Collection: Gun Safe

Choosing a gun safe

Two numbers drive this decision — how many long guns you need to store, and how long the safe has to hold out in a fire. Everything else follows from those.

Rated capacity versus real capacity

A gun safe's rated capacity assumes standard-profile long guns, packed rack-tight, with no optics. Real collections do not look like that. Scoped rifles, thumbhole stocks and wide-forend shotguns each take up meaningfully more width, and most owners also want shelf space for handguns, ammunition and documents. A practical planning figure is roughly two-thirds of the rated capacity — so a 24-gun safe comfortably holds around 16 real long guns plus gear. Buying one tier up is the single most common piece of advice from people on their second safe.

The three Hayman tiers

Ozarks — the entry tier, OZ 5518 E (11 guns) and OZ 5924 E (20 guns), with fire protection and an electronic lock in a lighter body.

BlackHills — the mid tier, BH 5922 E (16 guns), BH 5930 E (24 guns) and the BH 7242 E executive (45 guns), with a 90-minute fire rating and heavier construction.

Rockies — the top tier, RK 5922 E (16), RK 5930 E (24), RK 6536 E (32) and RK 7242 E (45), with a 120-minute fire rating, UL-listed electronic keypads, anti-drill hardplates and spring-loaded relockers.

How much fire rating do you need?

Fire ratings are tested against paper, holding the interior below roughly 350°F. For a suburban home minutes from a fire station, 30 to 60 minutes is usually proportionate. A rural property with a longer response time, or a safe in a garage or outbuilding with a heavy fuel load nearby, justifies 90 or 120 minutes. Note that ammunition and optics are more heat-sensitive than the safe's paper rating implies, and that a fire rating is a one-time rating — a safe that has been through a fire should be replaced, not reused.

Placement, weight and anchoring

These safes run from several hundred pounds to over 800 lbs empty. Site against a load-bearing wall and across joists rather than parallel to a single one; a concrete slab or garage floor is ideal. Anchor through the base — an unanchored gun safe can be tipped, which exposes the weaker rear panel and hands an attacker leverage on the door. Allow clearance in front for the door to swing fully open, and check the clear door opening on the product page, not just the interior width: the clear opening is the actual gap a scoped rifle has to pass through.

A discreet alternative

If a floor-standing gun safe would be too conspicuous, the Hayman Minuteman MM-4814-E is a 48-inch wall safe built to take long guns upright inside a stud cavity — see Wall Safes.