I agree that you should consider a gun safe unless you're really confident in your security measures. Safes also add some fire-proofing and storage for valuables besides guns. However, you'll be very disappointed how many rifles you can really get in a "10-rifle" safe. Transporting and installing one are also serious issues.
If you know those are all the rifles you will have and they will continue to look the same, that helps a lot. If you sometimes add or remove scopes, carry handles or pistol grips or change stocks or barrel lengths that can make a difficult problem worse. Scopes really mess up the traditional gun cabinet because either the scope is what's leaning against the wall or the support for the barrel is deep, eating up floor space.
I don't like the U-shaped configuation John describes but I don't know a better way to do it and make efficient use of the space, which is very limited after adding the shelves. Without the shelves, I'd consider 2 U's if you have more than 24-26" interior width.
You can store them in rows but if you have to move guns to get at others, you need a place to put the ones you move. You also need support for the front row.
Storing some guns muzzle-down may help since it reduces the number of bulkier stocks competing for floor space.
If you have only a few with long barrels, you can notch the upper shelf for the barrels. But if you will always have to move those to get to others, that's a nuisance and if you're setting them by the hinged side of the door because that's the only available space, you really don't want to forget and close the door on them.
If you're OK with a flat single-row cabinet, that would be the easiest to build and easiest to use at the cost of inefficent use of wall space and lack of security.
Good luck. If you decide to get a gun safe, "Which gun safe should I buy?" is a really good topic to start an interminable thread with.
Reply With Quote