Which Lock Mechanism Should I Get for My Gun Safe?

A biometric lock can allow you fast, easy access to your firearm even if it’s in the middle of the night and your jolted awake and still groggy. At a time like that, trying to dial in your safe combination could be tricky.

It should be noted that these smaller gun safes are not considered the most secure option, but they can be perfectly adequate for some gun owners. You can find small fingerprint biometric single or double handgun safes in the $100 range, but these will be made with the cheapest style of fingerprint sensor. These budget fingerprint scanner safes often come equipped with a key backup that can be a security vulnerability due to the ease with which they can be picked or broken.

Any kind of electronic lock, whether it’s a keypad or a biometric lock, will require electricity to operate, and there’s always a chance for electronic failure. That’s not to say safes with electronic locking mechanisms don’t last a long time, but anything that runs on a battery has the risk of running out of power and leaving you without access to your valuables or firearms until you replace it.

Another limitation of a fingerprint reader is your actual finger. A thief likely isn’t going to try copying your fingerprint like in a spy or heist movie, but fingertips can be burned, cut or blistered, potentially disfiguring your fingerprint and making your safe inaccessible.

Dial locks are an analog technology, meaning it doesn’t require electricity and won’t become inaccessible due to dead batteries. If properly maintained, a dial lock can last decades or potentially longer. The lock quality will play a factor, as well as how frequently it is serviced and whether vital components are replaced as needed during regularly scheduled maintenance.

A reliable dial locked safe could potentially be passed down to your kids or grandkids.

You can get higher quality biometric locks and electric keypad locks for larger gun safes and vaults as well, but the higher end, more reliable fingerprint locks are far more expensive than a traditional dial lock would normally be.

As with anything that contains complex electrical systems, things can break. A safe becoming inoperable due to faulty systems or defective components, while not an extremely common occurrence, can happen.

If you are looking for something that won’t break down or become inaccessible when the batteries die, a good, old-fashioned, reliable combination dial lock is likely a better option. You may be able to use a high-quality electronic keypad or fingerprint lock for a decade or more, but it won’t last as long as a well-made, regularly maintained analog dial lock.

The only significant downsides of dial locks are speed and convenience. If you’re not already familiar with dial locks they can take some getting used to and opening one will never be as fast as placing a thumb on a scanner.