Hornady Night Guard RFID Rapid Safe 98215 Review

Hornady is one of the oldest ammunition producers in the United States and overall is perceived as a high quality brand. They are found in nearly every gun store, sporting goods store and box store across the country. Around 2015, they acquired the company SnapSafe and decided to venture into the safe world. While they have had some really cool ideas from a product development standpoint, they don’t necessarily focus on your actual security. I really like the overall concept of the Hornady Night Guard RFID Rapid Safe 98215, but it has a fatal weakness too commonly found on low end handgun safes. In this review, I’ll explain why this product is not worth the price tag.

Lock – Hornady Night Guard RFID Rapid Safe 98215

Electronic and RFID

First and always most important for any handgun safe is its lock. Hornady went with a newer style of electronic lock that includes both push button and RFID. I think RFID access is super cool but not always safe. You use a key fob, card, wristband or any other programmable FOB and just wave it over the safe to have it open. This seems like a great quick access solution, until your toddler sees you do it. After just one time of watching daddy wave his wrist over the safe and see it pop open, they will forever know how to open the safe. This is too inherently dangerous and risky for me but if you don’t have kids, I can see how you may be interested in this safe.

Key Override

The fatal weakness in this handgun safe is the key override. I really have a hard time understanding why a company would use adequate steel and a pretty good locking mechanism but then include the weakest, most easily broken into override key. This is the standard Tubular lock that can be opened with BIC Pens and a very easy to purchase tubular lock pick on Amazon. There are tons of videos showing you exactly how to open it. Finally, laser cut keys and locks are really not that much more expensive but provide significantly more security.

Security – Hornady Night Guard RFID Rapid Safe 98215

The Hornady Night Guard RFID Rapid Safe 98215 is CA DOJ Approved as a firearm safety device meaning it went through basic security testing to ensure it is appropriate for storing a firearm and authorizing it for sale in the state of California. Aside from the override key, it’s actually a pretty secure safe. It’s built with 14 gauge steel construction which is much thicker than the usual 16 to 20 gauge on competitors. The clamshell design makes it very difficult to pry, the only weakness is really the override key.

Style and Function – Hornady Night Guard RFID Rapid Safe 98215

The Hornady Rapid safes are finished in a smooth gray paint with red keypad. Overall the styling is really good and I like the design. It would be great in a backpack, the car, really anywhere you want to take it. The lid pops open on a spring after you open it. The interior is lined with egg crate style foam to protect your handgun from scratches. Finally, there is a hole in the side to be able to attach a security cable.

Warranty

Hornady and SnapSafe claim to have a no-risk, lifetime warranty for the life of the product. But, as I always reiterate over and over again, read the fine print. You see, this lifetime warranty only covers material defects and workmanship. Electronic components are not included in this warranty. Electronics are only covered by a one-year warranty from the date of purchase. Always read the fine print.

The Bottom Line

Would I buy the Hornady Night Guard RFID Rapid Safe 98215 to store my pistols? No, I would not. While they use adequate steel, I simply do not like the idea of RFID and the tubular override key is far too easy to defeat for me to recommend this product.

With that said, I do recommend two handgun safes instead of this one. The first is the Stealth ShadowVault which uses a UL rated high security S&G electronic lock. The second is the V-Line Brute XD which is a mechanical handgun safe and Made in USA.