Based out of Tacoma, Washington, Sports Afield has been the fastest growing gun safe company over the last 7 years. They sell primarily through big box stores like Costco, Wal-Mart, Tractor Supply and Home Depot. Unfortunately, these products are lackluster quality. In these Sports Afield Handgun Safe reviews, I will help you understand why they are products you should definitely avoid.
Lock – Sports Afield Handgun Safe reviews
First and always most important for any safe is the lock. Sports Afield uses a typical solenoid electronic locking mechanism that operates with a latch and spring. Overall, this mechanism is decent and the electronics should last at least a few years.
Sports Afield handgun safes include either a 4 button electronic keypad or a biometric fingerprint scanner capable of holding up to 100 fingerprints or both. Sports Afield provides zero information on the type or style of the scanner which is a huge red flag. They typically go cheap with everything they do so I would assume this is not a very good quality or reliable scanner.
However, this is not the main issue with the safes. The fatal flaw is the key override. In an attempt to save some money and have a lower price, they went with a tubular override key. These locks can be opened with BIC pens just by inserting and twisting. There are also numerous tubular lock picks available on Amazon that pick these locks in seconds.
Security – Sports Afield Handgun Safe reviews
The Sports Afield Handgun Safes are CA DOJ approved as a firearm safety device. This is not a difficult test to pass and nearly every safe gets approved, so long as the manufacturer pays for the testing. Sadly, this does not ensure the product is actually secure and if it can be opened in seconds with a BIC pen, I’ll let you do the math.
Next, these handgun safes do not list the steel thickness on any website, anywhere. This is a huge red flag. However, by judging the safes weight and with its dimensions, we can safely assume this is built with 16 gauge steel. For reference, that is the thickness of a penny. If you are expecting security in your handgun safe, this is not the safe for you.
Style and Function
The Sports Afield HD series is finished in a stylish and smooth matte black that is so much better than every other imported safe. The interior is lined with foam to prevent scratches to your handgun. The keypad illuminates red with each button press making it easy to see in the dark. The interior brightens up with an included LED light. Finally, the bottom of the safe features bolt down holes and mounting hardware is included. In addition, they also include a security cable for securing around a fixed object. Finally, the keypad has a silent mode. Overall, this safe is styled very well.
Warranty
Sports Afield is very clear with their warranty which I greatly appreciate. They provide a three year, no-hassle warranty on all parts, electronic locks and paint defects. They will send you a replacement product or the necessary parts to fix it. Many companies in the handgun safe business are very vague or require you to pay shipping back and forth so this is a refreshing clarity.
The Bottom Line
Would I buy a Sports Afield Handgun Safe to store my pistols? No, not a chance. With an easily defeated tubular override key and only 16 gauge steel construction, I can not recommend these handgun safes.
With that said, I do recommend two handgun safes instead of these. 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.
