Bedside Pistol Safe???

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Jimineer

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We only own about 5 pistols and I don't see a need for a 1,000 lb floor safe. my wife wants me to get a safe for my bedside to keep a pistol in. I prefer a hiding place when not at home and just keep the gun next to my bed at night. So, any good single pistol safes worth it? Maybe at most to protect against a smash and grab during the day. I've read various threads about the difference between a safe and an RSC and understand the point.

I would appreciate any thoughts, opinions, recommendations. I like the idea of the GunVault safes that use your fingerprint - that is, if they work well.

Thanks.
 
Not the best option, nut I keep my bedside gun in a 'document safe'. fireproof. can lock with a key. but when not locked, it still can be latched and opens with a push of a button. i think ut is made by Kiddie.
 
quickest would be key or electronic combo, I would stay away from the fingerprint scanner, a number of them are known for being difficult if you are sweating or they get dirty. Many people lock the safe during the day, and unlock it at night
 
Thanks guys for keeping me in mind. We currently have a promo price of $189.00 on either version. Standard Holster (FAS1) or Tactical Light Holster (FAS1-TL).
 
I have one of these by my bedside for night time access.

http://www.homaksecurity.com/PistolBoxes.html

It was fairly cheap and it does what it is supposed to do. It allows me to keep my pistol out of the hands of my children and gives me access to my pistol quickly if needed. It's not a "safe" and I don't even have it screwed into the floor since I use it when we travel, but since my carry pistol is only in it when it's not at my side, there is little reason for me to secure it any further.
 
Maybe one of these for the top drawer of the nightstand.

http://www.opticsale.com/gunvault-m...fV2656_a_7c772_a_7c3291_a_7c064_d_MV500_d_STD

http://www.safemart.com/Burglary-Sa...-Access-Home-Safe-2912-S.htm?utm_source=gbase

Of course, you first have to have a nightstand. I went with one of these, but I modified the setup so that you'd have to pick up and haul out the entire oak nightstand (not lightweight either) because it ain't coming out of that top drawer, and the top drawer ain't coming out of the nightstand; not without power tools anyway.
 
What it is worth...

...I've been researching and found best mix in the FAS1 safe. Ordered last week and once they get caught up, should be shipping next week...
 
OP - Isn't Fort Knox safes well known for the quality of their large floor safes? I see the one you linked to is 10 guage steel.
 
The whole purpose of a night stand gun is something easy and fast to get to. The safe would defeat the whole purpose. I mean you don't use your $2000 Colt 1911 nickel plated with ivory grips for such a gun. Those are the ones for the safe. Lol now hopefuly my 1911 will sleep good tonight knowing that my High Point 45acp stands guard at its trusty post at the night stand hahaha...
 
I love the Gun Vault and now have two of them...

I've found the touch pad combo to be very reliable and fast.

Quick access and keeps the kiddies out of trouble.
 
I have a Winchester pistol box from WalMart. It's mounted to my nighstand from the side (using a flush-head bolt) and the bottom (regular bolts going to a steel plate under the shelf surface).

This has made it so the entire nightstand has to be removed to take the pistols...or defeat the box. The design of the door would make crowbar attacks difficult as well.
 
mustang_steve said:
I have a Winchester pistol box from WalMart. It's mounted to my nighstand from the side (using a flush-head bolt) and the bottom (regular bolts going to a steel plate under the shelf surface).

This has made it so the entire nightstand has to be removed to take the pistols...or defeat the box. The design of the door would make crowbar attacks difficult as well.
Click to expand...
I have a Winchester pistol box, too. It's very solid, but the keypad thing went weird one day, and no longer works. I just use the key now (not the fastest way to get inside, but it works). I looked inside the box when the keypad started getting weird, and the batteries had somehow started leaking acid...so not sure what exactly went wrong. New batteries don't help. The batteries I used were all Duracell AA's, brand new and were used for less than a year.
 
Mine doesn't have the keypad. It's key only.

As for your battery leaks...warranty that thing, there's a short in the circuit causing the batteries to overheat.

One key is on my keyring, the other is in a very hard to find location (you'd have to know where it is or it's not going to be found, ever).

