Best Gun Safe Under 500

By Asad | Updated 3 years ago

So you are looking for a best gun safe under 500 dollars budget. We have done detailed research and compiled a list of important factors that make an immense difference when deciding between two gun safes. The good part is that apart from securing your guns you can also secure your other personal belongings in these safes as well.

LIST OF BEST GUN SAFE UNDER 500

Stack-On SS-22-MB-E

A great starter safe and most expensive on this list of best gun safe under 500 dollars. If your budget is just under 500 dollars and you want to get the best safety then this safe is the ideal choice. Safe has the capacity to hold up to 22 guns which is debatable and realistic number would be half of this claimed advertised capacity.

Unlike high-end safes which are extremely heavy and difficult to manage this safe is much lighter and can be handled relatively easily. It weighs ~260lbs it can be lifted by two to three people. The good news is that it is up to the standard of California Penal Code. Therefore, you may get insurance at the cheaper rate if you buy this safe.

Standing at 54 inches and build with complete steel you can expect SS-22-MB-E to deliver the complete job. The inner shelves are customisable, you can change the layout and make smaller compartment more in number or completely take them out of the safe to make more room for more long guns. Although it is not recommended to fit in more guns as it will scratch your guns. The interior is carpeted which means that you can store other valuables in this safe as well.

The lock operates via keypad powered by the battery. You can create any type of code from 4 to 8 categories. The lock has lights which provide indications in case the passcode entered is incorrect or the 9V is running low. You will get two backup keys which will override the lock in case you forget the passcode.

In addition, safe also has 6 locking points with 1-inch steel bolts. These points are strengthening the security towards the interior hinges. The exterior dimensions are 17.6’’ x 55.’’ X 26.8’’ with enough interior space to hold the significant amount of long and short guns. Safe is very well priced and features offered are justified for the money you are paying.

Among the problem is the lack of fireproofing. Safe just begin to get fireproofed at this starting price but are usually much smaller as a compromise. Therefore, not making it fireproof but offering loads of space with steel construction is somewhat a rational reason to get this safe. Some customers have complained about the lock not working properly at times. You can use the 2 backup keys to overcome this problem though. Also, there is no door seal to make it humidity free. Once again these are high-end safe features. Under this budget of 500 dollars, SS-22-MB-E is quite justified with its price and features. Tell Me Best has reviews for gun safes for bigger budgets as well.

Stack-On GCDG-9216

Another Stack-On safe which makes into the list of best gun safe under 500 dollars. It has the capacity to hold up to 31 guns if you combine both short and long guns. It is divided into two separate cabinets, with the idea behind to hold big guns in the right while smaller valuables in the left compartment.

External height is 55 inches, weight is 38 inches in and depth is 18 inches. You will get 1 year of warranty from Stack-On. Size is quite reasonable considering that the width is quite longer than what is usually offered by models in the same category. Once ordered, the delivery guys are trained to help you out in placing this big lad to the place where you want it anchored in your home.

You can take out the shelves from the left cabin and make portion entirely to hold your long guns. It is quite spacious and can easily accommodate up to 10 of your rifle and shotguns. Another plus is that it is incredibly lightweight for its size. It weighs only 147 pounds which can be managed by two people very easily. The pre-drilled mounting holes make it even easier to connect it to the floor or the wall. You will get the tools that will allow you to anchor it to the ground.

It is biometric safe, which takes your fingerprints and use them to unlock the safe. It is the quickest method to unlock the safe. It is made up of steel which is the basic requirement for any good steel. It is a 3 point locking system with double butted, key coded lock. The color coating is different from conventional gun safes as this safe coated with epoxy hunter green. This gives unique look to the safe and offers protection from abrasion.

Among the problem is again no fireproofing. In case of fire, you will be losing all your accessories. Once again this is a high-end feature. If you want a fireproof gun safe then go for higher end safe. We have reviewed different budget fire safe in 1000 and 2000 dollar categories as well. Although the weight is very low but that also indicates the problem that steel used in construction is of the higher gauge which can be easily drilled in by burglars. Low weight also means that after removing the anchor bolts crooks can pick and take the entire safe away.

First Alert 2096DF

A safe which has earned a wide nod of approval from masses. They are offering some of the features which come only in high-end safes.  Priced very reasonable provided that it is even fireproof. It comes in the category of medium-sized safes therefore, it will not be able to hold your big guns.

