Posted on 01/14/2013 8:34:27 AM PST by jdsteel
The knowledge base on FR is awesome when it comes to all things gun related. I am looking for suggestions for the best bedroom quick access safe for one or two of my handguns. The grandkids come over often so I want a small safe, and since I am a married man it shouldn't be ugly as sin or overly large (aesthetics, you know). My wife and I need glasses so I want easy access in the dark. I am strongly considering fingerprint scanning safes. Please help me whittle down hours of research!
We looked into that a couple of years ago but never actually purchased one. At the time there was a model that hung under your bed with a quick access door. I’ve forgotten how you actally accessed it. But, our bed is an ntique, and i wasn’t too keen on attachng anything to the bottom of it, although it is high, and there is room.
You can hide nothing from children... ever... They can open most safes, eventually. they will never give up. Be cautious and teach them gun safety ASAP>
Obviously one you can get into quickly if you need to, small enough to fit into the space available, unqweildy enough that badguys can’t just walk off with it, and secure enough that breaking into it is a nonstarter.
That rules out plastic faced, glass fronted wooden uprights, and small tiny ones.
Beyond that, it boils down to money and personal preference.
Check the lock styles and pick one that you can open quickly.
Beware of some of the small biometric nightstand safes. I have seen video of them opening when dropped. Not sure if those problems have been addressed. When my grandkids come over the 12 guage that normally sits against a dresser gets moved into a locked closet.
You don't need no steekin' safe!
Just leave 'em out in the open.
It's what all the conservatives do.
Haven't you heard that on the news?
I’ve heard that the fingerprint recognition safes are not very reliable.
The safe in my vehicle is similar to this one:
I can access my pistol in about 3 seconds.
Best bedroom gun safe???
Gun safe? What hte hell is a gun safe? Guns are usppsoed to keep US safe, not the other way around!
It may not fit all your criteria - but they work great for us.
I've attached them to our bedside table, facing the bed. when activated the door pops open and downward allowing easy access to our 1911s.
The buttons are set up so that when you press any one of them, the thing activates they all light up, and then you press your entry code.
We pop the doors before turning out the lights and then close the doors in the morning, against snoopy grandkids.
Thanks, that is one of the styles that I have been considering. It is nice to hear from a user. Although the funny comments were expected and are appreciated too!
Here’s a link to something I’ve had experience with:
Inexpensive enough to give it a try & see if this works for you. The box can be bolted in a drawer so a thief would have to take the whole drawer with him unless he could break the drawer off the box, which wouldn’t be easy.
It has a keypad you can program - only one issue I see - if you get nervous and mess it up more than 2 or 3 times (can’t remember which), it times out for about 10 minutes .. BUT it also has a key. At night, I think I’d put the key in it - quieter than using the keypad and one turn, you’re in. Make sure you don’t lose the key - if the batteries go out in the keypad & you can’t get in & have no key, it’s not easy getting a replacement from the company (need proof of purchase so they know you are the original owner, etc.)
I bought this for an old lady friend of mine who was in a nursing home. She wore her money in a little flannel pouch pinned to her clothes so no one would steal it which was really inconvenient. I bought her this box (it’s heavy enough I didn’t think they’d steal the box) and we kept it in her dresser drawer. The first time she had to go to the hospital, I covered it up, etc. and we were curious to see if the ‘help’ would be going through her drawers - sure enough, we could tell from the way the drawer was disturbed that they were looking for valuables. She kept her money, billfold, and some jewelry in there. If she wanted access, she asked a CNA to get the box out of the drawer, put it in her lap, and leave the room. She would put in her keypad code, get out what she wanted, then call them back in to put it in the drawer. Worked like a charm. It is small enough to leave out, just cover with a pretty doily or something.
Get a GunVault. We love ours.
- Be sure they are unloaded at all times, unless you plan to use them
- Make sure the guns and ammo are not in immediate proximity, unless you plan to use them
- Put them somewhere "out of reach" when the grand kids come over
- Purchase and apply a couple trigger or cable locks (cheaper than a safe).
- Any/all of the above.
My parents had 5 children. None of us would have ever gotten one of Daddy’s guns without permission.
Of course you cannot train kids who are not under your control. I have noticed some guns now have a key lock which completely blocks the action. That is really not a bad idea when visitors are present.
At other times I would keep it unlocked and ready for action.
>> Check the lock styles and pick one
...and if you CAN pick that one, move on to the next. :-)
LOL!
*cough*
Well, yes.
Dad’s gun cabinet had no lock.
I knew that if I dared to open it without him right there, my life wasn’t worth a spit in a high wind.
Parental discipline works.
War Dog! Who knows if I would have found that on my own! Thanks for the suggestion. I don’t know that I will go that way but it is very cool. I might go with one of those for a shotgun and a smaller one for a hand gun.
