[Rodeman]

Hi everyone. As I posted in my introduction post, I'm buying my first handgun, but I've shot many times before. However, it's been nearly 15 years, so I'm starting this process like it's 100% brand new.

Before I even buy anything, I need to find a gun safe or way to secure my weapon at home. I have a 4 and 5 year old, so I want to ensure the gun is not accessible to them. That's the most important thing for me.

I've looked at the gun vault boxes, where you push the buttons to make your code and the side pops open and you have a single or double layer storage area. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on this. I have the Sentry Safe X105 but Sentry does not label it as CA DOJ approved for gun storage. They make a slightly larger one, the X125, that is 2 inches taller, but the same size everywhere else. The X125 is not "approved" or listed as a gun safe. Sentry has an X104E, that looks exactly like my X105. It appears to have a thick, cushion in the bottom to protect your items, or weapon, but it has the same keypad, 2 bar bolt on the left side, etc, just like mine. Only difference it is says it's approved by CA DOJ. I have never had a problem with my Sentry Safes, even though I've seen some people who really don't like them. I'm considering buying the X125 to use in the house as my daily safe (the way I currently use the X105) and then switch the X105 over to be my weapon safe.

I'm not adverse to buying a gun safe that's larger, but at the moment, the Gen 4 G19, that I am considering, would be the only weapon, so I'm not sure that large safe would benefit me much beyond security. In the future, I may add a shot gun, a second hand gun or possibly an AR-15 Carbine as I'd like to do some tactical shooting and gain some skills there. But those days are probably pretty far down the road, so it will still be only one gun for a while.

What do you recommend as a gun safe? How did you decide on what to buy? Which brand did you choose? I see a lot of brands of the larger, all metal safes, that all look the same with a digital combo and a spinning locking leaver, but they have different brand names on it.

This sees to be as confusing as looking at the gun case in the local gun club. They have 50 different 9mm weapons, and it takes a while to really understand the differences. To me, this safe is just as important as the gun itself.

Thanks for your help on my first question post. I really appreciate it.

Rodeman

 

[Rowdie]

Welcome to Glock.pro, Rodeman. There is no doubt you are going to get lots of recommendations.
Here is mine: Buy the biggest, best safe you can afford and have room for, because this will not be the last gun you will buy!
It becomes addictive. I have two small safes, and a large one that my Mother-in-law would fit in. 'noug said"!

 

[TheLaw]

I like Gun Vault safes for single/double pistol storage that allows for quick access in the dark without having to use a key. I DO NOT recommend the biometric version as I know of people that had issues with the biometric scanner reading their finger. A callous or scratches/cut on the finger can make it unreadable.

If you are talking about larger multi-gun safes, I can only offer two pieces of advice. One, spend the money on a nice safe. My Dad lost some very nice firearms, cash and a few others important items when a thief used a screwdriver and a little muscle to literally rip the door off of a Stack-On brand safe. Secondly, most gun safes come listed by the number of guns they will hold. Whatever number of guns you "think" you'll need, buy a safe that AT LEAST DOUBLES that capacity. So if you think you will at some point need to secure 10-12 weapons, by a safe that will handle 24 or more. Trust me. Saving a little bit of money to buy a bigger one will be a huge payoff in the future.

 

[Rodeman]

Thanks for the info. I've got a couple ideas/challenges with a gun safe. First off, I don't have room in our home for one. We have a 3 bed home and all 3 bedrooms are utilized and there is no office or other room where the save can go. My neighbor has the perfect house as he has a little outcove where he has a small bar, foosball table and the big gun safe that you would expect a gun enthusiast to have. So, I could go to a larger gun safe and put it in the garage, but it presents a problem there too. We have post tension slab on our home and can't drill into the concrete foundation at all. So the weight of the safe would work probably just keeping it up on it's own, but it could rock some.

Since I don't have room inside, it defeats the purpose for me to have the handgun outside in the garage and use it for home defense. So I'd still need a smaller safe for inside. Has anyone used one of the in-the-wall safes? I've seen a couple online but read bad reviews that it tears up the drywall and you need a pro to come trim it out and hide it with a picture frame or something to make it look nice. That's not my area of expertise.

I do have an unused corner of a closer where two different height hanging bars and shelves meet. I could do a taller item in there but it couldn't be a huge safe. It would need to bolt to the wall, which seems to be an issue in many cases. So I'm not sure what my best option would be inside besides the X125 or that other similar style safe that is CA DOJ approved.

Thanks,
Rodeman

 

[TheLaw]

Every Day carry firearm that needs to be available quickly goes in a Gun Vault. All others go in the big safe, so for now, get one like that and go from there.

 

[Rodeman]

I take it by Gun Vault, you mean the actual product Gun Vault that has the 4 buttons and you push in your combo. Would you suggest that over a sentry safe with the digital combo on it? I've only had 1 failure of my sentry safe and it was an indicator the batteries were dying and I changed them at that time. I've seen some negative reviews on the gun vault (and I've seen many on the sentry safe). How has your experience been with that product? A few of the reviews said a hard whack on top of the unit would jar the door open. And in one case, I read a person who identified himself as a LEO who said he has to slam the door shut because it doesn't lock/secure well if he doesn't and he's come home to find the door open.

