There are times in which we must temporarily store our handgun in our car or truck. Locking the doors on the vehicle doesn’t constitute secure storage. Nether does locking a gun in the glove box or center console. Some sort of a secure storage device is essential.

Secure storage and quick access need not be incompatible with each other. An outstanding example is the ground-breaking Hornady® RAPiD® Vehicle Safe. A new addition to the growing line of Hornady Security® products, it is one of the most innovative and practical products on the market for securing your handgun in your car or truck.

The RAPiD Vehicle Safe is designed to be mounted vertically near the center console where you can easily reach it. And your gun couldn’t be any easier to quickly access should you need it. With just a simple swipe of a RFID wristband, key fob or decal, the lid of the safe springs open and your handgun is presented to you. No keys to fumble with or combination to remember are required. Accessing and drawing a gun from the RAPiD Vehicle Safe is often quicker and easier than drawing it from a holster while seated in a vehicle and wearing a seatbelt

No Bolt Universal Mounting System

No modifications to your vehicle are needed to mount the RAPiD Vehicle Safe. It fits most vehicles. What makes this possible is a patent-pending universal mounting system that eliminates the need for bolts or other mounting hardware. It’s actually quite simple as good ideas often are.

Here’s how it works. The safe is attached to an inflatable air bladder system that fills the gap between the seat and the center console to secure the safe in place. When deflated, the air bladder slips easily between the seat and console. The air bladder is then inflated using the attached pump.

The pump is similar to the rubber bulb found on a manual blood pressure cuff. A few squeezes of the bulb are all that are necessary to inflate the air bladder and secure the safe in place. It won’t mark your vehicle. A neoprene cover prevents any damage to the finish.

The air bladder can be quickly deflated to remove the safe, such as when switching to the safe from one vehicle to another or to hide it under a seat. Simply turn the knob on the pump counterclockwise to let the air out. When leaving my vehicle for brief periods, I simply throw a jacket over the safe to keep it out of sight and avoid tempting would-be thieves to break into the vehicle.

The mounting system works well with most vehicles with a full-length center console. On some vehicles the safe may interfere with the full opening of the glove box when mounted on the passenger side, although you’ll still be able to access glove box contents. Due to the design, there’s a bit of wiggle of the safe when installed, but that doesn’t pose any issues from a practical standpoint. It doesn’t rattle while driving.

Braided-Steel Security Cable

Additional security is provided from an included 1,500-pound rated braided-steel security cable. The cable wraps around the frame of the seat to secure the safe. It’s plastic coated to prevent it from scratching the seat frame.

The security cable is attached to housing of the safe with a Phillips-head bolt. I had concern that a thief with a medium Phillips-head screwdriver could easily walk away with the safe and its contents. This concern appears to have been unfounded. Although I didn’t actually try to do it, according to Hornady, removal of the bolt requires access to the inside of the safe. In any case, I view the security cable as more of a deterrent to theft than anything else.

Heavy Duty Tamper-Resistant Construction

The RAPiD Vehicle Safe is very well-made and features heavy-duty, tamper-resistant construction. The exterior housing of the safe is constructed of thick 14-gauge galvanized steel and is secured by two hardened locking lugs located on the inside of the safe. The safe has an attractive grey powder-coat finish and styling that won’t look out of place in any vehicle.

The RAPiD Vehicle Safe is designed to secure duty-size and smaller handguns. Exterior dimensions are 12.0 inches x 6.4 inches x 2.2 inches (30.48 x 16.26 x 5.59 cm). The interior dimension measure 7.5 inches x 5.6 inches x 1.7 inches (19.05 x 14.12 x 2.97 cm)  Most 4-inch barreled pistols and 2-inch barrelled revolvers will fit.

The RAPiD Vehicle Safe exceeds all ASTM International safety standards for child and pry resistance. It’s designed to the same ASTM standards as are all of Hornady’s other RAPiD safes. The safe goes through the same pry attacks, saw attacks, hinge attacks, which means it’s certified as a youth-resistant firearms storage device.

