Secureit: Modular Secure Gun Storage System

Modular secure storage is one of the best things to come down the pike in recent years. One company in this space is SecureIt, which has been building customizable gun storage for more than two decades. The firm got its start when its CEO, Tom Kubiniec, was tapped by the Department of Defense to develop storage systems that would elminate the clutter that was part and parcel to military weapon racks.

SecureIt has run with his ideas to develop a series of handy safes of interest to everyday gun owners. I had the chance to set up the Agile Model 52 Pro ($999, SecureItGunStorage.com). External dimensions are 52x20.2x15.25 inches; internals are 51.87x18.5x12.25. The capacity is six long guns.

When the UPS guy showed up to deliver it, he said, “Got a heavy one for you today.” Ah, but heavy is relative. The Agile Model 52 weighs only 105 pounds. The two of us got it off his truck with ease, and then I strapped it to my dolly and wheeled it into the house.

My plan was to set it up in the basement, and I took it off the dolly and slid it down the stairs. I don’t know that I could’ve gotten it up the stairs still boxed up, but because it’s modular, it would have been a cinch to unbox it on the ground floor and carry the components anywhere in the house.

Packaging and Assembly

Normally I wouldn’t bother pointing out packaging, but I have to here. The Agile Model 52 was the most immaculately packed thing I’ve ever seen. All the components were protected by bubble wrap, wooden boards (nice ones, too, that I quickly added to my “just in case” lumber collection), styrofoam and rigid cardboard corners. Everything was precisely fitted into the box. It was a level of attention to detail you just don’t see very often these days.

Assembly was a snap. All it requires is a Phillips screwdriver and the provided 10mm wrench, but you should do yourself a favor and get a 10mm socket for your  ratchet wrench because the job will go quicker than with that box-end wrench.

I did the assembly with the help of my wife, and the entire project—to include unboxing, assembly and lock programming—took us about an hour. It was easy, and having an extra pair of hands to support the side panels, back and door is the way to go, although I think it would be possible to do the job solo.

The instructions were good, all the necessary hardware was included, and all the parts went to together well. I did cheat a little bit on one of the four locking bars, which secure the side panels and the front panel/door, by tapping on it with the plastic end of a gunsmith hammer to get it seated.

CradleGrid Technology

At the heart of this system is SecureIt’s CradleGrid Technology. It consists of a louvered panel—the back panel in the case of this model—into which the supplied cradles and a multitude of accessories fit. The Pro version of the Agile Model 52 includes many of these accessories: door organizer, heavy-duty shelf, light bar, a variety of plastic bins, metal storage trays and magnetic hooks.

You also get six cradles and three stock bases (each base fits two stocks). These are the same accessories that come with the  base Agile Model 52, which retails for $739—a substantial savings if you don’t plan a bunch of customization or you’d rather do it à la carte. SecureIt sells a ton of accessories separately on its website. The safe will fit six rifles with a maximum length of 48.25 inches if you use the stock bases and 51 inches if you don’t. The photograph on the opposite page is my third go-round of customization, and I’m sure I’m not finished.

At first I tried  six rifles straight across. Then I eyed that heavy-duty shelf and realized it would be perfect for some shorter guns, in this case a 10/22 and my AR-15. So I moved two cradles—which, by the way, have anchor screws you can tighten for extra security—and placed stock bases on the shelf. Voilà. It's not only a great way to hold short guns, but at the same time it creates a cubby underneath for more stuff.

At first I put some medium-length lever actions next to those two rifles, but then I decided install some storage bins as a kind of divider. I spend way too much time searching for my magazines, which I had been storing separately. The bins were perfect for keeping mags together with the rifles they fit.

Modularity and Lock Up

A couple of 1911s went in the door organizer, with mags for them in the mesh pouches. There are more mesh pouches I haven’t used yet, plus MOLLE straps up top that will undoubtedly end up housing all the little pouches I have scattered around the house.

The digital lock was easy to program (okay, easy for my wife to program). The only issue we encountered was it seemed necessary for the handle to be all the way to the right, in its fully locked position, in order for the code to work properly. The lock stores a manager code and two user codes. The Agile Model 52 is also a biometric safe, and it will store up to 30 fingerprints.

The six-digit keypad is battery powered. It can be programmed to light up during operation or stay dark, and the keypad sounds can be turned on or off. The keypad includes a low-battery warning light, and if your battery should run too low, you can plug in a power source via a USB-C cable to fire up the keypad. And of course there’s a manual key option. Unscrew the “Agile” panel and you’ll find a slot that takes a key—an old-school skeleton key, which I thought was pretty cool.

This is a stout safe, but as you might have guessed from the weight it’s not one of those massive welded bank-vault jobs. SecureIt doesn’t specify the type of steel, and the safe has no fire rating. However, it’s got heavy-duty locking bolts, and only a determined thief with time and tools is getting into this one. It is California DOJ approved, and it’s pre-drilled for securing to floor or wall. Fasteners for this are not included.

Final Thoughts

The Agile Model 52 can also be paired with the Agile Model 40, which is designed to stack on top and secure to the Model 52. It comes with the kit to do this, and the Model 40 will also store six rifles, albeit shorter ones up to 39 inches.

If I have one caution about this safe, it’s that the louvered CradleGrid panel allows air to flow freely—meaning you can’t control the humidity inside. My basement is dry, and I live in a dry climate, but whatever guns ultimately end up living in this safe will have to be checked and wiped down more often.

That, I think, is a small price to pay for the flexibility the Agile Model 52 offers. You can set it up anywhere, and in any manner that suits. Depending on your situation, it would make a great one-and-only safe or an excellent companion to a welded, fire-rated model.

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