Child-proof small gun safe?

[nyrifleman]

I did do a search on the forum before posting, but most of the threads on this subject were from years and years ago.

I'm looking for a small safe that will be placed in a nightstand drawer. I'm not concerned about burglary or fireproofness, but am very concerned about kids getting access. Prefer keypad, not biometric, RFID or key (key backup is OK).

After doing some research, I came across the PDS-500 from Stack-On, which seemed to have all the features I needed. Went on YouTube, and discovered dozens of videos of people opening the safe with such simple methods as turning the backup keyhole with an unmodified paperclip (!), bouncing the safe up and down gently on a bed (!!!) to more sophisticated methods like hitting the keypad reset with a metal shim. I don't expect the safe to stand up to a determined attack by someone knowing what they're doing, but my 4-year-old would be capable of bouncing the safe open, based on the video I saw.

Saw similar videos about Sentry safe products. Now I'm just terrified of all the safes on the market: I don't know what I can trust. Some of these videos have been demonstrating the same vulnerability for years, and clearly the safe companies have not bothered to address the issue.

So I'm looking to see if there's someone knowledgeable in the field who can recommend a product that would deter at least a pre-schooler. Feel free to plug your own business, if you are in the safe business.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I like the Knox pistol safe;
https://www.amazon.com/Fort-Knox-FTK-PB-Pistol-Handgun/dp/B004H6MKI8

Simple but well made and with a proven lock. Now, some will complain that the lock can be opened if one takes the time to go through the 1000 or so combos which it is limited to. That is of small concern to me.

Simplex lock is well known and proven. Used globally for years, I have had others and they failed with time.

 

[CB900F]

NYRifleman;

You may wish to take a look at what V-Line offers. The lock is a mechanical push-button unit that can be programmed by the owner, after very carefully reading the instructions! The lock has multiple decades of use in both the military and civilian fields with a very good history of reliablility. Any competent locksmith should be able to service it and/or reprogram it for minimal cost.

They market relatively small safes of the type I think you're looking for, with several different sizes & models available. I'm not familiar with all their sales points, but would think it's worth your time to research them.

900F

 

[Sav .250]

First off I`d educate your kids about weapons. Never to early to start.

 

[cdk8]

Virtually, NONE of the mainstream minivaults are built to a standard that I consider to be child resistant, and I feel that the CA DOJ has a lot of blood on their hands for shamelessly promoting these products for "child resistance" as a part of their war against the 2A.

I use the Fort Knox Pistol Box, and I am a strong advocate of a mechanical lock for this type of product (specifically, the Simplex lock.) I dislike electronic and biometric designs, so I am biased here.

FWIW, I prefer it because I feel it:

• is more secure,
• is what I consider to be TRULY child-resistant,
• will outlast electronic products by decades,
• doesn't open if dropped,
• doesn't open if you jam a paperclip inside of it,
• doesn't suffer from circuit failures, electronic interference, or battery failure, and
• if your hand is covered in blood or shaking it makes no difference (possible, maybe even likely, in the scenario where flawless function is necessary.)

The FAS1 is another popular product. While I have not used it myself, the FAS1 uses a base design and has all of the features that I personally consider to make a superior product. Like the Fort Knox Pistol Box, it is the type of product I am willing to trust with my life to & to help protect the lives of those who should not have access.

Both of those products, and several other designs using Simplex, carry a premium pricing over some of the alternatives. In my opinion, the decision to invest in this type of product is one of the best decisions one could make because there is such a huge quality difference. After all, we have spent a lot of money on high-quality firearms, training, and accessories to ensure they operate reliably and safely...and a low-quality fast access vault could make all of that irrelevent in a heartbeat!


http://www.fas1safe.com/
[URL="Fort Knox"]https://www.amazon.com/Fort-Knox-FTK-PB-Pistol-Handgun/dp/B004H6MKI8[/URL]

 

[CB900F]

NYRifleman;

The V-line units utilize the Simplex mechanical lock that cdk8 posted about.

900F