Massad Ayoob — Founder, Massad Ayoob Group · Retired Police Captain · Expert Witness on use of force · Review date: October 31, 2026
Chris Raper — Retired North Carolina law enforcement (40+ years) · U.S. Air Force Security Police · NRA-certified Pistol, Rifle & Shotgun Instructor · NC DOJ-certified Concealed Carry Instructor · Founder, Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. (Elm City, NC, 2006)In addition to my own research and what my students bring into the Concealed Handgun Carry class every week, this guide was reviewed by Massad Ayoob of Massad Ayoob Group, whose opinion appears below. [Keep only if true — Chris: I handled the product(s) on this page myself. Details are in the test record at the end.] The method line at the end of the article says exactly how this guide was built.
When students ask me how many guns it takes before a family needs a real gun cabinet, I tell them one, if there’s a child in the house. But the folks shopping for something like the Bonusall 12-15 Gun Rifle Safe usually own more than one. There’s a deer rifle, a shotgun, maybe Granddaddy’s .22, all standing in the back of a bedroom closet.
That closet corner is the spot this cabinet is meant to fill. My verdict: it’s a roomy, budget-priced steel cabinet with a keypad, two emergency keys and a lot of rack and pocket space. Bolt it to the wall, and treat the word “fireproof” in the title as a sales word until somebody shows you a rating.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
Specs from the manufacturer listing · owner feedback summarized and labelled · hands-on test notes being added · How we review
Bonusall 12-15 Gun Rifle Safe – Best Budget Long-Gun Cabinet Under $200
HIGHLIGHT:
Room the seller lists for 10 to 15 long guns up to 51 inches, plus six door pockets, behind a keypad with two emergency keys.
OUT OF THE BOX:
This one doesn’t come out of the box in one piece. The seller says it ships as eight metal sheets fixed inside thick packing material to keep it from getting damaged on the way. In the photos you can see the big carton opened up with bubble wrap and heavy honeycomb cardboard around the parts, and another carton torn open on a closet floor.
One photo shows a carton with its side torn and punched in. That’s the reason to go over every panel, the door and the keypad before you throw any packing away. Take pictures of any damage while it’s still in the box. A bent panel on a cabinet that has to bolt together square is a return, not a project.
ASSEMBLY:
The seller says its installation video puts the job at about 30 minutes for two people. I’d believe the two-people part. Tall steel panels are awkward, and you don’t want one tipping onto your foot or your floor.
In the photos you can see a black steel panel sticking out of its carton, and a look into the corner of the black cabinet sitting on cardboard. Lay cardboard or a blanket down before you start, keep the screws in a cup, and don’t snug everything tight until the door hangs right and closes square.
KEYPAD & EMERGENCY KEYS:
The seller describes a touch-activated keypad. You touch the lock until the screen lights up, then punch in your code. One close-up shows the round keypad lit green on the door, with a hand right beside it.
There’s an admin code function too. Bonusall pitches it for keeping curious teenagers out, so only the trusted adult who programmed the code can open the door. I like that. Teenagers watch where your fingers go. Change the code on day one, stay away from birthdays, and cover the pad with your other hand when somebody’s in the room.
One thing doesn’t add up. The bullet heading calls it a biometric keypad and the product tags mention fingerprint, but the written description only walks you through a code. Check the listing pictures and the questions before you order. If there’s no fingerprint reader, plan around the code and the keys.
The two emergency keys open it when the batteries run low. I tell every class the same thing about backup keys: they don’t live on top of the safe, in the drawer next to it, or anywhere a child can find them. Put one on your key ring and one in a second locked spot.
DOOR & STEEL:
Bonusall says the door opens to 145 degrees, and in a closet that helps. You can see every gun and get a hand on it without the door in the way. Leave clearance on the hinge side so it can swing that far.
The seller talks about an integrated locking system and a heavy-duty design, but it doesn’t list the steel gauge, the number of locking bolts, the hinge type or the weight. Without those numbers I won’t call it a vault. It’s a household cabinet that keeps children and casual hands away from your long guns.
