Everything you need to know about gun safe gas struts: The Ultimate Guide

Table of content

1. Introduction: Understanding Gun-Safe and gun safe Gas Struts
2. Why Gun-Safe Gas Struts are Necessary
   • Benefits of Gun-Safe Gas Struts
3. Signs that your gun-safe gas struts need to be fixed
4. How to fix the worn-out gas struts for gun safe
   • 4 solutions to solve the problem
5. Step-by-Step Guide to replace shocks for gun safe
   • Why Choose Apexstone shocks As the Right Gun-Safe Gas Struts
   • The simplest way to replace gun safe gas struts
6. Maintenance and Care for Gun-Safe Gas Struts: Ensuring Longevity and Optimal Performance
7. Frequently Asked Questions: Answering Your Queries about Gun-Safe Gas Struts
8. Conclusion: Securing Your Firearms with Apexstone Gun-Safe Gas Struts

Introduction: Understanding Gun-Safe and Gun Dafe Gas Struts

A gun safe is a secure storage container used to store firearms and prevent accidents, they come in various sizes, types, and brands like SentrySafe and Awesafe are well known. They are ranging from small, portable ones to large, heavy-duty ones. Including Biometric Gun Safes, Hidden Gun cabinets, Long Gun Safes, Handgun Safes, etc. Some of them are equipped with gas struts because they are the key to quick access, helping to lift and close the lid smoothly and quickly, especially in an emergency. This guide explores the benefits of gas struts for gun safes, common issues, methods to fix them, how to choose the right struts, installation, and maintenance.

Why Gun-Safe Gas Struts are Necessary

Gun-safe gas struts, also known as gas springs, provide a smooth and controlled lifting motion, making it easy to open and close the gun safe lid.
In an emergency home invasion, within a fraction of a second, the lid will open automatically with the cooperation of the fingerprint reader, gas strut, and the tiny compression spring, like a car trunk. Besides, the shock can prevent the safe from slamming shut.

Overall, gas strut brings great convenience to biometric gun safe owners. In addition to the based function, there are many benefits of the gun-safe gas struts, we will introduce them next.

Benefits of Apexstone Gun-Safe Gas Struts

1. Good Function

Gas struts are filled with gas or hydraulic oil, enabling them to generate force and lift the safe lid quickly, smoothly, and automatically.

2. Compact Design

Gas struts for gun safes are typically small in size to maximize storage space. Since most biometric gun safes are not large, their compact design ensures convenience while maintaining firearm security.

3. Durable

Gas struts for gun-safe are multi-use, they also fit well to many other projects, like cabinet doors, hatch doors, and even the chicken coop egg box door, so they are designed to withstand frequent use and are made from high-quality materials like steel that can resist wear and tear. Thus, they have a long lifespan and can last for 1-3 years without needing replacement.

4. Easy to replace and install

The use of gas struts is straightforward. If a gas shock in a gun safe needs to be replaced, the process is simple. The user can simply remove the old shock and install a new one in its place, simply attach the new gas shock to the mounting points and adjust them to the desired position, no special tools are required, and the process can be completed in 10 mins even for the first time.

5. Affordable price

Installing biometric gun safe hydraulic struts is an affordable solution for gun owners who want to improve the functionality of their gun safes. They are available at a worthwhile investment for gun owners.

With their excellent features, compact design, long lifespan, easy replacement, simple installation, and affordable price, they are a valuable addition to any gun safe.

Signs that your gun-safe gas struts need to be fixed

Over time, gas struts have a lifetime limit. The gas struts for Awesafe or other gun safes can wear out over time, losing their strength and effectiveness. Here are some signs that your gas struts for gun-safe may need to be replaced:

1. Difficulty in opening or closing the security safes door

If you find it increasingly difficult to open or close the door of your security safes, it could be a sign that the gas struts are not providing enough force.

2. Slow or sluggish door movement

If the door moves slowly or sluggishly when opening or closing, this could be an indication that the gas struts are losing their pressure and are not providing enough force to move the door.

3. Squeaking or grinding noise

If you hear a squeaking or grinding noise when opening or closing the door of your fingerprint gun safe, this could be due to the gas spring lift not providing enough force, causing the door to rub against the hinges or other parts of the safe.

4. The door falls or slams shut

If the door falls or slams shut when you open it, this could be a sign that the gas struts are no longer providing enough force to keep the door open.

5. Visible damage or wear and tear

If you notice visible damage or wear and tear on the gas spring lift support, such as dents or scratches, it’s likely that they need to be replaced.

How to fix the gas shocks for gun safe

In general, if you experience any issues with the performance of your gun-safe shocks, there are 4 solutions to fix it, you can have the gas struts checked by a professional, lubricate the shock, reconnect a longer compression spring, or replace the gas shocks directly.

