Just How Safe is YOUR Safe?

When I was in the jewelry business some of the safes we used were extremely difficult to bust open. It would take two guys that specialize in opening safes a couple days using tools specifically made for the job. That kind of safe is VERY expensive. A typical gun safe is not going to stand up to any real effort to open it by someone that with some good tools. The highly skilled professional thief is mostly a myth. The vast majority of people trying to steal guns are junkies and other assorted idiots that have no chance of getting into even a cheap gun safe. The safes out there are far from perfect, but they are suitable for most of the threats that you are likely to encounter.

My safe is just an empty decoy

My safe resides inside my locked gun cabinet, which resides inside my shop, with commercial metal doors with commercial locks, which resides inside my garage, which has very nice locks, probably will slow a professional theif down a little, but they will be on camera too really ment to keep the youngins out and to keep honest people honest

I watched this video years ago. I found it very misleading. So a safe in the middle of a room where time is nothing to worry about, and you brought your huge save breaking tools and know what to do any safe can be defeated. No a home that has an alarm system and calls the dispatch center for you, and your safe is in a smaller closet bolted to the wall and you don't have a 7 foot pry bar.

A safe is to protect your firearms from fire & to keep the honest people honest, a thief can get into it any time they find one.
So put it in a place they can't find or can't get to.

Who new that a sheet metal box lined with cheap ammonia laced and acidic sheetrock would be easy to break into?

With the advent of high rpm battery powered grinders and cut off wheels, no safe is safe.


At least no safe I can afford.

I've seen that video or one like it years ago. But it serves its purpose and that was to make you think. My suggestion when it comes to gun safes is to buy the biggest and heaviest you can afford, place it in a corner and out of sight. And bolt it down. Then keep a low profile about what you have. Layered security is good. Cameras, monitored alarm systems, dog, good neighbors, ect.

My safe is in my loading room (well, so much for low profile) which has a lock on a solid door. But the main thing about the lockable door is that when we have strangers in the house I pull the door shut and lock it. So strangers can not see my safe.

I have an agreement with my 2 closest neighbors. We trust each other enough that we tell each other when we are going to be away overnight and we just pay a little more attention to each others houses.

One of these with the right blade will get you into pretty much anything, and in pretty short order.

If you were inside, the noise really wouldnt be all that noticeable either.

A truly skilled thief is not going to target the average homeowner and his "safe" nor will he go after the corner pawn/jewelry store. He will go for a major score, such as an actual house or similar place with high value goods. The average thief is going to grab something they can quickly pawn/fence and that means they will go for laptops, tv, loose jewelry, etc.

The battery operated grinder is a godsend and a curse for the average person. It allows a tool to be used anywhere, including in your house to defeat your lockbox/safe. the best security is a layered defense, and the best safe you can buy, properly secured to the floor. It was stated above that your concrete slab may not be thick enough to properly secure the anchors.

Pretty good commercial, like to see it with just 2 crowbars, I think it’s a big reach to say crooks ride around with a 6’ pry bar.

huntsman said:

Pretty good commercial, like to see it with just 2 crowbars, I think it’s a big reach to say crooks ride around with a 6’ pry bar.

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Something to remember, we are all different but they may not have to show up with anything. In my shop I multiple 5’ or more pry bars and rocks in the drive will bust the windows.

People like myself who have lots of tools, especially metal working tools, are literally giving the burglars everything they need.

Luckily for most of us, criminals are usually disinclined to anything beyond most gain for least effort. That, were they inclined to applying themselves and had the patience for cost-effort benefits analysis, they wouldn't be criminals.

The organized criminals able to plan out cost-benefit-effort escapades usually wind up where the real money is: Politics.

Tommygunn said:

What I want in my safe:View attachment 994342

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Put it in a moat with a draw bridge. Protect the whole property.

Walkalong said:

I leave out stuff for them to take. And they did.

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If I’m reading you correctly, you leave some goodies outside the safe so criminals will be happy to get an easy score, and not bother trying to break into your safe?

If they really want one bad enough bolted down or not they will wrap a chain around it and drag it through the wall with a truck. It has been done on more than one occasion. Of course if it's in a basement or inside room it becomes a little more difficult.

DeepSouth said:

Something to remember, we are all different but they may not have to show up with anything. In my shop I multiple 5’ or more pry bars and rocks in the drive will bust the windows.

People like myself who have lots of tools, especially metal working tools, are literally giving the burglars everything they need.

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I guess securing tools is and option, in my case I’ve stashed away the crowbar and sledge.

But my biggest deterrent is being home more than not.

JDeere said:

If they really want one bad enough bolted down or not they will wrap a chain around it and drag it through the wall with a truck. It has been done on more than one occasion. Of course if it's in a basement or inside room it becomes a little more difficult.

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If the safe is properly secured to the floor it will take much more than a truck and chain to steal it. I worked for an ATM manufacturing company 15 years ago,and we had video of a 1 ton truck smashing into a unit and only succeeding in bending the bumper on the truck and scuffing the paint.

Double_J said:

If the safe is properly secured to the floor it will take much more than a truck and chain to steal it. I worked for an ATM manufacturing company 15 years ago,and we had video of a 1 ton truck smashing into a unit and only succeeding in bending the bumper on the truck and scuffing the paint.

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Personally I would think, on a safe, the weak point is the thickness of the metal of the bottom of the safe. You could just rip bolt straight through thinner metals.

Also

I have a friend who upgraded safes and put some bags of quikrete in the old safe with a note that read “if you had worked this hard at a job, you would have something to shot for it.” He left the old one more accessible and not bolted down. I think you could even see it from the road in his garage when the vehicles were gone.

I haven’t talked to him in years but it sure was funny.

Safe is only one layer of security. Rather than rely one system, use a multi layered approach.

("Raiders of the Lost Ark") Sort of like when Indiana Jones went into get the golden idol he had to traverse multiple booby traps. Floor with stones that triggered arrows and deadly spears...counter weight system that brought the temple crashing down..."stay out of the light"....pits to fall in.....guillotine trap door.....large stone ball rolling after would be robbers. Those kinds of deterrents would tend to discourage someone getting to your safe.

I picked up a real safe made of 1/2" steel from a locksmith. I'm sure someone could get into it but it would take some work. I keep my handguns in it and the bolts of all my long guns.

Double_J said:

If the safe is properly secured to the floor it will take much more than a truck and chain to steal it. I worked for an ATM manufacturing company 15 years ago,and we had video of a 1 ton truck smashing into a unit and only succeeding in bending the bumper on the truck and scuffing the paint.

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See Post 45. Unless you spend big money you can rip those bolts right through the bottom of your every day safe that most people have. Yes you could beef up the bottom but most use those washers and bolts provided with the safe and think they have it made. Everything to slow them down is good but it won't keep them from getting it if they want it bad enough.