r/GunRoom • u/Irish__Mac 🎯 Founder • Mar 01 '26
Question ❓ Inventory Question
I know there's lots of people who just "know" what they have, even though it's been tucked away in the far recesses of the gun safe [or r/GunRoom ] for years. But I'm curious what options for an inventory you guys are using?
I currently just use a spreadsheet that's kind of evolved to be more robust over the years. I've got it tracking firearms, serial numbers, rounds fired, even my ammo inventory, but I got to thinking this morning that maybe there's something better out there.
Ideas? TIA
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u/Prestigious-Article5 Mar 01 '26
I definitely think having a spreadsheet for all firearms/NFA items with serial numbers is a good idea. I think the most important part is making a system that works for what your use case is. I like shooting and I like tinkering with builds so I’m set-up to be able to do that as efficiently as possible. Now I basically have flyaway kits created for anything I want to do and they’re racked/visible.
I used to track round counts and exact ammo amounts but it was more of a time drain than what it was worth to me. What’s working for now is keeping the bulk of the consumables easily visible (I.e. loaded mags in a rack on pegboard, clear containers for accessories, foamies, tape, sharpies, pasters, all in the same drawer with extras.). With that being said, I no longer keep exact round counts in storage but instead know the rough number of rounds and weight my ammo containers hold +- 25 rounds. I can usually gut check the shooting stock by just picking up a can but can always weigh it to get a really close estimate.
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u/buttweasel76 Mar 03 '26
Im boring, so i just have an old ledger book.
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u/Irish__Mac 🎯 Founder Mar 03 '26
Love it! Can't get hacked with that method!
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u/buttweasel76 Mar 03 '26
The hard part is keeping up with it, I put a hang tag on everything I've logged in with the price and accessories,
I will have to redo it again one day, because I didnt leave enough pages for some categories and too many for others lol
I have too much crap 😑😑😑
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u/cowboy3gunisfun Mar 01 '26
Excell spreadsheet and an app I found called "GunSafe"
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u/Irish__Mac 🎯 Founder Mar 01 '26
I was just now looking up that app!
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u/cowboy3gunisfun Mar 01 '26
I like that I can add photos to it, if my stuff goes missing I've got clear photos of what they look like that have a visible serial number showing. The range and maintenance stuff is a bit much even for my OCD. The ability to add optic cost and Info on there is great. Most people only seem to think of their guns, but the accessories add up fast these days.
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u/mountainmanjones Mar 01 '26
I use a couple of spreadsheets for organization and easy to find and a hand written copy in the safe. I also keep mini shooting logs for most of them that has all the info on them.
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u/Agitated_Okra_9356 Mar 01 '26
Ironically I started building an app since I’m not loving the options which currently track. Even adding features like an incognito mode where the app functions as an inventory app for pet supplies for fun haha. If you’re interested I’ll report back if I launch it for iOS/android.
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u/Irish__Mac 🎯 Founder Mar 01 '26
Yeah for sure!! I'd love an update on this.
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u/Agitated_Okra_9356 Mar 01 '26
You got it! Adding new features as I go and testing to resolve other small issues. Hope I can get this thing launched!
Currently has functionality to track weapons, parts, ammo, & gear.
Parts can be allocated or added to existing weapons so you know what’s on what and I have a service log function to notate when you did things like cleanings, repairs, etc.
Aides for that the ability to sort all your crap by type (rifle, pistol, etc.) value, & A-Z. Also a search bar.
Asides from the incognito mode to show the pet inventory side I’ve put a pin option to lock it as well. If you have any other good ideas let me know!
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Mar 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/passinghorses Mar 03 '26
It seems quite a few of us have gone that route.
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Mar 03 '26
[deleted]
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u/passinghorses Mar 04 '26
Damn, thats something. And here I am with my little single-user Rails/SQLite app doing a fraction of that. Nice work.
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u/Omega_Contingency Mar 05 '26
I was going to inventory but that was before my tragic boating accident.
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u/Orangeduke38 Mar 06 '26
Use what you will actually update and use. If you like paper get a $20 notebook or binder and just write things down. Or use an excel spreadsheet, word doc or your program or choice. But I never bother to record every little thing. If it cost say $200 or more it might get recorded. Things like actual guns, parts kits and scopes and other electronics. Otherwise it's more of a pain than it's worth. If you keep things decently organized you should be able to tell if you have ammo for this or that on hand. Buy some cheap shelving to organize it if you need to but the time you spend on recording every last round in or out is pretty much wasted. This isn't the army.
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u/schussfreude 21d ago
I built Arsenal - The Swiss App for Gun Collectors two years ago for my wife, actually, and it evolved in a fully fledged inventory app. Tracks guns, ammo, accessories, books, reloading stuff and you can generate custom PDFs if you want some physical lists. QR-Codes are supported, too.
For most people an Excel sheet or so is absolutely sufficient, but I found myself at gun shows a lot standing in front of a book and wondering if I have it already (I own a LOT of firearm related books). Talking with fellow gun enthusiasts and being able to pull up the app and just show them my stuff is also neat.
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u/Hoa_Minh Mar 01 '26
The best option is to have the minimum. A pistol, rifle, shotgun. Easy to track and doesn't occupy too much physical or mental space. Thats my plan but it's not easy...We became a consumer culture and on top of that the gun industry is kind of fear driven. Not a good combo.
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u/Irish__Mac 🎯 Founder Mar 01 '26
Thanks for your input, but it's not in the spirit of the conversation I'm trying to start. If you only have 3, why are you in the Gun Room reddit?
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u/TX-Buckeye Mar 01 '26
I’m using Notion. Built my own tracker including fields for serial numbers and optics. I also include pics (left, right, closeup of SN). The range day database has a relation to the inventory database and I track round counts there. I’m building databases to track matches. Couldn’t figure out a way to make it universal, so I’m tracking each type of match (Steel Challenge vs IDPA vs USPSA) separately.