Expert Advice on Safes and Vault Doors

Mechanical dial, electronic keypad, and biometric locks are the three main lock types found on quality safes. Each works differently, and the trade-offs around speed, reliability, and maintenance are real enough that the wrong choice shows up every time you open the safe. 

A close look at Browning's 1878-49T Tall Gun Safe: 11-gauge steel, UL RSC rating, 90-minute fire, and three lock choices from S&G mechanical to biometric.

One of the biggest considerations gun owners face is where to safely store the weapon when it’s not in use. The majority of states and many municipalities have laws regulating how guns are stored. Failure to comply often exposes gun owners to legal penalties, especially if an accident happens. Many handgun owners elect to store their weapons in a small handgun safe, as a way of keeping their pistol out of the wrong hands – whether a child or a thief. Pistol safes have traditionally featured a combination or digital lock. But in a stressful situation, such as a home invasion, punching inthe right numbers quickly could potentially slow your response time. If your safe has the old school key lock, do you keep your key with you at all times? What happens if you lose your key, or you forget the combination? May we suggest the latest evolution in gun storage: the biometric gun safe.

Biometric technology and fingerprint recognition locks have grown in popularity in recent years due to September 11th. Because of the increased security concerns, the United States government has become a strong advocate of this technology for the future. Biometrics is the study of methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon physical or behavioral traits. There are many ways it is used for including face, fingerprint, hand and iris recognition. Since this technology is still relativity new, it has problems that all new technologies share.