BARSKA AX12218 Tall Fireproof Digital Keypad 30 Position Rifle Vault Safe Review

The title of the BARSKA AX12218 Tall Fireproof Digital Keypad 30 Position Rifle Vault Safe is a product you will regret buying. This so called “gun safe” is certainly not a gun safe at all but a cheap gun cabinet with a poor quality lock. In this review of the Barska AX12218 Keypad Rifle Safe, I’m going to explain why this is a product you should definitely avoid.

Lock – BARSKA AX12218 Tall Fireproof Digital Keypad 30 Position Rifle Vault Safe

First and always most important for any gun safe is the lock. This happens to be the weakest point of the BARSKA AX12218 Tall Fireproof Digital Keypad 30 Position Rifle Vault Safe. The electronic lock is one of the absolute cheapest Solenoid locking systems in the industry which was necessary for the price point Barska was trying to hit. The lock can be bumped open just by banging the top of the safe and turning the handle at the exact same time. This lock is prone to failure and you will inevitably end up using the key to get in.

Another awful feature of the BARSKA AX12218 Rifle Vault Safe is that the batteries are located on the inside of the safe so if you do not replace it in time you will need to purchase an external battery pack or search for your tubular key override. Batteries should always be located on the outside of the safe in the keypad and this is the case for all UL rated type 1 high security electronic locks made by NL, Securam and S&G.

Key Override

Next, the back-up method on the BARSKA AX12218 Tall Fireproof Digital Keypad 30 Position Rifle Vault Safe is a double-bitted high security key. Finally, they upgraded from the tubular override key found on all their other products. This key is much higher security, more difficult to pick and overall is just a much better back-up option than previous models.

Security – BARSKA AX12218 Tall Fireproof Digital Keypad 30 Position Rifle Vault Safe

The Barska Rifle Safe features a two-way locking system. However, the width of these bolts is only 1″ and the length is only 3/4″. The safe is advertised to have been built with 2.5 mm steel thickness which is just under 12 gauge steel. This is adequate steel thickness for what is advertised as a gun safe. However, with Barska, things are not always as they seem. The safe did pass the California DOJ testing standards for the Firearm Safety Device. All in all, this is not a difficult test to pass and is typically reserved for pistol safes.

Style and Function

The Barska Gun Safe is finished in a textured black powder coat paint. Hardware includes a chrome 3-spoke handle and black keypad. In addition, the interior is fully carpeted with an adjustable or removable gun rack and top shelf. Finally, the back of the door features a door panel organizer for storing pistols, magazines and other small items.

Warranty

Barska products come with a 1 year parts and labor warranty. To claim this warranty, you have to pay for shipping to the factory. Then you have to include a check to have them ship it back to you. The cost to ship a rifle safe like this would be around $350 each way. In addition, these products have an extremely high damage rate. This renders the warranty effectively useless. Every honorable safe company pays for a safe technician to come out to your home to fix the product. Barska is not an honorable company and I would not recommend you deal with this nightmare warranty. Always read the fine print

The Bottom Line

Would I buy the Barska AX12218 Gun Safe to store my firearms and valuables? No, I absolutely would not. While this model is a significant upgrade from the previous Barska rifle safes, it still does not even come close to a quality gun safe made by Stealth, Hollon, Kodiak, Liberty or American Security. This gun safe has a low quality lock, poor quality control and overall is not something I can recommend.

With all that said, there are some low cost gun safes I do recommend. While they are not as cheap as the Barska product, they do offer UL rated high security locks, fire ratings and thick steel construction. Take a look at my list of the Top 3 Best Gun Safes Under $1,200.