We are looking to mount some lockable gun storage containers in our 3 vehicles. Have to be big enough to store 2 pistols, compact/sub-compact, or 2 smaller containers. What I'd like to know is what others here recommend? We do not need quick draw, as the guns will only be stored in there when we go to places that don't allow CCW. Prefer to have the entire gun locked/concealed. Is a lockable box that you can slide under the seat good? I'd think it'd be better if it were attached to the vehicle somehow, but might make access to lock/unlock an issue?

Bulldog Personal Vaults are a good choice IMHO. We sell alot of them at the shop too. You can screw them down or (my choice) cable them in under the seat (with included cable). I like that I can slide the safe into tight places and then just pull it out for access. The combo wheel version is only $28 or so. The RFID version (with card, digital combo and keychain) is around $70.
Google BullDog Personal Vault .

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Dave

I use a Lock'er Down console vault in my 4Runner.

I've been very pleased with the fit, finish and construction.

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642-1, M&P15 TS

I have a Bulldog lockbox in my car, though mine uses a key. I have it under the driver's seat, secured to the seat frame with a cable. However, mine is small, and will only hold my holstered 642, maybe some spare ammo. I think it'll hold something the size of a Glock 19, though. I should mention I hardly ever use it, but when I have it's worked well.

It can be a little tricky to access, in that I have to lift up the front-to-back seat adjustment bar to access it, but it's not too bad. Just a little awkward.

It won't keep out a determined thief with tools, but it's out of sight, I have nothing of value in view inside the car, and my car itself isn't a pristine, high-value target for thieves. A smash-and-grab thief would most likely move on to an easier target.

I have 2 Console Vaults in vehicles. Very secure. only downside they are expensive. They have keyed or keypad versions. I chose keyed.

Console Vault(R) | Security Briefcase

I've got that ConsoleVault "briefcase" one and one other "Snap Safe" 1-gun lock-box, which was given to me:

Both have cables which can be looped around something more-or-less solid in your vehicles, such as a seat track.

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66/642/640/627/586/60/638/686

I use the Hornady TSA approved safe. It sells for around $25.00 is key locked, and has a cable to wrap around the seat supports. I can fit two full size 1911s in it.

I’ve got one of these mounted behind my passenger seat. Access is pretty quick and with the seat all the way back, it’s not noticeable at all.

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USS Brewton FF1086
SWCA#3597

Have a Tuffy Box that bolts to the floor of my Jeep with the seat anchor bolts easily holds a full size Sig and compact S&W easily with room to spare ..

Has one of those round keys that are almost impossible to duplicate ..and would be very difficult to break into with out spending a good amount of time doing so ..

I've put my wife's billfold/my money clip 2 firearms and some prescription pills my wife takes in it at the beach ..

They have different sizes from where a rifle could be stored down to just a single firearm ..

Edit .. that includes storing the pistols and their holsters and forgot to add two extra clips for each pistol ..

I use a console vault, vehicle specific.....very well made. Probably won't stop someone with time, and a crowbar, but it will stop a smash and grab.

The Console Vault

Thanks folks. I'm checking them all out.

I just bought a Hornady Tri-point lockbox. It's made of 16 ga steel, and seems heavier than other vehicle safes I've owned. It also has a very heavy cable...I guess it could be cut with a heavy duty pair of bolt cutters, but I don't think a standard paid of side cutters would do it. I'm certain it would stop a smash and grab type thief. We don't live in a bad area, and if I do have to leave my gun in the car (like when we go in to the hospital for a doctor's appointment) we aren't away very long, and it's not a bad area.

I'm a big fan of console safes. They are expensive - in the $250-$300 range - but they are more secure than most lock boxes that will fit under a seat, even if you bolt the box to the floor. And they hold a lot more stuff.

I bought my most recent one from Console Vault, and like most console safes it is made for my specific vehicle and bolts to the vehicle. If a thief had enough time he could probably pry it open, but I doubt he'd be able to pry it out.

Any vehicle safe is a two step approach to security. While it is entirely out of sight, a thief will obviously look in the console if he breaks into your vehicle. However, those efforts are usually very quick smash and grab efforts, and if there is nothing visible in the vehicle worth stealing in the first place, a thief will choose another target that is a sure thing. If he does choose your car, he's now faced with the problem of any knowing if anything is in it (he can't shake it, or feel the weight of it), and it'll take both tools and time to break into it - and he may be very short on both.

Console safes vary a bit by model, and they do reduce the internal volume of most consoles, but there is still usually lots of room. In my case (Toyota Tacoma) there is also space left between the vault and console lid for sunglasses, and other small items.



There's ample space inside and the alcove on the side works well for a box of ammo and/or spare magazines.





After a box of ammo, 2 spare magazines, a pair of speed loaders, and ear plugs, I have room for my 2.5" Model 66 (in my 3" Model 13 holster, along with my 6906, and I still have room for my CZ 2075.



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If you go the lock box route, it works best if you can bolt it under the seat, but that either requires a model that slides out of a tray bolted to the floor, or it requires a seat that slides back far enough to allow you to open the safe.

If neither of those options work, then the cable they come with is better than nothing. But it's a cable that isn't had to cut with a small pair of bolt or cable cutters. So it will be far more effective if you ensure both the box and cable are indeed out of sight, and there is nothing else visible in the car that would encourage a break in.

I use The Club LB200 Personal Vault Security Lock Box. (Click on the bottom word "AMAZON") You may have to buy two or buy the WL size, but you can move them from one vehicle to another. They will slide under a seat and you can wrap the cable around the seat mount. While someone with bolt cutters could cut the cable, it will deter a break and grab.

