digital gun safes

[Atavar]

Your right! I think i'll scrap my key lock strongbox and go buy a real safe. Thanks for setting me straight.

You are most welcome!

 

[CapnMac]

but "RSC" is such a broad category

All too true.
And just as confused when the $300 locked boxes get lumped in, too. (The number of people I know who will spend more on a scope than their "safe" frustrates me.)

 

[HowieG]

I absolutely do believe the dial is more reliable, no doubt about that.
But with that said I have two other safes that are digital, both have been 100% reliable….so far… I don’t personally know anyone that’s had a problem with a digital lock. If they weren’t fairly reliable I’d take the dial to.

I’m glad they make both.

Choice is always good. I do know somebody who had a failure. I have heard that reliability is getting better.

 

[hutch51]

I've posted before. 39 years with mechanical locks, about 20 -25 with electronic.
Mechanical. Period.

 

[jaguarxk120]

Why not a safe that works like a pet door.
The door reads the implanted chip in the cat/dog and door opens.
The chip could be implanted or placed in a ring, the door of the safe will unlock
when the implant is placed on a location on the safe.

 

[Atavar]

Why not a safe that works like a pet door.
The door reads the implanted chip in the cat/dog and door opens.
The chip could be implanted or placed in a ring, the door of the safe will unlock
when the implant is placed on a location on the safe.

If you want to keep it simple just pair it to your smart car key. If your keys are in your pocket the safe will open.

 

[rdnktrkr]

When I close my safes I turn the first 2#s of the combination then stop on zero, turn dial to final # and its open, I can get in there fast. I'm also guilty of not "locking" it up if I'm in and out a lot in a day so in that case I believe a digital could assist me. My smaller safe is approaching 40yo, middle one is over 25yo and the bigger one is about 15-20yo and the dial system on them has never given me a problem and no batteries have needed attention.

 

[JERRY]

I don't use a safe for quick access, I use for prohibiting unauthorized access. If I need a gun quickly I draw it from my person. If I'm sleeping it's on the night stand.

 

[jdh]

Cannon sending out a new locket with no questions asked, tells me they honor their lifetime warranty.

They sent me a new safe after the original was destroyed in a wild fire. I had called to see what was the best way to open safe after I pull it from the ashes. He told me then asked a few questions. A few weeks later a trucking company called to schedule a delivery appointment. I wasn't expecting anything. Turns out it was a replacement safe. If you buy a Cannon take the time to fill out the warranty registration.

 

[MoscowMike]

I bought a Dakota modular safe a couple of years ago. The dealer swapped out the digital lock for a dial. Cost some extra, but worth it in my opinion.

 

[Frulk]

Have both a manual dial and an electronic pad safe. Both have been decommissioned for an electronic keypad vault door.

Never had a problem with the manual dial.

9 volt died in electronic pad a couple of times. Replaced battery and all was good. That safe has an additional feature where if the pad goes DOA you can remove it and insert a long, funky designed skeleton key and presto, you can manually unlock it.

The manual dial safe is waiting on a buddy to pick it up. The electric pad one has been repurposed for power tool storage.

 

[Charlie98]

I don't use a safe for quick access, I use for prohibiting unauthorized access.

+1

When I close my safes I turn the first 2#s of the combination then stop on zero, turn dial to final # and its open, I can get in there fast.

I used to do that... I've got a keyed dial, so I can lock it, too. It finally occurred to me what Jerry said... I already have SD and HD weapons around the house, including ammo and extra magazines, I shouldn't have to get into the safe. Granted, I don't have small kidletts running around, so I have the liberty of having a weapon out, or close at hand.

At the end of the day... my dad always said 'locks only keep the honest people out,' and I think that is correct. I had the opportunity to wander around the warehouse at a safe distributor in Dallas once... it was eye-opening to say the least. Locks and steel are merely speedbumps for a determined criminal.

 

[d31tc]

Mine came with a key. Remove the digital dial and in goes the key. Kept hidden in another part of the house of course.

Do you know the manufacturer of your electronic lock with manual key override? I was thinking of replacing my digital lock with either a dial, but it seems having the speed of a digital lock with the backup of a manual override would be the best of both worlds.

 

[Slamfire]

An office I worked in changed all their mechanical locks to digital. One digital lock failed and in came the locksmiths. They drilled out that safe within a 15 minutes, start to finish. Safe was ruined. Asked the Locksmiths how many digital locks failed, and it was several a week, maybe one a day at times. Asked about mechanical locks, maybe once a month, hard to remember.

