How to Organize Your Gun Vault | Lockdown

As a company filled with veterans, we know just about as much as one should know about guns and tactical gear. For most of us, however, we didn’t have our guns stored properly and sure as hell didn’t optimize the space we stored our guns in.

When you’re in your early 20’s and in the military, you can store your hunting rifles and shotguns with the base. This also makes sense because your first Sergeant isn’t going to handle finding loose guns during a room inspection very well and the armory is open 24 hours a day.

Outside of the military, I started using silicone socks on all my rifles to prevent rust and scratches because I didn’t have a vault and was moving around too much to carry one with me. However, as I met my wife and settled in my home in Virginia, I was able to get a vault for my guns and it’s changed how I live my life.

For this blog, I’d like to discuss the things I’ve learned that have helped me organize and optimize my gun vault. 

Gun Safe Organization

Until I started using tools, such as gun racks and magnets, I was wasting more than 50% of my vault space. Based on my specific experience, I created a list of 5 items that you can find for an affordable price at Lockdown. These 5 items will change the way you organize your guns, save room inside your vault, and keep your guns safe from scratching the finish off every time you go hunting or to the range.

It took me a few years to learn how to organize and protect my guns in an efficient way, but after using these tools, I’ll never go back to a cluttered gun safe again. I have unnecessarily beat up my rifles and shotguns over the years because I was unable to take advantage of all the space, these tools allowed me to remain clean, secure, and safe. 

Gun Safe Rifle Organizer

I think it’s safe to assume that most people with a gun safe have at least 1 rifle and most likely a pistol or shotgun. The best way to save space is to organize your rifles and shotguns upright in your safe. There are a couple of ways of doing this but my favorite way is the Gun Magnet from Lockdown. The gun magnet allows you to hold any rifle up to 75 lbs, but I wouldn’t put anything more than 30 lbs just as peace of mind for me. For under $30.00, you can just buy multiple magnets that attach to the metal inside your vault or on the outside of the vault with no additional setup. You could also use the mounting screws and drywall anchors if you wanted to install a magnet in your closet. 

I use 1 gun magnet to hold each of my 3 rifles inside my gun safe, including my AR-10, AR-15, and Bergara 7mm Rem Mag hunting rifle. Before I started using the magnets, my rifles were only protected by the silicone socks that are meant to protect against moisture, not abrasion from other guns. I regret that many of my beautiful rifles have blemished finishes now due to my lack of organization. The thing that hurts the most is I could have prevented my barrels from scratches if I just spent $100 on a few Lockdown vault organizers beforehand. 

I’ve been fortunate to finally convince my wife to learn how to shoot and carry a firearm as a CCW. This means I needed more space inside my gun safe to accommodate my wife’s new pistols. My gun safe has a metal interior on 3 sides of the safe, so I can easily attach my magnets to the inside. The Lockdown Gun Magnet opens up the entire floor for pistols, ammo, and documents, depending on the size of your vault.

The Magnum Magnet can also hold 2 pistols easily with a magazine and loaded to keep every gun you own on the walls of the safe instead of laying down on top of documents or loose ammo. Having my rifles stored upright and easily accessed if I need them created space for additional pistols and improved my reaction time in an emergency. The organization is key to a quick response in an emergency situation and all of the products work well with each other. 

Handgun / AR Upper Hanger

The other item that Lockdown provides for rifle storage is my favorite storage item from them, called the Handgun/AR Upper Hanger. This storage hanger is perfect for either up to 3 pistols or 1 rifle upper receiver with attachments. I prefer the magnets because I have a few rifles inside of a relatively smaller gun safe, but if you have space, leaving your upper receiver taken apart will allow you to get the barrel out of the way and ensure the barrel is always clear. Having your upper receiver taken apart allows you to stay safer because if you grab a gun with no lower receiver you can’t have an accidental discharge in the process.

We’re all human and I have embarrassingly left a bullet in my hunting rifle after a weekend-long hunt in miserable conditions and just simply forgot. The Lockdown AR Upper Hanger will ensure that if you use it, you won’t forget to unload your rifle. It’s also easier to lube your upper receiver if it’s taken down, so if you only use your rifle a few times a year, this is a great option to store it safely and securely on the door of the gun safe. 

Handgun Rack – Barrel Down

If you’re not hanging your handguns up on the walls, the best way to organize them and keep them readily accessible is to use a handgun rack. Lockdown has a model for around $17.00 that will hold up to 6 handguns in a stable and accessible position. I prefer to always approach my guns with the barrels facing down and away from me, so I bought the Lockdown Barrel Down handgun Rack.

The entire rack is only 9.46" wide and 11.6" in total height with over-molded wire tubes to securely hold the gun by placing it inside the barrel. You won’t have to worry about any marring or steel-on-steel scratches inside your barrels. I put my Lockdown rack on the base of the safe towards the front for quick access in case of emergency. If you purchase two handgun racks, you can hold up to 12 pistols on the base of your safe, or on shelves, if you’re fortunate enough to have multiple shelves. There are very few pistol organizers for gun safes that can easily hold 6 pistols without marring the pistol or being unstable. It’s a little more expensive on Amazon right now, but the free shipping makes up for it.

Gun Safe Shelf

There are 2 spots that are always normally underutilized and wasted opportunities to store guns, ammo, documents, and handguns. Whether it’s the backside of the door or underneath a single shelf, getting organizational tools to optimize your space is vital to the safe management of your arsenal. The Lockdown Gun Safe Shelf Drawer is the easiest and most affordable way to optimize unused space into concealable storage. Personally, I only have one small shelf toward the top of my safe and I use this shelf to basically add double the shelve space without installing anything or making modifications.

I prefer to store important documents such as passports, Social Security Card, etc… inside the gun safe shelf. You could easily store a backup 9mm or .380 with a fully loaded clip, but I prefer to keep it lighter and use it to store documents and maybe some nicer ammo. The frame is built with a retaining bar that prevents the shelf from being pulled out too quickly or violently that would cause the contents to spill all over the floor. It’s a smart design that is the most affordable way to double your storage capacity at an incredible price right now of $13.99 (normally $28.00).

Gun Safe Magazine Organizer

If you’re anything like me, you probably stack all of your rifle mags together and anytime you have to get them out you mine as well take them all down. A magazine organizer that is made for a gun safe will save you more room and headache than you ever thought possible. The Lockdown AR magazine organizer will hold up to 10 fully loaded AR mags with 30-rounds of 5.56mm NATO ammo. They are firmly held inside once you place the mag in-between the rack wires, so there is no worry of having the magazines slide out as you open your vault door. Organizing your magazines doesn’t have to be an afterthought anymore with the addition of the magazine organizer. 

Conclusion

For under $130.00, I was able to turn my gun safe from an unorganized pile of loose rounds and semi-empty magazines into a masterclass on organizational skills. There are many other items that could be used to organize each individual’s gun safe, but the 5 items I shared are the ones that benefitted m the most. I was able to fit 6 pistols, 3 rifles, and 2 shotguns with all the associated ammo and magazines easier than I ever have before.

I don’t worry about marring more rifle barrels, or looking for loose brass on the safe floor as I prepare for a long hunt. For those of you that have a difficult time keeping your guns and gear organized in a safe, give Lockdown a shot, save money, and gain the peace of mind that your guns are secure at night without digging yourself a financial hole.

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