I use the box like the one from Amazon posted by L-2 in post 6. I can cable it to the seat frame and push it under the seat of the truck. I use it for the same thing you mentioned. Something else I like about it is I can move it from vehicle to vehicle with no problem. I have the smaller one and it's only good for one gun.

Why not just leave the guns at home in the safe if you cannot carry them?

I conceal carry everywhere. It's like putting your wallet and keys in your pocket before you leave the house.
The lock box is for the rare times that it's not possible to carry, but otherwise it's CC as usual.

Agreed. And as the OP, I asked because we travel a lot, so the gun safe is not always handy. If I know I'm going someplace (and nowhere else) that does not allow CC, I will sometimes leave it at home. But that's pretty rare.

It's not as fancy as some peoples lock boxes, but our single gun cabled boxes go everywhere with us. They hold our guns in airline checked bags, attach to seat frames in rental cars, and secure our carry if we are house guests somewhere. Very versatile and inexpensive.

Oh, now I get it. It is like me here in VT CCWing on my way to the Post Office. CCW is against federal law in the PO, so I'd have to leave it in my car.

That's it exactly. Entering airports and government buildings is about the only time I need the box. I have not seen any private buildings posted around here, but if they were, I'd probably go elsewhere.

Here in VT, the federal post office is the only place to get my mail.

I have one, and if you sell them you know you can open them with a hammer or a screwdriver, however they do work to secure and hide guns under the seat, but if someone wants into it it is rather easy to do.

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Hipcocked45

So what is one to do to secure the handgun in a vehicle? Chain it to the steering wheel?

If you read earlier posts in this thread you'll see options like the Lock'er Down Console Safe and other such options.

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642-1, M&P15 TS

Since I don't leave my revolver in my vehicle very often, I just have a bike cable and lock. Cable goes around a seat frame member or other hard point and I use a padlock to attach other end to revolver. Either the trigger guard or through the cylinder opening. Put some heat shrink around hasp if the gun has a nice finish. In my case, I leave the cable around my seat post all the time, behind the seat in my Ranger. I have a cloth bag that I cover the gun with to keep it out of view. Lock with key inserted is left attached to end of the cable all the time, and it is fast to attach gun.

Best,
Rick

Regarding safe or lock box in vehicles, I anticipate they are resistant to casual smash-and-grab thieves (I left my attaché case on rear seat in my locked car when I went to lunch. I returned to find left-rear window smashed and attaché case gone.) What sort of resistance to do these safes or boxes have when smash-and-grabber has simple hand tools such as hammer, chisel, pry bar, et al.? That is, I can think of two things the thief might be able do fairly quickly: Break open the container; take the container to open elsewhere.

My thoughts for reducing the likelihood of either would be to conceal the box that someone would need to be told of the box's existence before he would become aware of it during a smash-and-grab theft.
- Is such a product available, perhaps on a semicustom basis?
- Has anyone created something along this line of thought?
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Misdirection is the remaining method to protect handgun from automobile break-in theft. Conceal the handgun in a false bottom box - for example, a console. Within unlocked console put junk receipts and other pretty much useless pieces of paper. Atop the junk paper put a roll of quarters and a less-than-pristine wallet or money clip that contains perhaps $40.00-to-$50.00 in small bills. A casual thief, finding money in plain sight after looking in obvious places first, might reasonably conclude that this vehicle has no additional places for smaller valuables. If the owner had a safe or box for valuable, the thief might think, he would have put his cash into it.

Just some thoughts from someone who would like to have secure storage in his vehicle, but does not.

Short of stealing the vehicle, a thief is going to have a hard time getting into the console safe without the luxury of time. It's bolted to the vehicle (from inside the safe) and the steel is 12 gauge.

It may not be a perfect solution but it is a good solution and much better than most other options...plus it looks and fits like OEM in the vehicle for what it's worth.

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642-1, M&P15 TS

Had a lot of vandalism this summer with car windows being broken and things stolen out of the cars around the area .. a couple of cable attached lock boxes were taken .. though no weapons were stolen ..

When they caught the 3-4 teens all had small hand bolt cutters .. not wire cutters but heavy duty cable cutters ..

That make the cable boxes about useless and I would not use one that didn't bolt to the floor !!! They are easily taken ..

They're all easy enough to break into. The entire point is to prevent easy access. The second consideration is how long you're leaving the gun and car unattended. If you regularly need to secure your firearm for long periods (doctor visits, etc), then a heavy-duty bolted-in box makes sense. If you just need to lock it up for 5 minutes while you get your mail, a cable box does fine.

If someone is determined enough to steal your vehicle, then no box is going to last very long once they get it someplace private.

A lockbox isn't a replacement for being smart. If you're parking your car in little, tucked-away places that are hard to see, and leaving your gun in your car for long periods with no particular reason, it's going to get stolen.

If you've got a bunch of gun-related bumper-stickers on your car, scrape them the hell off. You might as well hang a "Free Gun Here" sign. Ditto for leaving stuff out on the seat.

also don't take your gun out of a console lock box in your drive .. Someone may be watching you !!!

Fellow did a few towns over and police think someone had been watching him do it .. one day he forgot to take it inside with him and when he remembered it was no longer there .. has not been recovered ..

Remember when glove compartments actually had locks on them ? Would be nice if they did again. I use a gun vault box, with a cable that I put around the seat frame, for those times I have to leave it in the car.

Those glove compartment locks wouldn't stop anyone. I didn't even realize my 4Runner had a lock until my wife mentioned it one day. I've never bothered with it.

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642-1, M&P15 TS