What pistol safe do you recommend?

[mutt]

My guns are nicely locked away in a safe for my kids' protection, but I've realized it makes them completely inaccessible if I need to get to them in a hurry. The situation isn't helped by the fact my ammo and magazines are locked away in different storage cabinets with different keys.

I thought of getting a pistol safe I can put in the nightstand for easy access, but as I look at all the options I feel a bit overwhelmed. What do you guys use and why? I definitely don't want one with a keyed lock since I don't want to be fiddling with keys at 3 AM with an unwelcome guest making his way to the bedroom. I'm thinking one of those keypad types, but how reliable are batteries? Thoughts? Recommendations?

[theGinsue]

I don't have experience with any of these below, but you don't want what I have for a small handgun safe (I don't want it). A co-worker has one of these and LOVES it. He says, using the biometric reader, it opens in .2 seconds. It bolts INTO the studs from the sides (cut hole in wall, insert safe, insert bolts). This runs $399:
http://www.buyasafe.com/Wall_Safes_p/sl-20700.htm
http://www.buyasafe.com/v/vspfiles/photos/SL-20700-2T.jpg

For something a bit more economical that will fit in a nightstand drawer for $80:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0058400229295a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Product_liberal&QueryText=drawer+safe&sort=all&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1 (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0058400229295a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Product_liberal&QueryText=drawer+safe&sort=all&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1)
http://images.cabelas.com/is/image/cabelas/s7_229295_imageset_01?$main-Large$

Or this one for $250:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0075017230101a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Product_liberal&QueryText=drawer+safe&sort=all&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1
http://images.cabelas.com/is/image/cabelas/s7_230101_imageset_01?$main-Medium$

[Irving]

I've got one of those Winchester pistol safes that has both the four button keys and a key. It took a surprising 8 AA batteries, but I put them in almost three years ago and I'm on the same set. I am in my safe at least twice a day. Also, you may be able to get away with just leaving the key in the lock, only when you are sleeping next to the safe every night. I keep my key on my key chain which sits next to the safe anyway. Only consider this if you think you'd wake up at the sound of your safe popping open if one of your kids walked into your room and messed around with your safe while you're sleeping.

[GoldFinger]

Only consider this if you think you'd wake up at the sound of your safe popping open if one of your kids walked into your room and messed around with your safe while you're sleeping.[/quote]


I thought of that too, but worried that I'd forget to take the key with me when I get up in the morning.

[Irving]

I thought of that too, but worried that I'd forget to take the key with me when I get up in the morning.


Well and that can be worked with as well. For me, the same gun I take with me when I leave, is the gun that goes in the night stand, so if I leave and leave the key in there, there is nothing but the safe anyway. Again it only really works if the only time the gun is in the safe is when you're sleeping next to it.

[Xrunner]

I've got both a mini and multi pistol Gunvault (http://www.gunvault.com/) and am very happy with both. Mine are the older version with stiffer black buttons (they break in after a few hundred uses :D), the new ones use a gray button that's easier to press. Both are on the original set of batteries with the oldest being a little under 4 years.

The reason I bought them is that you don't have a traditional keypad and hence can use them in the dark without feeling out the pad numbers. You place your hand in the fingergrooves on top and press a finger combination (pointer, pointer, middle, pinky for example). Works great. The safes do have brailish style number on each finger if you want to remember a combination numerically.

http://www.gunvault.com/skin/frontend/default/gunvault/images/cms_block_images/products_images/cat1-img2.jpg
(pic from gunvault website)

[newracer]

I also have a gunvault, it is great. I can open it in seconds and it has a light so you can see the firearm in the dark.

[tbaby303]

http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dimage/101292_ts.JPG?cell=320,320&cvt=jpeg (http://www.sportsmansguide.com/zoom/zoompop.asp?i=101292%5Fts%2EJPG&h=320&w=320&bgc=FFFFFF&ui=3&mz=2&cf=2&nv=3&c=&mode=zoom&adid=437372)

http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dimage/101292i_ts.JPG?cell=320,320&cvt=jpeg (http://www.sportsmansguide.com/zoom/zoompop.asp?i=101292i%5Fts%2EJPG&h=320&w=320&bgc=FFFFFF&ui=3&mz=2&cf=2&nv=3&c=&mode=zoom&adid=437372)

http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dimage/131711_ts.JPG?cell=320,320&cvt=jpeg (http://www.sportsmansguide.com/zoom/zoompop.asp?i=131711%5Fts%2EJPG&h=320&w=320&bgc=FFFFFF&ui=3&mz=2&cf=2&nv=3&c=&mode=zoom&adid=407947)

http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dimage/131711i_ts.JPG?cell=320,320&cvt=jpeg (http://www.sportsmansguide.com/zoom/zoompop.asp?i=131711i%5Fts%2EJPG&h=320&w=320&bgc=FFFFFF&ui=3&mz=2&cf=2&nv=3&c=&mode=zoom&adid=407947)

Just dont let the kids know about this hiding spot and you will fill more safe when you need it right away.

[mutt]

Good to know the battery powered safes are reliable. I'll look into some of these suggestions. Thanks for the info guys.

[Irving]

http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dimage/101292_ts.JPG?cell=320,320&cvt=jpeg (http://www.sportsmansguide.com/zoom/zoompop.asp?i=101292%5Fts%2EJPG&h=320&w=320&bgc=FFFFFF&ui=3&mz=2&cf=2&nv=3&c=&mode=zoom&adid=437372)

http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dimage/101292i_ts.JPG?cell=320,320&cvt=jpeg (http://www.sportsmansguide.com/zoom/zoompop.asp?i=101292i%5Fts%2EJPG&h=320&w=320&bgc=FFFFFF&ui=3&mz=2&cf=2&nv=3&c=&mode=zoom&adid=437372)



I'd wear this on a big gold chain with my viking hat. FLAVA FLAVE!


Also, there is no such thing as "don't tell your kids about this hiding spot." Don't you remember being a kid? As much as I like those false clocks and picture frames (what a thick picture frame you have grandma), I'm not sure they are quite what Mutt was looking for.

Mutt, my daughter is still only 2, so I've considered just putting a shelf at my shoulder level to set my gun on at night. That would give me a few more years of keeping the gun out of her climbing reach.

[mutt]

Mutt, my daughter is still only 2, so I've considered just putting a shelf at my shoulder level to set my gun on at night. That would give me a few more years of keeping the gun out of her climbing reach.

I actually used to do that when my kids were younger as well. I just put it on the highest shelf of the closet in my bedroom. Worked well till they got older. My boys are actually pretty responsible and know they do not touch the guns unless I am around. But they are still kids and prone to knuckle-head moments...

My real concern is my sons' friends. A lot of kids show up in my home at different times. It is peer pressure and the wanting to show them something 'cool' that pushed me to getting a real gun safe and now an easily accessible (to me) pistol safe.

[Irving]

You're on the right path then. My pistol safe will let you put in the wrong combination 3 times, then it puts on a loud beeping alarm to let you know. I guess that's so when you're tired to your chair in your living room, when you hear the beeping, you know you have about 20 seconds before the bad guy comes out of the bedroom to punch you in the face for giving him the wrong combo.