The most traditional gun safes are gun safe locks with the key. This key gun safe is the only gun safe that won’t fail due to an empty battery, wrong PIN number or wrongly scanned fingerprints and that is why most of the gun safes on the market come with a backup lock and key if the primary lock fails to open the safe. If you aren’t a fan of technology and you don’t mind carrying the key for the gun safe with you, then you don’t have to spend extra money on sophisticated biometric or RFID locks because everything you need, you will find in the traditional lock.
It doesn’t matter whether you are looking for a gun cabinet, a small pistol safe or a heavy duty gun safe, you can find them with a key and the lock. That is not the case with other locks because there are models that come with only one lock, for example, the RFID lock. But, the bad side of owning a key gun safe is that if you lose the key, you will be locked forever. That is why I recommend that you use one key and the other (most gun safes come with at least 2 keys) put away on a secure location and don’t use it unless you lose the first key.
There is one thing which can be a problem. Most gun cabinets come with the traditional lock and key and most gun safes come with a special lock (like a combination lock) and they are equipped with the traditional lock & key set if main lock breaks. That is why I would recommend you to take a look at the most popular gun safes on the market and choose the one that will be perfect for you.
Top 5 Best Key Gun Safes
SnapSafe Lock Box
This SnapSafe lockbox only has one lock and that is the lock with the key. This interesting lockbox is made of 16-gauge steel housing with foam interior which prevents your handgun from scratching. Lockboxes this small have one problem; they are easy to grab – steal. If you don’t want to lose your lockbox you can use the security cable that comes with so you can tie it to any surface and prevent stealing. The gun safe locks with a key are great because you don’t need the battery and the same thing is with this lockbox. It may look simple but it is much more than that.
Although it is the California DOJ approved firearm storage, people are using this lockbox to store other valuables like jewelry, documents, and money. The reason for that is simple; the lockbox meets the TSA airline firearm guidelines and lockbox it a great traveling companion.
Bulldog Car Safe With Key
Another great safe is this Bulldog car safe. It is made of heavy-duty steel construction and it has a lock and a key – that means no batteries required. But, there is one interesting feature with this safe. It comes with a mounting bracket and once you lock the safe in the bracket you can’t remove it out unless you unlock the safe. That means your safe is secured in the bracket you have put in your car, under the seat. That is a great place for this key gun safe.
If you don’t want to use the mounting bracket (I suggest you do) you can easily secure this gun safe with a security cable, like the one I have mentioned in the review above. The safe is actually a pistol box because you can only fit one handgun inside but you don’t have to worry about scratching the gun because the interior is foam padded.
Stack-On Pistol Cabinet GCB-500
The bigger version of the key gun safe is this pistol cabinet made by the Stack-On. Don’t get confused with the name “cabinet” it is still pretty durable storage space for your handguns. The interior of the safe comes with one removable shelf so you can adjust it to your needs. You can store handguns, munition, passports, and jewelry inside which is great and you can put it in your closet without any problems.
This pistol cabinet comes with the key and locks and it’s steel construction makes sure that your valuables are safe inside. You can mount it to any surface because it comes with pre-drilled holes. Yes, that means you can mount it to the floor, ceiling and the wall.
Stack-On Long Gun Cabinet GCB-910
Stack-On is a brand that produces high-quality cabinets for firearms and this one is not an exception. As you can see, it only has one lock and for that lock, you will need a key. This key gun safe can store up to 10 long guns inside. The interior has one additional shelf at the top of the cabinet that is shorter than the cabinet so if you have bigger guns, you can store them in the front.
The smaller shelf is used to store munition and handguns, but if you don’t need it you can easily remove it. The entire cabinet is made of steel but it is not a safe. For a cabinet, it is very durable and made of good quality materials.
Goplus 2 Keys 3 Gun Cabinet
The last key gun safe I am about to show you is a long gun cabinet that can store up to 6 long guns inside. It comes with one additional storage space that has its own locking system so you can store munition and other valuables inside. The interior of the cabinet is filled with rifle rack and foam padded bottom to avoid scratches on your firearms.
What is interesting about this cabinet is the fact that it comes with 2 locks. One is at the top and the other is at the bottom of the door so you have to unlock them both to open the safe. That gives you extra security but it takes longer to unlock the safe. If you don’t mind those 2 locks then you have to consider this long gun cabinet.