Dimensions of the safe are 23.38 x 17.63 x 23.14 inches in ‘h x w x d’ order.  The internal capacity is of 2.14 cubic feet with dimensions of 19.69’’ x 13.5’’ x 13.88’’.  The interior is spacious enough to hold most of the guns small and medium-sized valuables other than handguns. It has adjustable shelves which you can alter to increase or decrease the size of the divided compartments. If you have a medium sized gun then you remove all the shelves and store it in the safe diagonally.

Locking is very solid when it comes 2096DF. It has 6 steel bolts divided equally among the closing and opening edge. This makes sure that both ends are equally secured and very hard to crack open the door. The locking bolts get activated as soon as you lock the door with the locking system keypad. Like other manufacturers, you will also get an override key in case you forget the passcode.

The first alert provides special hinges which are a patented design that cannot be broken from any anti-theft equipment. Also because it was able to withstand an external temperature of 1700 Fahrenheit for 1 hour it has been given UL classified 1 clearance. The interior will be able to keep temperature less than 350 degrees. There is also a seal to prevent humidity to get inside the safe. You will notice that in this reasonable price you get Seal and Fireproofing.

The shortcoming is the size. There is no way you can store a long gun inside this safe. There is no relocking system for this safe. Someone can pick it up after cracking the deadbolts and carry the ~150 pound safe relatively easier because of its small size. Have a bigger longer safe will prove difficult when handling the stealing the entire safe.

Homak HS30103630

HS30103630 is constructed of high-quality steel. It comes with different variants when it comes to storage. Homak offers the capacity of 6 guns, 8 gun and 12 guns capacity with Homak HS30103630. The good news is each capacity is approved by California DoJ Standards. Although the capacity part is still debatable, as a general rule of thumb is that the advertised capacity is lower than the actual gun storage capacity.

From the security point of view, Homak has fitted in the conventional 4 point turbine lock. The lock is tube shaped and is hard to crack. You need to keep the key saved secured because that is the only way to access the safe. Unlike the fingerprint or keypad control which have an electronic board which does all the work, the 4 point turbine lock is made up of all mechanical part. Another important aspect is that this lock type is lesser vulnerable to shock and humidity damages. Over time the electronic chips malfunction and you need to get that repaired or replaced altogether. But if you like to have the electronic locks then the good news is that you can have it with 14 guns storage capacity safe.

The reason why we called the storage debateable is that Homak advertised capacity seems to be honest as the user has acknowledged the fact that they are able to store the advertised capacity in safe. There are shelving in the doors as well so you can store items in there as well. We have not mentioned the dimensions as each capacity safe has its own set of internal and external dimensions. Starting from 14’’ x 10’’ x 57’’  to 21’’ x 18.25’’ x 57’’ for storing 14 large guns.

It is a great safe for someone just looking to start out on the gun safety and is on a mid-range budget in the category of under 500 dollars. It is not a safe which we would highly recommend but just for the gun sake responsibilities, it can do its part. The safe is incredibility light in weight. 6 Gun storage capacity safe weighs 50lb, 8 Gun storage capacity safe weighs 64lb, 12 Gun storage capacity weighs 70lb and 14 Gun storage capacity version weighs 108lb.

Among the problem is the shelving which is not if very high quality.  The steel thickness is just 1.2mm this makes the safe incredibly vulnerable to a powerful drill machine. But this is not a high-end safe so do not expect for Homak to five inches thick of steel walls at this price. If you want very thick walls made up of steel then look for higher priced gun safes.

Zvetco Biometrics Verifi S6000 Smart Safe

Zvetco is known for making the best biometric locks. They have included one of their best fingerprint sensors in this safe to make you’re safe secured nicely. Biometric safes are ideal for those you want to access their safe quickly. Getting Verifi S6000 means that you will access your safe as easily as you unlock the lock screen on your smartphone with fingerprint scanner. It is as quick as that. This is perfect for emergency situations which require quick action and thinking. The sensor used is certified by FBI and same is used government services like DHS, DOD etc.

