Shooters buy the best ammo safes for varying reasons. This post will cover the utility of the humble ammo safe and its place in the modern shooter’s arsenal. For many years the ammunition safe was only a strong box that hard-core shooters were buying.
In light of many changes to the best ammo market, and the presence of better marketing in the gun industry, many more shooters have come to realize the value of a quick access ammo safe for their firearm needs.
This article is a great mini guide for those who are interested in the idea of the best ammo safe and will help the buyer to get the best value and best feature set for their best specific needs.
Ammo Safes | Name | Editor’s Comment | Rating | Get The Deal |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stack-On GCB-500 | Most Recommended Option 1. Excellent price point for bulk storage of small caliber cartridges | 10/10 | SHOP NOW | |
MTM ACR5-72 Ammo Crate Utility Box with 4.5″ Deep | Premium Option 1. Can fit 85 lbs. of gear or ammunition without breaking | 9.5/10 | SHOP NOW | |
Stack-On ASC-1416 Firepower Ammo Cabinet | Premium Option 1. Best volume for the money on this list and near the top of the heap across the entire industry | 9.0/10 | SHOP NOW | |
Stack-On GCB-900 | 1. Known for this purpose and proven 2. Perfect for storing ammo and small pistols 3. Solid construction and easy assembly | 8.5/10 | Currently unavailable | |
AmazonBasics Fire Resistant Safe | 1. Excellent heritage being in the amazon development eco-system 2. Legitimate fire protection at a price that makes sense 3. Perfect for not just storing firearms and ammo, but also other valuables | 8.0/10 | Currently unavailable |
Why Are Ammo Safes Needed?
In recent time, there have been many shooting incidents, coming from poor gun safety training and lack of the best ammo child protective equipment. There is also a very pressing concern by state legislators all over the United States to ratify more and more regulation on gun owners – with many new laws in place already.
These concepts form a basis for the need for best ammo or ammunition storage devices. Furthermore, there are practical reasons for a shooter to use a safe to store ammunition as well – we will cover this below in our best safe to store ammo.
Child Safety
A gun without ammunition is pretty hard to use. Children can easily put together the concept of firing a gun from a best store ammo, but without ammunition in the firearm, it’s hard for any damage to get in. That’s when an ammo safe with a good locking mechanism comes into the picture.
Even teenagers or determined children will quite likely lose interest in having to bypass 2 different safes best store ammo to get a working firearm. Because children cannot buy ammunition in a retail location, it becomes a very effective way of avoiding accidents with children around your personal handguns and other best ammo.
Gun Safety Laws
In states such as California (and others), the newest laws assign accountability to the gun owner if a minor is harmed with a gun in their home due to lack of a safety device or safe storage.
As a matter of fact, several states need a safe at the time of purchase in order to release a firearm to a client in the best ammo. It’s only a matter of time before new regulations targeting best ammo are also put into place.
In states where ammo procurements are already regulated, safe laws unambiguous to ammunition storage already exist, including some states that made it illegal to not report stolen ammunition and to make it necessarily best difficult for a thief to obtain ammunition from your property. While it may seem ridiculous to a lot of people, it is a simple fact that these laws exist in some best jurisdictions.
Increasing Ammunition Shelf Life
The needs exist for firearm owners to have a best ammo or ammunition storage solution, especially as they increase their collection of firearms and need more and different cartridges on hand, or as they have no more room in their safe for ammo because their number of firearms has grown.
Being in a moisture-controlled ammp, safe place makes proper sense for increasing and maintaining the shelf life of ammunition and ammo, which can be 100+ years with proper considerations and quality manufacturing that provide you a quick access safe when it is necessary.
Considerations When Buying an Ammo Safe
You’ll want to consider the important aspects of ammo or ammunition storage preceding dropping money on devices to defend your ammo. How much ammunition will fit, how hard it is to remove from a location, fire protection, theft protection (on-site and off-site), and price are just some important considerations in gauge steel security features.
