BARSKA Quick and Easy Access Biometric Fingerprint Rifle Shotgun Firearm Long Gun Safe for Home with Optional Silent Mode & Removable Shelf

6 reviews for BARSKA Quick and Easy Access Biometric Fingerprint Rifle Shotgun Firearm Long Gun Safe for Home with Optional Silent Mode & Removable Shelf

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   John T – November 15, 2013

   
   I read the mixed reviews on this safe, and I admit to being a little nervous when I ordered it. Weighing in at 66lbs, it isn’t exactly something I’d want to try to ship back if I didn’t like it.I’m pleased to say that I couldn’t be happier with the purchase.The unit arrived in excellent condition, I did not see any signs of rust, dents, or other damage that were mentioned in some of the older reviews, and best of all the keys were outside the cabinet so no issues getting it set up & programmed.The other reviews are correct, this unit is quite tipsy before you mount it – to the point that we had a bit of difficulty setting testing out the location. But that is not a big deal & is to be expected on a compact unit like this.I did invest quite a bit of time & money “dressing it up”, following some recommendations by another reviewer & going off on my own a bit. I lined the inside with gray, adhesive-backed carpet squares from our local home improvement center to protect the firearms from metal-on-metal contact. Some have loosened up a bit, so with the benefit of hindsight I’d have hit them with some spray adhesive instead of relying solely on the adhesive from the squares.Some other helpful items:* Magnetic, battery powered LED light with motion sensor, Sylvania Part Number 72245. Hang it on the underside of the shelf with the magnetic mount, it turns on automatically when the door is opened.* Eva Dry E-500 Wireless Dehumidifier. Fits on the top shelf; absorbs humidity. When it gets saturated you can plug it in to ‘recharge’ it. In retrospect I probably should have bought the unit that is one-size smaller as this one barely fits & takes up a lot of room in the safe.* Rack’Em 3 Pistol Holster In-Safe Handgun Rack #6020 – Allows you to hang some larger handguns in the safe if you’re not using all the space for riflesThis is a small safe, however by using some creativity & accessories I was able to store 3 rifles & 3 hand guns inside with no troubles. One shotgun was a tall as the entire safe so it had to set sidewise in front of the shelf. But no harm done. I can see where pistol grips, scopes, and other add-ons would challenge the space.The reviewers that observed this is more of a locker & less of a safe are also correct. It’s a great choice for keeping guns safe from kids. It’ll slow down a thief, probably won’t help much in a fire.The biometric works great; I took several scans of several fingers (it’ll store up to 120 impressions) and have had no problems with access.In summary this is a great choice for the average person who wants to keep their firearms organized & protect their family from accidents. If you’re a collector or have a larger collection you probably need something a little more elaborate.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   David Schwind – November 12, 2014

