Chris Raper — Retired North Carolina law enforcement (40+ years) · U.S. Air Force Security Police · NRA-certified Pistol, Rifle & Shotgun Instructor · NC DOJ-certified Concealed Carry Instructor · Founder, Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. (Elm City, NC, 2006)This guide draws on my own research and what my students bring into the Concealed Handgun Carry class every week. The method line at the end of the article says exactly how this guide was built.
Not every bedroom has room for a gun box. I’ve had students tell me their nightstand is a stack of books and a lamp, and the only open space is the gap between the mattress and the wall. For that crowd, a slim box that stands on its edge and mounts to the side of something makes a lot of sense.
The XDeer Biometric Slider Safe is built that way: a narrow vertical box with a drawer that slides open after a fingerprint, a PIN or a key. It’s meant for one handgun and a spare magazine.
My verdict: a sensible budget pick for one carry gun kept close at night, as long as your pistol fits the drawer and you bolt the box to something solid.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
Specs from the manufacturer listing · owner feedback summarized and labelled · hands-on test notes being added · How we review
XDeer Biometric Slider Safe – Best Slim Vertical Biometric Safe Under $100
HIGHLIGHT:
Fingerprint, a 3 to 6 digit PIN and two backup keys on a slim drawer safe that mounts left, right or upright.
OUT OF THE BOX:
XDeer lists a fair amount of hardware for a box in this price range: two backup keys, one mounting bracket, one pistol holder rack, the user manual, two thumb screws and four expansion screws. That means you can fasten it down without a trip to the hardware store, provided you’ve got something solid to fasten it to.
Lay it all out and check it against the list before the packaging goes out. Then read the manual twice before you enroll your first print. The order you set things up in matters on any electronic safe.
FRONT PANEL & FINGERPRINT READER:
In the photo at the top you can see the slim box standing on its edge, with a column of numbered buttons and a round fingerprint reader at one end of the narrow face. That narrow face is the part your hand finds in the dark, so think about which way it will point once the box is mounted.
The seller says the drawer pops open in about 0.1 seconds after a good read, and that the scanner suits people with rough fingerprints. Those are the seller’s claims. Dry, cracked or wet fingers can cause misses on any reader, so I teach the same trick for every biometric safe: enroll the same finger several times at different angles, flat, tipped up and rolled a little to each side. Half asleep, your hand doesn’t land the way it did at the kitchen table.
PIN CODE & LOCKOUT:
The second way in is a PIN of 3 to 6 digits. Use one nobody in the house could guess, and don’t reuse your phone passcode or your garage code. Kids are better at watching fingers than we give them credit for.
XDeer lists a wrong-code alarm: after three wrong PIN entries in a row, the safe sounds a tone and locks out code unlocking. There’s also a mute mode that turns off all the prompt tones. In a bedroom that matters, since you don’t want the whole house hearing every time you open the gun box. The trade is that you lose the beep that tells you a button registered, so run through it a few times with the tones off until you trust your hands.
BACKUP KEYS:
Two backup keys come in the box. I tell every class the same thing: the backup key does not live in the same drawer as the safe, and it never lives where a child can find it. Keep one where you can reach it in an emergency and the children can’t, and the other in a separate locked spot. Not taped to the bottom of the safe. A safe with the key sitting next to it is just a box with a lid.
THE DRAWER & INSIDE ROOM:
XDeer lists the outside at 2.6 inches deep, 9.1 inches wide and 12.4 inches high, with 0.15 cubic feet inside. The seller says it fits a handgun up to 8.5 inches long plus one spare magazine. That covers a lot of compact and mid-size pistols. A long slide, a tall sight or a weapon light may not fit, so measure your gun’s length, width and height with everything attached and compare.
The seller says the inside is high-density foam with slots for magazines and optics, and the pistol holder rack is a good addition. A rack holds the gun in the same spot every time, so your hand finds the grip by feel. Practice that reach with an unloaded gun until it’s automatic. XDeer also lists internal LED lights, which help in a dark room.
This is a one-gun box. It won’t hold two pistols, and it won’t hold much else. If you need room for a second handgun, look at the BILLCONCH Biometric Handgun Safe, which is listed for up to two standard-size handguns.
BUILD & STEEL:
XDeer says the body is alloy steel, and the seller describes it as reinforced with an anti-corrosion finish. No steel gauge is listed, and there’s no fire rating, burglary rating or warranty term in the listing, so I won’t pretend this is a vault. It keeps kids and curious visitors out, and it slows down a smash-and-grab, especially once it’s fastened down. That’s the job it’s built for.
The seller also says the brand was founded in 2010. That’s nice to know, but company history doesn’t tell you much about one model. Judge the box by what the listing says it does.
POWER:
The listing doesn’t state the battery type, how many it takes or how long they last, and there’s no emergency USB port mentioned. That makes the mechanical key your only way in if the batteries die. When the box arrives, try both keys in the lock before you put a gun in it.
Treat batteries as a maintenance item. Put a reminder on your phone to check them on the first of every month, keep fresh spares somewhere else in the house, and retest your fingerprint and PIN after every swap. A dead safe at 3 a.m. is just a locked box.