The RAPiD Vehicle Safe is listed on the California Department of Justice (DOJ) official roster of California DOJ Approved Firearm Safety Devices, having passed all of the required safety and functionality tests set forth by the California DOJ.

RAPiD Access to Your Handgun

Hornady RAPiD safes provide immediate and dependable touch-free access to your firearm using a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system that Hornady refers to as RFID Touch Free Access Technology™. Each Hornady RFID-enabled tag contains a uniquely coded digital memory chip that stores the access code that is transmitted by a short burst of radio energy when activated by the RFID reader in the safe. The access code is specific to each individual safe. It unlocks the safe, opening the spring-loaded lid allowing you to access your handgun.

The RFID unlocking system can be triggered through the use of several included RFID-enabled tags that are specifically programmed for each safe. The RFID tags include an adjustable wristband,”H” key fob, and two adhesive decals (stickers). The RFID tag for the adjustable wristband is located in the buckle for easy use. The decals can be adhered to plastic, glass wood or metal – nearly any surface. According to Hornady, many people choose to adhere the decal to their mobile phone or place it inside their mobile phone case. My personal preference is to wear the wear the wristband on my strong-side wrist when driving or in my vehicle.

RAPiD Safes also feature convenient keypad access for a secondary entry method. The tactile key features touch tones that can be turned on or off as desired by the user. You can can program a four- or six-digit security code for keypad access. The safes are all also equipped with a barrel lock that can be used to access the interior. Two barrel keys are provided.

Power for the RAPiD Vehicle Safe is supplied by a 12-volt car adapter (included) or four AAA batteries (not included). When the RAPiD Safe is unplugged and is operating on battery power, you must press any button on the keypad on the top panel to activate the RFID reader. This causes the system to go from battery-saving mode to ready status.

Hornady recommends replacing the batteries every 12 months or if they become low or weak. You can instantly check battery level by pressing any button on the keypad. The safe is equipped with a battery and latch status indicator LED. The safe has a latch closure sensor that will illuminate the LED in the keypad when the lid is closed.

Programming the safe isn’t difficult and is quick to do. Complete instructions are are on the inside of the safe, as well as in the Owner’s Manual. A total of five (5) RFID codes and one (1) key code can be programmed into the safe. The safe ships with a default key code and should be reprogrammed before first use. Previously programmed RFID codes can also be easily erased from the RFID reader in the safe if needed.

The safe has an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) chip, which is a type of memory chip that retains its data when its power supply is switched off. Since it’s non-volatile, it will retain the programming without the need for any power.

Summing Up

Overall, I’m quite happy with the RAPiD Vehicle Safe. It serves its intended purpose well. Considerable thought obviously went into the design. I really like the inflatable mounting system. And the RFID-enabled system is unbeatable for quick access to a handgun.

The MSRP on the RAPiD Vehicle Safe is $277.91. The RAPiD Vehicle Safe comes with a 12V Car Adapter, RFID Adjustable Wristband, two RFID Adhesive Decals, RFID “H” Key Fob, two Circular Barrel Keys, Security Cable, and an Owner’s Manual. Additional or replacement RFID tags accessories may be purchased from Hornady. Hornady warrants the RAPiD Safe in normal use and service to be free of defects in workmanship or materials for one (1) year from date of purchase. It’s imported.

For a limited time, you can get a free box of Hornady Critical Defense® ammunition with the purchase of a RFID-enabled Hornady Security RAPiD Safe. Purchasers must send for their free Critical Defense ammo with an official Hornady “Safe & Secure 2020” program redemption form that’s available from your dealer or may downloaded online from the Hornady website www.hornady.com.

Qualifying ammunition calibers include .380 Auto, 9mm Luger, .38 Special, .38 Special+P, .357 Mag, 40 S&W, and .45 Auto. Critical Defense ammunition is designed for personal defense and optimized for use in short-barreled handguns.

Material Disclosure

I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer so I could test it and give my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and are based off my personal experience with the product.

*The views and opinions expressed on this website are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Spotter Up Magazine, the administrative staff, and/or any/all contributors to this site,

Photos courtesy Hornady unless otherwise noted.