I don’t like when someone characterizes a gun safe by its size because it is not the right characterization. For example, the small gun safe should be a safe that holds only one or two handguns by that rule, but that is not completely true. A small gun safe is every safe that holds a small number of firearms in the safe and it is not strictly tied to the size of the safe.

The best way to show you that is to say that a small gun safe that can store up to 10 handguns is smaller than a small rifle gun safe or a small long gun safe, but it has a bigger capacity. As you can see, the variety of sizes of the safe is not important in the “small gun safe” category, it is the capacity that counts. When people say “small gun safe,” they think about the capacity and not the internal dimensions of the safe. If you are considering the dimensions and you need a small gun safe you have to call it a “compact gun safe”.

When you are choosing the best small gun safe for your needs, you have to know the number of long guns, rifles, or handguns you want to store inside the safe. The most important part of choosing the right gun safe is the capacity. Small gun safes are mostly made to store 1-5 firearms and most of them are quick access safes which means that they have biometric locks, spring-loaded doors, or a design that allows you to grab the firearm in under a second. The reason for that is pretty simple.

The small gun safe has one purpose and that is protection. When you buy a small gun safe you want it to be near you because you know that you bought it for the gun you use for protection. Just imagine if something happens and you have to quickly grab your firearm. The worst thing that can happen is that you have to open the safe that has 20+ guns inside and you have to grab just one. That is why the small gun safes are a necessity and the big gun safes are a choice. If you have a lot of firearms in one vault, you will know that they are safe inside and you will only open that vault when you are going hunting or when you want to show your friends the gun collection, which means that most of the time it stays closed.

That is why I want to share with you the best small gun safes that can store up to 10 firearms (no matter the type). Take a look at their characteristics like the lock, the type of steel, the capacity and you will see why they are gun safes used for the protection of the firearm that protects you, your home, or your office.

Best Small Gun Safes For Sale

Stealth Small Handgun Safe

The stealth small handgun safe is interesting because it is designed to store the handguns on a hanger. That means you can easily grab the handgun in under a second once you open the safe. The maximum capacity of the safe is 5. 3 of them are stored on the hanger and two can lay down at the bottom of the safe which means that 3 handguns are ready to use the moment you open the spring-loaded door.

The electronic lock on the safe uses 6 digit combination as the lock and the moment you enter the right combination the door will open. Inside of the safe, you will find a small LED light so you can grab the gun as fast as you can and you don’t have to worry about damaging the guns because the safe has foam inside. The safe produces sound but you can easily mute the sounds if you want it to be completely silent.

This safe comes with a solid steel body, a ⅜-inch steel door with anti-pry tabs, and a pick-proof lock. These features make this safe very difficult to carry away and it prevents unauthorized access to your valuables inside, giving it a high-security rating.

GunVault MV500 Microvault Pistol Gun Safe

GunVault is famous for small gun safes with quick access and that is why I have a few of them on this list with the first one as the MV500 small pistol safe. This safe is made of 20-gauge steel construction and it can store one pistol with the magazine inside. The interior is completely covered with foam so you can carry it around without worrying that your gun will end up all scratched.

This small portable safe also has an electronic combination lock so you have to memorize the buttons you have to press and it uses the battery as the power source, but you have to buy it separately and open the safe with the backup key to put the battery inside. The safe uses the special GunVault no-eye keypad for quick access and that is exactly what you need for protection.

With more than 12 million combinations of user access codes, this safe will not be easy to open by even the most determined thief. If it happens that you forget your combination code, you can easily use the backup key to open it and re-enter a new code.

SentrySafe Pistol Safe, Quick Access Biometric Gun Safe, Single Gun Capacity, QAP1BE

This small handgun safe comes with a biometric lock that can store up to 4 fingerprints and if you want to share this small gun safe with people you trust you can give them the code for the electronic lock that is located right next to the biometric scanner. Just like every other small handgun safe, this one comes with a compression gas strut so that the door can automatically open when you scan your finger. This biometric pistol gun safe also has a backup entry with a digital lock and override key to provide extra protection.

The body is made of 12-gauge steel construction and the door fits perfectly which makes the gun pry-resistant. Its design makes it a great drawer gun safe because it has a door that opens at the top, which means you don’t have to take it out of the drawer to open and grab the handgun.

While you have various entry methods into this safe, the main feature is that you only need one hand to access and retrieve your gun. This will be a great option for those times of emergency where you need to be stealthy and need quick access to your weapon.

GunVault SV500 SpeedVault Handgun Safe

The GunVault SpeedVault is one of the most popular compact size gun safes because its design allows you to mount it to any surface in almost every direction. The safe comes in two types of lock; the biometric lock and the electronic combination lock. The moment you unlock the small pistol safely, it opens and you can grab the handgun. That makes it one of the best small gun safes with the quick access option.

The 18-gauge steel construction keeps the safe secured from all kinds of attacks and the foam interior allows you to store only one handgun inside. The moment you open the safe the small light lights up the gun so you can grab it even in the complete dark. The safe is battery-powered, but it comes with a backup key overide so you can open the safe if the battery runs out.

When it comes to the locking mechanism of your safe, you need it to be reliable time after time without fail. That is what you get with this gun safe from GunVault with a strong and very reliable lock that will not leave you stranded.

AmazonBasics Security Safe – 0.5-Cubic Feet

The AmazonBasics safe is one of the most popular small gun safes on sale at Amazon at the moment and it has a high average score based on their reviews so you can be sure it is made of quality materials. The electronic lock requires a PIN number to open the safe and it uses batteries to function. If the batteries end up empty you can unlock the safe with backup keys which is a good thing.

