Quick access safes opposed to quieter methods

[toopercentmlk]

Along with countless others in this community, I sleep well at night with my Hydra-shok stuffed Glock 21 napping peacefully in its quick access safe within reach. I'm fairly confident that if something goes bump in the night, I will wake(light sleeper) and assess the situation being ready for anything, but what concerns me is the excessive noise produced by the spring loaded door when unlocked! Is this an issue with any of you? and if so what measures have been taken to secure a quickly accessible handgun in the event you need it?

 

[theken206]

where I usally stay, kids arent usally around and if they are its one or both of my niece who know better than to play around with guns.

I keep a pistol and rifle handy most of the time. Pistol stays with me mexican or in a holster from wake up to bed time unless I go somewhere, one of my long guns stays loaded and handy where ever im hanging around at, downstairs/upstairs/kickin it on the porch drinking a brew grilling some steaks ect ect. For instance my mini-14 is next to me right now loaded up full of m855 ball.

 

[MortalWombat]

...what measures have been taken to secure a quickly accessible handgun in the event you need it?

I have one of these on my nightstand. It's from StackOn. It's not really to prevent theft, because a thief could just carry it out and break into it later. But I have a teenage son who often has friends over, as well as having small nieces that come around often.

It was cheap (about $50), and has both an electronic keypad and key access. The key access is behind a little plastic panel between the keypad and the handle. I just took the plastic panel off and left it off, and when I go to bed, I put the key (which is attached to the rest of my keys on my keyring) in the lock and turn it, so that all I have to do is (quietly) turn the handle and open it in one motion. When I leave, the keys go with me, so I know it's locked when I'm not around. In the event that I forget to put the key in at night, I still know the combination, and have trained myself to be able to open it by feel in the dark. My wife also knows the combination. I turned the beeping sound off as well. It works for me.

 

[Treo]

My Winchester JHP engorged CZ75B is in the top drawer of the night stand. Nothing else in the drawer ( except the spare magazine). That way if the slightest sound wakes me in the night I can use my lightning fast ninja skills to grab the gun as I'm jumping to my feet and instantly acessing the situation, before going to confront the intruder in my tactical boxers.

Sorry, but I just had to do it. In reality I have no kids at home, I am able to keep my piece in the night stand drawer ( empty except the mag no fumbling in the dark) & I CAN get to it fast enough that I've woke up W/ it in my hand before.

Somebody used to post a signature here that said In an emergency people don't rise to the occasion the are reduced to their level of training. Keeping that in mind I simplify as much as I can.

That said if my carry piece was a Glock I wouldn't want it where I could grab it in my sleep.

 

[kymarkh]

I also use a quick access safe on a daily basis, and have thought about this issue myself. After using one for quite a few years I don't mind the noise it makes when it is opening. I even re-enabled the electronic beeps that occur as you push the buttons. A very small light also flashes as you push each button.

At first I wanted it to be completely silent, but now that I have small children in the house I want to hear the noise if it opens unexpectedly or if someone is pushing the buttons. Plus if I'm going for the pistol in the middle of the night, half-asleep, in complete and utter darkness any tactile input I can get such as those slight beeps as I press the buttons or the slight clank of it unlocking is going to help me get the pistol into my hands quicker and safer than fumbling around in the dark with zero electronic assistance.

I've tried 'dry runs' several times over the last few years, and in complete darkness any input you can get is going to help you. Short of having a night light turned on - which I think is a bad idea - the noise these things make can be useful. Another thing to keep in mind: with my gunvault being bolted inside the nightstand, the noises it makes (including the clank when it opens) cannot be heard from the other side of the room.

 

[beemerphile]

I just catch the door with the off-hand while punching the code with the other. My code-punching hand (left for me) is my shooting hand so the right hand was just hanging around anyway.

 

[Treo]

Doesn't Cabella's market a safe that opens on your finger print?

 

[RIDE]

I have the same set-up... My thinking is this... I have an alarm system on my home... and it is LOUD. no intruder is going to hear me beeping the code or the door springing open. It takes maybe 2 seconds or less to be armed and ready with the quick-safe next to the bed.