1. Reconnecting a longer compression spring

This is the most economical way, which costs from 75 cents to 5 dollars, really cheap, but it may not work well since this is a way of treating symptoms but not root causes.

2. Checked by a professional

We can contact a professional to find out the cause, however, the result of being checked by a professional may be a waste of time and money, and we do not recommend doing that. There is a high probability that the technician will tell you that this is caused by the loss of pressure on the support rod, and it is recommended that you replace the gas shock.

3. Lubricate this shock

As for the lubricating solution, it’s a good idea if you don’t mind the poor effect. You can have a try if you have lube on hand at home. The lid will truly pop up a bit more after lubrication, but it will still not open all the way automatically, and you have to use your hands to lift the lid to the largest degree, not convenient in an emergency situation.

4. Replace the gas shocks directly

Replacing the gas struts should be the most effective and simplest way compared to other tries, it will save both time and money. What’s more, the root problem can be solved, we don’t need to feel frustrated about the trouble anymore. So in this ultimate guide, let’s go ahead with the step-by-step replacement guide.

Step-by-step replacement guide

1. Why Choose Apexstone shocks As the Right Gun-Safe Gas Struts

When choosing gas struts for a fingerprint gun safe, we should consider the weight and size of your safe lid, for those gun safes that are pre-drilled and installed lift struts, we can simply find out the specification or part number of the gun-safe lift strut and buy the replacement for similar size. For your convenience, you can directly purchase the gun-safe gas struts replacement from Apexstone, you will benefit from the following aspects.

1.1 Perfect specification

Apexstone provides three types of cabinet lift support with an extended length of 7″, 7.5″, and 7.68″ with a force of 80N, which have been tested thousands of times. The best size options, ranked from highest to lowest, are 7.68 inches, 7.5 inches, and 7 inches. 99% of gun safe owners say that 7.68″ gas strut work perfectly for their biometric gun safe, including SentrySafe QAP series gun safe, Awesafe, etc. 95% of gun safe owners say that 7.5″ gas strut fit well to their fingerprint gun safes, however, some customer found the safe bounces on the surface if you’re not holding it down. And 90% gun safe owners say that 7″ shocks work well for their safe but a little shorter than the original one. With these statistics, you don’t need to worry about buying the wrong size.

1.2 Free shipping for one-piece struts

For the biometric gun safe, we only need one piece of gas struts to finish the replacement process. However, most local store or online shop sells a pack of 2 or a pack of 4, which may cost more than we actually need. Thus, buy one piece of gas strut and we can enjoy the free shipping service from Apexstone shop is really fantastic.

1.3. Affordable price

As we know that Apexstone is a factory direct gas struts supplier, so their products are of good quality and cost-effective. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the brand’s establishment, everyone can enjoy an extra 10% OFF the first order, paying the least and getting the best quality gas struts.

1.4 Fast shipping

They provide standard fast shipping and expedited shipping service, we suggest choosing the standard fast shipping by default since they are free and are estimated to arrive at your destination in 2-3 weeks.

So, don’t miss out on Apexstone’s biggest-ever discount. Enjoy and Get the Extra 10% OFF Discount Now.

2. The simplest way to replace gun safe gas struts

After purchasing the suitable replacement, installing gun-safe gas struts is the final step for the replacement, is relatively simple and can be done with a few basic tools. Although we write the mounting guide before, we will write them in more detail in this step-by-step guide to ensure that the struts are installed correctly.

Step 1: Have your tools ready

We need to prepare a Philips #2 screwdriver, a new strut replacement, and 2 optimal tools (a thirteen-millimeter open-end wrench, an eight-millimeter socket, and). Apexstone suppliers are generous, the package always comes with some screws, brackets, piston heads, and instruction, they are essential for cabinet or other projects, but we will need the strut only for the gun-safe project.

Step 2: Open your security safes to the largest degree

Opening the safe to the largest degree make us convenient to do the later operation.

Step 3: Get the old spring out of the safe

First, let’s start by removing the bottom connecting bolt with a standard Philips #2 screwdriver. Then we should remove the top end, we will introduce two solutions to finish this process. One is to use an eight-millimeter socket and a 13-millimeter open-end wrench to remove the threaded nut on the top. However, if you don’t have those tools above, you can use another way, just turn the strut to the left and unscrew it from the top piston head, this should be easier.
Now, using these two steps and you can remove the old gas spring from the safe. Please note that don’t try to remove this spring clip, it’s really tough to get back on.

Step 4: Attach the new strut to the small gun safe

After removing the old strut from the safe, we need to take the piston head or connector off the old cylinder and install them on the new cylinder. Don’t forget to reinstall the spring before you put on the bottom connection. The compression spring is the key to popping up the safe lid.