Size
There is a weakening return concept when it comes to the relative value of ammunition safe security features with steel construction as soon as you have to store a significant quantity of the stuff. Many shooters with tens of thousands of ammunition rounds will choose instead for a safe door that is then mounted on the entrance/exit of a whole interior room devoted to the storage.
Enough it to say: at some point, you will be spending quite some money to store ammunition in steel construction if you need it to be in a safe, and you are buying many thousands of rounds but you’d want quick access to them when it is needed. The sweet spot is about 1000-2000 rounds of storage room for a safe, where the price of storage is still within budget for the amount stored.
Thickness of Steel
Not all ammunition storage products are made of steel, although the best protection is from steel-based storage devices. The steel is harder for a thief to defeat and offers robust security against curious children.
More importantly than the thickness of the steel, generally, is how it can be put on a permanent structure to keep people from eradicating the safe from your premises. Generally, you will find a lot of affordable safes are above 14 or even 16-gauge steel and get thicker as the price and specifications increase.
Locking System
Locking for ammunition storage is generally not as urbane as for firearms. Ammunition by itself is generally safe. The industry tries to keep ammo storages inexpensive than other safe storage to keep demand flowing and keep customers happy.
In most cases, you will be offered with a mechanical or electronic locking system that is proven. However, regardless of the locking mechanism, getting yourself ammo cans are still relatively inexpensive, as this component on the ammo safes are less costly as compared to many other storage.
Mounting and Anchors
Any safe will profit from mounting to a permanent or semi-permanent surface from an anti-theft viewpoint. This is especially true of ammunition safes that are not generally made of the heavy, dense material specifications that gun safes usually are. Yes, you can use a standard gun safe for ammo storage, however the price increases significantly for the ammo safes if you do.
Review of the Best Ammo Safes
Now, let’s see which models made our list and why.
1. Stack-On GCB-900
A lot of new gun owners are looking for an ammo safe that will not only fit their boxes of ammo, but also a place where they can padlock their pistols and any other items that are valuable. They are not disappointed with this ammo cabinet.
They managed to keep everything locked and hidden away without anyone else accessing it. One gun owner said that the construction was hard-wearing and it was at the right size for him to put it underneath his desk, giving himself the convenience of quick access.
This ammo safe is made from top-quality steel, so it will be quite durable for the most part. It’s tough, solid and will have sufficient space for you to store any extra ammo, pistols, or anything that requires it to be kept safe and secure when you are not using it. Simply put, it’s not a huge safe. However, it gives you sufficient room to fit anything that you want out of sight and locked away until you need it again.
A very nice price-point on this two-shelf, square platform, steel cabinet that is a faultless ammo specific storage solution. It’s not your traditional safe, but it offers excellent value for the money for a devoted ammo storage unit.
Its size and shape, as well as the strong internal construction of the shelving system, provides a tight, compact, but reasonable storage unit for more than 1000 rounds of intermediate-sized cartridges.
The good fit and finish, and the aptitude to permanently mount the steel cabinet are sufficient to secure this unit as a best-in-class for your money, so long as the primary concern is child safety. While it isn’t a guaranteed theft-proof unit, it should be enough for an overall application in your shooting closet.
It can mix with other Stack-On units to enable good customization choices and with the 2 shelves to stabilize the sidewalls permits for some multi-unit configurations for very high-volume ammo storage.
Given its size, it would be a superb ammo safe for those in need of something for saving space and ensuring that you are able to store away any pistols and extra ammo that goes along with it. While it’s no typical safe, it can be reachable by you and only you as long as you have a key. If you are looking for a safe without taking up too much room, this may be what you’re looking for.
The Stack-On GCB-900 Steel Pistol/Ammo Cabinet may be the space saver’s best friend. If you are looking for a safe that will not take up a whole lot of room but still delivers on the promise of giving you a spacious amount of storage, then this safe will be worth every penny you spend on it. Store a few of your pistols here so no one can access it but you (especially when you have kids at home).
The Stack-On products are all entry-level as gun safes generally, however as ammunition safes, they are perfectly built. They are lightweight, easy to relocate, but able to be securely stored with heavy ammunition and bolting hardware to keep thieves at bay.