   
   I always have bad luck with combination safes, so I was looking for one with a digital combination when I ran across this one. Having the biometrics makes sense to me…why spend the time fiddling with the combo when your finger can do the job? Likewise, I wanted one my wife could open, should she ever need to get a gun, and she can’t remember combos worth anything. So this one looked absolutely perfect. I read the reviews and most are pretty negative. However, I still jumped in, headfirst, and figured I’d give it a shot.With Prime shipping, it showed up in two days, delivered by a UPS driver who wasn’t exactly thrilled with heaving the heavy box around (sorry bud!) The box itself was a bit beat up…after all, this is a pretty heavy safe, and it was moved by countless people from place to place. I was worried about the condition of the safe, as the reviews here note that’s one of the major issues. Luckily, it’s protected by two inches of foam on all sides and after unboxing, I found the safe to be in perfect shape. The only issue was the Barska emblem had fallen off, but was easy enough to replace (it has two Barska emblems, this was one that’s above the fingerprint reader, not seen in the Tomahawk Tactical Supply Find photos…and could be left off if the owner wanted to do so.)Anyway, I got it maneuvered into place on my own (it’s not that heavy, thus requiring securing with bolts) and then went to open it in accordance with the instructions. And that’s where I ran into issues. The instructions say to push the “wake up” button on the fingerprint reader, and then it will read any fingerprint, which will unlock the door. So I tried it. And tried it again. And again. And again. No luck. I started getting a little pissed, and finally sucked it up and called Barska’s customer service (I’m a guy, we don’t ask for directions, right???) I talked to a nice lady there who told me that the design of the safe had changed but the instructions hadn’t been updated (brilliant!) She asked if I had the emergency access keys. Yes, I did. In the same bag is an allen wrench. Using that, you have to remove the lower Barska label and low and behold, that’s where the emergency key access is (would have never guessed that in a million years and it’s NOT in the instructions!) So, using the keys with the newly-uncovered lock, you can unlock and open the door. Once open, THEN you can change the combo. Super easy…but I couldn’t have figured that out on my own!I registered all of my fingerprints and my wife’s as well, so both of us can access the safe. I also turned off the loud beeps that the biometric lock makes as well. I went and used a couple four inch lag screws to secure it to the stud in the wall behind it and it seems just fine. Without the screws, not only is it pilferable, but it could easily fall on a kid if they were trying to open it…and even though it’s not super heavy, that would be bad, so you have to bolt it to the wall or floor.Inside, if you have more than a couple guns, you’ll probably be disappointed. I only have a couple each of pistols and rifles, but a good bit of ammo, and the shelves worked out for me. There’s a pistol holder mounted to the door, but I don’t know what kind of pistols they intended it for as just about all of mine (including my concealed carry ones) were too long in the grip and hit the top shelf. So I will probably take off the holder, especially since my guns fit fine on one shelf. Ammo stores nicely on the second shelf, and on the third, lower shelf, even more ammo fits. There are cut outs for rifles all around the inside of the safe, but unless they’re really short (we’re talking assault shotgun short) nothing will fit in there without removing the lower shelf. I only have a couple rifles/shotguns so they fit fine in the couple of cutouts that don’t have a shelf blocking them. I also noted that my one rifle with a scope doesn’t fit anywhere in the safe, and to actually secure it in place, I’d have to remove the scope. Since I don’t plan on moving the safe, I just put the rifle in at an angle and considered it good at that…but to do it properly, I would remove the scope and I don’t particularly wish to do that.Overall though, I wasn’t really surprised about the safe at all after reading the reviews here before buying it, thus my five stars. I LOVE the biometric lock on it, and I knew it was going to be a lightweight safe (I don’t think it has a fire rating at all, so don’t store your family heirlooms in it…) I also knew that the insides, though claiming to be able to fit a decent number of rifles, really weren’t as workable as they are designed to be (and putting the lower shelf right in the middle of where most rifles go makes no sense at all!) However, since I only have a handful of firearms, they fit fine in here and provide a place to store my ammo securely as well. My primary reason for buying it was to prevent my kids from getting into my guns, and it works perfectly for that. It would also give most thieves a run for their money trying to remove it as well. It’s not a fire safe, but I didn’t buy it for that. I give it five stars because it fits what I need it for, and I’m very happy with it. I wish they’d update their instructions (it’s one page…how hard would it be to make new copies? Really??) and so long as you’re not expecting to store a large collection of firearms or expect it to protect your guns for two hours of fire or flooding, I really think you’ll be happy with it.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Karl in SP – September 2, 2012

   Very safe safe
   After returning to shooting after a long hiatus the question of firearm safe storage arose. Was initially looking at StackOn products but was turned off by the cheapness of construction and the door securing bars. Came across the Barska and decided to purchase one from Tomahawk Tactical Supply Find (who knew they had gun cabinets/safes). Unit is solidly constructed with well designed door bolts. The biometric lock works great and the manufacturer did a great job in supplying an external power source (in case the internally held batteries lose their juice) as well as a well hidden key lock for manual opening. The only thing that a potential buyer should consider before buying the Barska is do you wish to store shotguns in it because while the internal vertical space is perfect for most rifles, the longer barrels typically associated with shotguns will not clear the internal ammo/accessory shelf. While initially fearing the interior might be cramped, four rifles (three with scopes) fit quite handedly. Wish that Tomahawk Tactical Supply Find had this model in a 8-gun size with the added height to accomodate shotguns.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   John T – November 15, 2013