All of my firearms are loaded and ready to go, and in various places in the house. Then there are the razor sharp chef's knives in the kitchen, and the ham radio gear with all that 'lectrikity.... This house is a Darwin test, so no grandkids until they get old enough to pass their NRA certification.
/johnny
Get the best safe you can afford. The economy is sinking, violent liberals are emboldened, and the criminals are running amok. Plus, you need to protect yourself from liability incase your guns get stolen, or God-forbid, a child gets ahold of your gun. It is either on your person while awake, or secured from unauthorized use/theft while asleep.
Trigger lock when the kids visit and keep it up on top of a dresser. Unlocked and on hand at all other times.
Trigger lock when the kids visit and keep it up on top of a dresser. Unlocked and on hand at all other times.
I have a large vault type to keep mine. I too have grand kids and take the time to simply lock them up when they come over. These days < $1000 can get you a very nice fireproof model. It’s not real pretty but... You can keep all your valuables and important papers inside. A friend of mine has been in this business for over 30 years. The peace of mind is priceless.
Typically a moving company delivers them and they can be bolted to the floor.
Leave them where they are, unload & hide your ammo.
Then teach the kiddies gun safety - good bonding time for you & them.
The other option is to nix the safe and the trigger lock and simply store the gun unloaded and keep the magazine on your person at all times when the grandkids are around. Again, in an emergency situation, popping in a magazine and racking the slide has got to be a lot faster than unlocking a safe or trigger lock.
Not sure how old your grandkids are, but my family starts teaching gun safety with cap guns around age 4 or 5. I babysat two neighborhood girls and they were very curious about my shotgun, to the point it scared me. It was out of reach on the wall but I kept a close eye on them at all times. When I overheard whispering about pulling a chair up to the wall, I decided to show them what it was all about. Took it off the wall, explained it was loaded, why I had it loaded and that they could kill someone. “Imagine how your mommy would cry? And you wouldn’t have a sister anymore.” Then I unloaded it and made them count the shells with me. Then each one held it. “This is too heavy!” And like that, their curiosity was gone.
Gonna have to be a personal choice on the safe - I decided on one that will hold my guns/ammo and other valuables. Big enough to not be toted off by thieves and electronic lock to make entry easier than having to dial up a combo. Have always sanitized the household when grandkids are due because I keep several locked/loaded/ready to speak whenever at home - I’d rather be within a step or two of help rather than hoping for time to hit a single point of access across the house - too old to get into a foot race if someone decided to home invade..
I saw a video of a kid removing one with a screwdriver in less than 30 seconds. No damage to the lock or gun. I tried it. It works. Don't need no steeking keys.
I own one of these safes - got it at Walmart cheap. Solid as a rock with a key lock. Yeah, it is easily carried away, but much safer than a pistol in a bedside table & nearly as accessible.
Obviously, any safe will require a key or combo. Punching in a combination in the dark is not an option, IMO. So, a key safe nearby to the bed is necessary. Wear the key around your neck, but don't get one of those barrel keys - very uncomfortable.
LOL! That’s how my father lost his entire collection. It was stored in a hall closet, holding six stacked shelves with two (unloaded) pistols on each shelf. Little sister climbed up and reached the prettiest pistol in the collection, a nickle plated Colt 1911 chambered in .38 super. She walked into a room full of adults attending a cocktail party, teething on the business end of that pistol. Epic hysterical screaming ensued. Mom ordered the entire collection immediately “liquidated.” Ahem, and she wasn’t very nice about it either. Women. Go figure.
I like my Gun Vault. It has a shelf in it and provides enough space for me to keep both Glocks and multiple magazines in it. You can open it by key or through a 4 digit code you program into it.
A gun safe is to keep the burglar safe.
Sorry, if the grandkids can’t learn to keep their hands off dangerous things that don’t belong to them, then they don’t need to be at anyone’s house. I’m betting the vast majority of FReepers were raised in homes with guns and we’ve all lived to tell about it.
I second that. Training the grandkids is superior to a safe. I grew up around loaded guns (and sharp knives and explosives and antique heavy machinery without “safety” devices). It never crossed my mind to play with a gun or a knife or the hydraulic press without first asking permission. I had seen what these machines could do and I was a bit terrified of all of them.
“.....I too have grand kids and take the time to simply lock them up when they come over.,......”
What, the guns or the kids ?
Lol, I like your choice in safes, heavy as the dickens :)
Lock up the grand kids? They aren’t teenagers yet.
The only thing faster is leaving a loaded gun on your nightstand, which may be fine for some but not for all.
Suggestions to leave the gun unloaded defeat the purpose of having a gun under your bed in the first place. This safe can be opened in less than 2 seconds from any angle, in the dark, with a reasonably secure combination.
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