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How to bolt down a gun cabinet

Updated: 16 October 2026

You already have a cabinet or a portable box, and you want to know how to bolt down a gun cabinet without guessing a bolt the handbook does not print. The Firearms Security Handbook 2020 expects a new BS 7558:1992 cabinet to be fixed to the building, and sited out of easy view. A cable on a pistol box only slows a grab. The five listings on our [grade 0 gun safe comparison](/hub/safes-and-secure-storage/grade-0-gun-safe) include no masonry bolt pattern. This page will not invent a bolt diameter. The Products Compared editorial team used the handbook and the amazon.co.uk fixing lines, and did not drill a wall. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already have a cabinet or a portable box, and you want to know how to bolt down a gun cabinet without guessing a bolt the handbook does not print.

Our top picks

Genie Hand Genie Hand W90

Best overall

Genie Hand Genie Hand W90
4.1/10about £280
View offer
BILLCONCH BILLCONCH BG-J11

Rank 2

BILLCONCH BILLCONCH BG-J11
8.2/10about £134.43
View offer
TOPMEDA TOPMEDA GS202

Best value

TOPMEDA TOPMEDA GS202
6.3/10about £133.98
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What fixed means in the handbook
  2. 2.What these five boxes include
  3. 3.Keys, cables and where the box sits
  4. 4.When to stop

What fixed means in the handbook

Paragraph 2.1 says a new cabinet should meet BS 7558:1992, be fixed to the building, and not sit in easy view. A steel cable around a table leg can be sensible for a 4 kg box. It does not become that rule because screws were in the carton. None of these listings documents a masonry bolt pattern. Follow the cabinet’s own sheet, and stop if the wall is not obviously masonry. The eurograde and cabinet tests are on the versus page. In a mobile home or caravan, paragraphs 2.25 to 2.28 name a BS 7558 cabinet or EN 1143-1 Grade 1, 2 or 3, plus a floor-load check. Those grades are not Grade 0.

What these five boxes include

The BILLCONCH includes a key and a steel cable, at 3.8 kg, with tabletop mounting and no screw count. US reviews say to fit the cable to the fixed object first. One mentions boat stairs. That is not a UK installation test. The TOPMEDA includes a cable, four screws and two keys, at 3.99 kg, with a 3 mm cable claimed at about 1.5 metres. The TOPINCN title names screws and gives no count. The KEhtu extract states no fixing. The Genie Hand W90 is free standing, 10.6 kg, with no bolt kit.
Genie Hand Genie Hand W90

Testsieger

Genie Hand Genie Hand W90
4.1/10about £280
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Keys, cables and where the box sits

The Genie Hand bullet says the emergency keys open the safe at any time and should be kept with someone else. The included line says four B-Class keys and the bullet says two, so count them and move them. A key in the drawer under the box removes the lock. Fit the cable to the fixed point first, then to the box. A loop around a leg that can be lifted is a handle, not an anchor. Out of easy view does not mean a pistol box in a sock drawer has met BS 7558.

When to stop

Stop if the wall is not obviously masonry and the sheet calls for bolts into the structure. Plasterboard and a floor you cannot see from below are reasons to pause. These boxes are 3.32 kg to 10.6 kg. Certified Grade 0 examples are often 60 kg and up, and Burton states about 65 kg. Moving that mass is at least a two-person job. This page has no bolt diameter, because none is in the extracts. In a mobile home or caravan the named grades are 1, 2 or 3, or a BS 7558 cabinet, not Grade 0. The nation split is on the certificate page. The check order is on the buying guide.

Common questions

Does the handbook want a cabinet bolted to the building?
For a new cabinet, yes. Paragraph 2.1 of the Firearms Security Handbook 2020 says the cabinet should meet BS 7558:1992 and be fixed, and sited out of easy view. Fixed means attached to the building so the cabinet is not carried away. The handbook does not print a bolt diameter for the boxes in this set. Follow the cabinet’s own fixing sheet, and stop if the wall is not the structure that sheet assumes.
Is a security cable the same as a bolt fixing?
No. A cable on a 4 kg pistol box can slow a snatch if the far end stays in the room. US reviews describe looping a cable to furniture, and they describe awkward fitting. That is a delay, not the handbook’s fixing for a BS 7558 cabinet. Four screws in a TOPMEDA carton do not change the category. A certificate cabinet still needs the fixing the handbook describes.
Which boxes include a cable or screws?
The BILLCONCH includes a key and a steel cable. The TOPMEDA includes a cable, four screws and two keys, with a 3 mm cable claimed and a 60-inch length in the special-features line. The TOPINCN title names screws and gives no count. The KEhtu extract does not state a fixing. The Genie Hand W90 is free standing and has no bolt kit. None of the extracts includes a masonry bolt pattern.
Where should override keys live?
Away from the box, and with someone else if the listing says so. The Genie Hand bullet says emergency keys open the safe at any time and should be kept with someone else. A spare key in the same drawer, or on a hook beside the cabinet, removes the lock. The same point applies to the pistol-box keys. If you are the only key holder, keep the key out of the room, not in the furniture the cable is around.
What changes in a mobile home or caravan?
Paragraphs 2.25 to 2.28 say the ideal is a BS 7558 cabinet or a commercial safe to EN 1143-1 Grade 1, 2 or 3, and they tell you to check the floor load. Those grades are not Grade 0. A lightweight box with screws does not meet that paragraph because it is easy to carry. If the floor cannot take a heavier safe, stop and ask. Do not pretend a cable is Grade 1.

Related pages

Gun cabinet comparison

Grade 0 gun safe

Best pistol safe nightstand: two boxes, not Grade 0

Grade 0 gun safe: what the name should mean before you pay

Firearm certificate gun cabinet requirements in the UK

EN 1143-1 Grade 0 vs BS 7558: two tests, two objects

Sources

Public UK sources and dealer pages used for this comparison, last checked on 16 October 2026.

  1. Firearms Security Handbook 2020 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Firearms licensing: statutory guidance for chief officers (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. BS EN 1143-1:2019, BSI catalogue entry (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. EN 1143-1:2019 public preview table (30 resistance units) (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Secured by Design: home safes (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Storage of air weapons in England and Wales (circular 005/2023) (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. PSNI Firearms and Explosives Branch (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Burton Grade 0 home safe (seller cash line) (retrieved 16 October 2026)