Gun Safes vs Gun Cabinets: Is One More Secure Than The Other?

What’s the difference between gun cabinets and gun safes? Which one is the best option for you? Follow along as we explore the different facets of these two storage methods.

Generally speaking, gun cabinets exhibit more basic security and are more easily accessible. Gun safes are not as budget-friendly but are more secure and protect firearms and other valuables more fully.

Gun Safes

When we think of gun safes, most people picture a large safe that is tall enough to hold long guns such as rifles and shotguns. However, some are smaller and designed to accommodate pistols.

A full-sized, top-of-the-line gun safe will provide substantial protection against fire. It will also likely have some other features as well, including hidden hinges, hardened steel doors, thick steel bodies, and other features. These are designed to thwart criminals who might use drills, hammers, pry bars, grinders, and similar tools.

The premise isn’t to make the safe completely impervious to nefarious entry; that would be ultimately impossible because, given enough time, people could break through any defenses if they are determined enough. Instead, these defenses are intended to make it not worth the criminals’ time and effort when trying to break into the safe while it’s in our house. Most thieves don’t want to loiter in a residence for too long for fear of being caught. The entire premise of the safe banks on them, not wanting to spend too much time there.

A Blessing and a Curse

Gun safes are normally very heavy. This is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing comes because that weight dissuades thieves from carting the safe out of our home to a place where they can defeat the security measures in private at their leisure. A small gun safe might weigh around 250lbs, whereas a large safe can top the scales at over 1,500lbs. When you’re putting something in place that weighs upwards of a ton, you need to ensure that your floors and structure can support that much weight.

A Few Drawbacks

Unfortunately, that extreme weight makes transporting and moving the safe around our home a major chore that will, by necessity, involve several strong people. Because of that, once the safe is in place, people rarely want to go through the drama of moving it again, so we don’t think of them as being very mobile.

Some high-end safes even have humidity controls inside the safe, which helps prevent mold, mildew, and corrosion.

Another downside is that a quality gun safe is going to set you back quite a bit of money. This makes sense since we typically get what we pay for. Nevertheless, it’s an important factor that many people have to consider, especially in this economy. Note that even a low-quality gun safe will set you back a substantial sum of money.

Gun Cabinets

Gun cabinets come in a couple of configurations. One is a steel storage cabinet that is comparatively lightweight, like a gun locker. Usually, they can store several long guns. The locking mechanism will be very basic and able to keep guns out of the reach of children, but the lightweight construction is far more susceptible to break-ins than a dedicated gun safe. Additionally, a gun cabinet will offer very little protection against fire.

Another gun cabinet configuration has a wooden body with glass door(s), which is designed more for displaying firearms than protecting them. Rudimentary locks will keep children out, but this setup does very little to deter determined thieves and won’t prevent damage by fire. A wooden gun cabinet can be very ornate and decorative, which appeals to many people. Also, the glass doors allow the firearms inside to be viewed and shown off, which will also appeal to some folks.

Advantages and Disadvantages

On the positive side, a gun cabinet will be far easier to move around the house than a gun safe would be. The downside is that if thieves were bold enough, they might just decide to grab the entire gun cabinet and carry it out of our house. I’m somewhat doubtful that such a thing would happen, but I’ve certainly heard of stranger things taking place.

To discourage that, a gun cabinet can be bolted into the studs of a wall, making it more difficult to be stolen from the house, so there’s that security measure should you decide to go that in-depth.

Being able to move the gun cabinet around easily is often a selling point, though. Let’s say you live in an apartment or want to move your gun cabinet around frequently for some reason. You’ll be able to do so without too much trouble. Gun cabinets made from light gauge steel aren’t very heavy, so they can be picked up and moved without a hassle.

Cost Effective

One huge advantage of a gun cabinet is that it will cost far less than a high-quality safe. Depending on the role you’re looking for it to fill, this might be just the ticket you’re looking for. If you simply want to keep the guns away from children and unauthorized hands, then a gun cabinet will likely be a good route to choose.

Alternatives

There are some lower-cost alternatives that people can sometimes turn to. Smaller pistol safes can keep your firearms out of the hands of children and other unauthorized persons without breaking the bank.

Hornady’s Large Lock Box is one such option. It has a 16-gauge steel housing and is lined with a foam interior. It’s operated by a simple key lock that will keep the kids out. It can also be secured with a cable rated to 1,500 pounds, so it can be secured to furniture, a vehicle, or even your dwelling. It costs a whopping $23.99 as this is written, and is a stellar deal. I love mine!

Beyond this one, there are a ton of gun safes and vaults out there that make storing pistols safely and securely an inexpensive proposition. Since these are easily portable, they won’t prevent thieves from making off with your valuables, but they’ll keep guns out of the hands of children. And they can be easily hidden, which can certainly outfox the thieves.

Locking Mechanisms

Most gun cabinets have very simple, uncomplicated locks. Thieves wouldn’t have too much trouble defeating such locks, although children would be safely locked out of the cabinet.

A real gun safe might feature a combination lock with internal tumblers, which is the type classically featured on gun safes throughout history. However, electronic locks have now become all the rage, including biometrics. Biometrics work through fingerprint identification and are high-tech. Keep in mind that electronic locks are dependent upon batteries.

Fireproof?

Some safe companies will say their safes are fireproof; others say they are fire-resistant. Nothing is fireproof. The fire-resistant safes claim to be able to withstand a certain amount of heat for a certain time, but there seem to be no hard and fast regulations for this. The basic strategy is that the safe keeps our firearms from burning up until the fire department arrives and extinguishes the blaze. To put it bluntly, the safe is designed to perform a delaying action until rescuers arrive, with the target window of protection being about an hour.

Some safes do a good job at this, while others cut corners and use inferior materials, which are not effective. I encourage readers to do research before buying a safe and expecting fire resistance.

Final Thoughts

Gun safes keep our firearms the safest that they can be, often providing fire and water protection. Their heavy construction and security features are more effective at deterring theft, while their heavy weight discourages the entire setup from being carried off by thieves. Their mechanisms are usually more intricate and effective at stopping those with sticky fingers. But beware of the hefty price tag, which can carry some sticker shock for consumers. Additionally, they are very heavy and difficult to move.

Gun cabinets are lighter, easier to manage, and have simpler locking mechanisms. Some are ornate and pleasing to the eye. However, they offer less protection for firearms and very little protection against water and fire. Despite the shortcomings, many people choose this route because of the lower price point.

Whatever level of security you’re after, there is something out there for you. Figure out which features you can’t live without, and then conduct some research to find the best bang for your buck.

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