Gun Storage Solutions Rifle Rods Starter Kit with Shelf Liner Gun Organizer System Store More Guns Easy Access for Safety with Nylon Woven Loop Fabric

I'll start by saying, yes these met my expectations. For $70 you're not getting much - but I knew that. If this system was more popular and being mass produced by many, the cost would probably be more like $25. Really, it's a 19" x 30" sheet of Velcro and 20 plastic sticks with Velcro on top. Do they work? Yes, sorta and not so great. If all your rifles are nearly the same height they work well. If you're mixing 16" - 18" barrels in with 22" - 26" barrels, shotguns, this system leaves a little to be desired. Ideally you would have your Velcro covered shelf about 2" - 3" from the top of the barrel. This allows you to balance / center the rifle on the butt so all the rod has to do is barely hold it center to maintain balance. When you try to put an 18" barrel rifle in the mix, now that barrel is 8"+ away from the shelf and the plastic rod isn't strong enough to resist bowing, so the rifle leans. The top of the Velcro rod is the size of a quarter. I think if it was the size of a half dollar it would help with the lean some. It would probably make it harder to pull loose though. I'd like to see them offered in larger diameter rods for bigger bores. I realize this is all cost prohibitive to the manufacturing process, so you get an average size that will work for everyone. I chose to use contact cement / spray adhesive in lieu of stapling to wood. I have metal shelves so it was easy enough to do it this way and I think it makes the system work even better. The Velcro sheet seems like it would want to stretch between staples and allow the rifles to lean even more. I wanted something installed quick to hold 10 - 20 rifles. Rifle Rods fit the bill. Would I buy them again / recommend them? Yes. I hope they refine them and offer larger diameter rod tops and possibly larger diameter rods while reducing the cost - sent the next prototypes to me Rifle Rods and I'll be your product tester. If you're a purist / OCD and you want all your rifles to be perfectly straight, maybe this is not for you. If you want something that is quick to assemble and offers some flexibility on arrangement of your safe - these will work.

At first I was skeptical that these little rods and some Velcro loop side fabric were going to solve my rifle organization problems. Now I'm a believer. My rifle capacity went from 23 to 35, a 52% increase. The ease of getting to each rifle also went up because I don't have to maneuver rifle barrels around the double layer zigzag racks in the safe. My installation is in a 50 cubic foot Superior Safe that has usable space 39" wide and 19" deep. Bought this starter pack and an extra package of rods and loop fabric. Used 3M 77 adhesive to attach the fabric to the entire underside of the shelf above the rifles instead of using a staple gun and trimmed with scissors as needed. Used some steel targets as weights to help hold the fabric and shelf tightly together against a table top while the adhesive dries. Allowed 24hr for the adhesive fumes to subside (didn't want to trap them inside the safe). Made a corner shelf 16" wide x 16" deep x 12" tall to allow paperwork storage underneath and short barreled rifle storage on top. Put 4 layers of fleece fabric (close match to the interior fabric of the safe - JoAnn Fabrics) on the floor and on the shelf to help provide cushion and hold butt stocks in place (nicer than a piece of foam). For the short barreled rifles used a pair of wire cutters and a sanding block to shorten the rods as needed. Placed the top shelf only an inch above the longest rifle barrel. Ended up making 2" more room above the shelf to hang more pistols. When removing the Velcro rod head from the Velcro loop fabric use one hand to hold the fabric up while the other hand pulls down and gently twists the rod. This will loosen the rod while maintaining control over the rifle position and being gentle on the fabric for a long life. Hung a bamboo charcoal bag in the safe to absorb any remaining adhesive or plastic odors. Only problem now is the urge to buy more rifles to fill the open space. :-)

So first off the quality of the plastic rods and the hook/loop is excellent, there was no flaws here. I love the orange color because it makes it easy to see if there is a rod in your barrel so if you grab your shotgun or rifle for a home defense you will not mistakenly leave the rod there. As for the main function of this product here are the pros and consPros-Easy to install-Improves long gun storage space by 20%-50% depending on firearm types-Makes it easy to get firearms in and out-Holds rifles securely especially rifles with a bore diameter of .22 cal or 5.56mm-Easy to add on to-ModularCons-Extra rods seem pricey to me since the add on rod kits and the starter kits are the same amount even though the rod kits have no hook loop panel just the rod.- Does not hold shotguns well especially not a side by side (needed two rods for the side by side as show in picture, Also in picture is another semi auto 12 gauge is leaning to one side) they need to make a rod made for shotguns that stays centered in the barrel.- Requires a staple gun, which is a tool not everyone has (good news is a cheep one is only 10 bucks) It would be nice if they included some sort of screw or nail system that would allow it to be installed with just a hammer.Overall its a great product and I suggest it for anyone

Well, it's a great idea and design. Unfortunately, the rods are flimsy. There's a lot of sag/flex when using the rods to support shorter rifles or heavier rifles. Could I elevate the short rifles? Yes, but if I elevate the shorter rifles, it reduces the available floor space because the riser interferes. All in all, I would recommend the product. If you have a lot of modern sporting rifles, or scoped hunting rifles, this doesn't free up as much space. However, it does keep the guns from rubbing against one another. The system really shines if you have mostly shotguns and basic rifles without optics. It helped my situation by protecting valuable, collectible shotguns from resting on other guns, but didn't free up "extra space" like I anticipated. I have too many scoped hunting rifles.