is intended.
High quality gun cabinets are great for smash and grab (as long as it is bolted down) attempts, or for keeping children and guests out of your gun collection.
If someone breaks out tools to get into it though, you are probably out of luck.
That said, it’s best to hide your gun cabinet out of sight, so it is less likely to be broken into.
It generally is going to cost you a couple hundred dollars to have a full-size gun safe moved into your home. The cost will go up the more man power you need to have it done, meaning a heavier safe will be more expensive.
Conclusion
There are so many things to think about when buying a gun safe! It isn’t a product you can just buy and be done without much thought.
Because of this, I hope I have pointed you in the right direction for safes that fit your budget, but also hold up to a standard of quality, instead of to companies that are just trying to take your money.
Have a bit more of a budget?
So you read through this article, and have a bigger budget than you thought to get a more expensive safe? I would recommend clicking the button below, and you’ll be able to read and article of safes under $500.
Pros & Cons of Keeping Your Gun Safe In The Garage