The advantages of this Stack-On piece are the dual interior shelves and the incredibly reasonable price point. The structural firmness of the unit due to the shelving system and the ability to put together units and bolt down for secure placement are important. These units are outstandingly made well-priced ammunition storage solutions. No frills, but adequate in all viewpoints for ammo safe usage.
2. Stack-On GCB 500
New gun owners say that this is a heavy-duty safe that is convenient to access using a key and allows plenty of storage place for their pistols, ammo, and other gun accessories that they require to keep locked up. The cabinet finish looked really cool and did exactly what it was supposed to do, according to one of the users.
This is an ammo cabinet that is slightly bigger than our previous ammo safe suggestion that we’ve reviewed. It can still be stored away with a big enough space. And of course, you can get a solid amount of space to store whatever it is you want to be locked up. Pistols, holsters, extra ammo, and even some of your regular carry tools will be perfect for a safe like this. This is something that isn’t made for ammo. It’s manufactured for the more valuable things in your possession.
The Stack-On brand is well-known for this type of box and it’s very usable in most shooter’s use cases. Its simple box design is still well-built and offers shooters enough storage space to keep children out of the ammunition and lessen the potential for accidental negligent shootings.
The shelf provides good central rigidity to the box that will allow multiple boxes to be stored and bolted together if you wish, helping create a very good system of ammunition storage. It’s especially great for interior installs. It may be a bit light on security features for exterior (barn or garage type) installations too.
If you are searching for a simple to use ammo safe that will make sure all of your stuff is safely locked away and accessed by you only, then this will most likely be the safe you’ll end up using. This will make a great accumulation to any gun cabinet or safe that you currently own. Who says there is such a thing as having “way too much storage space”? If you need some stuff stored away, then rest assured that you have a safe that can get the job done.
The Stack-On GCB-500 Steel Pistol/Ammo Cabinet will provide you with a little more room than its smaller sized counterparts. However, it will give you a great deal of security and peace of mind in knowing that you can store away all the vital things that you own. Pistols, ammo, and even extra cash can be stored away with ease and away from prying eyes or fingers.
It’s not a huge safe, but a very accessible one that will still be able to hold up to about 1000 rounds of intermediate-sized cartridges. The security isn’t exactly top-of-the-market, but it is more than enough for most interior installations behind a door, such as in a closet or in a basement.
The ability to easily mount this box provides shooters a chance to really increase the usability of the safe and improve overall security, especially for childproofing. A single interior shelf gives you a bit of storage variability and can help to keep the box firm and functional. You cannot beat the value for simple ammo storage, especially for small-caliber rounds that come in standard boxes/case sizes.
3. Stack-On ASC-1416 Firepower Ammo Cabinet
As expected, a lot of new gun owners are quite happy with the space this ammo safe was able to save rather than take up a whole lot of it. This is tall enough to take on shotguns and rifles, however still provided enough space for pistols, additional ammo, and other gun accessories. One of the users mentioned that he was quite impressed with the safe overall and was able to keep away a few of his shotguns and rifles that he uses for hunting and target shooting in it.
Now we turn our attention on an ammo safe that is larger in its size. More specifically, it’s taller in its height but it’s not as wide as some safes. This will fit a great number of shotguns and rifles (as well as your favorite pistols and ammo). To put it simply, it’s a safe that will keep everything locked and stored away until you require it again. For the best in security and storage for all of your ammo and firearms, you may want to look into this one safe closely.
The footprint helps out when floor space is at a finest. This skyscraper-style build provides great ammo storage at a low price point relative to peers, especially for a devoted ammunition storage solution. This box offers heavy-duty steel construction that does not disappoint for interior storage behind an exterior door.
There are tonnes of storage, excellent weight for space accessible (it weighs about 55 lbs.), and the ability to hard mount for extra theft deterrence give shooters a lot of features for the paltry price point.
It’s not a traditional locking mechanism, but more than enough for child protection, and robust enough to make theft much harder than a half-hearted effort with a pry bar.