MOUNTING:
This is the strong suit. XDeer says it can mount on the right or left side or sit upright on the floor, and lists an under-counter mounting type with the bracket and screws in the box. That lets you put it inside a nightstand, on the side of a desk or against a wall stud. Particleboard and thin drawer fronts make poor anchors, so look for solid wood or a framing member.
Being vertical, the footprint is small, about 9 inches wide and under 3 inches deep. That suits the gap between the bed and the wall. It does stand about 12.4 inches tall, so make sure there’s room for the drawer to slide all the way out. I practice opening a bedside safe the same way I teach students to practice a draw: lights off, starting from lying down, five times in a row. If you can’t open it smoothly in the dark, it’s in the wrong spot.
If you have children in the house, mounting it isn’t optional. North Carolina’s safe-storage law (G.S. 14-315.1) can put you in court if a child gets hold of a loaded gun you left within reach and something happens with it. Other states have their own versions. Vehicle storage rules vary by state too, so check yours before you put it in a car.
WHAT TO CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY:
Where it earns its keep: Easy to install and program, stores multiple fingerprints plus a backup code, has a fast and responsive fingerprint reader, offers a silent mode for nighttime access, and has a compact, solid, premium-feeling build.
Where it falls short: A portion of units arrive with locking defects (loose internal parts, or a lock that quits after a couple of uses), the WiFi clock display can drift from the correct time, and a pistol with a red dot often will not fit.
Who it’s for: Anyone wanting fast, quiet fingerprint access for a standard pistol without an optic who will test the lock thoroughly on arrival; skip it if your pistol wears a red dot or the clock must stay accurate.
WHAT TO WATCH:
Fit is the big one: one pistol up to 8.5 inches and a spare magazine is about the limit. There’s no published fire or burglary rating, and no battery details or USB backup, so the key is your only fallback. Bolt it down, because a box this size can walk off under somebody’s arm.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT:
Buy it if you keep one handgun by the bed, you’re short on nightstand space, and you want fingerprint, code and key access under a hundred dollars. Skip it if you want two guns in one box, a rated safe, or a USB backup. The RPNB RP311F is the closest match in shape, a slim vertical box listed with a 500 DPI sensor. If you’d rather use a tag than a finger, the Hornady RAPiD Safe Night Guard is listed with RFID tags, 14-gauge steel and USB ports.
SPECS AT A GLANCE:
| Spec | What XDeer lists |
|---|---|
| Outside size | 2.6″ deep x 9.1″ wide x 12.4″ high |
| Capacity | 0.15 cubic feet; one handgun up to 8.5″ plus a spare magazine |
| Ways in | Fingerprint, 3-6 digit PIN, key |
| Body | Alloy steel (no gauge listed) |
| Mounting | Right or left side, upright on the floor, under-counter |
| Extras | Auto-open drawer, internal LED lights, wrong-code lockout, mute mode |
| In the box | 2 backup keys, mounting bracket, pistol holder rack, manual, 2 thumb screws, 4 expansion screws |
PROS & CONS:
Pros
- Fingerprint, PIN and two backup keys
- Slim vertical shape that mounts left, right or upright
- Bracket, screws and a pistol holder rack in the box
- Mute mode and a wrong-code lockout
Cons
- One pistol and one spare magazine is the limit
- No fire or burglary rating listed
- No USB backup or battery details, so the key is the only fallback
$78.99 & FREE Returns on Amazon (as of Oct 31, 2026, 12:05 AM EDT – details)
Still comparing? See my best gun safes picks.
XDeer Biometric Slider Safe FAQ
What size handgun fits in the XDeer Biometric Slider Safe?
The seller says a handgun up to 8.5 inches long plus one spare magazine, in 0.15 cubic feet. Long slides, tall optics and lights may not fit, so measure your gun with attachments before ordering.
Does the XDeer slider safe have a USB backup?
None is mentioned. The listing covers fingerprint, PIN and two backup keys, and doesn’t give the battery type. The key is your non-battery fallback, so try it when the box arrives and store it away from the safe.
How do I mount the XDeer slider safe?
The box comes with a mounting bracket, two thumb screws and four expansion screws, and XDeer says it can go on the right or left side or sit upright. Fasten it to solid wood or a framing member, not particleboard.
What happens if I enter the wrong PIN?
XDeer lists a lockout: three wrong entries in a row sound a tone and lock out code unlocking. Mute mode turns off all tones, so practice until you know each press registered.
Is the XDeer slider safe fireproof?
No fire rating is listed, so don’t keep passports or papers in it expecting them to survive a fire.
All product photos on this page were taken by our team.
Chris Raper
Chris Raper is the founder and lead reviewer of Conceal & Carry Network. A retired North Carolina law-enforcement officer with more than 40 years of service and a U.S. Air Force Security Police veteran, he founded Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. in Elm City, NC in 2006 and has taught the state-approved NC Concealed Handgun Carry class there ever since. He is an NC Department of Justice certified Firearms Safety Instructor, an NRA Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun Instructor, an NRA Range Safety Officer and a graduate of Massad Ayoob's Lethal Force Institute. He reviews the carry guns, holsters, safes and sight tools his students ask about every week.