Gun laws are slowly becoming more and more flexible, allowing individuals to buy firearms that they can use in order to keep their house and their families safe. Unfortunately, having a weapon in the home is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. Depending on where you live, it can take up to 10 minutes for the officers to arrive. However, regardless of how lax the laws are, you are still required to store it safely, and this means finding the best nightstand gun safe on the market.
Gunsafes, generally speaking, are not only required by law in the case of firearm owners, but they are also very practical. A quality cabinet or safe can prevent your children or strangers from getting hold of the weapons, while also giving you easy access to them in case you’re in danger.
This having been said, there are hundreds of nightstand safe models, and choosing one can be difficult if you do not know what to look for. We have gone through the main features that you have to keep in mind when getting a gun safe. We have also compiled a list of the most popular products on the market.
We recommend that you first look at the buying guide, in order to have the information necessary to make an informed decision and then look at our reviews and decide which safe best suits your needs.
What to look for when getting a new nightstand gun safe?
Finding the best nightstand gun safe can be difficult if you have never owned one before and do not know what to look for. Here are the steps that you need to follow in order to ensure that the product that you choose will be genuinely useful to you:
Measure in order to determine how much available space you have
There is nothing more enraging than spending a lot of money on a product and then seeing that it doesn’t fit where you hoped it would. Get a measuring tape and write down how much space you have. This will help you determine what size of gun safe to look for.
You should try to get a model that is an inch smaller than the drawer that you’ve got because wooden furniture tends to swell if there is a lot of humidity in the air and dry up and contract when there isn’t. Getting a safe that is slightly smaller also means that it will be easier to place in the cabinet or drawer without damaging the furniture.
Decide how you want to use the safe
Different nightstand gun safes can have different uses. It is vital that you decide what you want from this type of product. Some models can hold a firearm, along with an additional magazine, while others offer enough storage space to fit jewelry, cash, and even folders filled with documents. Furthermore, keep in mind that there are products that have several compartments, which allows you to keep your valuables locked down
Think of what type of lock you want
Older, traditional products have a mechanical lock that you would see in on regular safes. These are great because they are very difficult to crack, but it can also take a long time to get them opened if you’re in a hurry or if you’re in complete darkness.
Alternatively, you can go for nightstand gun safes that have an electronic lock. Most models have a keypad that allows you to essentially set a PIN code that you can use in order to lock and unlock the safe. Again, these are very secure, however, it will still take a few seconds to get them unlocked, and you will also need to see what you’re typing.
The last type of lock is also considered the most efficient. If you don’t mind spending a bit more, you can get a gun safe that has a biometric sensor. This is the best nightstand gun safe on the market due to the fact that it only requires your fingerprint to unlock, and the entire process only takes a fraction of a second.
When it comes to biometric gun safes, it is important to keep in mind that they must be plugged into an outlet to function. If the power is cut, the device does contain a battery that will keep the mechanism running for around a day, but once it is depleted, you won’t be able to open the safe unless you plug it in.
Look at how much time you need to get to the gun
One of the most important things when it comes to gun safes is the ability to open them and get to the firearm quickly. This is where you will have to go back to the type of lock that you are interested in and consider how much time you will need to get it open. Mechanical locks are the slowest to open, with the entire process taking between 20 seconds and 2 minutes. Next are keypad electronic ones that can usually be opened in up to 10 seconds, and finally, there are the biometric models that need a single finger press to unlock.
Although the fingerprint safes are the fastest to open, there are other things that you need to keep in mind when it comes to how fast you can reach the gun. Some manufacturers try to hide the sensors in places that are hard to get to, such as the bottom of the safe, under the bezels, or on the back portion. It is usually best to get one that has the sensor somewhere you can easily reach without having to move around the nightstand or take the safe out.
Furthermore, if you don’t want to worry about having to open furniture doors and safe doors, look for a product that has a pop-out drawer or lid that will open instantly upon placing your finger on the sensor.
Look for durable hinges
Safes are made to last a lifetime and to keep anything that you store inside, as safe as possible. The issue is that, while most manufacturers spend a lot of time and money on designing the lock and the actual container, they tend to pay little attention to the hinges of the safe.
More advanced safes have hydraulic hinges that are much more durable than regular ones and cannot be broken without using specialized tools.
Set a budget, but be flexible
Depending on how great your need is, be prepared to spend up to $1000 on some secure safes out there. If you only have a pistol and want to keep it locked down so that your kids can’t reach it, you can opt for a cheaper model that has a mechanical lock. However, if you like in a bad neighborhood and/or have a lot of valuables that you also want to store in the safe, then you should consider spending a bit more and getting a biometric mode.
In other words, treat the nightstand gun safe like an investment. It is usually better to get a more durable model that has a better lock than to get one that you will come to hate after a few months.
