Best Handgun Safes (Review & Buying Guide) in 2023

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If you’re not using it, the safest place for a handgun to be is stored in a handgun safe. You put the cookies in the cookie jar, the milk in the fridge, and your money in the bank, and none of those things can take human life as quickly as a handgun. I doubt there’s more than a handful of Task & Purpose readers out there who have their firearms laying around on desks, tables, or chairs, and are tripping over them on the way to the bathroom, but there are a lot of choices out there when it comes down to how and where you’ll secure your weapon when not in use.

You can get lost for hours down the rabbit hole of gun safes and pick up a huge 6-foot-tall safe that will hold a pile of rifles and has shelf storage for a dozen pistols and hundreds of boxes of ammunition, but that is not what we’re focusing on today. Instead, we’ll be focusing solely on handgun storage with quick access for one or two pistols, with maybe enough room for a spare magazine. Think bedside storage and home defense, not the weapons depot from ‘Boondock Saints‘ or your local gun shop. Everyone has their own requirements, but for the most part, I took the view that we want a pistol safe that will prevent anyone but myself (such as children or guests) from accessing it immediately and won’t break the bank. If it’s hidden or looks nice, that’s a bonus, and high build quality is more important than price, but at today’s ammunition prices, a penny saved is a penny earned.

More than two dozen pistol safes were considered, including everything from wall safes to hidden safes to vaults and car safes. Read on for our top picks and why they stand out as the best.

Methodology

While I only have a single pistol safe in my home, I have done extensive research into more than two dozen safes in order to ensure that the information presented in this article is both timely and accurate. Hours spent scouring user reviews, testing specifications, manufacturing practices, fire ratings, and even burglar prevention technologies went into this assessment. Rest assured, the products in our gear guides have passed our own rigorous protocols and met our criteria.

Best Overall

Vaultek VT Full Size Bluetooth Smart Pistol Safe

Best Hidden

Tactical Traps End Table

Most Secure

AMSEC MAX1014 High Security Safe

Best Value

SentrySafe QAP1BLX

Honorable Mention

Vaultek 20 Series

Fastest Access

Vera Safety Reach 2S

Best Vehicle Pistol Safe

Console Vault

Our verdict on handgun safes

Biometric security has come a long way and is here to stay. There are plenty of choices out there when it comes to securing your handguns, and you can’t go wrong with any of the ones listed above. Eleven states now have “safe storage” laws concerning firearms, but it’s every firearm owner’s responsibility, everywhere, to ensure that their weapons don’t end up in the hands of the wrong people. Many of the safes we recommend perform double-duty as storage for other valuables as well, and may even save you money on your home insurance. If you own a pistol, pick one up today.

What to consider when buying a handgun safe

You can keep your pistol in a shoebox at the bottom of your closet, but that doesn’t make it a handgun safe, nor does it meet the legal requirements in states that have them. Security features, fire protection, entry methods (RFID, biometrics, physical key, keypad, remotes, and Bluetooth), size, stealth, and mounting options all factor into which handgun safe is right for you. Take a look at your particular environment, people in your life, and how you access your firearms (i.e., are you looking for self-defense access or will this safe be for storing your range toys) while considering which one is right for you.

Key features of a handgun safe

Lock and key

The way in which you unlock the safe might be the most looked-at feature of a handgun safe. While it might be equipped with one locking mechanism, it might have multiple ways to unlock it. These include:

RFID: Radio Frequency Identification is a small fob that emits a radio frequency. When placed in a specific position on or near the safe, it unlocks the safe.
Biometrics: More often than not, biometrics means fingerprint identification, but it could also mean voice recognition or eye scan technology.
Combination: On most handgun safes, you punch in the combination code on a keypad.
Physical key: If all else fails, you’ll still have a physical key to open the handgun safe.

Material and construction

Why buy a safe if it’s not secure? Look for a safe made of steel that has internal hinges and continuous welds to hinder brute force attacks.

Mounting security cable

Pistol safes are usually small — just a bit bigger than a handgun — so they could just as easily be picked up and stolen themselves. Therefore, you’ll want to find one that you can secure to a wall or another piece of furniture. Usually, this is a steel security cable rated for at least 1,000 pounds of tension.

Handgun safe pricing

Budget

Budget safes (under $200) are fairly easy to find but don’t offer much in the way of security or biometrics. If you’re shopping for a budget pistol safe, take a look at the low score reviews to get an idea of the flaws before you pull the trigger on one.

Mid-range

Between $200 and $400, you’ll see a dramatic increase in features such as pry-proof edges, interior-mounted hinges, higher-quality steel, etc. You’ll also see more advanced locking mechanisms such as biometrics, remote access, and Bluetooth. In this range, there are plenty of good safes to choose from that should suit your needs. Just pick the one that is right for your particular situation.

Premium

If you’re willing to pay over $400, you can really go all out and get a very secure safe for your pistols that is easy to charge, has multiple mounting options, and offers a plethora of features. If you decide to pay top dollar, make sure your safe has the security features you need and is made by a brand you trust.

Tips and tricks

First things first, figure out what pistol (or pistols) you want to keep in the safe, and where you want to store it. This will determine the interior/exterior size of the safe you need, and from there you can begin to look at the features and benefits that you want.

Also, learn from my mistakes and use your personal email or calendar to give yourself a regular reminder to charge your safe. If it’s lithium-ion, change your batteries as needed based on the safe’s instruction manual. While you’re at it, set one to change your smoke detector batteries at the same time.

FAQs on handgun safes

You’ve got questions. Task & Purpose has answers

Q: What is the most difficult gun safe to break into?

A: There probably isn’t a specific answer to this question, but there is a list of qualities. The most difficult gun safe to break into is one that’s in a secure location, constructed from thick steel, and equipped with a dependable lock.

Q: Where should I put a pistol safe?

A: There are two schools of thought here. School A is concerned about nefarious characters coming for them, and they say to put safes anywhere/everywhere that you might need a firearm. School B says to put them somewhere that isn’t obvious, because if it isn’t noticed, it’s less likely to be stolen. For most people, finding a place in your bedroom that is easily accessible is ideal.

Q: Where should I keep my gun when I sleep?

A: Keep it somewhere secure to prevent unauthorized access by children, guests, or intruders.

Q: Is it OK to keep a gun loaded?

A: It depends. Legally speaking, the District of Columbia is the only place that has rules regarding unloading your firearms before storing them, but some states have laws that require you to lock up your firearms when they’re not in use, according to the Giffords Law Center. Otherwise, most gun groups — pro- and anti- — recommend storing your guns unloaded, locked up, and away from ammo, and some groups suggest you develop a storage plan in case you want to access it in a self-defense scenario.