BARSKA biometric gun safe

[Dadsnugun]

Whether you use bio or not, these micro/mini safes make total sense for those of us with kids in the house and still want quick access to a firearm. I'm never more than a few steps away from a hidden & secure firearm that's ready to go.

Agreed, I've become quite a believer in handgun safes.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[livewire]

what if you're taking fire from multiple armed assailants in a surprise attack and your finger gets hit before you can authenticate? then what?

Man up, pick the finger up off the floor, and scan it anyway

[10thmtn]

Still trying to make my mind up on this...

I know the GunVault Biometric safes are pretty horrible, just wondering how safe a regular gun-vault would be for a child to get into.

Also wonder which ones come with mounting bolts rather than a cable. I guess I could drill through any of them eventually...going to mount on the bottom level of a night stand.

I have a GunVault, with the 4 buttons on top. I added some glow-in-the-dark stickers to it, so I can see the buttons at night.

If you enter the incorrect code too many times, it locks out for a period of time. That should take care of any curious little ones. There is a version, IIRC, that will also sound an alarm if this happens.

It has holes in the bottom so you can bolt it into the floor.

I like it - I've even taken it with us when we've gone on vacation, for securing our guns at night in the hotel. Much quicker access than the typical hotel room safe.

[Foo909]

I ended up going with the GunVault Multi-Vault 2000 Deluxe Standard, due to some peoples complaints about: Battery issues, Slowness of bio-metric access, more space and the price I got on it.

I have it mounted to the night stand safe and secure. I also like the fact it has a built in courtesy light, tamper indicator, and jarring sensor....and will always work unless the power is out AND the batteries are dead.

I got it from LG Outdoors Sporting Goods online shopping for $98 plus shipping and handling which can't be beat. I'm very satisfied with the packaging and shipping, the safe is everything I hoped for as well. Quick to access and good for keeping the kid out!

[lordhamster]

I briefly had a Gunvault model but it promptly broke. I bought the thing and opened it maybe a total of 10 times in 2 weeks. One time I go to open it I hear a little click when I entered the correct code, but the safe didn't open. Tried again, same thing. I used the key to open it and change the batteries. Same problem persisted.

If you look on amazon.com look at these safes and check out the 1 star reviews. It seems that many many people experience this same defect. I certainly would not want to be locked out of my safe in a time of need.

I've since fallen back to my trusty old Barska biometric which seems to have a much more robust mechanism.

[a__l__a__n]

I have the Barska like in the previously linked video. It works great. Note, in the video there was one mis-read of the fingerprint before the successful read, which made it take more time than normal. Entering the finger at multiple angles pretty much eliminates mis-reads so you can get in quicker than the video implies.

Mine is right beside my bed, on the second floor of the house. I think it gives plenty quick access for my situation. I've timed myself, and determined I can have my revolver in my hand ready to do business in about 4 seconds, from a starting position under the covers in my bed. Any intrusion will set off our burglar alarm, which will give me at least that much time, even if the intruder makes a beeline for the master bedroom.

I do have a question for other Barska biometric safe owners: How long do your batteries last? I'm using lithium AA's which should be about as good as it gets. I open the safe at least twice a day, and sometimes more. Supposedly there is a beeping pattern that warns of a low battery, but it would be good to know when to expect that and not run the risk.

[lordhamster]

Thus far mine has lasted over a year on one set of lithiums. However, I have removed the "barska" plaque to expose the lock so that worst case I could fall back to the key to open it fairly quickly.

I have the Barska like in the previously linked video. It works great. Note, in the video there was one mis-read of the fingerprint before the successful read, which made it take more time than normal. Entering the finger at multiple angles pretty much eliminates mis-reads so you can get in quicker than the video implies.

Mine is right beside my bed, on the second floor of the house. I think it gives plenty quick access for my situation. I've timed myself, and determined I can have my revolver in my hand ready to do business in about 4 seconds, from a starting position under the covers in my bed. Any intrusion will set off our burglar alarm, which will give me at least that much time, even if the intruder makes a beeline for the master bedroom.

I do have a question for other Barska biometric safe owners: How long do your batteries last? I'm using lithium AA's which should be about as good as it gets. I open the safe at least twice a day, and sometimes more. Supposedly there is a beeping pattern that warns of a low battery, but it would be good to know when to expect that and not run the risk.

[FAS1]

I don't have any experience with this brand safe but I am still not sold on biometrics for a handgun safe. I prefer a mechanical pushbutton lock like the Simplex. Simple and reliable access when needed.