If somehow the bad-guy gets in the house without tripping the alarm... There are two large African Lion Hounds that would be the second line of defense.... again.. the bad guy will not be hearing my safe opening while trying to rid himself of these two dogs.

 

[jsconnelly]

My dog (Australian/German Shepard mix) will give me plenty of warning. Low growl means someone is lurking outside or walking down the street. Barking means someone is coming in or attempting to come in. After that it would be a sniff and lick fest and chew toys would be brought out and paraded around. So...S&W 5946 w/night sights and 15 rounds of Golden Sabres goes in the nightstand drawer at night. I lock it in the safe during the day and remove my S&W 642 and stash it in my pocket. Rinse and repeat.

When my wife or I am not around they're locked up. I trust my kids but not their friends.

 

[Treo]

Please Explain Your Reasoning

I own 2 gun safes one in the house , one in the car (The idea being if I am required to go someplace I can't carry I can actually SECURE my piece in my car). I carry at home so my piece is , again, essentially secure .
What I don't understand is the rationale behind keeping my SD weapon locked up in the same room W/ me. Why add the extra step? I read some where that if the BG's already in the room W/ you when you wake up you're dead anyway. so who are you securing the gun against?

None of the above applies if the weapon in question is a Glock I understand the reasoning behind keeping a Glock secure. ( this isn't meant to be Glock bashing I have woken up at night W/ my gun in my hand, this could lead to some pretty tragic results if the weapon in question is a chambered Glock)

 

[Cyclimus]

I keep my carry piece within 1 step of the bed in its holster, mag seated with an empty chamber so I have time to wake up and assess before drawing and racking. I'm also hoping that should something every occur, the racking sound will be a handy little deterrent if my dog's incessant barking doesn't scare them. Thankfully I have no children as of yet and my wife is ok with this manner of storage, although I like the fingerprint safes, they are slick - just hope the cost comes down some.

 

[Elmer Fudd]

Catch the door with your thumb to keep it from banging what it is attached to when you enter the combination. I do this every night with my Mini GunVault. Noise is not an issue.

 

[RIDE]

What I don't understand is the rationale behind keeping my SD weapon locked up in the same room W/ me. Why add the extra step? I read some where that if the BG's already in the room W/ you when you wake up you're dead anyway. so who are you securing the gun against?

None of the above applies if the weapon in question is a Glock I understand the reasoning behind keeping a Glock secure. ( this isn't meant to be Glock bashing I have woken up at night W/ my gun in my hand, this could lead to some pretty tragic results if the weapon in question is a chambered Glock)

Simple... I have kids (small kids) who get up in the middle of the night sometimes and come in our bedroom to ask some goofy question

While I have thoroughly gone over gun safety, etc. with them... they are far too young to be trusted alone with guns.

I would hate to have a mental lapse some morning and forget to put away a handgun when I got in the shower, and have an accident happen.

Now... if I didn't have small children in the house... I would do exactly as you do, and not have the gun locked in a safe by the bed.

 

[zeeke42]

Also, some of us live in states with storage laws.

 

[alaskagunner]

"Simple... I have kids (small kids) who get up in the middle of the night sometimes and come in our bedroom to ask some goofy question." Hey, that sounds like my house!!

I'll second the placing of the thumb on the door of the Gun-Vault as you key in the combination. It only makes small click when it pops open.

I still feel the need to secure my guns because of my two girls, age 3 and 6. They know never to touch any gun, but I still secure them. They are kids. For example my youngest got out of her room last night traveled down the hall and found a empty medicine bottle in the trash. She then proceeded to suck the bottom of the bottle dry while her older sister watched. When she was finished the six year old came a got me. If it was full and incorrectly capped I have no doubt she would have guzzled as much as she could stomach. I'm not ready to bet my kid's life that they would never, ever touch a gun. Yeah, I secure them in a safe.

 

[Rokyudai]

Aside from placing another hand on the door to buffer it, can you attach an inanimate weight to the door to increase the opening resistance? Just enough to soften the opening...maybe just on the edge where the latch is placed? Like common washers?

