There's been a lot of good information on this thread, and I appreciate all the posters that have shared.
It is clear that there are different levels of security afforded by different qualities of safes, RSCs, whatever.
But I do think we kinda miss something in this discussion. We have the tendency to discuss things of what is "absolutely the best." We speak like anything but the best is worthless.
We see this often in Rifle Country when discussing "What Caliber is best for....?" and in Handguns where we see the "What is the best handgun for....?" And it just goes on and on.
Nothing wrong with that per se. We learn a lot about things as we discuss them. We learn about the strengths of our choices and we learn their weaknesses.
So, in that spirit, I submit another perspective on Gunsafes. I use the term "Gunsafe" as a catch-all term to encompass all RSC's Gun Safes, Safes, Industrial-strength safes, Commercial-grade safes, cabinets, etc. It’s just easier to type.
We've had posters discuss bolting down to make it harder to get into them. We have had posters discuss placing it in areas where it will be harder to get into such as a closet or corner. Probably both really good ideas. Of course, those points have been countered as well.
The reality is that there is NO safe that is theft-proof. We should not buy one with that expectation. We have to balance security with affordability. The most secure safe in the world does no one any good if they have to cash out their 401(k) and get a second mortgage to get it.
As I see it, Gunsafes serve three primary purposes:
1. Keeping unsafe hands from having guns in them. I grew up in a home that had one of those beautiful wood and glass display gun cabinets. It did NOTHING to prevent theft, but the lock DID keep me from playing with Dad's guns. My mother's father had his guns on a rack in the living room. ANYONE could handle them and they were always loaded. It’s no coincidence that all of my mother's brothers had a horrible view of gun safety.
2. Dissuading the average "smash-and-grab" thief from getting your guns. Most home robberies are the guy coming in for a quick steal. They aren't bringing the serious tools to get into a gunsafe.
3. Delay factor. This is the best feature of a gunsafe. You want them to take time to get into it.
Most homes these days have monitored ALARM SYSTEMS. If you don't have one, you need to have one. They are not expensive and are likely the BEST theft deterrent you have. As I see it, once the thief gets in, the clock starts ticking. The cops are on the way.
Now, where I live, a call will not produce a cop in less than 20 minutes. That's a fairly long time and I use that as my baseline.
While they are robbing your house, the alarm is SCREAMING. I've set off my Dad's more than once. It's not enjoyable. This has 1.) A deterrent factor where a thief is likely to abandon his efforts and 2.) The noise makes concentration far more difficult and adds a level of stress to the endeavor.
But let's say the he wants to proceed.
As I said, the alarm is going crazy with ear-piercing noise. Now he has to go through your home for goodies (They're always looking for me Lucky Charms!
)
If you have a gunsafe in a less-than-obvious place, that takes time. Remember-- the cops are on the way. Now that he finds it, he has to get into it. More time. Remember-- the cops are on the way.
In my case, I have my safe in a room that has a 100-year-old 1.5 inch heart-pine door with a deadbolt installed. The hinge pins are on the inside. Just getting through that door takes a bit of effort. More time. Remember- the cops are on the way.
Now they find the gunsafe. They have to get into it. Using what has been said on this thread, making use of bolting down and walls as obstructions adds time to the effort. In my case, I don't think it’s the sheetrock that they have to worry about. It's the 1x4's my walls are made of UNDER the sheetrock that will stop a lot of leverage attempts. But I recognize that this isn't the construction technique of houses today.
At any rate... They get to the gunsafe and now they have to get into it. As I figure it, they have already wasted a lot of time. Remember-- the cops are coming.
As I see it, they likely have burned their 20 minutes before they get the goodies out of my house.
Therefore, the safe HAS performed its function.
Now, in my home and lawn I have additional measures that burn time and make the life of a crook excessively difficult. I've been restoring a home built by my Great-Grandfather since Feb. Throughout this entire process, I've been cognizant of security even though I've had to work with the original design of the house. Obviously, I won't go into details on a public forum, but let’s just say that there is a LOT you can do to burn time and add a deterrent factor you a multi-layered security design without spending a tremendous amount of money. (And not talking about booby traps, broken glass, or other questionable practices.) Will what I've done work? Dunno. Nothing is fool-proof. But I feel better knowing I did.
When I got broken into last December, I paid a LOT of attention to how the thief did it. I paid attention to his obvious route and priority targets. (It was obvious that I was cased.)
This brings up another point. Be VERY cognizant of WHO you have EVER let into your home. In my case, I can count on ONE hand the number of people who came in over the time I was living in that location-- close family excluded. All of those were workers such as plumbers or electricians. The likely suspects were a tree-surgeon business from out-of-state (who disappeared when questions arose.)
Anyway...that's my thoughts.
-- John