Handgun Safe for Nighstand

Get the mini deluxe, it has a light inside and it has a power adapter so you dont use batteries unless the power is out or it isn't plugged in.

I have had the multi deluxe for 2 or 3 years now and never had to change batteries.

Something with a push button mechanical lock? There are several brands and styles avail. with this type lock.

I just wanted to add that I agree with you wholeheartedly that a quick-access safe is about the best compromise of accessibility and security in regards to a handgun with children present.

I've had a gunvault bolted to the heavy metal frame of my night stand for ~12 years....

I can roll out of bed and pop up armed in ~2 to three seconds.

I've since put one centrally located on the ground floor of the house near kitchen as well.

Both work flawlessly.

I change the batteries every other year or so.

I don't use the biometric lock model.

Cabellas has them on sale for ~ $80 every so often.

http://www.amazon.com/HOMAK-HS10036684-Electronic-Access-Pistol/dp/B0012OS4GK

I have the larger version of that safe. It's cheap, it works great, and you can bolt it down.

I put a small motion activated LED light I got from Walmart for like $5 in it so that I can see my pistol in the dark.

Batteries have lasted 6 months so far. Which reminds me, I should probably replace them this week.

Personally, I'd buy from FAS1
besides the fact that both the locksmiths that comment on most of the safe threads here and have posted some of their projects (like major bank vaults and similar) endorse it

I've have had 2 of the cheap Chinese locks crap out on bedside vaults and it's much better constructed than a gunvault, which you can pop with a kitchen knife (or screwdriver or dropping) if you know how.

The timing of this thread could not be more perfect. We are getting licensed to foster and adopt and we need a solution like this. Our two daughters are 15 and 17 and know how to handle firearms, so we don't worry about locking up our CCWs at home. I was reading some reviews about the Homak on Amazon, and there are several people who have said their code quit working, they could not override it and eventually had to destroy the box to retrieve their gun and damaged the thing to which the safe was mounted. Not good.

I like the GV 1000D minivault deluxe by GunVault, but even it has some issues with battery life and the one with the AC power supply does not power the lock. It just works the light and alarm from what I have read.

Hmm. I didn't read any reviews like that when I purchased mine.

I did have that happen with a combo lock gunvault (200 model, I think), though. The lock jammed, and I couldn't get in it. I had to pry it open with a screw driver. Bought it from opticsplanet, and they replaced it with the keyed model for free.

I like the Speedvault.

I would stay away from the Biometric ones, I have heard too many complaints about the reliability. And you need it to open every time on the first time.

^^^Wow, that pic is enormous, sorry about that.^^^

Wow, that thing is sweet. I wish I would have came across it while looking for a nightstand safe.

Alternate solution:

$60 safe, about the size of a microwave, at Harbor Freight. Holds guns and other stuff, including the bolts out of rifles you keep in the closet.

Open the door each night before you go to bed, and close it first thing in the morning. In daylight, it opens in 3 seconds flat.

Enter three wrong combinations, and it locks you out for 60 seconds. That makes it very slow going to get in without knowing the combination.

Some small gun safes have a very limited number of combinations, and most anyone with half a brain can guess their way in in under 15 minutes.

I figure the purpose of a small safe is just to make it harder for someone to use against you while it is at your home. It would be too easy (even with it bolted down) for someone to take with them. If I wanted to prevent theft, I'd use a different solution.

I use a GunVault Microvault. It holds my M&P with a TLR-1s attached, a spare mag and a handheld flashlight. I can go from asleep to armed in under 5 seconds. It is great, and I have had no problems with the battery life.

I have heard too many problems with biometric safes to consider them.

This was before I has the TLR-1s.

....I know, crappy cell phone pic....sorry

I'm very glad to see people are locking up their guns. It's idiotically irresponsible not to do so. Everyone should.

I use the compact from V-Line.

This fit my needs because
a) It lies flat in a drawer and opens from the top
b) Does not use batteries
c) Is as secure as any and very fast to open in no-light conditions with minimal practice

Disadvantages:
a) It's somewhat noisy

b) The locking mechanism reduces the available space inside severly. Mine can hold one decent sized pistol only. A Kel-Tec P32 can also fit, but nothing wider because the lock protrudes into the safe too far, it hits on the gun and it will not close.

c) MOST SERIOUS - there is no spring loading of the top. This safe can be CLOSED BUT UNLOCKED. This is not acceptable because it's easy to assume it's locked when it is not. I added a spring to mine that holds the lid open unless the lock is closed and locked. [N.B. Its still possible to punch in the combo and not open the lid, which also is a closed but not locked position. In this case the knob must be turned first. Still not great, but the spring is far better than nothing. Ideally the the lock should retract automatically after punching in the combo. But it doesn't and there isn't much to be done here.] This also makes it much faster and easier to open in the dark.