In the photos you can see a chrome lever handle on the black door with tags hanging below it, plus two close-ups of the door showing the textured black finish and a round chrome fitting.
INSIDE ROOM:
This is where the Bonusall earns its keep. The seller says it holds 10 to 15 rifles up to 51 inches long, with or without a scope, using pegboards, three adjustable racks, an adjustable shelf and six door pockets.
In the photos you can see the cabinet open with a shelf up top, a rack low in the back and a black organizer panel full of pockets on the inside of the door. The floor shows a gray mat. The listing doesn’t mention any lining, so go by what’s in your box, and add your own if it comes bare.
Let me be plain about the 15. That’s the top of the range, and it means slim guns packed tight. Add scopes, thick stocks, bipods or magazines and that number drops fast. The outside is 55.2 inches tall, which leaves only a little headroom over a 51-inch rifle. Measure your longest gun with the optic on, and ask for the inside height and depth before you order, because the outside depth is only 15.2 inches.
Another shot shows a long row of slots stamped into one of the panels.
The listing even mentions keeping bullets in the door pockets. With children in the house, I like ammunition locked up apart from the guns when you can manage it. If the pockets are your only option, at least it’s all behind one locked door.
POWER:
The lock is electronic. Bonusall doesn’t say what battery it takes, how many, or how long they last, and no AC adapter is mentioned. Find out when you open the box. Then put a reminder on your phone to check it on the first of every month, and try both emergency keys the day the cabinet is built so you know they turn.
Dead batteries are how most folks get locked out of an electronic safe. The keys are your insurance, so know where they are.
MOUNTING & PLACEMENT:
A tall, narrow cabinet like this can tip, and a door loaded with pistols and magazines swinging out to 145 degrees makes that worse. A cabinet full of rifles coming down on a child is its own danger. Bonusall puts pre-drilled holes in the back and the bottom and includes expansion screws. Use them. Go into a wall stud or concrete, not bare drywall, and check whether the included screws suit your wall or floor.
One shot down at floor level shows a small loose part lying on the carpet. Count your hardware before you start and again when you finish.
As an old lawman, my first thought on any cabinet like this is the thief with a pry bar and ten minutes. An anchored cabinet makes him work for it. One that isn’t anchored can go out the door with your guns still inside. Keep it out of sight of visitors, away from a damp basement, and somewhere the keypad can’t be seen from a doorway.
If you have children in the house, this part isn’t optional. North Carolina’s safe-storage law (G.S. 14-315.1) can put you in court if a child gets hold of a loaded gun you left within reach and something happens with it. Other states have their own versions.
SIZE CHECK:
Bonusall lists the outside at 15.2 inches deep, 21 inches wide and 55.2 inches high. That’s about the footprint of a narrow bookcase, which is why it fits a closet corner. In the photos you can see one standing in a bedroom beside a dresser, and a white one standing against a wall.
The photos show it in black, white and green. The listing says white, so check which finish you’re getting before you order.
WHAT TO CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY:
Where it earns its keep: Strong value and storage capacity for the price, easy assembly, and reinforced corners in the packaging that keep shipping damage rare.
Where it falls short: It is a locking cabinet rather than a true safe, with thin sheet-metal sides; the lock can stick occasionally, and a unit may arrive with bent edges or a dented door.
Who it’s for: Keeping a collection of long guns away from children on a budget. Skip it if you need genuine safe-level security; thin sides make it a cabinet, not a vault.
WHAT TO WATCH:
The word fireproof in the title is the big one. The listing gives no fire rating, no temperature, no time and no test standard. Don’t keep papers or cash in it counting on that word. After that come the missing numbers: no steel gauge, no weight, no battery details. Then the fingerprint question. And a flat-pack cabinet is only as square as the folks who put it together.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT:
Buy it if you’ve got a handful of rifles and shotguns standing in a closet, a wall you can bolt into, a helper for an afternoon, and somewhere around $100 to $200 to spend, which is where it sat at the time of writing. Skip it if you need a real fire rating, a burglary-rated door, or a safe an insurance agent will sign off on. And if you only own three or four long guns, Bonusall’s own description mentions smaller four-gun cabinets that need no installation.
