Magazine mounts, holders, and racks
If you have a lot of semi-automatic (or full-auto, you lucky dog) guns, you know that magazine storage can eat up a lot of space inside your safe and create a lot of clutter. Keeping your magazines properly stowed can be a lot easier if you have the right accessories.
Liberty’s MagMount is a self-adhesive magnetic wall mount (with optional tacks or screws for mounting elsewhere) that allows you to store your metallic/magnetic magazines on the safe door, walls, or even under the shelves! Works with most magazines (as long as they attract a magnet) and can keep your magazines out of the way but still ready for easy access when you want them.
If you have an AR-15 (or several) you probably get tired of your AR mags falling over in your safe like dominoes, scratching your guns, or just generally being in the way. Liberty’s AR-15 Magazine Holder is the perfect solution for storing your AR magazines, and the design works for polymer magazines like the Magpul PMAG and similar. This convenient safe storage solution is designed to provide you quick access to your mags while keeping them clean and organized. They even work with “ranger plates” in place on your mags.
Liberty’s MagMinder magazine hanging racks are another innovative storage solution to help you organize your magazines in your gun safe and free up room. These USA-made, vinyl-coated steel racks work similarly to the Handgun Hangers, but in this case pistol or rifle magazines with flared-out basepads (like PMAGS, Glock mags, SIG P320 mags, H&K mags, etc.) are hung upside down from the rack below a shelf for easy access.
Liberty’s Mag Holder magnet kit is a simple way to add magnetic magazine holders to the inside of your safe (or any other surface)! These high-strength magnets are easy to install with the included hardware and won't affect the finish of your guns.
More tips for gun storage inside your safe
Opinions vary about the best way to store firearms inside gun safes, but almost everyone agrees that leather holsters and gun cases are not ideal for long-term storage, as they can store moisture and may contain corrosive tanning chemicals that can accelerate rust. For best results firearms should be thoroughly cleaned, and then either waxed with something like Renaissance Wax, or kept lightly oiled or treated with an effective anti-corrosion surface treatment.
Some people like to keep guns in silicone-impregnated anti-rust “gun socks” inside their safes, and these can be useful in preventing rust as well as dings from guns knocking against each other inside the safe when you’re moving things around.
Oily or greasy or dirty firearms should never be placed directly on the carpeted surfaces of your safe’s interior, as those stains can be very difficult to remove (and the chemicals in gun oils and solvents might react with the material in the fabric and impact your firearms’ finish). We’ll go over safe cleaning tips below.
Ideally, your safe should be kept at an appropriate humidity level to help prevent rust, but not so dry that it causes damage and cracking to expensive wooden firearm stocks. Most people recommend keeping your gun safe between 30 and 50% humidity at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in an area with higher humidity, you should definitely invest in a safe dehumidifier.
There are some other concerns you may not have thought about. On shotguns and rifles stored for long periods muzzle-up, rubber, foam, and/or leather buttpads may compress over time and “take a set.” In addition, gun solvents and lubricating oils used too enthusiastically on a firearm’s action can seep down into the buttstock wood, and actually can ruin it over time. So you might consider storing some (or all) of your guns muzzle down, or rotating them each time you take them out to examine them for signs of corrosion.
Some firearms, like fine over-under shotguns, are recommended to “dry fire” their internal hammers before storage, to prevent damage to their action springs. Check with the manufacturer to see if they recommend “snap caps” to prevent damage to the firing pins. There are even “wooly” snap caps that can help absorb excess oil as well as preventing flash rust in the chambers for storage.
Gun safe organization tips
As we mentioned above, items you need to access more regularly should be stored in the front portions of the shelving, and this goes for firearms as well. Collector guns you don’t plan to handle or access often can go along the back, with the firearms you need to access more regularly for hunting, competition, recreation, or sporting use stored along the front racks and shelves.
Whether you wish to store your ammunition inside the same safe as your firearms is a personal choice, but some experts as well as local fire ordinances may recommend you store ammunition over a certain amount, as well as any reloading powders in excess of 20 pounds, in a wooden cabinet or in some cases a designated “powder magazine” away from your primary residence. Check your local laws for specifics.
If your collection has gotten to the point where you’re having a hard time deciding which guns need to be stored in your safe and which guns will have to be kept in a cabinet or closet instead, it’s time to buy another (probably larger) safe, in our view.
Gun safe maintenance and cleaning tips
Let’s go over how often you should examine and clean your safe, as well as provide some helpful tips.
How often should I clean my safe?
