Top 5 Best Value Gun Safes | Ultimate 2024 Guide

Well, we’ve had our morning coffee, and we’re excited about today’s guide. Welcome to long gun owners’ paradise. In this article, we share the five best value gun safes. The models range in size from massive to smaller with a buffet of options to choose one. Whether you’re looking for a tactical model, fireproof safe, large secure safe for storing your firearms & valuables, we’ve got you covered.

These tumultuous times have served as a serious reminder that it’s always important to protect ourselves, and better yet, our families. A good gun safe gives you plenty of options. The safes you’ll find below serve up excellent organization options for rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Most large safes in this price range come equipped with high-quality gun-safe door organizers for handguns and other items you want to access quickly.

Additionally, safes in this price category typically weigh more than a quarter ton, which means no one is running off with your safe. In the chart below, we provide overviews of our top five picks with the most important specs to consider for each model. This way, you get a good idea of what each safe offers before we jump to the reviews. Now, let’s get rolling!

Top 5 Value Gun Safes

Reviews of the Best Value Gun Safes

Depending on the size of your gun collection and the items you plan to store, there are some great large gun safes in the chart above. The first two safes give you the largest capacity with enough room for roughly fifty long guns and an assortment of handguns. Plus, as mentioned in the introduction, high-security gun safes are also great for storing valuables such as jewelry, cash, and important documents.

Next, several of these models are the best fireproof gun safes for the money with impressive 1-hour fire ratings at blazing hot temperatures. In reality, it’s wise for gun owners to invest in one of these safes to serve as a combination gun & home safe to store their most valuable possessions. The only real drawback is that none of these safes are the best quick-access gun safes, however, combining one of these large safes with a quick-access model works well.

Now, let’s go over the reviews of each of the five safes in this guide.

#1) Kodiak K5940EX Gun Safe by Rhino Metals

When choosing a long gun safe of this size, it’s important to first consider the footprint to ensure you have enough room in your home. Of the five models in this guide, Kodiak and Blue Dot have the largest footprints with total widths over 3′. After considering the footprint, it’s time to consider the weight of the safe. While the Kodiak K5940EX is not the heaviest safe in our guide, it still weighs in at over a quarter ton. For this reason, it’s very important to know exactly where you plan to house it before delivery.

One feature we really like is the extra-thick steel used to construct this safe. Kodiak’s 2.75 mm steel is a bit thicker than 12-gauge, which most of the other safes in this guide have. The main reason this safe is lighter than the Second Amendment safe despite the thicker steel is that it’s not as tall, and the Second Amendment safe features a two-layer 12 gauge steel door. Outside of size and weight, the Kodiak safe matches most of the security features offered by the other safes.

You’ll find a total of eleven 1 1/4″ locking bolts on all sides of the door for ultimate pry resistance, three hardened steel plates for resistance against drill attacks, and a spring-loaded re-locker that secures the safe in the event the lock is tampered with or removed. One final feature to consider is there’s no override key system. The advantage of no override key is it eliminates pick attacks, though, it also means there’s a possibility of being locked out if the electronic lock fails. The good news is the safe comes backed by a lifetime warranty.

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#2) Blue Dot Second Amendment 1 Hour B-Rated Gun Safe

Of the five safes in this guide, Blue Dot’s is the heaviest and largest with a long gun capacity that matches the Kodiak model above. With this safe, you get more interior shelving and the heavy-duty door constructed with two layers of 12-gauge steel (.2188″ total thickness). For this reason, this safe easily exceeds California DOJ’s minimum 12-gauge thickness requirement for single-layer gun safes.

Another impressive feature is the number of locking bolts. In total, there are eleven live 1.25″ locking bolts and seven 1.25″ deadbolts for a grand total of 18 bolts. In other words, no one is prying this safe open without some seriously hardcore professional gear. Security features that match the other fireproof safes in this guide are the spring-loaded re-locker, expandable heat seal, and a U.L. listed digital lock.

Since there’s not much we could find that we don’t like about this safe, one area Kodiak does win is in the drill attack protection department. The Kodiak safe features three hardened steel plates while this safe features a single hard plate to protect against drilling. Also, we like the Kodiak door organizer more than Blue Dot’s. Lastly, this model features four pre-drilled holes and includes four anchor bolts for secure mounting.