Digital safe locks are the gift that keeps on giving to locksmiths.

I was given one of those office safes, and the old lock failed. Locksmith came in and drilled out the old Government lock.







you do not want a mechanical lock with delrin parts. They wear.






Apparently the Government was afraid Secret Agents would bring an X-Ray machine and see the position of metal tumblers. These guys believe what they read in spy novels.

Now this is what you want, metal discs.



I purchased a replacement to my drilled out lock on ebay. It came from a Champion safe. Great mechanical lock. Last forever.




These locks are designed to be easily swapped out. Four phillips head screws and the lock is off. The shaft on the R6700 lock was long, and it needed to be cut for my door. A digital lock is a $600 drill out waiting to happen.

 

[Jimfern]

I recently swapped out my S&G mechanical for an electric. Note that the lock smith told me with the mechanical NOT to spin the dial real fast because it could upset the combination. That being said I had a Walmart fireproof safe for over 30 years with an electronic lock and never had any problems getting into it and I have 3 Kwikset electronic door locks on my house, two of which experience direct Texas sun and they have been running about 8 years w/o any issues. So I didn't hesitate to swap out the S&G mechanical for an fingerprint reading electric that Liberty Safe sells.

I can't remember the last car I had w/o electronic locks.

 

[Rubone]

I bought a Fort Knox from the regional distributor. He told me not to get a digital lock , and especially due to where the safe would be and the temperature it would live in. He said the service calls on safes are mostly digital lock issues. I have a dial with a day lock feature so only spin it when I will be away, otherwise it is super simple and fast to access.

 

[.38 Special]

I've never had a full-size safe with a digital lock, but have gone through multiple bedside vaults with them, and they have all failed eventually. Yes, they come with keys - which honestly should be a clue - but I am not the sort that can keep track of keys over the course of years.

And as has been pointed out, the electronic versions are unlikely to stand up to EMP - which in the form of solar flares are apparently inevitable, and apparently overdue.

I personally won't have anything more to do with electronic locks, if I can help it.

 

[Slamfire]

I recently swapped out my S&G mechanical for an electric. Note that the lock smith told me with the mechanical NOT to spin the dial real fast because it could upset the combination.

I do not spin the dial fast when finishing the sequence and turning the dial so the latch is lifted. I am sure that will damage something internal to the lock. Since I have to count the number of turns, I don't spin the dial fast or I will over shoot.

 

[irishlad]

Nothing fuddy duddy about it! I have a Winchester safe and the electronic lock failed within the first month. Although they replaced it, I replaced it with a Sargent & Greenleaf dial and I feel better. There’s no getting around the fact that an electronic keypad introduces at least two more possible failure modes.

This too happened to me, also with a Winchester branded safe. I was very lucky that I was able to get it open one last time before the digital lock failed permanently. Sergeant Greenleaf went in to replace it, and I think I will stick with mechanical locks from this point forward.

Was is it easy to swap out? How'd you know which S & G lock to buy? Thanks. Pretty sure I'm gonna buy my grandson a Winchester safe. It does come with a back up key.

 

[The Night Rider]

Personally I'll never go back to dials. If you don't open your safe often they aren't to bad. Sometimes I open mine multiple times a day. When I had a dial I'd actually leave my safe unlocked Sometimes on accident. Because if I thought I was going to need back in it soon I would close the door but not lock it.

That's on you

 

[Zebraranger]

After the hundreds of electronic keypad failures and the horror stories that I've read about on these forums over the years, I'll not go that route. My trusty rotary dial has worked every day flawlessly for over 25 years, so I dont believe in trying to fix something that's not broke, especially with something that's battery operated.

 

[starnbar]

Just old school here it will always be a dial S&G they are reliable and never had one fail me yet my 2 cents

 

[crstrode]

Very true, but "RSC" is such a broad category that there is quite a bit of difference in construction of a $1500 RSC and a $6500 RSC with a U.L. certified RSCII burglary rating and a real certified fire rating like from Intertek. Probably most like you say would be under $3000 and very average protection for both.

Prior to moving from one address to another several years ago, I was considering leaving the old "safe" behind and just getting another one.
Shopping around, I asked what the cost would be to replace my small Graffunder with one of similar size and quality.

The answer was "in excess of $6500".

Needless to say, the $500 I spent on a safe mover was well worth it. I've moved it three more times since then.

By the way, that $6500 estimate was in 1996 dollars - not in Biden Bucks - I guess it would be double today.

The Sargent and Greenleaf dial lock on that safe has been doing just fine for 40 years.