Handgun Safes Provide Quick Access to Your Weapon When You Need it and Security When You Don’t
The best handgun safes don’t just protect your firearms, but they also keep them away from the hands of the inexperienced.
A handgun safe offers many of the same benefits and limitations as the personal weapons they hold. Most of these safes are small in size and can be easily carried, and so they are usually limited to holding one or two weapons. A full-size firearm safe can hold both handguns and multiple long guns, but they aren’t as portable or easy to hide as their smaller counterparts. A handgun safe can hide at your bedside, unlike the larger gun lockups that require much more space.
If you’re the owner of a single gun and not a collector, or if you keep a handgun from your collection nearby for self-defense or target practice, then a handgun safe is a necessity. The product you choose is as personal a decision as your weapon of choice. To help you find the right secure storage, we’ve put together a selection of handgun safes with various shapes, sizes and technology levels so that every gun owner can find the right fit for their weapons and space.
What To Look For In A Handgun Safe
The best pistol safe will have plenty of features. Here’s what you should be considering:
- Locking mechanisms – Some of the best handgun safes have a biometric scanner, but it’s also a good idea to have a lock with a keypad and a key lock for backup entry. Backlit keypads also help with seeing the numbers in the dark.
- Silent entry – When there is an intruder, you want to catch them by surprise. Silent entry allows you access into the safe without a sound.
- Tampering alerts – Some handgun safes register when someone tries to get into the safe with backup keys or incorrect fingerprints or keypad entries. This lets you know when someone other than you has tried to get into your handgun safe.
- Power options – Some are battery-powered and some can be recharged. It’s best to decide what you think is more convenient for you.
The Best Handgun Safes for Sale in 2021
Owning a handgun comes with a huge responsibility, and one of the most responsible things you can do is get a quality handgun or biometric safe to keep it secure. Storing your handgun in a safe keeps your weapon from others during a potential break-in, and also keeps it out of the reach of children.
Keeping your handgun safe and secure is incredibly important for your safety and for others. With that in mind, we’ve picked the best handgun safes with the most reliable and secure features to keep your handgun ready for when you need it, and safely stowed away when you don’t.
1. Moutec Biometric Gun Safe for Pistols
BEST OVERALL
Made from reinforced steel like most handgun safes on the market, the Moutec Biometric Gun Safe for Pistols offers multiple ways to access the weapons locked inside. You can choose biometrics via thumbprint, a key code or an actual key to open the sealed safe. In reverse, you can use all three means to lock the case, tripling down on safety precautions and keeping the pry-resistant door closed. It’s that mix of triple security and high-quality construction that puts this at the top of our list.

2. AweSafe Gun Safe
RUNNER UP
The AweSafe Gun Safe carries some of the more advanced engineerings amidst this collection. You can lock or unlock it via key code or thumbprint, and it uses familiar solid steel compression. It adds a gas strut for silent opening in case you need to access the gun inside without indicating its hiding place or your location. The interior also includes soft LED lighting to allow clear sight into the box without disturbing surrounding darkness.
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3. Vaultek VT20i Biometric Pistol Safe
CONTENDER
This pistol safe has plenty of features that you’ll appreciate. For starters, the biometric pad allows for quick entry, and the door opens automatically upon entry. The backlit keypad helps you see when you need to gain access in a dark area. When it’s open, there is a built-in light inside of the safe to help you see the contents inside. Oh, and you can also see a history of openings, manage fingerprints, check the battery life and unlock your safe with the Bluetooth app. It’s one of the only handgun safes that need to be charged, but 2.5 hours plugged in provides four months of battery life.

4. RPNB Mounted Gun Safe
BEST MOUNTED SAFE
While most of the other handgun safes here are built for tabletop or bedside use — or designed to travel with the gun owner in safety — the RPNB Mounted Gun Safe is designed for on-wall construction. It reduces clutter while offering a clever brand of “quick draw” design as the case opens to release the gun “handle-first.” Like the other entries here, you still get the steel construction and the multiple means of entry from key code to standard key lock.

5. VAULTEK LifePod
CONTENDER
While every handgun safe in this collection will do the job of protecting your personal weapon, few of them have much of an aesthetic sense. They’re essentially black boxes built purely for function. The VAULTEK LifePod takes on that same function, but the compact gun safe option has a little more visual flair. Employing steel construction, the LifePod locks on closure and unlocks via either a touch-activated keypad or a physical key. Sleek and compact buy highly secure, it’s one of the best handgun safes for safer storage.

