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Handgun Safes (Pistol Safes), and Biometric Safes: What You Need to Know Before You Buy
Handgun Safes (Pistol Safes), and Biometric Safes: What You Need to Know Before You Buy
What parent or person wants their handguns in the hands of their kids, or visitors, or even the burglar that’s found his or her way in? Because of accidental discharge of their firearms, more and more are turning to the use of handgun safes in order to protect themselves against theft, would-be theft, damage or accidental discharge of a loaded gun. Today’s pistol safes come in a variety of configurations, giving you more control over where you store your weapon(s). For instance, certain car manufacturers (such as Cadillac) have been targeted by safe manufacturers, and you can now buy a false-floor safe for your SUV, or a console safe for your Cadillac Escalade. For the home, there are a number of safes available, including laptop and wall safes in which to store your pistols and more.
Tips on Pistol Storage:
If you own a gun locker or cabinet already, it’s a good idea to store your pistols in a separate pistol safe in order to increase the protection afforded to your gun collection. If a thief were able to get into your gun cabinet, or if there was a major fire and a heavy beam fell onto your safe, then keeping your pistols stored away in their own safes within the bigger safe is a great way to protect your investment.
Mind you, if you have handguns for home protection, then you want to keep your gun safes at hand, preferably with a locking mechanism that allows you easy access. For that reason, a biometric gun safe may be the product you’re looking for.
If you store your handguns in the bigger locker or larger home safe, then you would do well to follow these tips. First off, the firearms ought to be placed at eye level, or somewhere in the top half. This allows you to find your guns easily. An exception to this rule would be if you were using a Browning safe or similar product line. Browning includes a set of wood drawers in which you can store your handguns or other valuables. Another manufacturers, including Browning, of pistol safes will include or offer pistol cradles – these are holster-type of carriers that are attached to the door or wall of the safe for easy access and storage.
If you live in an area in which you may see flood damage or hurricane-level storm surges, then you will want to keep your guns above the water level. If the water gets inside the safe, you don’t want your pistols to rust or the powder to get wet. Locksmiths concur: water damage more than fire damage is a major issue in losing your investment in handguns. This holds especially true if the handgun safes are stored in the basement or other place below ground level. If your house did catch fire, the firemen would no doubt cause water damage in their effort to douse the flames.
To further protect against rust and moisture, you ought to purchase a product called “Bore-Store” in addition to your pistol safes. It’s a fleece cushion to wrap your handguns in. The wicking action of the fleece helps keep moisture away from the metal, and it’s been treated to retard the development of rust. You don’t want to use the plastic cases or the foam products that feel a bit like plastic, as these will trap ambient moisture with the gun.
Handgun Safes and Drawers
Honestly, it’s easier to access your handguns when the pistol safes come with a slide-out drawer feature. Gun racks are great for the long guns, storing vertically, but the pistols seem to be made for drawer storage. Even a .44 can be stored easily in a drawer made for your pistol. These drawers are typically around 3″ in height, and the drawer adds plenty of protection for your prized firearm. Since your gun safe may also be used as a valuables repository, keeping these guns out of prying eyes is a great idea, especially if the drawers lock individually. If you buy Bore-Stores, you won’t have to opt for the lined drawers, either. Either way, think about buying safes with this feature.
Another Pistol-Storage Solution: Use the Door
For those storing their handguns in the long-gun cabinet or similar locker-type of safe, there may come a time when you’re just out of space on the shelves, drawers and gun racks. If you want a great place to store your handguns, you can look into the various products that allow you to mount your pistols on the door for easy access.
Browning, as well as other manufacturers, use a system that involves metal pistol cradles that bolt onto the door. These cradles are coated in plastic so as not to scratch the gun. The great thing about Browning’s design is that the guns don’t rattle when you use the door. That rattling can occur with other designs, especially the type that uses pegs to mount, holding the gun by the guard on the trigger. There are ways to make the peg system work, so long as you mount them in such a way that they are at an upward angle.
A different system uses the door in conjunction with holsters that have the hook-and-loop fastening system. This system merely mounts the holster directly onto the carpet-lined door. Take care when using these types of mounts, however, as some reviewers suggest that the material can scratch the finish on highly polished handguns. Another issue is that the material used can possibly retain moisture and lead to rusting. Furthermore, as time goes on, especially if you move your guns around, your hook-and-loops will lose their grip.
Size of Handgun Safes
There are several models and manufacturers to choose from. As alluded to in the beginning of this article, there are pistol safes that are being made for certain SUVs and other car manufacturers. Currently, Cadillac’s Escalade is being targeted, and there are safes you can buy to store your handguns in the console or in a false floor of the “trunk” area.
When people typically buy gun safes for the home, they’re buying the big gun locker types of safes, with stand-up racks and shelves, even drawers as discussed. For those who want to safely transport their gun on a road trip or hunting trip, etc., there are portable pistol safes with all variety of storage capacity and features. The locking mechanisms can be the traditional style, or electric and the newer biometric gun safe models on the market. Typical price range for these smaller, more portable safes is from $100-$300 or so, ball-parked.
These safes are perfect to either retro-fit into a desk drawer, or perhaps under your bed or night stand. They are small enough – many measuring about the size of a 3-ring binder in general terms – to carry with you on your next trip or place inside your briefcase. Others are mountable to a wall or underneath a desk, or similar placement. They are portable and because of their light construction, aren’t recommended if you’re after fire-protection status. These are made more for compliance with state regulations for gun ownership, as well as transportation protection of your handguns.
Various Types of Handgun Safes
Home safes come with a variety of locking mechanisms, from purely mechanical or combination dial, to electric keypads and now: you can buy a biometric gun safe, like we’ve seen in movies. They’re a good way to store your handguns and especially for those who want to keep prying kids safe. They require a bit more research, however, as you don’t want to be caught thumbing your fingerprint reader only to discover at an inopportune moment that they’re touchy. Read plenty of reviews before you settle on a manufacturer. BioVault is one manufacturer, but several models come with mixed reviews. Be sure your biometric gun safe also includes some back-up system in case of power failure.
Some of the different varieties of pistol safes include the vault-style, closet safe. These take a bit of know-how to install, and are installed in the wall itself, between the framing members. These types of safes work well if you decide to hide them from view, in a closet for instance, or if you plan on hiding them in other locations such as behind your door. This variety does well if you only have a few handguns and valuables, and you don’t want to use up your floor space. These are typically called a wall safe.
Another option is to go for a compact desk safe. These safes are designed to be mounted underneath a desktop, or a similar surface. They open in the front and there is often the added feature of a quick-release, so you can take your firearms with you. Some manufacturers include a sliding drawer so you don’t have to fish around for your gun.
Another popular variety of handgun safes is the chest or horizontal variety. These can be flush-mounted with the floor if your framing allows for it (it’s possible but prohibitively expensive to use these safes on a concrete foundation, for instance). These safes are usually operated the old-fashioned way: with a key, but the good news is that they’re also very mobile.
As you can see, there are plenty of pistol safes available, from portable to permanent. Be sure to read reviews from customers so you can be sure you’re making a smart choice.
About the Author
Devon Knight is the author of the http://www.bulletproofshield.com/safes
blog and provides in depth details on choosing the
best <a href=”http://www.bulletproofshield.com/safes”>handgun safes</a> and <a href=”http://www.bulletproofshield.com/safes”>pistol safes</a>
check out the blog for reviews and money saving coupons
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