I currently have in mine:
6" S&W K22 revolver
replica 1851 Navy revovler
Sccy cpx-1 9mm (with both magazines)
Astra Cub 25acp (with magazine)

I have enough room for my derringer as well, but it's my current carry.
 
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If you have kids maybe a safe is the way to go. Safety first is smart!
Personal safety for me means having a weapon accessible right now.........
Waking up out of a sound sleep, looking for a key, pushing a button or some other task is not my cup of tea.
I don`t have a kid problem or a wife who may or nor be scared by a weapon so all I need to do in an emergency situation is grab and point. My wife knows the drill as well. Different strokes for different folks.


Locking certain weapons up in a safe is (other than for home defense) ..........the only way to go.
 
Get a large safe. Put all guns not in direct use in it. It doesn't matter if you have children or not, do you want a meth head walking around with your gun and bullets?

I've learned the hard way, and it wasn't as bad as it could have been. No matter if it's in the car, work, or at home, if it's not on me it's locked up.

You have 5 guns, you will buy more, and you need a large safe.
 
I chose the V-Line compact. The Ft. Knox looks similar. This fits bolted in the bedside drawer.

Overall I'm satisfied, though I think it's underspec'd and overpriced. Reasons for choosing this model were:

- Good security from kids, AFTER being modified. (Little security from a determined thief, not a requirement).
- Top swing-up opening, to mount & use it inside a bedside nightstand drawer.
- Small size. This is both an advantage and disadvantage - see below.
- Tactile operation - very fast & easy to use in total darkness.
- No batteries to fool with.
- Very fast. Realistic delay of 3-5 seconds, a price I gladly pay to minimize chance of little hands finding a gun.

Disadvantages:

- The lock mechanism extends down inside the box too far and limits useful space. One large handgun, any type, and one small gun, flat auto, is about it's limit.

- Noisy operation of lock. I'd much prefer it were quieter.

- The top is not spring loaded. An oversight for convenience, the box should sprin open when unlocked - think jack-in-the-box. It's also a serious safety fault - the box can be closed but not locked, so it's possible to think guns are secure when they are not. My fix to this was to mount a strong spring inside the box which forces the top open. It's from one of those cheap plastic clamps and takes almost no space. Now the box now springs open when unlocked and will not stay closed unless it's also locked.
 
Jimineer said:
We only own about 5 pistols and I don't see a need for a 1,000 lb floor safe. my wife wants me to get a safe for my bedside to keep a pistol in. I prefer a hiding place when not at home and just keep the gun next to my bed at night. So, any good single pistol safes worth it? Maybe at most to protect against a smash and grab during the day. I've read various threads about the difference between a safe and an RSC and understand the point.

I would appreciate any thoughts, opinions, recommendations. I like the idea of the GunVault safes that use your fingerprint - that is, if they work well.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

My GunVault works so well I have two of them, one for the truck, the other by the bed. Mine uses a programmable finger combo code, not fingerprints. You just punch in the code with your fingers and the door swings open for quick access.
I also have a floor safe, but have the GunVault for quicker access to my HD handgun.
 
I like the gun vault. Its simple & fast to access but solid and best part is you can get them for around 100$ from Harbour frieght or most gun shops.
 
When you don't have kids and live don't in an apartment, it's extremely safe!
JT
 
KodeFore said:
I like the gun vault. Its simple & fast to access but solid and best part is you can get them for around 100$ from Harbour frieght or most gun shops.
Click to expand...


Rock-solid,16 gauge steel housing

Shipping Weight: 9.60 lbs.

Eveyone has their own idea of "solid". Most boxes will keep your kids out and provide quick access for most people, but will hardly slow down the "smash and grab" that the OP mentioned. Bolting it down and out of sight will help. Also, the cables that are commonly used with many handgun boxes can be cut with a multi-tool or wire cutters very quickly so I wouldn't depend on them at home. Use those cables when traveling with a box and staying in hotels since you can only do so much in that environment.

Seems like the thickness of the steel used would have a big role on how fast you can gain access by trying to deform the box or door whether it's with a screwdriver, hammer, or other household tool. 1/16" steel can be deformed pretty easily by a determined thief. IMO
 
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