Closet Gun Safes: Sizes That Fit, and What to Measure First

A closet gun safe is defined by the closet, not the safe

There's no such thing as a closet gun safe in a catalog sense. It's a gun safe or gun cabinet small enough to stand inside a closet, with room for its door to open. Our list sets the limits at 60 inches tall and 22 inches deep, because height and depth are what closets restrict most. Your own closet sets the final numbers.

That puts a closet gun safe in a specific size band:

• tall enough for rifles and shotguns, in most cases
• shallow enough to sit behind a closet door
• narrow enough to leave the rest of the closet usable

Our table includes both gun safes and gun cabinets. For the full range, see the gun safes page. If floor space is the real limit, our wall gun safes page covers safes that mount in the wall. For safes for documents and valuables rather than guns, see closet safes.

Who a closet gun safe suits, and who should skip it

A gun safe closet setup suits people who want long guns stored out of sight in a part of the house that stays at a steady temperature. Liberty Safe's installation guide describes a closet as climate-controlled with the home and says it keeps a safe "out of sight and out of mind for visitors."

Good fits:

• a few long guns plus handguns and accessories
• a home without a garage or basement suitable for a safe
• an apartment or condo where a full-size safe won't fit through the door
• an owner who wants the safe hidden from a quick glance

Skip it if:

• Your collection is large or growing fast. A closet-sized safe holds fewer guns than its advertised count. Our large gun safes page is the other direction.
• The closet is on an upper floor with uncertain framing, and you want a heavy safe. Check the floor first.
• You want concealment instead of a lock. A closet hides a safe. It doesn't secure it.

Small gun safes for closet use

If the closet is shallow or short, a small gun safe may be the only thing that fits. Our small gun safes page lists gun safes advertised for 10 long guns or fewer. Many of them fit a closet. Check the actual height and depth, not the gun count.

Measure the closet before you measure the safe

Closet fit fails in predictable places. Measure each one.

• Door opening width. The safe has to pass through it. Measure between the door stops or trim, not the wall.
• Closet depth. From the back wall to the inside of the closed door. Subtract baseboard thickness.
• Height under the shelf. Many closets have a shelf and rod. Measure from the floor to the underside of the shelf.
• Door swing. The safe's door needs space to open fully, and you need space to stand in front of it.
• The route. Cannon Safe says to measure doorways, hallways, staircases and turns along the delivery path.

Then compare those numbers with the safe's exterior dimensions, including the handle and hinges. Our guide to gun safe dimensions covers measuring guns and doors in detail.

What to look for in a closet gun safe: steel, ratings and the anchor

Once it fits, judge a closet gun safe the same way as any other. The box on the advertisement holds a gun count. The closet holds your actual guns, with scopes. Those numbers rarely match, so start with interior dimensions.

Interior over gun count

Gun capacity numbers come from the manufacturer and assume guns packed tightly. Measure your longest gun and your widest one with optics attached. Compare them with interior height and depth.

Steel thickness

Steel gauge runs backwards: lower is thicker. Under the federal U.S. Standard Gauge, 12 gauge is 0.1094 in and 14 gauge is 0.0781 in. Gun cabinets are often thinner than gun safes. Our guide on gun safe vs gun cabinet explains the difference.

Burglary and fire ratings

• UL 1037 Residential Security Container (RSC). The rating most gun safes carry, if they carry one. A burglary rating only.
• Fire rating. Three parts: time, temperature or UL 72 class, and who tested it. A claim missing any one of the three is a claim, not a rating.

Lock and backup

Keypad, biometric, dial or key. Electronic locks need a backup and a battery you can change. Keep the backup key away from the closet.

The closet floor and the anchor

A closet sits on whatever the rest of the room sits on. Liberty Safe's guide lists a closet's surface as a wood subfloor that "may need reinforcement," and for second-story installations says to make sure the floor joists can carry the weight of the safe and its contents.

Anchoring matters more in a closet, not less. Liberty says bolting a safe to both the floor and the wall studs provides stability. The Lewisburg, Tennessee police department's burglary-prevention page names closets among the obvious places to avoid for valuables. Liberty's hiding guide calls the master or upstairs bedroom among the worst places for a safe, because thieves look there first. Assume a closet gun safe will be found, and anchor it so it stays in place.

Carpet adds a step: the anchor has to pass through it into the subfloor or slab. Our guide on bolting a safe to the floor covers carpet, wood and concrete. For humidity in an enclosed space, see gun safe humidity.

Setting up the gun safe closet

Once the safe is in, a few practical details decide whether the setup works day to day.

• Power. Some dehumidifier rods and interior lights need an outlet. Check whether the closet has one, and whether the safe has a port for the cord.
• Light. Closets are dark. A keypad or dial is easier to use with a light nearby.
• Clearance. Leave room behind and beside the safe if the manual calls for it, and keep the door's swing path clear of shoes and boxes.
• Shelves above. A shelf directly over the safe can block the top anchor points or the door. Remove it or raise it if needed.

Keeping a closet gun safe locked

This section is about firearms and children, so it's plain.

A closet is not storage on its own. The Department of Justice handout on safe storage, from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont, says hiding a gun in a closet, drawer or similar location is not safe storage, because children are curious and may find it. It says to keep firearms unloaded and locked, with ammunition locked separately, and keys and combinations out of children's reach. Storage laws differ by state; check your state's official government website.

How to read the closet gun safe table

The table lists every gun safe and cabinet we track that is no taller than 60 inches and no deeper than 22 inches. A dash means the value isn't confirmed by the manufacturer or the listing. Products with unknown height or depth stay on the list until confirmed otherwise.

To narrow it:

1. Filter by your measurements. Exterior height, width and depth against your closet, minus the door swing.
2. Check interior dimensions against your longest and widest gun.
3. Safe or cabinet. Decide whether you need ratings or just a lock.
4. Lock and backup. Pick the lock the people in your home will use.
5. Weight, checked against your floor.

Measure twice, then bolt it to the closet

Write down the door opening, the depth, and the height under the shelf. Filter the table to those numbers. Then check the floor, plan the anchor into the subfloor or slab, and keep the backup key somewhere other than the closet.