 

[Born4spd]

Under the mattress.

Duh.

Just dont leave the grip visible.

 

[toopercentmlk]

Thanks for reminding me of the storage laws, in CA if a juvenile attains any of my firearms and commits a felony with it, I am subject persecution for that felony if I cannot prove that the stolen firearm was secured to CA standards. So, the reason for my quick access safe remains opposed to switching to the ole "holster in the drawer" method. Maybe I should look for a quieter safe?

 

[Treo]

I understand the concept of securing your piece when you're away from it but if some California juvenile can get it off your night stand while you're in the bed ..................

ETA Of course as I said before none of the above applies if the weapon's a Glock

 

[RIDE]

When you say Glock are you referring to handguns that do not have manual safety levers??? like my Sig 229. if it's got 1 in the chamber... as it should (IMO) pulling the trigger will make it go BANG! similar to the "glocks" you keep mentioning.

 

[DomMega]

Who cares if the spring-loaded door makes noise when you open it? I think that can have close to the same alarming reaction that an intruder would have hearing a 12 gauge being racked. The few beeps and the semi-loud drop of the door would be enough to make me stop in my tracks if I was the intruder. I think its a good thing actually.

My 0.02

Coincidentally, I have the gunvault fingerpring biometric safe and its absolutely worth every penny I paid. I live alone so I keep my XD40 on my nightstand without being locked up, but when I lived in Cali I had that thing in the safe and had my gun in 2 seconds.

 

[dralarms]

I've got 2 of those srping loaded door safes, 1 is in my truck, 1 is at my BIL's (someone was stealing his meds), they are great but not quite. I have a stack on wall mounted safe in my bedroom, and during the day it is in the locked position, at night it is either 1 of the 2 other positions I keep it in, 1 unlocked and wide open (no kids in house, alarm set, and I have to be awake enough to get it out of the safe correctly in order to shoot it) and unlocked but closed (this is attained but entering combo and turning handle just enough to keep the pins from relocking) (this is used when my grand children are here).

My grandchildren know not to mess with my guns unless I hand them one, but I'm not going to take a chance so everything is either 1. locked up, 2 on me, or 3 so far out of reach they couldn't get it without a ladder, and then they have to figure out the safety and me kicking some butt since they are never alone more than a min or 2.

For me the noise was not the factor, if you break into my house you will never hear the door drop over the sirens. But the spring loaded safe was not liked by my wife because it sat on the night stand. With the wall mounted one at least it's out of her way.

 

[boom boom]

Take a look at DAC sports safe from Walmart

You might want to take a look at the DAC Sportsafe available online at Wally world for $63 bucks, it is also listed at Cheaperthandirt.com for a bit more. If you have the safes shipped to a closeby store, you get shipping for free from Wally World. That matters because it weighs about 18 lbs. I have two of them and they are solidly built with 4 rubber fingerpads on the top to enter your code 4-5 digit code. Basically, it is a knockoff of the gunvault series but pretty good quality.

 

[Treo]

The Glocks I Keep Mentioning

QUOTE: "When you say Glock are you referring to handguns that do not have manual safety levers??? like my Sig 229. "

When I say Glock I mean ( oddly enough)...... Glock. The reason I specified Glock ( there's that word again) is because the OP specified that his piece was a Glock , also Glock is the only firearms manufacturer that I am aware of that markets a gun that is designed to be carried chambered & cocked W/out a manual safety. As I stated earlier , not something I'd want sitting out on my night table where I can fumble around in my sleep and fire it.

I made my issue W/ Glock products very clear, but to reiterate I've had a weird life & as a result of that weirdness I sometimes wake up WITH THE GUN IN MY HAND I don't Ever want that to happen W a / SA gun and a round in the chamber & no safety.

If that's "Glock Bashing " so be it

 

[WoofersInc]

They bad guy would not have a chance to hear what I was doing over the barking and biting that was going on when he entered the house.
I don't have children so securing guns when I'm home is not an issue.