6. SentrySafe QAP1BE Gun Safe
GREAT NIGHTSTAND OPTION
A quiet and compact handgun safe for your nightstand or drawer. It can easily fit one standard handgun and two clips inside. You can program up to four different fingerprints, and when it opens, the gas strut opens the case for you without making any noise, making for silent and quick entry. Beyond the biometric entry are a keypad and a key override if the batteries die. It is constructed of steel, pry-proof and DOJ certified.

7. Barska AX11556 Biometric Gun Safe
ALSO GREAT
A DOJ-certified safe with two motorized deadbolts and tamper-resistant edges keeps your firearms safely secured. The fingerprint reader only needs to read about two-thirds of your fingerprint to open, making the scanner reliable and open often on the first try. When you need to access your pistol safe quietly, the silent mode allows noiseless access. And feel free to mount it inside of a desk or closet using the pre-drilled holes.

8. RPNB Portable Security Safe
PORTABLE PICK
While some of the entries on this list offer multiple ways to both lock and unlock the handgun safe, the RPNB Portable Security Safe offers a simple four-key access system. If someone tries the wrong code, or should a thief pick up and make off with the safe, an onboard alarm alerts the gun owner. If you should somehow forget your four-digit pin number, you get an emergency access hard copy key.

9. Reliancer Electronic Gun Safe
MULTIPURPOSE USE
Resembling the kind of common safe you might find in a hotel room, the Reliancer Electronic Gun Safe offers the kind of door access you might find in a P.O. Box or a safety deposit setup. Larger than most of the entries here, there’s plenty of room inside for multiple handguns and other small valuables. Powered by a rechargeable battery, the key code lock can also step aside for standard key access. Once unlocked, the door pops open for quick, silent access.

10. Viking Security Safe
EXTRA STORAGE
With a little shelf built inside the safe, you can safely place your pistol, ammo as well as other items you want to keep safe like a passport. The biometric reader can store and read up to 32 different fingerprints, or you can use the keypad to gain entry into the safe. When you open the safe, there is a LED light that illuminates the inside of the safe which is convenient, especially if you keep you safe in a dark closet.

11. RPNB Gun Security Safe
STRONG STEEL EXTERIOR
Made from 18-gauge steel, the RPNB is a durable, lightweight and compact handgun safe. It provides three-point access: biometric fingerprint scanner, keypad and key. The biometric scanner allows for quick and immediate access, as the door will open automatically once access is granted. The keypad is also convenient other than the fact that the buttons beep when pressed, eliminating silent entry. Inside the safe is a padded floor to keep your belongings protected and from moving around if you move the safe.

12. ASELINE Gun Safe for Pistols
BEST CAR HANDGUN SAFE
Designed specifically for compact transport in the car or where allowed legally for travel, the ASELINE Gun Safe for Pistols keeps its frame compact, even while offering that solid steel case a reliable gun safe must offer. It’s able to pack two large handguns in a case that fits under a car seat or in a travel bag. It all comes together in a safe that weighs less than seven pounds without your guns.

13. Younion Pistol Safe
BUDGET BUY
Big enough to hold a single, small handgun, the Younion Pistol Safe runs the gun owner only about $26. The three-number code lock is a simple way to open or seal the small safe, and the case can be used to hide away cash or a passport if not holding a handgun. The Younion Pistol Safe offers a way for the gun owner to carry a gun concealed, yet safely encased. It allows for the personal transport of a weapon on one’s person without offering immediate access to any random person.

14. Verifi Smart.Safe Biometric Gun Safe
TAMPER ALERTS
There’s a lot to like about this handgun safe. For starters, it has an FBI-certified fingerprint scanner that can store up to 40 prints for protection and quick access into the safe. And if someone tries to get into the safe without your authorization, it keeps a timestamped history of all tampering, including failed attempts, use of backup keys and reset attempts. The only real downside is that it’s pricey compared to other options, but the extra security features are well worth it.

15. Billconch Biometric Gun Safe
VALUE PICK
Just because its affordable doesn’t mean that it’s not packed with features. You can use the fingerprint scanner to gain access, keypad or key. It also comes with an app that keeps a history log, lets you manage fingerprints and provides wireless access to the safe. It has silent entry to quietly access the safe as well as a LED light to light up the inside. On top of all that goodness, it’s also affordable.

16. AmazonBasics Deluxe Firearm Safety Device
HONORABLE MENTION
Providing DOJ-certified protection for your handgun and other items, the AmazonBasics Deluxe Safe is durable with double-layered steel housing. The biometric sensors provide quick and quiet access to your handgun as the door opens quietly and automatically. You can program up to 50 different fingerprints and drill it down on a shelf so it can’t be removed.

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