Top 10 Gun Safe Organizer Ideas for Safety and Effectiveness

You know a safe is the best place to keep your guns secure. With only 8.6% recovered of the $164.5 million worth of firearms stolen in 2015, security is the top priority. 

However, safes have limited capacity, and your firearm collection might quickly outgrow yours. Instead of investing in a replacement or secondary safe, consider these gun safe organizer ideas that could allow you to reclaim 30% of your safe.

Defense vs. Non-Defense Guns for Gun Storage

When deciding how to store your guns, you must differentiate between defense weapons and those that aren’t. The reason is that you will store these categories of guns differently.

Your defense weapons are the ones you will reach for if you or a family member is in danger. You need to keep your defensive weapons in easily accessible locations but still out of sight and reach of children. Any non-defense guns, on the other hand, are better off kept in a safe. 

Helpful Tips Before You Put Your Guns in Your Safe 

Before you store your guns in a safe, you should consider several factors:

• Keeping yourself and your family safe
• Following gun safety rules
• Maintaining the best environment for your guns

Think about the following helpful tips when planning your gun safe organization.

Clean Guns Before Storing

You should thoroughly clean your guns before storing them in a safe. A light coating of oil on all metal surfaces and wax on wooden stocks will give them a layer of protection.

Remove Fingerprints

The oils and salts on your skin will create the potential for rust if left on your guns. Make sure to wipe off any surfaces you touched before storing them.

Avoid Overcrowding

When planning your gun safe organization ideas, make sure you allow enough room. Trying to stuff as many guns as possible into the storage space can damage your guns.

Control Humidity

The air in your gun safe should be around or below a constant 50 percent humidity. You can use a dehumidifier to keep it at that level. Check the humidity periodically, especially if you live in a humid climate.

Bolt Down Your Gun Safe

Your safe can’t protect your guns if thieves pick it up and take it away to crack open at their leisure. If thieves could pick up your safe, bolt it down for extra security.

Follow Firearm Safety Rules

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has 10 rules of firearm safety, and the first three apply even when handling guns for storage. They include:

• Always point the muzzle in a safe direction
• Unload firearms when not in use
• Don’t rely on the safety – treat every gun as if it could fire

Always practice basic gun safety, even when storing them.

Keep a Copy of the Safe Combination

If you have a safe with a combination entry, keep copies of the combination in secure places away from the safe.

Keep an Inventory List

Keep an updated list of every item in your safe, whether it’s guns, ammunition, or other valuables. List the serial numbers and descriptions, and store this list in a secure place.

Don’t Store Guns in Gun Cases

Guns need air circulation while in storage. Don’t keep them in non-breathable cases, including fabric, leather, or waterproof.

Ten Gun Safe Organizer Ideas

If you're ready to organize your safe, check out ten storage solutions below.

1. Handgun Hangers

Handgun hangers attach to a shelf and allow you to hang your handguns. Since the hanger simply slides into the barrel, they provide quick access. Consider handgun mounts, too, for convenient access.

2. Pistol Racks

Pistol racks make great gun storage solutions. You can choose from different styles of pistol racks, depending on whether you want your guns more on display or fully enclosed. 

3. Magnetic Options

Our Magnet Screws can attach to any Spartan Mount and hold your guns with powerful strength. They can be used with any Spartan Mount on the website, making it an easy option for maximizing the space in your safe.

You can put them on the inside of the door instead of a safe door organizer or underneath shelves, on the ceiling, or anywhere there is otherwise unused space. You can also use them to keep the barrels of your vertically stored long guns in place.

4. Long Gun Storage + Gun Safe Shelves

If you have a variety of guns and other items to keep in your safe, make sure you look into some gun safe shelving ideas. One popular arrangement is to have one side of the safe open for long guns while the other side has shelves for handguns, ammunition, and documents or valuables. Customize the space to your needs.

5. Rifle Rods

Rifle rods go into the barrels of your rifles and stand them straight up, giving you more space than if they are leaning against the walls. You can often keep many more guns in the same amount of space using gun storage solutions like this.

6. Magazine Pouches and Holders

A way to organize your magazines is another factor to consider when looking at gun safe storage ideas. Magazine mounts can keep all of your magazines organized and readily accessible.

7. Door Panel Organizers

To maximize the space in your safe, consider a door panel organizer. A safe door organizer makes use of the space on the inside of the safe’s door and can hold either guns and magazines or other valuables or documents you wish to protect.

8. Light Accessories

Safes often have shadows that can make locating what you need more difficult. Incorporating lights in your safe can solve this issue and allow you to locate what you need easily.

9. Fire Protection

If you are also storing important documents, like marriage licenses or birth certificates, in your safe, adding fire protection is crucial. You can purchase a fire-resistant bag to put documents in to protect them from charring in the case of a fire.

10. Alarm Accessories

If you’d like to be alerted if someone attempts to break into your safe, an alarm system can do just that.

This may mean adding to your current home security system by placing a sensor on your safe, or it may be a stand-alone monitoring system. Some features to look for beyond just an alert that the door opened include:

• Movement sensor
• Temperature or humidity change sensors
• Low battery alerts
• Notifications by text or email
• Customizable alerts

Alarm systems can be a bit pricey, so look for one that balances the features you want with a price point you can live with.

Organize Your Gun Safe Today

There are a lot of gun safe organizer ideas out there, so shop for options and find what works best for your firearm collection.

FAQs About Gun Safe Organization

Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions regarding gun safe organization tips.

Where is the best place to store a gun safe?

Keep your gun safe somewhere hidden from sight, such as a closet. However, you may wish to avoid the master bedroom closet because it’s often one of the first places thieves search.

Can you add shelves to a gun safe?

Yes, you can purchase shelving or make it yourself.

Can you store guns and ammo in the same safe?

Yes, if secured in a safe, you can store guns and ammunition together.

What should I set my gun safe on?

This depends on the size and weight of your safe. Smaller safes can be set right on the floor. Larger, heavier safes may require a stronger surface, such as concrete or a fortified floor.

Should I bolt my gun safely to the floor?

The smaller the safe, the more likely a thief would steal it. Bolting it to the floor decreases that likelihood. For a large, heavy safe, it is less necessary.

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