How to keep defensive weapons ready but secure from small dangerous children is something we have put a bit of thought into. The answer that guns need to be in the physical control of an adult or secured is pretty obvious. Normal cabinets and safes are good for security (to keep guns away from small kids anyway) but leave a lot to be desired in terms of access. If you honestly think that getting into a combo safe and rummaging through it's contents to find a gun is something you can do quickly in the dark I wish you the best. Key safes have their own issues that you either need to keep a key in the room, kind of a security no no, have it on your neck which is a hassle or on your key ring that will inevitably be forgotten in the living room just that one time.
There are a lot of good options for securing a handgun or two in a quickly accessible way with numerous many key pad and finger print type safes out. These are a fine option if you are only concerned about accessing a pistol. However if you want ready access to a secure long gun options haven't been great.
Enter the Sentry Safe Home Defense Center. These things are designed to hold a shotgun or rifle and a pistol in a secure but readily accessible way. They are to the best of my knowledge a pretty unique safe if not the only such safe on the market today. The safe is opened by a 4 button punch code which is nothing novel. It really just takes existing technology used in pistol safes and brings it to a safe that can hold a long gun. Aside from being the only (to the best of my knowledge) such product on the market there are some cool features. The corner door is a really novel idea. It gives wide open access without having a big door that requires a lot of space to open. There is a recessed shelf with a grippy foam insert that would be perfect to hold a few key defensive items or some EDC stuff. The long gun is held in place by a couple foam covered rollers so it is secure but can be pulled out easily. The pistol shelf has a nice angled tray that holds a pistol at the ready. There is room for another handgun in there on the opposite side of the tray, not quite as fast as the first one but the space is there. Now that we have the basic stats it is time for some discussion.
These things are definitely a niche item. They are very useful for folks who are concerned about preventing unwanted firearms access but none the less want their weapons readily accessible. Typically this is folks with young children. Also since these things cost $400 and only hold 2-3 guns you have to be willing to spend a few bucks. I'm not saying they are for everybody but for the right folks these seem like a great option.
Inside are my EDC Glock 19 and Wifey's .38 on the pistol tray and my BCM 14.5in Middy AKA Project AR Upgrade for the long gun. Some folks would debate the need for a long gun for home defense. Personally the inherent accuracy (much longer sight radius and multiple points of contact) of long guns combined with their capacity and lethality makes the long gun a logical choice for home defense. Some folks would say a short barreled shotgun with OO Buck is the way to go. While they are a fine weapon personally I think in terms of defense anything a shotgun can do a capable semi automatic magazine fed rifle can do better. A modern semi automatic rifle like an AR or AK (or I suppose a Mini 14) holds 30ish rounds and is effective out to a a few hundred yards or further while a shotgun holds 5-8 rounds and is effective to 25-40ish yards. Also common affordable (which means pump) shotguns require manipulation between shots while rifles do not. Not saying a pump shotgun isn't a fine home defense weapon, just that if legal and financial considerations are not entered into the equation a semi auto mag fed rifle dominated any semi realistic scenario I can think of.
[For anybody dumb enough to question the effectiveness of 5.56/.223 as an anti personnel round I offer two things. 1) Small arms (let's say anything under .50 cal/ 14.5mm) are iffy stoppers with less than perfect shot placement. Imagine a dinner plate centered on the sternum and a saucer centered between the eyes. Hit these and somebody will be out of the fight in a hurry. Miss them and results will vary. Believe it or not everybody shot in Korea and WWII as well as prior when pretty much everybody carried .30 cal "battle rifles" in rounds like 7.62x54R did not die immediately. Lots of people got shot in the arm, leg or less essential parts of the torso and did not die. Heck a lot of them kept right on fighting. 2) As a civilian I can use hollow point ammunition. If you are so stupid as to argue that 5.56 JHP is not an effective man stopper then I have little interest in talking with you.]
So far I am pretty psyched about this product. It has seriously improved our defensive readiness. Certainly not cheap but for us I think worth the money. Will do more of a formal review once I have some more experience with it.
Are your defensive weapons readily accessible at a moments notice? To anybody or just you? Something to think about.
There are a lot of good options for securing a handgun or two in a quickly accessible way with numerous many key pad and finger print type safes out. These are a fine option if you are only concerned about accessing a pistol. However if you want ready access to a secure long gun options haven't been great.
Enter the Sentry Safe Home Defense Center. These things are designed to hold a shotgun or rifle and a pistol in a secure but readily accessible way. They are to the best of my knowledge a pretty unique safe if not the only such safe on the market today. The safe is opened by a 4 button punch code which is nothing novel. It really just takes existing technology used in pistol safes and brings it to a safe that can hold a long gun. Aside from being the only (to the best of my knowledge) such product on the market there are some cool features. The corner door is a really novel idea. It gives wide open access without having a big door that requires a lot of space to open. There is a recessed shelf with a grippy foam insert that would be perfect to hold a few key defensive items or some EDC stuff. The long gun is held in place by a couple foam covered rollers so it is secure but can be pulled out easily. The pistol shelf has a nice angled tray that holds a pistol at the ready. There is room for another handgun in there on the opposite side of the tray, not quite as fast as the first one but the space is there. Now that we have the basic stats it is time for some discussion.
These things are definitely a niche item. They are very useful for folks who are concerned about preventing unwanted firearms access but none the less want their weapons readily accessible. Typically this is folks with young children. Also since these things cost $400 and only hold 2-3 guns you have to be willing to spend a few bucks. I'm not saying they are for everybody but for the right folks these seem like a great option.
Inside are my EDC Glock 19 and Wifey's .38 on the pistol tray and my BCM 14.5in Middy AKA Project AR Upgrade for the long gun. Some folks would debate the need for a long gun for home defense. Personally the inherent accuracy (much longer sight radius and multiple points of contact) of long guns combined with their capacity and lethality makes the long gun a logical choice for home defense. Some folks would say a short barreled shotgun with OO Buck is the way to go. While they are a fine weapon personally I think in terms of defense anything a shotgun can do a capable semi automatic magazine fed rifle can do better. A modern semi automatic rifle like an AR or AK (or I suppose a Mini 14) holds 30ish rounds and is effective out to a a few hundred yards or further while a shotgun holds 5-8 rounds and is effective to 25-40ish yards. Also common affordable (which means pump) shotguns require manipulation between shots while rifles do not. Not saying a pump shotgun isn't a fine home defense weapon, just that if legal and financial considerations are not entered into the equation a semi auto mag fed rifle dominated any semi realistic scenario I can think of.
[For anybody dumb enough to question the effectiveness of 5.56/.223 as an anti personnel round I offer two things. 1) Small arms (let's say anything under .50 cal/ 14.5mm) are iffy stoppers with less than perfect shot placement. Imagine a dinner plate centered on the sternum and a saucer centered between the eyes. Hit these and somebody will be out of the fight in a hurry. Miss them and results will vary. Believe it or not everybody shot in Korea and WWII as well as prior when pretty much everybody carried .30 cal "battle rifles" in rounds like 7.62x54R did not die immediately. Lots of people got shot in the arm, leg or less essential parts of the torso and did not die. Heck a lot of them kept right on fighting. 2) As a civilian I can use hollow point ammunition. If you are so stupid as to argue that 5.56 JHP is not an effective man stopper then I have little interest in talking with you.]
So far I am pretty psyched about this product. It has seriously improved our defensive readiness. Certainly not cheap but for us I think worth the money. Will do more of a formal review once I have some more experience with it.
Are your defensive weapons readily accessible at a moments notice? To anybody or just you? Something to think about.
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