Having manufactured military grade gun safes and gun lockers, many customers over the years have asked about the differences. They main question is if one is better than the other, and how to choose between the two if they’re stuck.
Good news, this guide will answer these questions, and we’ll keep it up-to-date as new customer inquiries come in.
We cover the:
- Appearance
- Locking mechanism
- Size and Capacity
- Usage
- When to choose which over the other
Appearance
Visually we naturally associate a storage unit with open holes in the metal doors or some form of pattern that allows you to see through it a locker, and a gun safe when the walls are solid. It makes sense visually, but a gun locker can have solid walls just like a gun safe, and the locking mechanism is the same as a locker. So the visual differences aren’t the only telltale sign of what the unit is.
And some storage units appear to be safes, but when you see them in person you’d likely consider it a locker because it’s just a key with a little latch that flips over and keeps the door locked. Or the metal could be thinner or seem less secure than what we’d imagine with a safe.
Bonus tip: The thickness of the metal does not always mean more security.
Locking Mechanism
This is the best way to differentiate a gun safe from a gun locker. Gun safes have bolts that penetrate into the metal walls for added locking whereas gun lockers may be a moveable piece of metal that simply rests behind the wall and turns with a key to lock and unlock the storage unit.
The locking mechanism on a gun safe can be a key, keypad, or biometric, while a gun locker is likely going to be a lock and key, or a keypad. It’s mostly the bolts that go into the wall that creates the difference between a gun safe and a gun locker.
Size and Capacity
Both gun safes and gun lockers come in all sizes, but gun safes tend to have smaller storage capacity than lockers because they’re more about protecting the firearm and being hidden from plain sight when there is an intruder. But the size and capacity do not matter when comparing the two, both can be large and small, so this one isn’t a qualifier, but it a common question.
Usage
Both are meant to provide secure storage for your firearms, but they serve very different purposes. Gun lockers are better than gun safes if you need something with easy access and multiple people need access. This includes gun clubs, ranges, storage for your hunting room, etc….
The purpose of the gun locker is storage and enabling the people that need access to have access whereas gun safes are for securing and storing your firearms and being accessible to you and not a potential threat when you need your firearms for protection. That’s where these play very different roles.
Burglars may enter through your garage, and a gun safe with thick metal doors may be more intimidating for them to try and open than a gun locker where they can see the firearms. The threat may think that picking the lock could give them an advantage over you. But that is speculation and may not hold true for your situation.
When to Choose Which
Both gun safes and gun lockers make sense for multiple situations, but there are a few in particular where one makes more sense than the other. It is better to go with a gun safe than a gun locker when it will be in the path of an intruder as a gun safe can be hidden and give you the element of surprise. And this applies to houses with kids too.
Your kids might be aware that the gun locker is no place for them, but if they have friends that sleep over or you have family for the holidays, a gun locker may seem like something the other kids may try to break into so they can play with the guns. A safe blocks their eyesight of the firearms and may seem more intimidating, so they’ll leave your firearms alone when comparing the physical design of a gun locker to a gun safe. But don’t count lockers out.
If you have a firing range, a gun club, or a secured gun room you hang out with your buddies in, gun lockers make accessing them and counting to make sure all guns are secured and inventory is accounted for is easier than a gun safe as you can see through. The same goes for police stations and security firms. Gun lockers provide ample secure storage while letting your teams access their firearms quickly and efficiently.
There’s benefits to both gun safes and gun lockers, and when you have to choose between them, consider where it will be located, how much visibility you want for your firearms, and the level of security you want in a locking system. Did you find this guide helpful? Subscribe to our blog for more just like it.