How to properly store short guns using Rifle Rods.

**Blog post update**

Check out our video that addresses the topic of storing short rifles with Rifle Rods!

Short guns have always been a storage issue no matter what style gun rack you are using. This post gives 4 suggestions on how to properly store guns of differing lengths using Rifle Rods. (Spoiler alert: A longer Rifle Rod is not the answer, though it is a common request from our customers. Keep reading to see why.)

1. Lower the shelf.

This is the easiest thing you can do. If there is a lot of distance between all of your guns and the shelf above, lower the shelf. This will stabilize all of the guns and give you more shelf space - win, win!

2. Use the shelves in your safe.

Use the shelves on each side of the safe to raise up the shorter guns or lower down to meet the shorter guns where they are. See the pictures below as examples of this strategy. You will get extra space this way too!

3. Use items found around the house.  

Ammo cans, books, blocks of wood, bed risers, storage containers, bean bags - any of these objects can be used to boost up shorter guns.

4. Build custom risers.

Some folks have gone above and beyond to create the perfect storage area for their guns. It may take a little work, but you'll have exactly what you need customized for your space. Again, you'll have more room to store ammo, etc underneath.

Why not longer Rifle Rods?

The number one request we have regarding the functionality of Rifle Rods is to increase the length of the rod. It's a legitimate request and if we felt that was a good solution, we would have done it by now. After much research and development we have resolved that you, the customer, would not be happy with a longer Rifle Rod either.

Longer Rifle Rods are not the solution.

Gun Storage Solutions is a company that listens to its customers, that's why Rifle Rods exist in the first place. But, as Henry Ford once said, "If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse." 

Why a longer Rifle Rod is not the solution.

Rifle Rods are made of plastic so that it will be safe for the bore of the gun. It is a strong, injection molded plastic product, but there are limits to its strength. The longer the Rifle Rod is, the weaker the plastic gets near the bottom.

The instructions for use of Rifle Rods recommend keeping the rod halfway down the barrel of the gun. The further up the choke is on the Rifle Rod, the more secure your gun will be. Imagine if your AR is occupying the bottom 2" of a 24" Rifle Rod... Your gun would be wobbling around and you would not be happy. 

Keeping it simple.

GSS has considered making a thicker Rifle Rod which could make for a longer stronger rod. However, the issue at hand is for short guns, which usually have smaller calibers. In this case, the Rifle Rod needs to maintain the current diameter.

Making different calibers of Rifle Rods would only drive up costs and over-complicate a simple product. We are striving to keep it simple with a one-size-fits-all versatility that we currently have with a 22 caliber Rifle Rod. 

Onward and Upward

We hope this post helps to clarify one of our FAQ's. If you're having an issue with your short rifles while using Rifle Rods, check over our four suggestions above and see what you could rearrange in your safe. It may take some creative thinking and a little elbow grease, but you will end up with more storage space and an interior that houses your collection perfectly. We have a lot more before and after pictures to peruse for ideas here.