If you’re shopping around for a safe, secure, and accessible place to hold your handguns, then a bedside gun safe is a great investment to make.
However, the market is saturated with so many brands and models of gun safes across different price ranges that it might be difficult to settle for one unless you know exactly what you’re looking for.
In this article, we review the best gun bedside gun safe currently on the market.
Table of Contents
General Overview
- The Overall Best Bedside Handgun Safe: Hornady RAPiD Gun Safe
- The Best Budget Bedside Gun Safe: RPNB Gun Safe
- The Best Biometric Gun Safe: Moutec Biometric Gun Safe
- The Best Electronic And Combination Lock Gun Safe: Awesafe Gun Safe
- The Best Compact Gun Safe: Vaultek VE10 Essential Series Gun Safe
The Overall Best Bedside Gun Safe
Hornady RAPiD Gun Safe
One remarkable feature of the Hornady RAPiD gun safe is its unassuming appearance of a regular bedside clock. This makes a great diversion tactic that hides your weapon in plain sight so that nobody could suspect its contents.
Despite its innocuous appearance, the safe quickly snaps open to give you instant access to your handgun. As impressive as the camouflage feature is, it’s not the only standout feature of this gun safe and that’s why it sits comfortably as our overall best.
For instance, it uses an RFID mechanism to quickly snap open. You wear the RFID fob on your wrist or a keychain, and once you hold it up to the safe’s display, it opens up for you and you alone. The RFID safety mechanism is more effective than biometric systems and faster than using a keypad (even though the safe also has both a key and keypad as backup safety measures).
Once open, the safe has a padded interior that keeps your gun cushioned and protected. The only drawback is that this significantly reduces the space inside the compartment, thus, making this device only effective for smaller handguns.
It has other cool features, such as the option to operate the safe using either AA batteries or AC. With the battery option, the clock display goes off to indicate that the batteries have run out and need changing.
It also comes with a USB port, so you can charge your phone or any USB-powered device close to your bedside while you sleep.
You can attach the safe to your bedside using the nondescript security cable that comes with the gun safe. Although this device is a little pricey, it’s worth every penny.
What We Like
- Camouflage feature to hide the safe in plain sight
- USB charging ports
- Battery and AC operated
- Secure storage
- Easy-to-open
What We Don’t Like
- Small interior
- Pricey
The Best Budget Bedside Gun Safe
RPNB Gun Safe
If you’re looking for something simple and affordable to hold your gun, then the RPNB gun safe is your best bet.
It’s small enough to fit into your carry-on bag and meets TSA requirements for carrying weapon luggage, which makes it safe for travel. Once indoors, you can secure this simple device to your bed stand for easy access using the cable that comes with it.
The gun safe uses three security methods to control access: a traditional key, keypad, or RFID key. In addition to the security measures, the safe is made with heavy 16-gauge steel that reduces the possibility of it being smashed open.
However, it doesn’t have internal hinges or a pry-resistant bar to deter someone who’s really determined and has the right tools. Considering this is a very low-budget safe, we can’t really expect too much from it besides the basics.
Once the safe pops open, you need to completely open it yourself because it doesn’t have a pressure piston. However, the interior is well-padded and will hold your gun securely.
The safe operates using AAA Alkaline Batteries that need to be updated regularly so they don’t run out of power when you need to access the safe in an emergency.
What We Like
- Very affordable
- Safe for travel
- Portable
- Multiple security options
What We Don’t Like
- Very basic features
The Best Biometric Bedside Gun Safe
Moutec Biometric Gun Safe
The Moutec biometric safe for pistols gives you easy access to your weapon with smart methods, including a biometric fingerprint scanner, a spare key, and a keypad for codes.
The biometric scanner processes your fingerprint within a second and the auto-open feature of the safe automatically snaps it open. It can memorize up to 20 fingerprints and has a touch lifetime of over 1 million times, which greatly reduces the risk of getting false negatives.
It has pre-drilled holes to attach the safe securely to your bed frame or nightstand using the security cable that comes with it. Its steel exterior has a durable powder coat finish to prevent corrosion and ensure the device remains durable.
In addition to its safety features, it also has internal hinges and an anti-pry lid to prevent unauthorized access into the safe.
The interior is large enough to hold 2 pistols and if you have to quietly get into the safe without alerting anyone else, it also has a silent mode. The keypad backlight function allows you to use the safe in low-light settings.
What We Like
- Backlit keypad
- Memorizes up to 20 fingerprints
- Anti-corrosion coating
- Multiple security features
- Holds 2 handguns
What We Don’t Like
- Material could be more durable
The Best Electronic and Combination Lock Bedside Gun Safe
Awesafe Gun Safe
The Awesafe bedside gun safe is a secure, convenient, and simple place to hold your weapon. It uses both a combination and electronic lock to keep its contents secure and provides reliable access at all times.
With the biometric fingerprint identification feature, you don’t have to worry about remembering keys or figuring out codes (especially if you are prone to forgetting stuff like that). It’s also easy to use and allows you to grab your weapon in seconds.
In cases of emergency, or if you lose power or access to biometric identification, it also has a key backup feature that allows you to unlock the safe in seconds. There’s a key override function for additional safety.
The exterior of the safe is made with heavy 12-gauge steel and has an anti-pry feature to prevent people from accessing the content of the safe without authorization, while the interior is lined with soft foam to secure your weapon.
