Safe size

[Oldbloke]

I'm just looking at buying a new safe. There are plenty around. I found a 7 gun safe and I need room for 6 firearms. 2 shotguns, 1 .22 LR and 3 centre fires. All rifles have scopes fitted.
The advertised size if the safe is: H 1450* W 400* D300mm

Looks like it will be close. What is your experience, will these dimensions cut the mustard?
PS No expectation of expanding the collection.

[North East]

If it's advertised as an 8 gun safe it will probably only fit 4 if the rifles are scoped. Totally unrealistic figures put out by safe manufacturers. My safe is said to hold 4 but I can only fit a .204 and .30-06 in it. Go big.

[GPostal]

I have 2 x 10 gun safes.
After some cutting and modding 1 can hold up to16 unscoped rifles (223's and above)
The other just manages 4 unscoped and 5 scoped (4x.22's, 5x 303 and above)

[mickn]

no way will you fit all of those in that safe. even if you bought two that size you'd struggle.

[1290]

wash your mouth out not gunna expand.....what are you soft?

To house 6 firearms comfortably you'll need a 10gunner.... Dont get hung up about fitting everything in ne safe...I dont mind multiple 'cabinets' myself, and prefer Aussie made, harder to find but I prefer Supporting our guys than the chinese product (=most everything) plus the chinesy safes are tinny as buggery.... do the knuckle test, they ring like a bell - not a great deal of steel in there.....

[Oldbloke]

Well at 400mm wide that would be about 66 mm per fire arm not allowing for clearance

[yoshie]

Yeah you won't fit them in, I'd go a 10 gun or bigger.

[ex_reven]

I'd ask around and see if someone can fabricate something up for it.
I have a cabinet out of stainless that meets A+B requirements and I had 10 rifles in it at one point, 5 of them scoped.

Its probably about the equivalent size of what most gunshops would sell as a "7" gun safe.

[Korkt]

Another vote for not fitting, at least not well.

Saying they hold half what they state is a bit dramatic... But it's less than the stated number to do it comfortably. 6 guns needs a 9/10 gun safe. IMO.

You 6 would "fit" in the one you're looking at probably, but they'd all be leaning against each other and to get one out you'd have to take others out of the way which get's old reeeeeally fast.

[Lorgar]

My 16 would hold 12 rifles, side by side all the way around. Just.

Any more they'd be tangled and impossible to add/remove without continually scratching and knowing each other.

(only have 3 rifles but can tell from having them in different spots around the safe)

[Oldbloke]

Did a measure up yesterday. A 400mm wide safe will hold 6 but they are likely to get scratched or I will need to juggle them a bit. Also noticed that the bolts are a bit of an issue. If you remove them during storage it gives you a bit more room! I will go for one that is at least 500mm wide and 350mm deep and ignore what the sales people state regarding the capacity.

[ex_reven]

Most bolts don't take up that much room unless you have a straight bolt handle rifle (looking at you nagant owners!) or leave your bolts open in the safe.

[Oldbloke]

Paid a bit extra and got a better quality 12 gun safe. For an exta $70 or $80 a big jump in quality and plenty of room. Unfortunately made in china like all the others. They must make them for peanuts over there.

[anthillinside]

Paid a bit extra and got a better quality 12 gun safe. For an exta $70 or $80 a big jump in quality and plenty of room.

Yep, space is money and well worth it.

Unfortunately made in china like all the others. They must make them for peanuts over there.

And doesn't that cheese you off.

We sell and ship em iron ore and coal to make steal.

They put it together (just how much work is in a gun safe? stuff all)

Then its shipped back here, and we can't compete with the price, something's wrong with this world

[keen]

Most bolts don't take up that much room unless you have a straight bolt handle rifle (looking at you nagant owners!)

Completely off topic but I've seen a few places do bolt hand kits to fix that for the nagants.

Just FYI for any interested owners.

I'll go now

[lole]

I will go for one that is at least 500mm wide and 350mm deep and ignore what the sales people state regarding the capacity.

You're a wise man sir!

[mausermate]

I have a number of safes, most 500 wide. I space my firearms 80mm apart. I store my firearms muzzle down. I make a rack for each safe with a bit of ply that will hold the butt and cut it with a jigsaw and line it with old felt, then glue it in the safe. 500mm safe fits 6 guns. Rag in the bottom of the safe to absorb what dizzles out the barrel. Much prefer it that way than into my action and trigger and down my nice stock.
You can do it muzzle up if you like. up to you.
Make your rack so the scopes don't bump on the back of the safe.

[Oldbloke]

I have a number of safes, most 500 wide. I space my firearms 80mm apart. I store my firearms muzzle down. I make a rack for each safe with a bit of ply that will hold the butt and cut it with a jigsaw and line it with old felt, then glue it in the safe. 500mm safe fits 6 guns. Rag in the bottom of the safe to absorb what dizzles out the barrel. Much prefer it that way than into my action and trigger and down my nice stock.
You can do it muzzle up if you like. up to you.
Make your rack so the scopes don't bump on the back of the safe.

