Rifle Rods

What if I have a metal or plastic shelf?

Some safe manufacturers have switched from a plywood shelf to a metal or plastic shelf. This does create a challenge for the proper installation of Rifle Rods. At this point, we still recommend a wooden shelf. You can either attach a 3/4" plywood to the bottom of the metal/plastic shelf or replace it all together - Click here for instructions. The Shelf Liner included in Rifle Rods Kits is the absolute best product on the market. It is an industrial grade loop fabric that does not fray over time, which creates a safe environment for storing guns using Rifle Rods.

An adhesive backed loop fabric is not a good long term solution. We have found that in a humid environment or over a period of time, adhesive will wear out and peel away from its mounted surface. GSS does not want to sell a product that does not provide longevity for your gun storage. We realize your gun collection is important to you and we want to provide the highest quality product. For more information please read our blog post on this subject.

Why don't you make a longer/stronger Rifle Rod?

We often hear a similar suggestion from customers about the need to either make the rods longer or stronger. We try to be as universal as possible and through our testing have determined that this length and stiffness is the best.  The stiffness is a bit of a difficult issue because we want the rods to flex and move with the weight of the guns as they settle into their natural resting place, but this also limits the length that we can make them to be effective.  We've tested nearly every type of plastic that can work with our application and still have had to blend a special type for our purposes. Adding an insert, like a steel rod, and then over-molding it would make our product far too expensive. 

So, our solution is actually pretty simple. Every case in which we find that the guns are sagging or have too much play has one thing in common; the guns are too far away from the shelf above them. We try to make clear in the directions that often you may need to put something under the gun to bring it up closer to the shelf. We understand that this can be difficult given that the barrel lengths and type vary so much, but with a bit of creative organizing and perhaps minor engineering it is usually possible to get all of the guns to relatively the same height.
We have seen all kinds of things done to achieve this, but our suggestion, in general, is to create two separate compartments. Separate the guns you have into two general categories, short and long. Then create a shelf height that is just a couple inches higher than the length of the longest gun in each category. If the guns will be sharing the same shelf space, we suggest building a small half shelf for the shorter guns that will boost them up to nearly the same height as the longer ones. Take a look at the photos in our customer reviews section of the website.  There are several examples showing a variety of ways this is achieved. In the event that you have some really, really long guns, you may need to create a cutout on the shelf itself so that the barrel can extend beyond the shelf height using the cutout itself as a traditional barrel rest. We have a whole blog post written to this subject. Check it out here.

I hope that you can see that this is not something that we have not given a lot of thought to. We take your questions and concerns very seriously and just want you to know that we are constantly looking for improvements to our products and that we will do anything to ensure that our customers achieve the absolute best results possible. 

What if I have some guns that are too short for the Rifle Rods?

For varying lengths of guns, arrange guns of similar heights together. If the Rifle Rod is not halfway down the barrel of the gun, an object should be placed underneath the gun to boost it up and make up for the difference in height. Suggested objects are: ammo cans, books, or boxes. The best solution is to build a custom shelf to the size that is desired. This will give storage for ammo underneath the guns. We have a whole blog post written to this subject. Check it out here.

Rifle Rods seem loose in my shotguns.  Why aren't they available in different calibers?

Rifle Rods are made at one standard size for 22 caliber rifles and any caliber size larger. One of the best features of our products is their versatility. Everyone's gun collection is different so we want to make sure that our product is one size fits all (excluding smaller than 22 caliber). Yes, this means that Rifle Rods will have more wiggle room in a 50 gauge shotgun, but this does not hinder the function of the product.  

Gravity is our friend, keeping the weight of the gun distributed on the floor. The Rifle Rod stabilizes the gun in the upright position. A tighter fit in the barrel may seem appropriate, but you will find over time that Rifle Rods made for specific calibers is an unnecessary feature. This feature would add to the price of the product and take away from its simplicity and universal ease of use.

What is the most space saving layout for Rifle Rods?

First and foremost, when installing Rifle Rods, remove the notched gun rack. This unit is no longer necessary and will take away space needed for Rifle Rods to store the maximum amount of guns in your safe. 

The most efficient way to use Rifle Rods is to make three rows from front to back. Line guns with iron sights along the back wall of the safe. Guns with scopes can fill in the middle and front row. They will spoon nicely with the profile of the gun behind.