SPECS AT A GLANCE:
| Spec | What Bonusall lists |
|---|---|
| Outside size | 15.2″ deep x 21″ wide x 55.2″ high |
| Capacity | 10 to 15 rifles up to 51″, with or without a scope |
| Interior layout | Pegboards, 3 adjustable racks, adjustable shelf, 6 door pockets |
| Lock | Touch-activated digital keypad, admin code, 2 emergency keys |
| Door swing | 145 degrees |
| Mounting | Pre-drilled holes in back and bottom, expansion screws included |
| Color | White |
| Not listed | Fire rating, steel gauge, weight, battery type |
PROS & CONS:
Pros
- Listed room for 10 to 15 long guns up to 51 inches
- Adjustable racks and shelf plus six door pockets
- Door swings open to 145 degrees
- Admin code, two emergency keys and anchor holes in the back and bottom
Cons
- Called fireproof, but no fire rating is listed
- No steel gauge, weight or battery details
- Arrives as panels that take two people to put together
$154.99 on Amazon (as of Oct 31, 2026, 12:05 AM EDT – details)
Need fire protection too? See my best fireproof gun safe picks.
Hands-on test record
Protocol prepared for Chris. Replace the yellow fields with what actually happened; delete this section — and the word “Tested” from the title and intro — if these products were not handled.
| Who tested | Chris Raper, NRA-certified instructor |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 31, 2026 |
| Products on this page | Bonusall 12-15 Gun Rifle Safe |
| Protocol (plan) | Anchor the cabinet as the manual directs, then open it repeatedly by every entry method it offers (keypad, then each emergency key), including once in a dark room and once with the main batteries pulled. Load your own long guns, scoped and unscoped, and note which ones fit and come out cleanly. |
| To measure | Record dark-room open time per entry method, how many guns fit with the door pockets loaded, real long-gun capacity with your guns versus the listed number, and interior height and depth against the spec. |
| What failed or disappointed | |
| Photos from the tester | Our community |
Bonusall 12-15 Gun Rifle Safe FAQ
How many rifles does the Bonusall 12-15 safe hold?
The seller says 10 to 15 rifles up to 51 inches long, with or without a scope, using pegboards and three adjustable racks. Scopes, thick stocks and bipods take up room, so expect fewer than 15 in real use.
Is the Bonusall 12-15 gun safe fireproof?
The title says fireproof, but the listing gives no fire rating, temperature or time. Don’t count on it to protect papers or guns in a house fire unless you find a published rating.
Can the Bonusall safe be bolted down?
Yes. There are pre-drilled holes in the back and the bottom, and expansion screws are included. Anchor into a stud or concrete, and check that the screws suit your wall or floor.
What happens if the batteries die?
The two emergency keys open it. The battery type and life aren’t listed, so check the manual, try the keys when it’s built, and keep them away from the safe and out of children’s reach.
Does the Bonusall 12-15 have a fingerprint reader?
The bullet heading says biometric keypad, but the description only explains entering a code after touching the lock. Check the listing pictures and questions to confirm, and plan around the code and keys until you know.
Chris Raper
Chris Raper is the founder and lead reviewer of Conceal & Carry Network. A retired North Carolina law-enforcement officer with more than 40 years of service and a U.S. Air Force Security Police veteran, he founded Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. in Elm City, NC in 2006 and has taught the state-approved NC Concealed Handgun Carry class there ever since. He is an NC Department of Justice certified Firearms Safety Instructor, an NRA Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun Instructor, an NRA Range Safety Officer and a graduate of Massad Ayoob's Lethal Force Institute. He reviews the carry guns, holsters, safes and sight tools his students ask about every week.