This compact design gun safe comes in 3 different sizes, but the 0.5 cubic feet is the most popular one (there are also 0.7 and 1.2 cubic feet). The door comes with 2 lice bolts and pry-concealed hinges which keeps the safe closed no matter how you try to force them open.

At a weight of 16.5 pounds, it is quite heavy and strong enough to keep thieves out and away from your valuables. The weight will discourage anyone with malicious intent from carrying it away.

American Furniture Classics 906

I have shown you the most interesting small handgun and pistol gun safes and I want to show you small rifle gun safes as well. The first small long gun safe I want to share with you is actually a small gun cabinet. This cabinet can store up to 5 long guns and it has two storages, one for the long guns and the other for munition or handguns. The cabinet has carpeted floor and a special barrel rest for the long guns in the bigger storage.

It doesn’t have a special electronic lock, it uses a traditional lock and key, but you don’t have to worry about batteries with this small gun cabinet. Although it is a cabinet, it is approved by the California DOJ because it meets their standards for secure storage of firearms.

To improve the overall security factor of this safe from American Furniture Classics, it comes with a three-point locking system. Separate storage capacity is used for the small and large storage space to make it even more challenging to gain access to guns and valuables.

Goplus 2 Key 3 Gun Rifle Storage Cabinet

Another small gun cabinet I want to show you is the Goplus cabinet. Although it says it is a small long gun safe that can store up to 6 rifles, I would recommend it for 2-3 rifles because it is really small. The interior has a soft foam that prevents damaging the firearms and the cabinet comes with the barrel rest. There is another storage at the top of the cabinet you can use to store munition or documents because it has another door.

The cabinet has very sturdy steel construction and it comes with a 2-point locking system, at the top and at the bottom for better security. The cabinet may be slim but that doesn’t mean the burglars will be able to take it away or trip it because it comes with pre-drilled mounting holes in the back of the cabinet so you can mount it to the wall and keep it extra stable.

The pre-drilled holes make it great to attach it to any surface or wall, increasing the difficulty range for thieves to carry it off. It also has a powder-coated finish to improve the overall aesthetics and makes it more resistant to damage.

Best Choice Products 5-Rifle Safe

The Best Choice Products small rifle safe can store up to 5 rifles inside. It comes with a special barrel rest for them so you can be sure they won’t move around the safe. Just like the small gun cabinet above, this small long gun safe comes with internal lockbox you can use to store handguns and munition. The door uses an electronic combination lock which means you have to know the right PIN code if you want to open the safe.

The electronic lock needs batteries so the small rifle safe comes with backup keys to open the safe without using the electronic combination lock. The 3 locking bolts make sure that the door is shut when the lock is activated so you don’t have to worry about people breaking in.

Very tough and high-quality steel is used in the construction of this safe to give you maximum security for your rifles and valuables. Smaller valuables and ammo can be stored in the small storage space at the top for extra safety and security.

Barska Quick Access Biometric Rifle Safe AX11652

Barska is a brand that is known for their biometric locks and this small rifle safe is not an exception. The biometric lock on this safe can store up to 120 fingerprints which is pretty impressive and slightly too much for me, but you can use that vast range to scan your fingerprints in different angles. The quick access small rifle safe has a lock that opens the safe 2.5 seconds after activation so you can react as quickly as you need.

Its slim design makes it easy to blend in your home and in the office because you can hide the small long gun safe in the closet. That design means it can store up to 4 rifles and that is why it is considered the small rifle safe. The safe comes with a special emergency battery pack and a backup key if the batteries in the safe end up empty.

With tamper-resistant inner edges and very strong steel construction, the body of this safe is sturdy and strong enough to resist tampering. It is also very easy to install this safe thanks to the pre-drilled holes, and everything you need to install it is included.

Buyer’s Guide For Small Gun Safes

When shopping for a good small gun safe, there are a number of factors you need to look out for to make the right choice. This may include the ease of use and installation options, security factors, the overall quality of the build, and included features, to name a few.

Security Features

You should know beforehand what type of locking mechanisms are available to have better control over access to the contents. Some of the high-end gun safes come with a biometric fingerprint scanner to make them quite safe and inaccessible, limiting unauthorized instant access.

Others come with electronic keypad access with a locking combination only you as the owner of the safe have access to. It is very important that you maintain a high level of security regarding your gun safes at home or in the office.

There are many different methods of entry to the content in your safe, but all have a common feature, and that is to secure and safe storage of valuables.

Build And Weight

A safe that is lightweight and not mounted to the wall is relatively easy to carry away and can be opened at the thief’s leisure. You want to prevent or at least reduce the chances of your safe being carried off with everything inside it.

Most stand-alone safes are made from high gauge solid steel constructions making them heavy and difficult to cut through from the outside. This simply means that a thick steel plate is used to manufacture the body of a safe to add more weight and strength to it.

Larger safes are used to store rifles, while smaller safes can be used to store handguns, ammo, and other small valuables. Specialty safes for small handguns and ammo are also available for those who travel with their handguns to remote locations.

Price Range

Not all of us have the budget to buy the most expensive safe available on the market for our home or office. It is also true that not all expensive safes are the best for your specific purpose and circumstances.

It is necessary to do thorough research regarding safes and the price tag attached to them for a better picture. Do you need one with the most security features, which will cost more than one with a standard key lock mechanism?