If you're like me, you may let certain things go, saying, “I’ll get around to that, but I don’t have time today.” It is called procrastination, which is a natural way to regulate happiness by avoiding something unpleasant. But when it comes to my gun cabinet, I have a habit of putting more things in there than I take out, and sooner or later that will catch up to you.
None of my guns are “safe queens,” and they all are loaded. But I take good care of my guns, whether I am at the range shooting them or storing them until the next time I get one out to carry or shoot. As I sit here writing, I look across the room and marvel at how much better it looks. I feel real satisfaction with a job well done.
Finding More Storage
There was only one way to organize my gun cabinet. I was going to need a bigger cabinet, or a second cabinet to store all of my accessories and ammunition in. I knew that a second cabinet would work better for me, so I began looking.
Now I realize at first glance one might think, “that does not look like a storage cabinet for gun boxes, magazines, speed-loaders, extra grips, holsters, gun tools, ammunition and other gun related items.” It is true. This cabinet was not designed for my specific purpose, but I love it and it actually does what I needed very well.
Believe it or not, I know where everything is. Once a year I will take everything out and clean and organize as I put it back in the cabinet.
Finding just the right cabinet for your guns and accessories can be a challenge, but there are some really great cabinets and storage safes available if you prefer modern storage and security is a concern.
An Antique Cabinet With a New Job
How cool is this? Very cool in my opinion, as unconventional as it might be. I am just getting things settled in and figuring out what will work best, but I can already say that I am enjoying this cabinet very much.
In fact, I can say with confidence that I believe the French are as good at making cabinets as Americans are at making guns. At least back in the day when this was made. Think of the quality that allowed this cabinet to reach the ripe old age of 150 years and still look and function like this.
Semainier Chest or Escritoire Bureau?
One reader suggested that my new cabinet is a semainier chest. A semainier is a French ladies lingerie chest and would have seven drawers, one for each day of the week. As you can see, my cabinet has six drawers, but two of them are replaced with a hidden secretary, so no, it is not a semainier.
Perhaps it is more like an escritoire bureau, but I like to call it my gun stuff cabinet. Out of curiosity I researched it a bit and found an almost identical piece labeled as a 19th Century French marble-top secretaire with bronze decoration from the Napoleon III period.
Antique cabinets are like old guns in this respect: if you have to rebuild, replace parts and refinish, you lose a lot of the value.
Collector Takeaway
My entire weekend was taken up with this project, but I enjoyed every minute. The lesson is simple: if your collection is growing, your storage system has to grow with it. The right setup does not have to be conventional. It only has to work.
From My Bench
If you are setting up your own workspace or maintaining a collection, I keep a curated list of tools, books, cleaning gear, and bench items that fit the way I work.
Browse My Gear ListAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I only link to products, books, tools, and accessories that fit the editorial purpose of Gun Collectors Club.
About Greg Cook
Greg Cook writes about firearms collecting, personal history, and the stories behind interesting guns. His Army MOS was 76Y, Unit Armorer, and he brings that practical background to his collector articles.