Gunvault for my back seat.

[KAK]

I am toying with the idea of getting one of those multi-shelf gun vaults for behind my passenger seat. For those of you that have one, how did you secure it?

That cable looks a bit underdone to me. I could be wrong. Would it be easy to make it beefier, with hardware store cable, like an inch thick or so?

 

[CanTex]

Not sure what multi-shelf units you are talking about.

I have a single gun safe from Midway USA that secures with a cable. It will not work to keep someone with time and tools out, but it will keep the smash and grab kids away from my stuff. That plus it hides under the seat and out of sight make it ideal for what I need.

Questions are, what type of vehicle, how big is the unit and what is available to use to secure it. Beefing up the cable makes it harder to twist to where you can access if you need to get to it quick. Most secure would be to bolt it to the floorboards. Again, you need to look at available space as well as your ability to get into it without difficulty.

 

[KAK]

This is the one... Sorry Multi-Gun Safes From GunVault

It will go on the floor behind the passenger seat, it too will be out of sight because I have pretty dark window tint. I will aim the opening toward the transmission hump. It is an easy reach for access, but it is more about a quick safe place to put my gun if I want to keep my gun in my truck. I have thought about bolting it but I really dont wanna drill a hole in my floor.

 

[shipwreck]

FYI about the Gunvault - I wouldn't open and close it much...

Here is a copy of a post I made back in January at the Beretta Forum:
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Man, I am on my 3rd Gunvault now in just under 4 years... Here's my story....

I bought a Gunvault almost 4 years ago. It was for my night stand gun, and I needed it because my son was going to be born soon. So, I got it a few months early, so I could get into the habit of locking up my gun before he was born.

After just over 2 years, the cable that controls the door broke. It is a common flaw that gets talked about a lot. Once you enter the correct code, a small piece of wire moves and opens the lock. That wire slowly rubs until it breaks. That happened to me. After that happens, you MUSt use the key or it can't be opened

Gunvault replaced it with no questiones asked - even after 2 years. They sent me a brand new unit, and I sent back the old one afterwards. I was told by that operator that they changed the mechanism, and this one would not break.

So, good customer service - I will admit..

But, I did notice that on the replacement unit, the combination buttons were no longer hard plastic with a nice tactile feel - but instead was very mushy and were soft. Also, routinely, the new gunvault would miss 1 entry. It would be 1 entry short of what it needed to open... Because of this, I'd have to enter a "wrong" button to make up for the "miss" - then it would show me I was in error. THEN, I could try again and it would usually open then...

Well, after about 14-15 months, this replacement broke. I tried to open it in the end of Dec 2010, and it made that funky sound. I knew the cable broke. Once again - the only way to open it was with the main key. I called, and they agreed to replace it with a new one again. I was told that they were out of stock, and that it would be about a month before it came.

It did arrive today, though. I just finished unmounting the old one and remounting the new one. I also installed new batteries in it, and I will send off the broken one tomorrow.

My PROBLEM is that this is a common issue with the gunvaults. It's just a matter of time... What happens the day it breaks the ONE time ya need it? That's what is irritating - you never know when it is going to break - and it is just a matter of time before it does break.

Admittedly - I use my carry gun as my night stand gun. It is convenient, so I don't have to do the dial combination on my main safe. So, that means a minimum of 2 openings a day, if not more. So, probably 900-1000 opens a year. I know that is a lot, but who expects to wear out a safe?

I looked at the Winchester brand of pistol safes, that look like the 1 pistol gun vault. But I found many reviews of similar complains about a cable breaking. Maybe they are just licensing the design from Gunvault, as they are very similar. But, when the Winchester safe breaks out of warranty, they don't replace it. At least Gunvault does replace it.

I've looked at other brands of similar gun safes, but have not find anything comparable for the same amount of money. I also need a certain form factor to fit where I mount the safe.

I've decided to keep another gun in my Gunvault, and start putting my carry gun in the main safe. aggravating, but I have no other choice it seems. If I only open the gunvault maybe 1x a month to reoil that gun, it should get much more life out of the lock before the cable breaks again...

This is just an FYI for those considering the Gunvault pistol safe...

Also, if I remember right, there was/is a very old thread about problems with Gunvault safe's here (either on this site or at THR, I forget) - and at 1 point, I think even the president of the company responded to some posts. But, if I remember right, the thread went south pretty quick, and he just quit coming - that was a few years ago..

 

[KAK]

Huh, that sucks!

I guess I will be careful because it will be a safe place to keep the carry piece when I need to go stealthier with the lcp or disarm for a sporting event or something. I won't be getting it for the quick access reason. Now that I have read that I will never rely on it as a quick access place to keep my pistol in case of emergency.

Thanks for that!

 

[The Mayor]

I was wanting to do the same thing. here is what I was looking at. Console Vault | Truck Safe

 

[KAK]

That thing is awesome. My xterra isn't listed.

 

[shipwreck]

Huh, that sucks!

I guess I will be careful because it will be a safe place to keep the carry piece when I need to go stealthier with the lcp or disarm for a sporting event or something. I won't be getting it for the quick access reason. Now that I have read that I will never rely on it as a quick access place to keep my pistol in case of emergency.

Thanks for that!

You know - your post made something dawn on me. Thanks...

At night, I need the push button combination., But during the day - take my carry gun in and out, I could just use the key.

I've kept the key hidden, all this time. So no one would come across it. And, I'd have to guard my keys more. But, using the key bypasses this whole locking/wire issue. WHen I get home, I've gotta dig up my key, and I can go back to keeping my carry gun in the gunvault (when I am not carrying it).

Cool! This will alleviate the wear of the cable.

 

[MR Redneck]

Leaving a gun in my truck worries me. I haul my 130ld lab around so he can raise hell at everything when im not in my truck. You pretty much have to be standing right by the window to piss him off. He doesnt just bark at anything either.
My old blazer has a tool box in it for storage. Works good for guns too.