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patrickstickler wrote:

NcongruNt wrote:

patrickstickler wrote:

NcongruNt wrote:Here's a couple of photos of my pistol safe as mounted under my front seat. Please excuse the trash... I had no idea it was that messy in there.

Is that a pushbutton combination box? One of those types
with 4 buttons, one for each finger?

Yessir. Here's the picture from the manufacturer's website:

...

On mine, the buttons face down, making it easy to reach down under the seat to open it and slip the pistol in/out of it.

Perfect. I've been looking at similar approaches, but mechanical
versions, but putting it under the seat like that (if it would fit)
looks like a good way to go.

I was looking for the same thing, but never really came across anything that fit my needs properly. Most of the mechanical ones I found (including the COM safes) open up on top, which didn't really work with the way I wanted to mount them. The one I have works well, and once I started reading the manual, I realized the huge number of combinations possible with it. Simultaneous combinations of keys also count as a keypress, so if you press all 4, or 3, or 2 buttons at a time - that's a unique push button entry as well. The electronics have worked well for me so far, and there is also a key entry option that is purely mechanical. The manufacturer recommends replacing the batteries once a year, so battery life seems that it would be pretty decent.

My van was manufactured in 1975, during an era when there was a lot of room under seats as compared to modern vehicles. Doing the same thing with modern cars would probably be impossible, even with most SUVs. The COM safes seem a good option for newer vehicles, with the proliferation of center consoles.

patrickstickler wrote:

NcongruNt wrote:Here's a couple of photos of my pistol safe as mounted under my front seat. Please excuse the trash... I had no idea it was that messy in there.

Is that a pushbutton combination box? One of those types
with 4 buttons, one for each finger?

Yessir. Here's the picture from the manufacturer's website:



On mine, the buttons face down, making it easy to reach down under the seat to open it and slip the pistol in/out of it.

Here's a couple of photos of my pistol safe as mounted under my front seat. Please excuse the trash... I had no idea it was that messy in there.

UPDATE:

I ended up purchasing a GunVault Mini 1000 pistol safe. It came with mounting holes pre-drilled and a template for mounting. I ended up getting 16 guage sheet steel, making a mounting panel with bolt holes that fit the existing seat bolts that go from the seat to the seat base, and then mounting the safe upside-down with short carriage bolts. The setup works perfectly, and my pistol Is living there happily and securely until my plastic arrives. Then, it will be a secure place I can leave it when at work or in some other place where carry is restricted. I'll try to get some pictures up soon.

patrickstickler wrote:

propellerhead wrote:I think I would rather just hide the pistol. Like under the seat but attached to the seat so it's off the floor.

I'm sure that's fine if you don't have kids. For those of us who do, though,
having something to lock the gun in is essential.

...or if your car never gets broken into. It's amazing how car burglars know how to check every little nook and cranny of a car. My van got broken into a couple of weeks ago at work. I consider myself very fortunate... I was going to the range after work in the morning, and had my rifle box . which looks like this:



(before it was finished, but it shows the locks)

Granted, it weighs 70 pounds with the guns in it, but it wasn't attached to anything at the time, and they could have easily walked off with it. My pistol case was stashed under the seat, and I guess they were more interested in more liquidly salable items. They left the pistol case sitting on top of the rifle box, obviously having picked it up. I think the pathetic little locks on that thing saved me from having my pistol stolen. They did go through every little box and ripped open every envelope in my van (which was a LOT), probably looking for cash. They left the ~2500 rounds of ammo in my ammo boxes, after rifling through them, looking for money/valuables. They ended up walking off with my stereo amp and Nintendo DS.

So I'm in the market for a pistol safe that I can bolt down underneath my seat, which is why I'm reading this thread.

The rifle box stays cabled to the seat now (I have to keep my guns in the van, due to my current living situation, until June anyway), and the pistol case is now kept in an inaccessible part of the vehicle.

So yeah... stashing it under the seat unlocked is bad news. Thieves know to look there.