 

[TheLaw]

Yes, I am referring to the actual Gun Vault product, but my suggestion was to get one "like" it. That could be the Gun Vault or another providers version like the Sentry safe. The choice of brand really comes down to your personal preference. I've had my Gun Vault brand safe for over 8 years. I've never had an issue with it not opening when I told it to, or opening when I didn't want it to. I've never hit it hard to try and force it open so I can't speak to the validity of that. It is very quick and easy to open in complete darkness.

One thing to think about, since the Gun Vault is powered by a wall adapter and uses battery for power outages, one should regularly check the batteries.Guess what I'm going to go do now.

 

[jbwood003]

Go big or go home kind of like Rowdie said lol

 

[__jb]

Handgun Safes - Hand Gun Safes - Pistol Safes | GunVault

Are those the Gun Vault safes you all are talking about?

The link above has pictures of most of the Gun Vault safes that they manufacture... Always nice to see pictures!!!

 

[Rodeman]

That's the gun value that I was referencing. For me, I'm not sure how I'd like the finger code compared to a numerical code. I'm sure it's personal preference where under stress you remember something easily over something else (numerical digit over finger placement in this instance). That said, I kind of like the Sentry Safe Home Defense System. | Sentry® Safe | Home Defense Center - The first line of defense is you!. It has those same buttons. It's tall enough to accommodate a shot gun or if I would move forward with something else later on. The one thing I didn't like about this was the handgun shelf. It comes with one, and that one has a nice extra 45 degree insert that keeps the gun at an angle that you might reach for comfortably. But it only handled one or maybe two guns on the handgun shelf. And then the bottom of the unit was designed for one gun to be stored in the center. I guess you could put a could of rifles or ARs to the side in there, but it's not designed that way specifically. More like a 2 gun safe than anything else.

My personal choice, right now, is the Sentry Safe x125. | Sentry® Safe | X125 Security Safe. It's got a second shelf that is removable. I'm familiar with it and have the same safe in one size smaller design. It's never failed me and I'm very happy with it. Plus, since this is my first gun, and who knows, there may be more to come in the future, and I need this in my home so that it's easily accessible, I'm leaning this direction. I may do a larger safe in the garage one day but that's after my wife is comfortable and does some shooting and decides she wants to pursue this more as it's mostly my interest, hobby and protection desire.

Thanks for your input!
Rodeman

 

[TheLaw]

JB, yes that is the Gun Vault brand I am referring to. I personally use the two gun version.

Keep in mind that when things go bump in the night, you're going to be half asleep, startled and it will be dark. Quick, easy access is key in this situation. I choose not to be fumbling around for a key, or trying to select a set of small numbers on a rotation dial. The finger grooves are instinctive in complete darkness and with a little practice, opening it becomes second nature.

 

[GunGal]

I know this thread is a bit old but I thought I'd post here for anyone else looking for a good biometric gun safe. I've shopped around a lot for a good biometric gunsafe and the best one that I've found is The GunBox Biometric + RF gun safe. Not only can I program all 10 of my fingerprints but I can program my husband's as well. Heck, I could program my toes if I wanted to. It holds about 200 fingerprints. It also comes with a RFID label and wristband. They also offer some sweet RFID rings as well. It holds my gun plus a magazine. I've even seen pictures of people that can fit 2 smaller guns in it. You can bolt it down, upside down to a wall etc. You have access to your guns in about 3 seconds. This gun safe exceeded my expectations and blows GunVault out of the water. Gunvault is cheap and feels like those till boxes they use in retail. Their videos are impressive too. They have videos where the GunBox is put through a "torture test" not only by the company but by other companies as well. These gun safes are not only child proof but have an alarm so if it is moved it will go off (sounds like a fire alarm).

 

[TeleThom]

I own a Fortress Safe. About 900# empty. The guys at the gun store who delivered it on a downpour type day said, "if you ever move, don't call us." ;^) Agree you should buy way more safe than you need right now because you will be buying more guns! Also a great place to store important documents, so for that reason look for max fire resistance time. I believe mine is 45 minutes. To the best of my knowledge, no safe is fire-proof, unless you have a bank vault. Don't forget the Goldenrod for keeping humidity down and leave enough room between the wall and the outlet should you ever have to replace it, something I didn't do. Duh.

They also sell large perforated cans of reusable desiccant that you can "recharge" in your oven once it turns from blue to pink. Cheap insurance against humidity and corrosion. Another tip from a fellow shooter. Leave you gun rugs, (you know, those fuzzy bags we store our guns in) slightly unzipped to allow the innards to breath, i.e., let the Goldenrod and desiccant do their jobs of keeping your guns dry. One other pointer. I have many guns that are collectors items. Oil, being a hydrocarbon, will evaporate over time. I make sure I oil every unused gun once a year as they do dry out. There are also several excellent formulas on the market to protect guns from corrosion that are stored for long periods. Obviously, much of the above is of no concern for Glocks!

Works for me. YMMV.

 

[TeleThom]

Also, leave the combination in a well-hidden place in your home and/or give it/or the location to someone you trust implicitly in case the worst should happen to you and/or your significant other. Why blow money on calling a locksmith to crack your safe when there's no need. Also, if I had to do all over again, I'd buy the numeric keypad. I have a tumbler, and quite frankly, it's a bit of a PITA. Also, most numeric pads are removable for when you say, go on vacation. A nice extra safety feature, IMO.