Besides for the cost of a safe, the second most common deciding issue when picking out a gun safe is the size of the safe. How do you figure out what size safe you need? What size safe will fit your current guns? What size safe will fit future guns that you add to your collection? While these questions certainly require some information about the types and sizes of your guns. For example, if you have a long-rifle collection, a safe that fits 10 long guns may be able to fit up to 30 pistols and handguns. It’s important to read the size as outlined in the description before making a purchase (and remember to clarify whether you are looking at the size of the outside of the safe or the effective size of the inside of the safe.

The biggest surprise to me with regards to the size of gun safes is that often people discover that they want to use their gun safe for more than just guns. Because safes are expensive and take up significant space in your home, we’ve found that once people purchase a safe they want to use it for the safe keeping of all their valuables. A multi-purpose safe is really important to be able to accommodate both burglar and fire-related safe keeping. Additionally, if you make a decision on the size of your current stock of guns if may find that you acquire additional guns in the future and that you’d like to keep other valuables in the safe with your firearms. For example, consider getting enough space to add in a portfolio of important documents like birth and marriage certificates, home deeds, insurance information and whatnot. Additionally, you may want to make sure there is enough room for a jewelry box to keep your small valuables in.

Have you ever bought an expensive safe only to discover that it isn’t big enough for you to fit all your important documents, valuables, and firearms? It’s an important decision that you should make only once, with proper planning and forethought.