   
   I read the mixed reviews on this safe, and I admit to being a little nervous when I ordered it. Weighing in at 66lbs, it isn’t exactly something I’d want to try to ship back if I didn’t like it.I’m pleased to say that I couldn’t be happier with the purchase.The unit arrived in excellent condition, I did not see any signs of rust, dents, or other damage that were mentioned in some of the older reviews, and best of all the keys were outside the cabinet so no issues getting it set up & programmed.The other reviews are correct, this unit is quite tipsy before you mount it – to the point that we had a bit of difficulty setting testing out the location. But that is not a big deal & is to be expected on a compact unit like this.I did invest quite a bit of time & money “dressing it up”, following some recommendations by another reviewer & going off on my own a bit. I lined the inside with gray, adhesive-backed carpet squares from our local home improvement center to protect the firearms from metal-on-metal contact. Some have loosened up a bit, so with the benefit of hindsight I’d have hit them with some spray adhesive instead of relying solely on the adhesive from the squares.Some other helpful items:* Magnetic, battery powered LED light with motion sensor, Sylvania Part Number 72245. Hang it on the underside of the shelf with the magnetic mount, it turns on automatically when the door is opened.* Eva Dry E-500 Wireless Dehumidifier. Fits on the top shelf; absorbs humidity. When it gets saturated you can plug it in to ‘recharge’ it. In retrospect I probably should have bought the unit that is one-size smaller as this one barely fits & takes up a lot of room in the safe.* Rack’Em 3 Pistol Holster In-Safe Handgun Rack #6020 – Allows you to hang some larger handguns in the safe if you’re not using all the space for riflesThis is a small safe, however by using some creativity & accessories I was able to store 3 rifles & 3 hand guns inside with no troubles. One shotgun was a tall as the entire safe so it had to set sidewise in front of the shelf. But no harm done. I can see where pistol grips, scopes, and other add-ons would challenge the space.The reviewers that observed this is more of a locker & less of a safe are also correct. It’s a great choice for keeping guns safe from kids. It’ll slow down a thief, probably won’t help much in a fire.The biometric works great; I took several scans of several fingers (it’ll store up to 120 impressions) and have had no problems with access.In summary this is a great choice for the average person who wants to keep their firearms organized & protect their family from accidents. If you’re a collector or have a larger collection you probably need something a little more elaborate.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   David Schwind – November 12, 2014