It comes in a small range gun safe category. Safes in small sizes are usually designed in cubicle shape to give equal space in all direction but Verifi S6000 differs in a sense that it is laid horizontally which allows you to store medium-sized guns. The interior dimensions are 7.3’’ x 17.1’’ x 11.8’’ in the order of h x w x d. Made up of solid steel this safe is able to absorb serious pressure from burglars. The weight is incredibly light and weighs only 31 pounds. The dimensions and weight allow it to be placed in the cabinet as a drawer.

From the security point of view, every time you lock the safe it does a complete diagnostic check to maintain the security. It will notice immediately if there is something wrong with the safe and needs any kind of repairs or maintenance. You will know how much battery is remaining so you know when it is completely drained. It also includes the auto lock feature which tells when the door is closed or should be closed. The Nitelite lights up the interior of the safe

As it has the ability to store the fingerprints, you can store more than one user fingerprints on this safe. It keeps track of who opens the door and their privileges. You can add the new user and delete the unwanted ones. You can view the access logs which has the record of everyone who has accessed the safe. The stealth mode gives the alert to the specified user when something suspicious happens. Meaning that if the unknown person tries to unlock the safe, the record will be saved in the access log and you will get the notification.

Among the shortcomings is the size. Yes, it is manageable but you will not be able to store longer objects in this machine. There is the slight gap in the safe door this invite crowbars from burglars. They can easily crack open the door if given ample time. The steel used in construction is also not enough to prevent any kind of drilling. It is also not fireproof so in case even if the fire breaks out you will all the belongings. Even if you are able to extinguish the fire but the fingerprint sensor gets damaged, then it means that you have to crack open the safe.

BUYER’S GUIDE FOR BEST GUN SAFE

A number of factors play the key role in defining the quality of a gun safe. We have done the hard work and gather all the important resources that will help in educating our readers. If you follow this guide properly then it will help you discern between an ordinary and best gun safe. Please note that the above-reviewed gun safe is best within their own budget range. If you want different budget gun safe then you can check better gun safe under 1000 dollars in this review.

WEIGHT

Weight plays the key role in defining the quality of the gun sage. Higher the weight of the gun safe more steel is used in its construction. More steel means a better quality of the gun safe.  But with more weight comes the problem of portability. You will have to consider fixing the safe to one place because of its weight. If you read the above reviews then you see safes with very low weight and at same time heavier weight safes with a higher price tag.

GUN SAFE TYPES

Here are different types of gun safes  based on size and security

Biometric Gun Safes

These gun safes provide the quickest access to the gun safe. You can open the gun safe simply by putting your finger on the scanner. You can have more than one person access in the safe.  Another kind of safe requires relatively more manual effort to open them up. We have reviewed a very nice biometric safe Verifi S6000 using very high quality safe.

Electronic/Keypad Gun Safe

Running on battery and have a 0-9 keypad with also # button at times. You simply have to make a code pretty much like a smartphone. Remember the combination and that becomes your key to lock. They take more time than biometric gun safes. Because they are more durable it is one of the reasons why they are more widely used by the manufacturer to ensure safety. With time your gun safe will have signs of wear and tear indicating what the passcode will be. So it is a better idea to change your gun safe code occasionally.

Dial Gun Safe

The manual or total mechanical gun safe. The lock has all the mechanical parts requiring a key to open up the safe. They take the most time in opening up as they require quite some twists before you can open up the gun safe. Because they do not use electronic circuits this is why they last much more longer than the other gun safety locks.

Handgun gun safes

These are small size gun safes either in cubicle shape or desktop style safes. They are small enough to fit into your table drawer. These are usually low-end safes and rarely come up with fire protection. The small compartments in handgun gun safes allow you to save small gun accessories.

Longer guns gun safes

The gun safes for bigger guns. They are designed to hold long guns. You can change their layout to make small compartments to hold smaller objects. If you do proper layout design then these are quite spacious and can store a lot of important belongings apart from just guns. We have reviewed a number of long guns in this list of best safe under  500 dollars.

SIZE OF GUN SAFE

Very few gun safe manufacturers are honest when it comes to the capacity of the guns your gun safe can handle. The advertised capacity is usually less than the actual capacity. Therefore, a general rule of thumb to always remember is to get a gun safe which offers more capacity than what you currently have in your gun arsenal.

Buying a bigger gun safe gives you more space but also means that you to hide it somewhere secure and hidden in your home which can be challenging. If you cannot hide it then it would be a better idea to pick up the heavy load and keep it in the basement.