Some safe dealers may recommend you clean your safe once a month or even more, but the frequency of cleaning depends on a few variables, including how often you access the safe, the contents of your safe, the humidity and environment in the area you use your safe, the dust and other particulates in the air, the natural acids present in the users’ particular skin, and other factors.
Firearms collectors living in very humid areas may wish to remove all of their guns and inspect them on a monthly basis, or every 3-6 months if it’s not very humid where you live. This not only allows you to stay on top of any rust that may be starting to form or progress, but emptying your safe is a great opportunity to clean and reorganize it if necessary.
A business safe that is stored in a busy area and that may be opened several times a day, potentially by multiple users and/or in a dusty environment, will obviously need more attention and cleaning than a home safe that might be opened only a few times a year.
Tips on cleaning the exterior of your safe
The basic rule here is to use a duster or a clean, soft cloth to remove loose dust and particulates first, and then use very mild soap, or potentially only a damp microfiber towel, to wipe off any fingerprints or other contaminants on the painted exterior of your safe.
Keep solvents, paint/metal polishing compounds, buffers, degreasers, and similar compounds away from your safe. Definitely don’t apply any soaps or harsh cleaners to the silkscreened logos or decals on your safe, and don’t rub them or try to polish them, as they can be damaged.
Be careful to avoid getting water into the dial or digital keypad area of your safe, or into the hinges. Don’t use a soaking-wet cloth to wipe down your safe. Don’t try to polish the dial or handles of your safe with any chemicals or compounds, as this may remove protective coatings and actually accelerate finish wear.
If kept clean, the shiny, painted exterior surfaces of your safe will likely not need anything like carnauba wax, but if desired, this is appropriate. Be sure to keep wax away from screened or printed logos and decals. Note that a “flat” or “matte” finished safe exterior should not be polished or waxed, but rather simply kept free of dust using the recommendations above.
Tips for cleaning your safe’s interior
The best practice here is to avoid leaving the safe door open for long periods, and to store all contents properly to avoid getting the interior of your safe dirty in the first place. Books/paper items, currency, and precious metals should be stored in acid-free, non-reactive covers, and as we mentioned above, firearms shouldn’t be placed with their oiled/greased surfaces directly on the carpeted interior of your safe. Oil and grease stains can be difficult or impossible to remove.
If you find your safe’s interior has become dusty or dirty, here are some tips for cleaning:
- Remove all your safe’s contents as well as any movable shelving so you have full access to the interior carpeted surfaces.
- Vacuum all the surfaces, with particular attention paid to the corners, and make sure the bristles of any brush or nozzle you use are very clean. If you use a nozzle or brush that previously vacuumed an oily/dirty surface, for example, you may inadvertently transfer some of that contaminant onto your safe’s interior.
- After vacuuming out any loose dirt or dust, use a clean, lint-free microfiber cloth to wipe off any areas that may need extra attention. If absolutely necessary, a mild soap and water solution may be blotted on with the cloth, and blotted off with a different, new, clean cloth.
- Be very careful to avoid soaking any areas (excess moisture inside your safe is bad), and allow the area to fully air dry before reinserting the shelving (if applicable) and contents of your safe.
- Never use carpet cleaner or other strong solvents. The fumes or liquids may be corrosive and harmful to guns, electronics, or other valuables.
- Make sure to keep water, soap, etc. well away from any dehumidifiers, lights, or other electronics in your safe.
Tips for maintaining the locking mechanism, dial, hinges, and handle of your safe
For weekly/monthly cleaning and maintenance, we recommend you just wipe down the handle and dial of your safe with a clean, soft, lightly damp cloth. It is probably unnecessary for non-professional users to lubricate the hinges (done improperly this can get messy), and only a professional should be looking at the internal dial and locking mechanisms.
We recommend having a professional examine and lubricate your safe’s locking mechanism, hinges, dial, and handle once a year, even if you don’t open your safe very often. Lubricants can congeal and harden over time, and the internal mechanisms of your safe need to be kept clean, with fresh, lockwork-approved lubricants applied. It’s a lot cheaper and less hassle to have a professional lubricate and maintain the lock and dial of an open safe than it is to hire a professional to try to open a stuck-locked safe with a gummed-up dial or lock mechanism.
See our article for full details on how to clean and polish your safe.
Get the best safes and accessories at Liberty Safe
These techniques and gun safe accessories can help you keep your safe clean, organized, and well-maintained. As far as which safe you should choose, we recommend a USA-made Liberty gun safe. Even if you have a safe (or more) already, once you fill up one safe, we’ve found you can always use another… and it may as well be the best!