You might want to check out a different option rather than the gunvault (not saying it's bad), but I think this is better in my opinion: In wall safe with simplex lock.
http://www.vlineind.com/html/quick_vault.html . Main reasons, no batteries to worry about, installs in the wall so it's bolted down and secure, and it's just nice and heavy and solid.
The batteries in my Gun Vault get replaced once a year whether they need it or not
. You can tell when they are low because the red light will flash on opening. Anyhow - they last a long time - plus the gun vaults can mount anywhere. I can have my weapon in hand without getting out of bed.
If I had kids around, I might change my thinking, youngsters these days could possibly figure out a code if given enough time. Of course it DOES lock out silently after x incorrect attempts making that more difficult.
You do know that you can have up to 6 keypresses for your code, and that each keypress can be a simultaneous press of multiple buttons at one time, right? For example, your code could be:
1,24,134,12,1234,234
Taking this into account, there are over 7 million possible codes on a GunVault. (7529536 to be exact)
No kid is gonna get that. But, you're never going to get it either when someone is kicking in your bedroom door. A 6 keypress code with a single digit for each press yields 4096 codes, but this is assuming an attacker knows that it's a six digit code. It would be faster for them to just pry the thing off the floor and take it with them, or find some tools in your garage and cut it open. If I were going to bust one open that was bolted to the floor, I would hit it with a sledge on one of the top front corners to knock the edge of the door outwards so I could get a bite on it with a wrecking bar, and then bend the crap out of the door with the bar. Even if the latch doesn't break, it would be possible to maneuver the contents out of there no problem. Unless you have a .50 Desert Eagle, a sub machinegun, or some other very large handgun in it.
GunVault also makes units with fingerprint scanners on them. I haven't had a lot of luck with the reliability of fingerprint scanners, so I'm avoiding buying one for something where seconds count.
As far as I'm concerned, the Gunvault keeps kids out, and it's a deterrent for stupid criminals. But anyone intelligent enough is going to get into it quickly, and even stupid people with enough time could get into it.
The reality of it is that pretty much all gunsafes on the market are crap. I've seen videos of $2000 safes being tipped over and opened in under 6 seconds by two guys with long wrecking bars. Almost all of those things are just bent sheet metal with sheetrock for fireproofing. Don't believe me? Go pull the carpet off the inside of your big expensive safe, it's just a big tin can with drywall in it. But, they sure have pretty paint jobs. To actually get a safe with a timed burglary rating (not just a timed fire rating), you're probably talking about spending $6k or more.
To give you an idea of a TL-15 rating, which means it will take a skilled thieve 15 minutes to break into it, the safe must meet the following requirements:
Construction Requirements
* U.L. listed Group II, 1 or 1R combination lock.
* 750 lbs. minimum or comes with instructions for anchoring in a larger safe, concrete blocks or on the premises where used.
* Body walls of material equivalent to at least 1" open hearth steel with a minimum tensile strength of 50,000 P.S.I.
* Walls fastened in a manner equivalent to continuous 1/4" penetration weld of open hearth steel with minimum tensile
strength of 50,000 P.S.I.
* One hole 1/4" or less, to accommodate electrical conductors arranged to have no direct view of the door or locking mechanism.
Performance Requirements
Successfully resist entry* for a net working time of 15 minutes when attacked with common hand tools, picking tools, mechanical or portable electric tools, grinding points, carbide drills and pressure applying devices or mechanisms.
U.L. Label —Burglary Classification
A common gun store/sporting goods safe, even the big shiny ones for thousands of dollars with nice automotive paint, have 1/8" or less thickness on the steel. The door plate might be 1/2" thick, but the rest of is most certainly is not anywhere near that.
Don't get me wrong, they certainly serve a purpose. Most burglars will give up if the safe is bolted to the floor, they are definitely a good deterrent and they certainly reduce the number of accidents from kids playing around with the contents. But I certainly wouldn't store my life savings or a bunch of gold in a standard safe from the local sporting goods shop.
I'm building my next safe. All walls and the door plate will be three 1/2" thick plates of steel sandwiched together, with the center layer drilled in a honeycomb pattern and filled with steel or carbide ball bearings to jam up any drilling or cutting. Plus, I've got some other tricks that will make it even more difficult to get into. Why? Because it's fun and I like to build things.
The safe will probably be worth more than the contents.