Step 5: Inspect and make sure the safe lid can be opened properly

When we got a new shock attached, let’s close the lid and punch in your code or scan your fingerprint, and you can see that the lid pops right open to about 90 degrees, leaving big room for us to retrieve anything we need in the safe, you won’t have to fumble trying to get to your weapon. This signifies that we are successful.

Maintenance and Care for Gun-Safe Gas Struts

Proper maintenance and care are essential to ensure that your gun-safe gas struts last a long time and perform optimally. This section will provide you with all the information you need to maintain and care for your gun-safe gas struts properly.

• Open your safe on a regular basis
• Don’t try to add a longer compress spring to the rod, the extra strength of the spring may cause the cylinder to wear prematurely.
• Inspecting struts annually, replacing worn-out struts in time if necessary.
• Wipe the dust once a year.
• It’s HIGH PRESSURE inside, DO NOT open it, DO NOT approach the high temperature, DO NOT scratch, dent, chip, bend, or paint the Rod, and DO NOT puncture or incinerate it.

Frequently Asked Questions:

This section will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about gun-safe gas struts, such as their lifespan, strength, compatibility with different gun safes, etc.

Q1: What’s the lifespan of the gas shock?

A1: The lifespan of a gas strut can vary depending on several factors such as usage, operating conditions, quality of the strut, and maintenance. Typically, a gas strut can last 1 to 3 years of normal use.
However, the lifespan of gas struts can be affected by several factors. For example, if a strut is frequently exposed to a humid environment, it may wear out more quickly. Some signs that your gas strut for the gun safe may need to be replaced include difficulty in opening the safe lid that is supported by the strut, or if the strut is leaking fluid. If you notice any of these signs, it is important to have the strut replaced.

Q2: What’s the difference between Apexstone 7″, 7.5″, and 8″ gas struts?

A2: Both of them have the same force of 80N/18lb, but there is little difference for the extended length and stroke, so the effect for using will be different.
The 7.5″ Apexstone gas strut is a correct size, but most customers choose 7.68″ as their perfect replacement although they are about 0.18″ longer than the original, 99% of customers think it does not affect the use. So, just choose the 7.68″ shocks for your gun safe if you have no idea about which size you need, it will 99% fit your biometric safe.

The accurate extended length for Apexstone 8″ gas struts is 7.68″, and the strut length without piston heads in two ends is about 178mm/7″, this size fits well to 99% of gun safes, as it helps you fully open the safe lid.

The 7″ gas strut is an older edition that can be used to replace the gun safe gas strut, however, it’s about half an inch shorter than the original one in your fingerprint gun safe, and the strut length without piston heads in two ends is about 155mm/6.1″, so you will not be able to open the safe lid completely, maybe 70 degrees open angle can be available.

Q3: Do I need to replace the compression spring on the bottom of the original strut?

A3: There is no need to replace or add one of those small springs to the existing one if they can still help to give the door a little extra nudge in the opening. Both gas strut and compression spring are gun safe accessories, we don’t need to replace them until they are worn out. However, it’s a super simple method, you can just experiment with it if you want.

Q4: Why don’t we use the piston head that comes from the Apexstone lift supports depot?

A4: The original struts use eyelet style end fittings on the bottom and plastic end fittings on the top, Apexstone applies the plastic end fittings for both ends, however, the eyelet end fitting is a little bit smaller than the plastic end fittings, so it tends to hang up on the side of the safe if you use that connector of Apexstone struts, and then you may find that the gun safe like SentrySafe won’t open smoothly. Besides, as we mentioned above, you only need to unscrew the strut from the top connector for your convenience. So that’s why we suggest using the old connectors.

Q5: The 7.68-inch gas strut seems too long for my SentrySafe quick access biometric pistol safe, what should I do?

A5: The 7.68-inch gas strut is 5mm longer than the original strut of SentrySafe QAP1BE, which will not affect the installation if these two things have been done. As we mentioned above, you should remove the new piston head on each end of the 7.68-inch strut and use the old gas spring head. Besides, you’d better connect the bottom end to the safe first, and then screw the top end of the shock to the top piston head. In that case, you will find the new strut length fits well to your SentrySafe gun safe.

Conclusion: Securing Your Firearms with Apexstone Gun-Safe Gas Struts

Gun-safe gas struts are an essential component of any gun safe, providing a safe and convenient way to store and access your firearms. By choosing the right struts, installing them correctly, and maintaining them properly, you can ensure the safety and convenience of your gun safe. Apexstone Online Shop offers a wide range of affordable gas struts, including the recommended 7.68″ shocks for most gun safes. Secure your firearms with Apexstone gas struts today. Now you can click here and complete your purchase now.