Correct. They state 8 to 10 but at 500mm wide it only holds 6. At a pinch might squeeze in 1 or 2 more. But not on a permanant basis. Will look at the muzzle down idea a little later. Bolted down now.

[headwerkn]

LOL. My 7-gun Hyskor has more than twice that number in it at the moment. Mind you, only 6 are scoped and anything that matters is in a gun sock. You'll be surprised how much you can squeeze into a basic safe with a little creative rifle Tetris... just don't expect to get at anything in a hurry!

I really do need a second, much larger safe, however I'll sit on my hands until our new Firearms Act finally gets tabled and passed, as changes to minimum storage requirements are being flagged.

[Oldbloke]

If I put some in upside down would fit a few more. LOL

[inervate]

I really do need a second, much larger safe, however I'll sit on my hands until our new Firearms Act finally gets tabled and passed, as changes to minimum storage requirements are being flagged.

Hmm? New firearms act? Where we talking about...

[Press]

Anyone do the extra rack on the door to swing some into the empty middle of their safe?

[Oldbloke]

Anyone do the extra rack on the door to swing some into the empty middle of their safe?

What a great, simple idea. I will do tnat if I need to add a few.

Thanks everyone for the advice and suggestions. Safe is bolted down and all 6 fit ok.

[headwerkn]

Hmm? New firearms act? Where we talking about...

Tassie. The Act has been under review since 2008 and the current government has promised to finally table something to parliament this year.

Good news is that paintballing will most likely become legal again here, and minimum age for a minor's permit will be reduced, albeit from 16 to 15 most likely, instead of 12 as inline with most other states. At some point people in the know seemed confident the bid to have pump action shotguns reclassified as Cat A might come through, but I've not heard anything in a while.

Bad news is that they're very likely to increase minimum standards for storage... safes will have to be min. 3mm think steel, wooden cabinets might likely will cease to be legal any more. Also some noise about mandatory B2B alarm systems for 15+ collections, though fingers crossed they will realise how difficult and pointless that is to implement, given less than 400 licence holders in the state have above that number of firearms.

[Press]

What a great, simple idea. I will do that if I need to add a few.

You'd think so, only seems to be a feature on real big safes though. 30 gun kind of stuff.

Wondered if anyone had DIY one for a bit of extra utility. Could only cost $10 - $20 for a rack vs buying a larger safe after all.

[inervate]

Tassie. The Act has been under review since 2008 and the current government has promised to finally table something to parliament this year.

Aaah I see.

[whert]

Good news is that paintballing will most likely become legal again here

It's illegal to own a paintball marker there?

Or illegal to play at a proper place at all?

[ebr love]

Also some noise about mandatory B2B alarm systems for 15+ collections, though fingers crossed they will realise how difficult and pointless that is to implement

You could be out of luck there.

The 15+ requiring BTB alarm is already a requirement here in NSW and in VIC too I know. Other states too maybe?

You're probably next if that's on the table.

[headwerkn]

It's illegal to own a paintball marker there?
Or illegal to play at a proper place at all?

Both. For the state with the highest gun ownership per capita in the country. But laser tag is legal. Go figure.

Also some noise about mandatory B2B alarm systems for 15+ collections, though fingers crossed they will realise how difficult and pointless that is to implement

You could be out of luck there.

The 15+ requiring BTB alarm is already a requirement here in NSW and in VIC too I know. Other states too maybe?

You're probably next if that's on the table.

Yes, I know, which is a worry as someone planning to well exceed that number in the coming years. In our favour though is the fact that a mere 1% of licenced owners here have 15 or more firearms, there's been no reports that I'm aware of crims/gangs stealing from collectors, and that a number of collectors with significant collections don't even have hard telephone lines to their places... which would make B2B alarms a tricky proposition.

I personally don't see what bit of difference a B2B alarm would make, other than being a giant pain in the arse and perhaps deterring some people from collecting (perhaps part of their plan?. I don't live in a particularly isolated rural area, but the police station is still a good 15-20 min drive at 'spirited' speeds away from here. As I see it, that's 10-15 mins more than they need to take what they want and bugger off. Assuming the local copper was at the station at the time, of course, which he rarely is.

With any luck they'll realise it would be a big waste of time and money they don't have to spend. Our current Police Minister is a shooter and got sued by Roland Browne about 10 years ago, so provided he doesn't get hosed down by Hodgeman, hopefully the amendments will focus on hitting crims harder and just leave LAFOs more or less alone.

[whert]

Both. For the state with the highest gun ownership per capita in the country. But laser tag is legal. Go figure.

Stupid

They're just another category you have added to your license here.