   
   I always have bad luck with combination safes, so I was looking for one with a digital combination when I ran across this one. Having the biometrics makes sense to me…why spend the time fiddling with the combo when your finger can do the job? Likewise, I wanted one my wife could open, should she ever need to get a gun, and she can’t remember combos worth anything. So this one looked absolutely perfect. I read the reviews and most are pretty negative. However, I still jumped in, headfirst, and figured I’d give it a shot.With Prime shipping, it showed up in two days, delivered by a UPS driver who wasn’t exactly thrilled with heaving the heavy box around (sorry bud!) The box itself was a bit beat up…after all, this is a pretty heavy safe, and it was moved by countless people from place to place. I was worried about the condition of the safe, as the reviews here note that’s one of the major issues. Luckily, it’s protected by two inches of foam on all sides and after unboxing, I found the safe to be in perfect shape. The only issue was the Barska emblem had fallen off, but was easy enough to replace (it has two Barska emblems, this was one that’s above the fingerprint reader, not seen in the Tomahawk Tactical Supply Find photos…and could be left off if the owner wanted to do so.)Anyway, I got it maneuvered into place on my own (it’s not that heavy, thus requiring securing with bolts) and then went to open it in accordance with the instructions. And that’s where I ran into issues. The instructions say to push the “wake up” button on the fingerprint reader, and then it will read any fingerprint, which will unlock the door. So I tried it. And tried it again. And again. And again. No luck. I started getting a little pissed, and finally sucked it up and called Barska’s customer service (I’m a guy, we don’t ask for directions, right???) I talked to a nice lady there who told me that the design of the safe had changed but the instructions hadn’t been updated (brilliant!) She asked if I had the emergency access keys. Yes, I did. In the same bag is an allen wrench. Using that, you have to remove the lower Barska label and low and behold, that’s where the emergency key access is (would have never guessed that in a million years and it’s NOT in the instructions!) So, using the keys with the newly-uncovered lock, you can unlock and open the door. Once open, THEN you can change the combo. Super easy…but I couldn’t have figured that out on my own!I registered all of my fingerprints and my wife’s as well, so both of us can access the safe. I also turned off the loud beeps that the biometric lock makes as well. I went and used a couple four inch lag screws to secure it to the stud in the wall behind it and it seems just fine. Without the screws, not only is it pilferable, but it could easily fall on a kid if they were trying to open it…and even though it’s not super heavy, that would be bad, so you have to bolt it to the wall or floor.Inside, if you have more than a couple guns, you’ll probably be disappointed. I only have a couple each of pistols and rifles, but a good bit of ammo, and the shelves worked out for me. There’s a pistol holder mounted to the door, but I don’t know what kind of pistols they intended it for as just about all of mine (including my concealed carry ones) were too long in the grip and hit the top shelf. So I will probably take off the holder, especially since my guns fit fine on one shelf. Ammo stores nicely on the second shelf, and on the third, lower shelf, even more ammo fits. There are cut outs for rifles all around the inside of the safe, but unless they’re really short (we’re talking assault shotgun short) nothing will fit in there without removing the lower shelf. I only have a couple rifles/shotguns so they fit fine in the couple of cutouts that don’t have a shelf blocking them. I also noted that my one rifle with a scope doesn’t fit anywhere in the safe, and to actually secure it in place, I’d have to remove the scope. Since I don’t plan on moving the safe, I just put the rifle in at an angle and considered it good at that…but to do it properly, I would remove the scope and I don’t particularly wish to do that.Overall though, I wasn’t really surprised about the safe at all after reading the reviews here before buying it, thus my five stars. I LOVE the biometric lock on it, and I knew it was going to be a lightweight safe (I don’t think it has a fire rating at all, so don’t store your family heirlooms in it…) I also knew that the insides, though claiming to be able to fit a decent number of rifles, really weren’t as workable as they are designed to be (and putting the lower shelf right in the middle of where most rifles go makes no sense at all!) However, since I only have a handful of firearms, they fit fine in here and provide a place to store my ammo securely as well. My primary reason for buying it was to prevent my kids from getting into my guns, and it works perfectly for that. It would also give most thieves a run for their money trying to remove it as well. It’s not a fire safe, but I didn’t buy it for that. I give it five stars because it fits what I need it for, and I’m very happy with it. I wish they’d update their instructions (it’s one page…how hard would it be to make new copies? Really??) and so long as you’re not expecting to store a large collection of firearms or expect it to protect your guns for two hours of fire or flooding, I really think you’ll be happy with it.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Karl in SP – September 2, 2012

   Very safe safe
   After returning to shooting after a long hiatus the question of firearm safe storage arose. Was initially looking at StackOn products but was turned off by the cheapness of construction and the door securing bars. Came across the Barska and decided to purchase one from Tomahawk Tactical Supply Find (who knew they had gun cabinets/safes). Unit is solidly constructed with well designed door bolts. The biometric lock works great and the manufacturer did a great job in supplying an external power source (in case the internally held batteries lose their juice) as well as a well hidden key lock for manual opening. The only thing that a potential buyer should consider before buying the Barska is do you wish to store shotguns in it because while the internal vertical space is perfect for most rifles, the longer barrels typically associated with shotguns will not clear the internal ammo/accessory shelf. While initially fearing the interior might be cramped, four rifles (three with scopes) fit quite handedly. Wish that Tomahawk Tactical Supply Find had this model in a 8-gun size with the added height to accomodate shotguns.