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#3) Winchester Ranger 26 Gun Safe

Now for the most well-known brand in our guide. For gun owners who want to stick with the most tried & true brand of the brands in our guide, this is the model to choose. It may not offer the same level of features or size as the other fireproof models for the money, but you’re more likely to avoid craftsmanship issues with Winchester than the other brands.

The first feature we like in this safe that’s not offered in the two models above is the front-facing long gun rack. Unlike the two models above, you have the option to store about four long guns side by side for easier access. This feature eliminates the need to remove multiple guns each time you need to access a different long gun. Along with the easy-access shelves, there’s also a collector barrel rack, which gives you enough room to store up to 22 long guns in total.

The door panel organizer has six pistol holsters, 3 zip pockets, and a mesh sleeve for storing additional accessories and valuables. As far as security, this safe exceeds California DOJ requirements, and it’s U.L. listed for burglary protection. However, one spot we would like to see beefed up is the number of locking bolts and the size of the locking bolts. Compared to the Blue Dot safe above, the Ranger’s locking bolts are smaller at 1″, and there’s 12 total.

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#4) New and Improved E.M.P Proof Steelwater AMLD593024-EMP Long Gun Safe

Similar to Blue Dot, Steelwater is a great budget brand that gives you the most bang for your buck. Steelwater’s latest models now feature E.M.P. proof digital keypads, which is one feature you won’t find on the other four safes. Additionally, if you prefer a safe with override key access to ensure you’re never locked out, this safe does feature key access with a double-bitted, drill-resistant bypass key.

Other features that set this safe apart from its competitors are the longer 1.5″ locking bolts, automatic interior LED lighting for clear nighttime access, a UL listed power outlet with 2 USB and 3 AC charging ports, steel-reinforced shelving to prevent sagging issues, two internal re-lockers, and the fact that the door sports a total of 20 locking bolts.

All in all, Steelwater’s AMLD593024-EMP isn’t as spacious as the Blue Dot or Kodiak safes in this guide, but it’s undoubtedly more secure and offers the highest level of security of the safes in this guide for the money. Finally, it’s been tested to withstand the highest temperature of the five models at up to 1875°F.

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#5) SecureIt Agile Ultralight: Model 52 Pro

The final model in our guide takes a completely different approach to storing your firearms than the first four safes. Of the five models, the SecureIt Agile 52 Pro is the best value tactical gun safe. The reason for this lies in SecureIt’s Cradle Grid Technology that’s simply awesome. Compared to the racks in the safes above, SecureIt’s Cradle Grid tech is a cut above. With the Cradle Grid, you have the quickest, easiest access to your long guns, and you never have to worry about collisions between your barrels when removing a gun.

The drawbacks to this safe are it’s not as secure as the first four models, and it’s not fireproof. However, at the time of this writing, it costs well under $1000. Additionally, this safe is made for storing long guns, pistols, accessories, and ammunition, while the other safes are good for storing a combination of firearms and common household valuables.

Another feature we really like in SecureIt gun cabinets is the louvered back panel that makes internal storage fully customizable. On top of that, it ensures that each of your long guns rests in a straight line parallel with one another. One final highlight we want to mention is the Model 52 Pro includes 6 cradles w/ bungees, 3 stock bases, a door organizer for pistols & accessories, and several different sized bins to attach to the louvered back panel.

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Bottom Line

These five models are currently the best value gun safes, and they all deliver excellent value for the money. A lot of companies charge 1000s more for the same security features offered in these safes. The drawback is most of these safes are manufactured in China and designed by American companies (like most things in life, including Apple). For this reason, minor quality control issues can be more common, and it really comes down to the luck of the draw.

Having said that, all of the companies featured in this guide are reliable and stand behind their products. If you run into any issues, they’ll be happy to help you rectify the problem. At the same time, it’s important to consider how much dough you’re saving by choosing one of these brands over expensive competitors. One final point to consider is the need for a desiccant or dehumidifier for use with a fireproof gun safe.

Below is an example of a good rechargeable desiccant that handles up to 50 cu ft to store inside your fireproof gun safe to keep your firearms dry and prevent rust issues:

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