Overall, I'd recommend a V-Line if you need to put it in a bedside drawer. Be sure the drawer will open far enough to allow the lid to open fully. I'd probably get the larger model if it will fit fit in the drawer, and add the hold-open spring to the lid. I used a large spring from a cheap plastic spring clip.

I'm very glad to see people are locking up their guns. It's idiotically irresponsible not to do so. Everyone should

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That's a pretty bold statement.

If I didn't have a child, my handgun would go straight from my hip to my night stand every night, and straight back to my hip every morning.

It's all personal opinion, but it seems like the OP is only locking his up at night while he visits his girlfriend, who has children. Otherwise, he wouldn't need one. If he did, he'd probably already have one.

I'm very glad to see people are locking up their guns. It's idiotically irresponsible not to do so. Everyone should.

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Whether or not it is responsible to do so depends on a lot of factors. I don't lock all my guns up unless my nephew is coming over, instead I have them hidden around the condo so I have quick access no matter where I am without spending $100+ per safe. It isn't very likely that a home invader would find them before I get to him, and if I'm not home I am not too concerned if they get stolen (they can get guns from other sources so I don't feel like a supplier, and I have homeowners insurance).

For the record, a great way to hide a gun in your entertainment area is to get a 3-pack DVD collection (I am using the X-men trilogy) and a block-type holster with a smaller gun (I'm using a Desantis Nemesis with the extra magazine pouch for my LCP), and put the gun on the shelf with the box over the gun. Granted, if they're stealing DVDs it is still a target they might find, but it keeps it hidden from view.

Whether or not it is responsible to do so depends on a lot of factors.

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We disagree. It's a gun. If it's not on your person it should be locked up.

Hiding is not a safe option. If you cannot afford to keep them safely then don't keep them, the possible consequences are too severe to justify the risk. It doesn't take much looking to see far too many tragic examples.

There are a lot of people who lock their guns up who have had tragedies. Kids see the combination. Small safes are portable, and if you've seen the Jeff Foxworthy bit where he talks about the Portable Safe his wife bought him "the Portable Safe, so the burglar can take it back to his place and open it at his leisure." On the other hand, there are a lot of people who don't lock up their firearms who haven't had tragic accidents.

It's just like saying "if you don't have a safety, your gun could go off at any moment." Revolvers and most DAO pistols don't have manual safeties.

On the other hand, there are a lot of people who don't lock up their firearms who haven't had tragic accidents.

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There are more tragic accidents that occur from firearms that were not locked up than with firearms that were.....

Now I am not going to lecture anyone on whether to lock their guns up or not, we don't know each other's living situations so it is not my job to pass judgement or advice unless I am directly asked to do so. I keep my guns locked up because while I trust my younger siblings with guns, I cannot trust my step-siblings with anything. I even have to lock up pocket knives......

Be safe, be responsible, and it will all go well.

I would stay far away from the biometric safes. They have a habit of not working when you need them most. I had one for a while, and even after programming my fingerprint about a dozen times (to account for slight variations in finger placement), it was still only about 60% effective.

IMO, the best is a mechanical simplex lock, because they're almost never going to "not work". Gunvaults are decent as well, with their electronic combination locks. Battery life doesn't concern me, because you get alerted to a low battery condition well before they completely die.

I have this simplex-lock pistol safe, a V-Line Top Drawer Pistol safe, next to my bed:



And a GunVault Deluxe out in my workshop.

How you store your gun is a highly personal decision. I don't think there is just one right answer. If I were elderly and lived alone in a bad neighborhood, I might make a very different decision than I did.

I have grandkids in and out of the house very often, so I need something to keep curious little hands safe.

For a long time, I thought I could just hide my guns. Then I learned from a neighbor that one day he found his two year old out in the driveway with his 357 Magnum, trying to figure out how to get cartridges in it. The kid had found the "hidden" key, unlocked the drawer, taken out the revolver and ammo, and taken both out onto the driveway.

So now most of my guns are in a heavy duty steel cabinet in my workshop, and a few handguns are in a microwave size safe in my bedroom, within easy reach.

I bought a Ft. Knox handgun safe for the closet. It has a mechanical lock and seems pretty stout.

I've had it for over a year and no problems so far.

Price was around $160 but that is cheap insurance because I have a little one at home also.