BUDGET

Gun safes are available in wide variety of budget. Some may have same dimensions but very different internal dimensions and offer lower space but still priced much higher than the one more spacious. It is because the one with higher price and low internal space has very thick steel wall. It makes it very difficult for the burglars to drill in such safes.

If you have a safe made outside of your country then the cost will include the cost of shipping as well. Therefore, if you have a good company in your home country then buy a gun safe from them. Because you will get the same number of features then overpriced safe coming from the different country.

SECURITY

There are a number of security items that a gun safe can offer. Locks are not the only thing that can come into security, if your gun safe is also fireproof then it is more secure than a non-fire proof gun safe. With more security on your gun safe, you have to pay more price as well.

PORTABILITY

It must be clear in your mind by now that 90 percent of the gun safes are very heavy and goes beyond the control of one person to handle them. But some gun safe makers have taken this problem into account and made gun safes which can be dissembled and then joined together again.

This just increases the portability of the gun safe at the expense of dissembling and the reassembling. Furthermore, a big percentage of the gun safe load is in the door, Some gun safes allow you to remove the door and decrease the load and hence carry it to your required new destination.

FIRE RESISTANCE

There are more than .35 million residential fire cases in the USA. Therefore, you need a safe which is resistant to heat. A good gun safe is able to absorb 1500 Fahrenheit of heat for an hour at least. Unfortunately gun safe under this budget range does no offer fireproofing apart from few exception. Therefore if you are planning to buy a gun safe from this article then make sure that you place it in your home where it is least likely to be affected by the fire.

STEEL

Gun safe has gauge rating when it comes to steel. Lower the steel gauge power powerful it is. Unfortunately, in this budget of under 500 dollars, you will not find steel walls which are very thick.

Weight and steel of the gun safe are directly related. Heavier the gun safe is more it has steel used in it and better it is.

RELOCKERS

Relockers come to play when one of the safety locks is breached. For example, if someone tries to crack the front keypad lock then the reloaded spring bolts will lock the door automatically making the efforts of the crook in vain. These are high-end features usually absent in this list of best gun safe under 500 dollars.

DOOR SEAL

There is the slight gap between the front door and the belongings placed inside the safe. With passage to time humidity will flow into the safe and can corrode the equipment. If there is a seal on the door then no air can get in and hence there will be no corrosion on your guns.

LAYOUT

The layout of the gun safes is changeable. You can alter the racks to make more or reduce the number of compartments. Changing the layout to horizontal or vertical layout can help you shape the way you want to store guns in the safe.

LIGHTING

Light is a great addon if it is available inside the gun safe. It will light up the interior allowing you to pick up your gun in case of emergency and in low light conditions.

ANCHORING

Gun safes come with bolts that you can use to affix them to either floor or with the walls. This requires some manual work and some of the company even provide the equipment that is necessary to anchor the gun safe. Look what kind of anchoring your gun safe is providing, is it for wall anchoring or ground anchoring.

LIABILITY PROTECTION

The state or the country you are living in must have the law to regulate the guns. You need to know how you state asks you to secure your guns. In case of theft and criminal usage, you can claim with your insurance company that you had a safe which was up to the minimum requirement set up by the state and save yourself from unnecessary trouble.

INSURANCE

If you have insured your gun safe and you own a high-end gun safe then you will get discount on your insurance package. Conversely, for a low-end gun safe with low features means that you will have to pay more insurance to cover it up. So think gun safe as a one-time investment and get a good one.

HINGES

Hinges of the safe door may be outdoor or indoor. For outdoor hinges, you will get the benefit to be able to open the door with complete 180-degree rotation. In addition, you can also disconnect the door by detaching it from hinges. This is very helpful when you are planning to relocate your safe. As almost 40% of the weight on average is taken up by the safe’s door.

VERDICT

From Longer to small gun safes, we have tried to cover the best in each category. Reading the buyer guide would also have given you the idea of what is the market standard for good gun safe and what factors should not be compromised.

If you are looking for a long gun safe then you can consider the first Stack-On gun safe in this article. It has better steel protection and is more protected than the other one with two cabinets. If you own small hang guns then choose from either  First Alert 2096DF or Verifi S6000 both are equally good. But the First alert has edge over the S6000 as it offers features which are present in high-end safes.

So don’t waste more time, get yourself a gun safe and secure your favorite personal belongings.