We all love every part of our firearm collection, but rifles tend to stand out as a favorite for most. And for a good reason. Especially the AR pattern of rifles, which are basically Legos for grown-ups.
Whatever your preference is for a rifle, you can make it. There are thousands of accessories, and you can even design your own modern firearm parts with a 3D printer. The possibilities with ARs are truly endless.
But when you collect a bunch of ARs, you might run into the struggle of storing these valuable guns. Do you lock them all in an expensive safe? Do you throw them in storage sleeves in the corner of your closet? These are two okay options (the closet one is debatable), but cause gun owners to miss out on the benefits that come from mounting their AR.
Let’s take a look at how rifle storage is evolving and what Hold Up Displays has in mind for your rifle, carbine, and pistol storage needs.
Storing Rifles
So, storing rifles presents some unique challenges. They can be bulky, expensive, and prone to getting scratched or marred.
You might be tempted to stack them up in the corner of the closet or laundry room, and with this setup, you'll likely see them start to do the slide. Pretty soon, your whole stash of rifles is in a pile on the floor. And we all know, this isn’t all that great for home security or the rifles themselves.
AR-15s, AR-10, and AK-47s
Whether you're accommodating AR-15s, AR-10s, or AK-47s, a vertical, mounted storage solution is the best way to store your rifles.
What about a safe? — We don’t have anything against safes; they certainly have their place. But many gun owners are overlooking the benefits of mounting your long guns on a flat wall or slatwall display.
A wall mount provides a great platform for your AR or AK rifles that looks fantastic and is always loaded out exactly how you want it to be.
Home Defense
Speed and ease of access are the names of the game for a home defense storage system. When using an AR-15, AR-9, or AK-47 for home defense, you need a storage system that works with you and supports you in arming yourself as quickly as possible.
The odds are that Murphy’s Law will be in full swing if the unthinkable happens. Murphy dictates conditions will be the very worst possible. It’s dark. You’re sleepy. Your adrenaline is jacked. If your weapon of choice is a carbine for home defense, which is a great choice, you need it accessible. Nothing is more accessible than keeping your carbine and five of its closest friends on our Gun Wall Bundle. It is equipped to hold your six carbines, rifles, or shotguns and can also handle up to six handguns.
We made sure to include plenty of storage for magazines, and the pistol hangers can hang your chest rig if you’re into that sort of thing.
Hunting Rifles
Of course, our gun walls aren’t specific or picky about what kind of rifles they hold and display. If you don’t need to store kits, extra magazines, and handguns, we understand that, too.
If you have a brace of hunting rifles or a mix of hunting and tactical, but don’t need full kit at the ready, then our rifle rack slatwall display might be right up your alley. Holding up to twelve long guns, it is burly enough to hold whatever hunting rifles you have in your stable, from small-bore varmint guns to big-bore moose hammerers.
Competitive Rifles
You didn’t think we forgot about competitive rifles, did you? Of course not! Our competitive shooting brethren have just as big a seat at the table as anyone else.
Hold Up Displays are particularly useful for shooting sheds at your range. You want your rifles displayed with pride, but they must also be secure.
Rifle Storage Considerations
Your rifles are a substantial investment. Even a budget rifle costs around $400. So a rack of 12 budget rifles is still nearly five grand in firearms. With that in mind, you want a reliable and durable mounting system.
Security & Safety
Security is your first and foremost concern. Two big events cause concern for all owners: guns getting in the wrong hands of children or guns getting in the wrong hands of criminals.
Both have potentially disastrous consequences.
Hold Up Displays understands this, so security is of the utmost importance to us. All of our wall-mounted displays are made to attach directly to your wall framing, providing the highest level of security.
We then offer a product line of locking devices to ensure that your firearms will not be stolen. Whether you want a simple cable lock fed through your rack or a single locking long gun display, we’ve got all the best solutions to secure your rifles.
Frequency of Use
If you are a regular shooter, you want to have your rifle at hand without digging it out of the vault. You wanted a wall mount in the first place because of ease of access. We understand that.
There is no more convenient solution for mounting your AR-15s, AR-10s, CETMEs (yeah, we went there), and of course, AKs than any other options. Oh, you have an MP-5? Lucky you! Yeah, we can mount those, too.
Guns are shot, not looked at, but of course, we understand that art is meant to be admired, and your collection is art. You want it to look good and stand out! That’s why we prioritize form and function in our gun walls.
Mounting Your AR
AR-15s are pretty slick carbines. Fully collapsed, they are only 32 ½” long. They fit in many tight places, making them ideal truck guns or even bedside guns with the right storage. Of course, this might not be an option if you own a bunch of AR-15s (we all have goals).
Benefits
Your ARs are meant to be used, but it’s also great to admire them. But more than that, keeping them out in the open promotes a culture of cleanliness and use. When they are out in the open on a wall, you notice little things like dust build-up, and especially any corrosion. You are much better off identifying rust on your guns immediately, and the truth is that safe guns go unnoticed for a while. And that is kind of the whole idea; they get locked up. When they are locked up, corrosion goes unnoticed and spreads.
Designating a Gun Room or Closet
We love gun rooms. What’s there not to love? It’s an entire room dedicated to guns! And it doesn’t have to be a giant, Instagram-driven room filled to the brim with guns and accessories; even a coat closet can provide ample space for an extensive collection of guns if you properly equip the room. But ideally, if you have a vast collection, it would suit you well with a walk-in gun room. Even a small spare bedroom (10x10) can store lots of guns securely.
If a spare bedroom is out of the question, then a closet will do just fine. The cool thing about a closet is that you can go floor to ceiling with a slat wall for storage.
Since a typical closet is about four feet wide, you can mount your AR-15s horizontally no problem. You can stack them up. Of course, we can only speculate on how many you can stack since all closets are different, but it will be a bunch.
Building a Gun Vault
Vaults are sort of the Holy Grail for gun owners. Fully secure, a vault room use a heavy solid-core steel door to be as sturdy as possible. If you were to add onto a slab, the best option for a vault room would be a concrete block room with a steel door.
Again, we have no solid head count on how many guns it could store, but with our gun wall options and free-standing gun racks to optimize floor space, you can store many guns in even a modestly sized vault room.
AR Mounts & Racks
Maybe you want something a little more low profile to mount your favorite rifle. We feature some of the best long gun mounts, including simple, yet effective horizontal wall hooks, vertical holders, and a locking one piece display. Every product from Hold Up Display is American-Made with the best materials. Our hooks safely cradle and protect your valuable AR.
The Best AR Mounting Solutions
At the end of the day, your rifle storage solution should be just as customizable as the guns themselves. You know your house and living situation better than anyone else does.
That's why Hold Up Displays provides a wide range of storage solutions, to store your exact number of guns, exactly how you'd like. Our products feature easy installation, mounted on your wall studs or on drywall anchors, to get your ARs safely mounted ASAP. Our products are guaranteed high-quality and even feature a lifetime warranty.
Whether you have a modest collection of a few ARs and AKs sprinkled with handguns or a full-blown arsenal, our fully modular systems and gun racks are ready for your space. Our customer service reps are here to help you find the perfect storage solution — check out our offerings and give us a call with any questions!
Also, check out our blog archives to help inspire your dream gun storage solution.