For those that require a great cabinet for secure storage, then this may be one of your best choices. It’s high in its height, but it’s still a good one to have for those who do not wish to take up too much space. Don’t be taken aback if this safe ends up being a long-term answer. It won’t rust easily and it will not warp or fall apart in any indoor environment.
If you want to take the best care of your weapons and everything else in between then the Stack-On ASC Firepower Ammo Cabinet may just be what you’ll need inside your home. It will store all kinds of ammo, handguns, and anything else you wish to be kept out of sight. There are so many valuable things that may need protection. Lock it up and keep it that way with this ammo safe.
It’s not the sturdiest offering from a security perspective, but the overall dimensions and the aptitude of storing, and easy to access high volumes of ammunition make this a serious competitor for most shooters who don’t buy a safe for ammunition based on anti-theft security needs, but rather as a way to keep the ammunition apart from the firearms and making a second hurdle to nosy children.
Bolted down, with other security measures in place (like a home alarm), this can be a passable theft deterrent. It is robust enough to keep many thieves at bay with the right balancing services and products.
4. AmazonBasics Fire Resistant Safe
This ammo safe is a beast, according to one of the users. While it is heavy in its weight, it’s a really sturdy safe that will take on some beatings. And it will not take up all kinds of room, which made a lot of new gun owners happy since they are looking for a safe that didn’t take up too much space. One of the users said that it was easy to program the keypad so only he can access the safe for himself.
Sometimes, a small key may be easily lost or misplaced. And it may be the only way to access ammo safe. So why not get one that will only be accessible by a digital keypad? It’s one of the best ammo safes that you can get to without the use of a key that could easily get lost or misplaced. And it definitely isn’t a safe that can be easy to pry open. If you are looking for something that won’t take up too much room while giving you a good amount of storage space to work with for pistols, ammo, and all your other valuable items. This can be a great safe to have at home.
This regular safe gives good value for money and comes with trustworthiness both from a user-review perspective but also because it’s built within the Amazon Ecosystem. The general value and utility of this safe provides you with fire resistance and high-heat performance for your luxurious ammunition, which should be kept out of reach of children or stored in a way that deters theft.
Good fire ratings, good heft (14-gauge steel body panels) and total weight, and a great locking mechanism make this safe a clear winner with its affordability. This will be perfect for buyers who are looking for a safe that doesn’t need to be retrieved by a key. If you find a digital keypad to be one of the better choices, then you’ll probably enjoy using this ammo safe as being one of your best options. Program the keypad, store away everything precious you need and make sure that it’s locked up nice and tight. No easy access by way of snooping, no keys needed, and no worrying about it getting busted open by the wrong hands.
If you are looking for a safe box that will keep everything safe even when disaster strikes, the AmazonBasics Fire Resistant Box will definitely be one of the best possible choices for you. It’s great for keeping small items including pistols and ammo. And you can say goodbye to the obstruction of losing your keys, too.
For the price point, it’s hard to beat this safe, even if it isn’t made especially for handguns and ammunition. The Amazon safes and perks that comes along with being part of the Amazon product portfolio makes this a safe most shooters can trust. The utility and storage space is quite good, and the security and safety of the contents is a top line focus for the build.
A triple horizontal bar locking mechanism with a key supersede makes lockouts difficult to occur and entry easy for the primary user. The robust build structure makes theft more problematic and movement to a different location nearly impossible with a huge load of ammunition inside. This is exclusive at this price point because it really improves upon the overall value and security of your ammunition stash significantly.
5. MTM ACR5-72 Ammo Crate Utility Box with 4.5 Inches Deep
Newer users are looking for an ammo safe that allows for small storage space while being able to keep it underneath their beds and closets (to name a few hidden spaces). This ammo safe did not disappoint at all. New users also say that they are happy with the storage ability and are able to store away all kinds of pistols and ammo. One of the users said that he has so much ammo than he knew what to do with and didn’t mean to use it until later in the year. Therefore, he placed this in this temporary storage so he knows where to find it when the time comes.
