need recommendation for a compact handgun safe

[fennecfrank]

All,

my gun safe is way too far from my bed. as a result, I want to install a small one closed to where I sleep. Please recommend one that's not big (2 handguns maximum) that I can bolted under the bed or inside the night stand. Gun has to be out of view (not one of those which only lock "part" of the gun; the gun has to be completely concealed). It has to be child proof as well.

Please share any make/models, input and methods.

Thanks in advance.

[sniper4usmc]

http://www.amazon.com/Stack--PS-514-Personal-Safe-Electronic/dp/B000LG6KCA/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1298757008&sr=8-8

[Cnynrat]

We have a couple Titan Gun Vaults mounted bedside. They provide very quick to access, and don't rely on batteries unlike the biometric safes. One of the features I like is you can buy additional mounting plates and easily move the vault to another location, such as an RV, a second home, etc.

It is just a single handgun safe though. They have a couple interesting options, including an attachment that allows you to store a magazine, and an option that allows you to store a gun with a light mounted on it.

[maxicon]

I have a couple of Gunvaults, and like them a lot. Amazon's the best place to get them these days, and when I bought one recently as a gift for a friend, the beep wasn't working. Amazon cross-shipped me a new one and paid for the return shipping.

I recommend finding someone who stocks various types and trying them out, if possible. Use them with your eyes closed to see how easy they are to work in the dark.

Here are some of the pros and cons.

- With a bit of practice, it's quick and easy to open in the dark when you're sleepy.

- It's not real obvious, and doesn't look like a safe. My wife never notices the bedside one.

- Finger-shaped keys are easy to use in the dark, but are shaped for a big hand. Hit the key sequence and it pops open. I find this one a lot easier to use than the Simplex lock on the Handgun Safe. Practice at fumble recovery in the middle of the night is essential, and it's a good idea to have one of the keys hidden somewhere not too far away (this helps if the batteries have died, too).

- It's easier to know if you're hitting the buttons right if you have the beeps enabled, but there's some risk to having it beep if you don't want to attract attention. I practice in the middle of the night, and if you're a bit muddled, it's easy to fumble the combo, which highlights the need for fumble recovery.

- It takes two basic motions to get your gun - place your hand in the grooves and work the lock, which causes the door to spring open, then reach in and grab the gun. The mechanical Simplex locks take 3 motions - punch the buttons, twist the knob, then grab the gun.

- Door opens down and out of the way of your hand. I like this better for where I have it located than the Handgun Safe's side-swinging door, and it requires less clearance. The motion to unlock and remove your gun is very natural for me, since you don't have to clear the door, and the gun's in the same plane as the keys, just a few inches lower.

- To recover a fumbled combo, I keep pressing keys until the light turns red (6 presses total, I think), then try the combo again. Natural reaction is to do the regular combo again after it doesn't work the first time, but if you haven't turned the light red yet, this screws up your second try, too, and you've only got one left. Practice, practice, practice, and do it at 3am when you've just woken up.

- It can alert you if someone's been trying to figure out your combination when you're not there.

- The lock is electronic, so there are more potential reliability issues and failure mechanisms than with the Handgun Safe. I had one battery go bad which caused the safe to not open the first try (but the second try was ok). That's a pretty unpredictable failure.

- The backup lock is a tubular lock, which can be susceptible to a number of quick-pick tricks (like the Bic pen trick) if the tumbler heights are lined up a certain way. If you can inspect several before you buy, you want one with key cuts that vary a lot in height, which makes it more difficult to pick with simple gear. I use mine to keep them out of the hands of the kids' friends, not as a theft-prevention device, as it can be jacked open with tools pretty easily, like any small lockbox.

[fennecfrank]

Thanks guys!! I'll look into them

[415shooter]

i second the gunvault!

[beanz2]

I have a biometric Gunvault MVB500. I have no problems with it myself but it does not work well for my wife despite attempts to train it to her fingerprints. Since she is getting her own gun, we're buying a second Gunvault, except hers will be the simple non biometric model.

I'd love to get the discontinued Gunvault 3000 for the shotgun though.

Maxicon, I like your idea of fumbled recovery training at 3 a.m. Imagine doing that in the dark, in panic with a bursting bladder.

[zdragon]

By zdagon52 at 2010-12-23

By zdagon52 at 2010-12-16

[THE NEW GUY]

I just bought one of these. Gun Vault 2000. Mounted it behind the head board of the bed.
Pretty nice, has interior light, and could be mounted any direction even upside down if you want to mount under the bed. Runs about $180 or $130 for a smaller one. CA DOJ approved.

[DanDanPumperMan]

+1 on the gunvault 2000. I got mine on sale at Turners for $150.00. They have them on sale every other month. Think the regular price is $180.00. Easy to open and compact enough to fit inside the bottom part of my nightstand.

[DanDanPumperMan]

Here's a gun vault for sale in the marketplace.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?p=5899231#post5899231

[fennecfrank]

All,

Thanks again for all the inputs! Appreciate all your ideas.

[zoglog]

http://www.amazon.com/Stack--PS-514-...8757008&sr=8-8

I got that same one, mainly because i'm cheap. No issues so far. These things aren't really meant to prevent theft after all, just from meddling kids ;D

[harbinger007]

I have these two:

http://www.vlineind.com/html/top_draw.html

http://www.vlineind.com/html/quick_vault.html

I think when I got them I used some search on Bing to get 20% cash back when buying them through CSN.

[bogeyshooter]

Take a look at Fort Knox' pistol box
Fits two handguns and room for magazine
Very solid with simplex lock