Magnetic Rifle Rods

Not all safes are fiberboard and carpet inside. If your safe has metal shelves, you may need a different way to stand your rifles on end for better storage.  And let's face it, magnets are cool.

To make these, you'll need:

• Disc magnets in your chosen diameter (30mm or 32mm, whatever you can most easily find).
• Carbon fiber rod, suitable length:
  • 4mm is suitable for calibers smaller than .22LR / .223 or 5.56mm (example: .17 HMR, many pellet rounds)
  • 5mm is suitable for any caliber equal to or larger than .22LR / .223 or 5.56mm (example: .22LR, 5.56 x 45, 9mm, .308, 6.55 or 7mm rifle rounds of various calibers, .410 bore, 12 gauge, etc.)
• Enough printed heads.
• Any superglue or epoxy of your choice.

I recommend printing one and dry-fitting first, as the dimensions on the magnet and rod are very close. These were printed on a Creality CR-10. 

You can use rods longer than 500mm, AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. The force applied to the rod by a nearly vertical rifle is not large, and carbon fiber should have no problems. But carefully test heavy firearms vs. long rods before trusting them.

SAFETY NOTE: Carbon fiber is hazardous to the lungs and eyes when cut. If you have to cut the rods indoors, I recommend taping the cut line to prevent fraying, and make the cut under running water to keep the dust from becoming airborne. A dot of epoxy or glue at the cut line will keep fibers from coming apart afterward, but probably isn't necessary.

A note on finding carbon fiber rods in your area: Don't search using firearm-related phrases. Carbon fiber rods are very common and cheap for hobbies and crafting, especially for drones, kit planes, radio-controlled cars, and so on. Searches for these hobbies will show you the best pricing. You will want “pultruded” rods, not fancy woven ones, as these will be far cheaper. But they're your rods, do as you wish.

You may also use metal rods if you wish, but carefully test them for bending over time. 

If you're having problems with rifles dragging the magnets around due to uneven weight (very large scopes, for example) a very thin sheet of grippy material (like bicycle inner tube) glued to the magnet should help. Or, cover the bottom of the shelf in a grippy adhesive-backed shelf liner.

Update: Now includes four models for each of the following configurations:

Easy to find in the EU:

• 30mm x 3mm disc magnet, 4mm rod
• 30mm x 3mm disc magnet, 5mm rod

Easy to find in the US:

• 32mm x 3mm disc magnet, 4mm rod
• 32mm x 3mm disc magnet, 5mm rod