What We Like
- Biometric lock and fingerprint identification
- Key backup feature
- Can hold multiple handguns
- Easy to use and convenient
- Secure
What We Don’t Like
- Pricey
- Battery warning may not be activated if the battery is really low
The Best Compact Bedside Gun Safe
Vaultek VE10 Essential Series Gun Safe
The VE10 is one of Vaultek’s Compact/Sub-compact safes and it delivers the best of user experience and security.
Despite its compact build, you would be mistaken to underestimate this bedside safe. For one, it has an auto-open lid that opens in a smooth and quick motion for quick access.
Once open, this compact safe has interior LED lights that allow you to see, in case you have to load your weapon in the dark.
It also has proximity sensors that detect when you’re nearby and automatically turns on the keypad backlight at night. It also comes with a mounting plate for you to securely mount the safe to your bedside drawer.
The safe has a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that prevents the risk of it running out of power at inopportune moments. Once fully charged, it has a battery life of over 4 months until you have to recharge using a USB cable (like you would a smartphone).
Most importantly, in addition to the keypad security feature, the safe also has a security sleep mode that shuts it down for 4 minutes if the wrong keycode is input repeatedly. This way, you can keep its contents safe from unwanted eyes and hands.
The safe also has internal hinges and anti-pry bars to dissuade even the most determined intruder from getting into it.
What We Like
- Great user experience
- Multiple safety features
- Auto-open lid
- Backlit keypad
- Good batteries
- Motion sensors
What We Don’t Like
- No biometric option for security
Things to Consider When Buying A Bedside Gun Safe
Here’s a list of top criteria to help you narrow down the options and choose a gun safe that’s both useful and affordable.
Security features
Since this is the entire reason for getting a gun safe, it only makes sense that you look out for the security features on the safe you want to buy.
There are two main security features most safes use: biometric and keypad. Unfortunately, safes with keypad features have only basic security and can be opened by anyone with a 4-8 digit code. Most basic bedside safes use a digital keypad security feature.
On the other hand, biometric features like fingerprint scanners, give you additional security and only people with the registered print can open them. However, one con is that bedside safes with biometric scanners give a lot of false negatives.
One way to avoid this is to take note of how many fingerprint impressions the safe can memorize. The most common memorizable fingerprint impressions are 5, 10, 200, and 50. The more impressions the safe can memorize, the better.
Also, avoid biometric scanners that require you to swipe, and instead choose safes with touch and hold scans for more security.
Although using a keypad greatly reduces the risk of false negatives, it also requires you to remember a combination. So, look out for well-spaced buttons that you can easily feel in the dark. Some keypads also have backlit keys or motion sensors that trigger the backlight.
In addition to these common security features, some high-end bedside safes have a one-way locking system that’s hard to break into.
Tamper-proof features
One downside of personal safes is that they’re rarely completely tamper-proof. A determined busybody with a crowbar, sledgehammer, or even lockpick can break through most regular safes within minutes.
In the end, they serve more as child and burglar deterrents more than anything. However, you can ensure your gun safe has extra security measures by:
- Buying safes made with heavy gauge steel (safes made with 10, 12, and 18 gauge steel are readily available and recommended)
- Buying safes with anti-pry bars around the lip (to prevent the use of a crowbar)
- Buying safes with internal hinges (so they can’t be taken apart from the outside)
Size
Some safes are slim and can be mounted under your bed without issues, while others are deeper and require you to drill holes before being mounted on your bed frame, wall, or door.
Before you get a bedside gun safe, you should consider the size of your gun and how much space you can set aside for it. Bedside gun safes are usually small, especially the slider models, and may not fit your handgun. However, if you have a small gun, you might not need to get a larger safe.
Some safe models also have a single gun or two gun options. Safes with two gun options are big enough to store two regular-sized handguns. Optionally, you can use them to store one gun and extra magazines, or other valuables like watches, money, or passports.
Mounting capacity
Most bedside gun safes have a mounting option. However, before buying be sure to check that the safe comes with one and is not sold as a separate accessory.
With a mount, you can attach your gun safe to the inside of your bedside drawer, or in the case of slider safes, on the edge of the drawer, so that it’s wedged between your bed and the drawer. This ensures that your safe cannot be easily stolen.
Fireproof certified
Fireproof safes are an added bonus to ensure the safety of your weapon in the event of a fire. Be on the lookout for safes with a good UL fire-resistance certification.
Cost
Predictably, cost plays a big factor in your buying choices. The price of a bedside safe depends on the model, the material it’s made of, and the features it has. If your budget is large enough, you can go for more high-spec bedside safes, but if it isn’t, most reliable gun safes fall in the range of $50- $200.
Brand reputation
Always go for reputable brands to be sure you will get the best value for your money. Check for how long they have been in the business and what reviews their customers are leaving for their products and services.
Google is a great resource for researching and investigating. Aso, check review sites, but be sure that they’re reliable.
Additional features
Look out for additional features that make your bedside safe more convenient to use. For example, some safes have apps that alert you when unauthorized people attempt to access your safe, or when the battery is running low (if it’s battery-operated)
Others use Bluetooth connectivity that can tell if you’re nearby, and then auto-open.
Final Thoughts
A bedside gun safe is important because it ensures that your weapon remains safe and accessible to you at all times. If you’re looking for secure places to keep your guns away from children or an unwanted guest, then getting the best bedside gun safe on the market is very important.
If we had to pick just one, we heartily recommend the Hornady RAPiD Gun Safe because it has a lot of safety and user-friendly features.
Look through our other reviews to find the best gear for your guns.