This reminds us of one of those tackle boxes that you will take out to fishing. The only difference is that it doesn’t have the extra shelves. However, that’s all right. You have up to 4 inches deep of storage space with this ammo safe. So that’s plenty of spaces to store the important things you need inside. If you have all variety of handgun ammo or any outdoor goodies that you need to put away for a while, consider this ammo safe as one of the go-to choices. Furthermore, it’s an affordable ammo safe that is far from being discounted and flimsy.
With its game-changing footprint and usability, this is the kind of tackle box of ammunition storage offering affordable, utilitarian storage and outstanding build quality that cannot be matched from a price point perspective. This MTM clamshell-style ammo box provides really generous interior dimensions, light overall weight, and lockable latches.
This offers more resolve and practicality for shooters than any other market offering. While it is not a traditional ammunition safe, it is the piece that completes the puzzle for most shooters who are looking for a good way to move from secure storage to the range without having too many hiccups or any security concerns.
This will be an excellent choice as a starter safe. You can use this for the long term or have it until you are able to find a safe that is much stronger and provides better security. Alternatively, you can use this as the other storage bin for ammo and additional firearm accessories like sights or scopes. The sky is pretty much the limit to what you can store inside of this safe as long as it fits inside.
The MTM ACR5 Ammo Crate Utility Box is not the sort of safe that you want to undervalue. It will keep all your ammo and accessories into one spacious, but a storage-friendly container. And it can take on the heavy loads without bowing or breaking. If you are looking for something that will keep all your stuff safe and out of plain sight, this can be exactly what you are looking for.
A huge takeaway for its price range and the standard, square, steel, boxed construction that has taken over the market for years from the ammunition storage perspective. This plastic box is much more versatile, even if it is a bit less robust, and a lot less secure.
Even then, this is a legitimate choice for any shooter who are searching for ammunition storage. Especially as a secondary or complementary product in a portfolio of storage solutions for high-volume and frequent shooters. 400-500 rounds of shotgun shells can pretty much fit into this cavernous, yet portable, easy-open box that is priced really well, even for use cases outside of the ammunition storage space.
Shooters will most likely want to buy several for multiple uses outside of ammunition, as well as what utility this box offers. It’s usually more than adequate security under casual oversight, even if it isn’t a long-term safe and secure storage solution. This is an outstanding range accessory for high-volume shooting trips.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that, like your regular gun safe, these ammo safes are a significant tool, especially for side handles for those who are actually turning over (using it rapidly) their ammunition supply. However, they are also a great tool for those who are siding towards the “be well prepared” mentality, too (stockpiling).
The general profile for ammunition-specific safes is a lighter weight build, with more storage space, and less overall security or ability to withstand extreme situations (like fireproof safe or waterproof safe). This is not a negative feedback and has served the market well. Especially with how hard it would be for some gun owners to justify spending money on a safe that will most likely never hold a firearm side handle.
The items on this list provide a great variety of choices that any shooter will be able to find a fit with side handles. The affordable choices previewed here are more than sufficient to do the two things that are most important in the planet of the ammunition safe: child-resistant security for your ammunition and a location where they can be protected from most of the elements that can threaten to degrade the components of the protection cartridges.
In the end, it’s not about buying something best-in-class from an overall market perspective, you’d always want to understand the locking mechanism of the quick access ammo box that you are getting. Besides, you really do not want to pay the premium for that just to store ammunition.
It’s about corresponding the needs to the available choices and finding your best-in-class in that space: these selected recommendations do just that.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Are Stack-On Safes Made in the USA?
This is among some of the most common questions asked by gun owners who own Stack-On Safes over the internet. Yes, these gun safes are made in the USA. The company has a 450,000 square feet manufacturing plant in Wauconda, Illinois. The company was founded in 1972 by John Lynn and has manufacturing and several fulfilment locations all across the USA.
Hello there, it’s Michael here. A gun lover since young, served the country for the last 20 years. I started the blog to share my experience and gun-related knowledge accumulated throughout the years. Hopefully, you will find something useful over here or just have fun! You can learn more about me here.