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Gun cabinet buying guide: length, locks and fixing

Updated: 17 October 2026

You are choosing a gun cabinet before the home visit, and the page in front of you is a 40 cm jewellery safe, a 900 mm breakdown cabinet, or a keypad box with no stated length. This gun cabinet buying guide puts the decision in order: internal length, then two locks and a fixing into brick, concrete, or joists, then a BS 7558 claim you can explain after withdrawal. Shelf prices stay on our [gun cabinet comparison](/hub/safes-and-secure-storage/gun-cabinet). We used amazon.co.uk listings from 15 October 2026 and the Firearms security handbook, with no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are choosing a gun cabinet before the home visit, and the page in front of you is a 40 cm jewellery safe, a 900 mm breakdown cabinet, or a keypad box with no stated length.

Our top picks

GDK GDK 2-gun breakdown

Best overall

GDK GDK 2-gun breakdown
9.2/10about £159.99
View offer
GDK GDK ZC3gun

Rank 2

GDK GDK ZC3gun
8.8/10about £179.99
View offer
Sealey Sealey SGS3

Rank 3

Sealey Sealey SGS3
4.0/10about £181.02
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Length and capacity
  2. 2.Locks, keys, and what a keypad does not change
  3. 3.What the cabinet must be fixed to
  4. 4.The BS 7558 claim after withdrawal

Length and capacity

Internal length comes first. The Firearms Rules 1998 do not name a size. They require secure storage so far as is reasonably practicable. You still measure the gun as you will store it. A 40 cm jewellery safe cannot hold an unbroken shotgun. The GDK breakdown cabinet is 900 mm high. It suits guns that come apart, and it is the wrong buy when the stock stays on the barrels. The ZC3gun is stated at 1300 × 245 × 205 mm. The Sealey SGS3 states a longest gun of 1.2 m. If maximum gun length is n/a, you cannot check the fit. Who each listing is for is on best gun cabinet.

Locks, keys, and what a keypad does not change

For a full-length door, look for two locking devices, or a multi-point system that does the same job. One key lock on a tall door is a weaker story at a visit than two. A single lock on a take-down cabinet is a different product. Keys, and any keypad override, stay outside the cabinet. BASC notes that there is no statutory requirement for a cabinet as such, and that keys must not be obvious. A keypad is not a higher legal class. Leave the band around £180 for a keypad only if the override stays outside. The drilling sequence is on how to install a gun cabinet.
GDK GDK 2-gun breakdown

Testsieger

GDK GDK 2-gun breakdown
9.2/10about £159.99
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What the cabinet must be fixed to

The handbook prefers brick, concrete, or masonry, and it accepts joists. Coach screws into joists are at least 8 mm by 63 mm, into the joists rather than the floorboards. That size is not a universal bolt for brick. Plasterboard alone is not the structure. If the wall is stud, thermal block, or unknown, stop and ask a structural professional, or ask the enquiry officer, before you drill. The same stop applies when you rent and cannot drill. The cabinet should sit out of casual view, in the dwelling. The suspended-floor example is about 56 lb per square foot. The GDK 10-gun cabinet at about 48 kg is a reason to read the install page first.

The BS 7558 claim after withdrawal

BS 7558:1992 was published on 31 March 1992 and withdrawn on 7 November 2025. There is no successor and no BS 7558:2023. The handbook and the Police Service of Northern Ireland still name BS 7558. A claim on a product page is evidence you may be asked to explain. It is not a line in the Firearms Act. Police approved on a retailer page is the seller’s words. Shotgun cartridges are outside the statutory shotgun condition. The handbook still says to lock them away where children live. How the nations differ is on the certificate-storage page linked below. Stay with a two-lock key cabinet around £180 unless the guns need more length.

Common questions

When is a breakdown cabinet the wrong buy?
It is the wrong buy when the gun does not come apart. The 900 mm GDK breakdown cabinet is for a take-down owner in a small space. An unbroken stock and barrels will not become a short gun because the cabinet was cheaper. If you have to leave the gun whole, look at a full-length cabinet instead.
Do I need two locks, or is one enough?
For a full-length door, two locking devices, or a multi-point system, match the pattern the handbook describes. One lock can be enough on a small take-down cabinet, and it is a weaker explanation on a tall door. The Rules do not set a number. Two locks you can point to are easier to discuss at a visit than a single latch.
Does a keypad count as a higher legal class?
No. A keypad changes how you open the door. It does not change level 1 in the handbook, which is a cabinet fixed to the building. Move from a key cabinet around £180 to a keypad only if the override stays outside. A graded commercial safe is a different product, and the officer is the person who asks for it.
What should the cabinet be bolted to?
Bolt it to brick, concrete, or masonry, or to joists, not to plasterboard on its own. The handbook’s coach-screw size for joists is at least 8 mm by 63 mm, into the joist rather than the floorboard. Stud, thermal block, and an unknown wall are a stop for a professional or for your enquiry officer. A lock does not compensate for a cabinet that lifts off the wall.
Does a BS 7558 claim mean the police have approved it?
No. BS 7558:1992 was withdrawn on 7 November 2025, and it was never a sentence in the Firearms Act. A claim on a listing is the maker’s or seller’s statement. Police approved is the same kind of sentence. The home visit is where your force accepts or refuses the cabinet, the fixing, and the place you have chosen.

Related pages

Gun cabinet certificate storage

Gun cabinet

Best gun cabinet: who each listing in this set is for

How to install a gun cabinet on brick, joists or floor

Gun cabinet vs gun safe for UK certificate storage

Sources

Public UK sources on firearm and shotgun storage, BS 7558:1992, and air weapons. Listing prices and star counts are from the amazon.co.uk extracts kept for this comparison, dated 15 October 2026. Prices move.

  1. The Firearms Rules 1998 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. Firearms security handbook 2020 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. Statutory guidance for firearms licensing, August 2025 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. BS 7558:1992 listing (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Circular 005/2023, storage of air weapons (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Air weapons: a brief guide to safety (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. PSNI firearms and explosives branch (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Scottish Government, air weapon licensing (retrieved 15 October 2026)