Dan and I happened across the Hornady VEXIS system at NRAAM ’26 and we’re glad we did! This system is really dang cool, and I fully believe it’s going to take over the electronic safe lock market and more.
Through the use of near-infrared (NIR) light, the VEXIS keypad scans your palm from three-to-six inches away, recognizes the entirely unique pattern of the veins under your skin, and, should it recognize you as an authorized user, unlocks in about 0.3 seconds. It’s entirely touch-free and it’s far better than a fingerprint reader.
Far fewer false negatives than a fingerprint reader. Far fewer false positives than a fingerprint sensor. Far less sensitive to something on your hand such as moisture, grease, dirt, etc. It isn’t even positional; it’ll read your palm whether you’re coming at it from the side, front, or upside-down. Sounds silly, but this can be handy for a bedside handgun safe like Hornady’s Night Guard.
It’s really easy to add users — up to 10 — to the VEXIS system, and each user scans both palms. There’s also a keypad for PIN code operation as well as a keyed backup.
This same NIR technology has already become the go-to in other parts of the world for everything from sensitive area access (prisons, secure facilities) to key-less vehicles and much more. Its accuracy combined with its speed, reliability, and high security make it the best option for all sorts of scenarios. Hornady owns the use of the technology’s patent for firearm security products.
While Hornady will be selling their line of safes and lockboxes with the VEXIS option soon, if you already own a safe with an electronic lock from another company — for instance, my Liberty Safe or my SnapSafe vault door — there’s an extremely high probability that you can retrofit it with a Hornady VEXIS lock. I found this pretty darn exciting and I 100% plan on swapping the keypads on my safes with these VEXIS units, which should MSRP at about $279.
Check out the video above (and hit subscribe on the SNW channel!) for a full rundown at the Hornady booth. What do y’all think?