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Whether you choose to think of your firearms collection as a set of tools, hobbyist collection, or Second Amendment bastion of freedom, most enthusiasts recognize that guns need to be stored properly. Correctly secured and maintained, firearms can last for a century and function just as well as the day they left the factory. That value, when combined with their ease of transportability and the possibility of them being stolen and subsequently used in criminal behavior, means that effective gun storage should be a top priority for any firearm owner. While a gun safe will help keep your firearms organized and safe, good ones tend to run on the expensive side.
Luckily, Task & Purpose is here to help you out. Take a look below and select one of the best gun safes under $1,000 to keep your firearms safe and secure.
- Best Overall: Steelwater EGS5922 16-Gun
- Best Value: Stealth EGS-14
- Honorable Mention: Liberty ProVault Mech Lock
- Most Unusual: Rhino Metals Longhorn LNS2618 Nightstand
- Most Innovative: Secure It (Agile Ultra-light Model 52 Pro)
Methodology
At Task & Purpose, we take gun safety seriously, especially when it comes to storage and security. For this article, we set out to find the best gun safes under $1,000, so all the options you’ll find on this list are priced under that price point, but don’t skimp on quality.
Not for lack of trying, but Task & Purpose — probably wisely — denied my request for 10 safes to be shipped to the testing site for an in-depth hands-on review. So instead, we scoured the internet for the best-rated free-standing gun safes designed not to break a budget.
We began by searching for long gun safes from reputable retailers and online marketplaces — Cabelas, Amazon, Midway USA, and others. Anything over $1,000 (before shipping and installation) was not considered.
Safes in the budget range we were looking for were then sorted by reviews, highest to lowest. Those with only a handful of reviews, even across multiple websites, were excluded. Once we had our models narrowed down to a few dozen, we focused on several key attributes necessary for proper care and security of your valued firearms: capacity, fireproofing duration, weight, warranty options, and several others.
The majority of these safes were solid choices, but had nothing to offer that set them apart from their more impressive competitors, so they were discarded from our pool. The ones that made the cut received our in-depth review which you can read for yourself below.
For more information about our methodology, check out the Task & Purpose editorial guidelines.
Best Overall
Steelwater EGS5922 16-Gun
Best Value
Stealth EGS-14
Honorable Mention
Liberty ProVault Mech Lock
Most Unusual
Rhino Metals Longhorn LNS2618 Nightstand
Most Innovative
Secure It (Agile Ultra-light Model 52 Pro)
Our verdict on gun safes under $1,000
There are a lot of safes out there, and many different opinions and what constitutes a top-tier product. In writing this review, we tried to find the absolute best combination of cost and quality for under our set price point.
The Steelwater EGS5922 16-Gun led the pack in almost all categories, taking the Best Overall category.
The Stealth EGS-14 snagged our Best Value slot because of the outstanding accessory package coupled with the lighter weight and more robust warranty.
Since this review is ultimately about effective gun storage on a budget, the Liberty ProVault Mech Lock takes the bronze medal, offering the largest gun capacity and cubic feet of storage out of all the products we reviewed.
There were quite a few other products we reviewed that weren’t mentioned here because they offered nothing substantially different from others, but had fewer accessories, weaker construction (lower gauge steel), or were made in China.
What to consider when buying gun safes
Key features for gun safes
Gun capacity
As the name implies, gun capacity is the number of guns you can store inside the gun safe. Another obvious detail is that safes that can hold a lot of firearms will be bigger and heavier than those that cannot. Additionally, gun safes with more storage also tend to cost more.
There is one caveat to gun capacity, though. Safe makers are typically generous with how many guns actually fit inside the safe. You might be surprised to learn that the listed amount on different safe models is only for stripped down long guns, without accessories like optics, lights, grips, etc.
It doesn’t help that different manufacturers use different methodologies to come up with that number. Regardless, always remember that unless explicitly stated, the real number is always much less.
Fireproofing
Fireproofing is defined as the amount of time the contents of your safe will be protected against heat damage. The fire rating means that the inside temperature does not exceed a certain level for a defined period of time. For example, a UL Class 350 one-hour rated safe means that it will
maintain an internal temperature that will not exceed 350 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 60 minutes.
UL ratings are provided by Underwriters Laboratories, which provides baseline testing data for the comparison and rating of consumer products. When shopping for safes, make sure the fire rating is UL-listed, and not just a number provided by the factory without additional data.
The average fire burns for approximately 20 minutes at 800 to 1,000 degrees, so a 30-minute rating should be your absolute minimum when shopping for a safe. If you plan on storing documents (passports, birth certificates, etc.) in addition to your firearms, then heat protection may be a greater concern than for someone only locking up their guns.
Internal configuration
Gun safes come with either an adjustable internal configuration, so you can move shelves or racks, or a non-adjustable internal configuration. It’s an important feature to note because it affects what kind of guns you can store and how many. For instance, an AR with an optic and rail accessories will take up more space than a single-action rimfire rifle.
Gun safe accessories
The kind of accessories that come with a gun safe depends on the manufacturer and the price point. However, $1,000 will get you a little more than a bare-bones model with just a locking mechanism. Common accessories you may want to add include:
- LED lights
- Power strip
- Additional shelving
- Pistol racks
- Door-mounted racks
- Dehumidifiers
Weight
For a $1,000 gun safe, a good weight is 215 to 300 pounds. It’s robust enough to prevent a thief from taking the entire thing in a spur-of-the-moment spree or cracking it open with a crowbar. If it’s lighter than that, you run the risk of tipping if the internal storage load is top-heavy or unbalanced.
Warranty
You wouldn’t pay $1,000 for an appliance without some kind of warranty, but like appliances, not all gun safe warranties are created equal. While almost all of them are “lifetime,” you should read the fine print to find what exactly the warranty covers. A good warranty will cover fire damage, break-in, theft, and (ideally but not always) water damage. The locking mechanism and cabinet itself are usually covered for life, but only in the case of proven manufacturer defects. Additionally, you should also note exceptions. For instance, owner neglect and regular wear and tear are not always covered by standard warranties.
FAQs about gun safes under $1,000
You’ve got questions, Task & Purpose has answers.
Q: Would it be better to purchase a portable or large gun safe?
A: If you have two or more long guns, then you’re going to want a large gun safe. A portable safe is best for a combination of pistols, ammunition, and/or valuable documents. As always, it depends on your collection of guns.
Q: What is the delivery method for a gun safe?
A: Whether you buy it online or in person, you’ll almost never get your safe the same day. Typically, the vendor will schedule a delivery using a truck with a lift gate. Often, the sale includes verbiage about how far and where they will install the safe in your home. A garage or other space on the ground level with no slope is often included in the price, while extra fees will be charged for difficult-to-access locations (like a basement). Once in place, they’ll usually bolt the safe into the ground using concrete anchor screws through prefabricated slots in the bottom of the safe cabinet.
Q: Is a dehumidifier necessary?
A: Yes, if you want to avoid rust and corrosion. Older, antique guns are particularly vulnerable to this. However, dehumidification doesn’t have to be expensive. It can be as simple as buying a $15 refillable desiccant dehumidifier and putting it on the shelf in your safe.