Does anyone know of any gun safes that have been successfully broken into or removed from their location? If possible I am looking for specific brands and models.
A couple of decades ago a well made gun safe here that was bolted through the floor and to the wall was ripped completely out and hauled away by a tow truck. I doubt the make and model would have made any difference even if known.
I have a Heritage safe with an electronic lock. A few months after I got it the lock failed and I could not get into it. I called the company and they sent a locksmith out to fix it. Besides replacing the lock, it required him to drill into the safe to open the relocker mechanism. Even with a template that Heritage provided to the locksmith showing exactly where to drill, it took him about six hours spread over two days to get into the safe. I suppose with the right saw or torch someone could get into it, destroying the safe in the process, but it wouldn't be easy. The shell isn't 16 gauge metal like many safes, it is 1/4" steel, the lugs are substantial and on both sides of the door, and the locking mechanism is protected by hardened steel plates and ball bearings (that's why it took him so long to get into it). I don't think you can buy a better gun safe.
I was shopping for a safe several years ago and ran into a video on one of the companies websites showing how quick and easy it is for someone who knows what they are doing, to peel the door off a gun safe.
There are certain features about some safes that make this more difficult, but the bottom line is a safe makes it harder for thieves to steal your gun but not impossible for ones who know how to do it.
Maybe someone remembers where that video is. It's very interesting to watch.
Insurance statistics show most home burglaries are committed by kids under the age of 16. They are in the house for less than 2 minutes. These are typically "smash & grab" type hits. Most any safe will protect you from that. These kids don't run around with power saws and 60 pound, 10' railroad bars to break into cookie cutter, suburban homes.
It would appear, that with the exception of the gun safe theft describe by Brian, no one know of a safe that was successfully either broken into or removed.
Given the wide range of qualities and prices for gun safes, it almost seems that it doesn't make any difference which one you use, so long as the guns are secured, locked, and not openly visible Clearly the cheapest ones are just sheet metal cabinets and anyone with minimal tools could break them open. What is interesting, is that no one on TS seems to know of that happening, although it must have.
MY guess is that those of us on TS will tend to have the better quality safes and therefore fewer problems.
If I remember right, when Pamela Anderson was married to Tommy Lee, they had a gun safe broken into in their home, that contained a sex tape they both had made. At least that's the story they told. I don't remember if the make was mentioned. With that said, I would think a sex tape containing Pamela Anderson would be worth more than most Trap guns.
As mentioned, most burglaries are committed by teenagers. The people bringing tow trucks and pry bars are on a mission. They have a target in mind. If they can get the safe on it's back, they can pry into most of them. The best safes have a good locking mechanism and heavy steel in the jambs. That is the part they often don't want you to see and it's not displayed. Look at the safes that display their locking mechanism and brag about it. Like Browning and Fort Knox. My Liberty is adequate but not great.
Pocatello, There are no safes in your link that have 1/4 inch sidewalls. That would be an expensive safe. My Liberty has 3/16 sidewalls.
I am curious about your experience. I was assured that in a case like yours , that the company could get in without damaging the safe. Of course , they wouldn't tell me how. I assumed they would break off the dial , or keyboard, and go in through that existing hole. Did they replace the safe?
I put an H&G electronic keypad on mine and I have a fear of your experience. My first electronic lock failed with the door open. Have had my fingers crossed every time I open it for 11 years.
fort knox safes will replace their safe if it's broken into. why not ask them how often they have to replace one? brown exemplifies the epitome of luxury safes. take a look
Johnny, you are correct on the wall thickness. That's what I get for relying on a faulty memory. 3/16" or 1/8" (on the economy models) still beats 16 gauge sheet metal.
Do not think for a minute that just because you are buying one of the top-name brands that you are getting a good safe. Investigate them thoroughly and you will find that most, if not all, of the two or three lowest priced safes in their lines are made in China, not the US as their top lines are. They prattle about being made in the USA but don't mention their lower-priced models that are made in China and Mexico. In fact, all of the safes of one top-name brand are made in China but their prices are right up there with the best American-made safes.
And also remember that the true capacity of most safes is based on holding shotguns or non-scoped rifles only, not scoped rifles. If your collection is mixed, don't expect to get 36 firearms into a safe advertised as holding 36. And the numbers drop even further if your rifles have Unertl or Lyman Super Targetspot style scopes.
And ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS buy a safe larger than you think you'll ever need.
If you get a fireproof safe, and live in a humid area, you need to think about how you will keep the insulation dry. The problem with these safes is they absorb moisture, which then raises the humidity the guns are exposed to. Make sure a fireproof safe has an option for wiring and get it so a Goldenrod or two can be left on in them for drying purposes.
If you have an alarm system, but not every room is wired, see if you can at least put an alarm in the room with the safe. If carpeted, you can have a pressure pad installed on the floor under the carpet in front of the safe. Put it on the instant alarm circuit, not the delay circuit.
At a minimum lag bolt the safe into the main subflooring (the tongue and groove). Better still is to drill through and bolt to long strips of steep plate.
A buddy of mine had his gunsafe broken in to by his ex-wife and her boyfriend. They used a circular saw with a metal cutting blade on it. And sawed the side right off the safe. 1/8 steel wall and they did it in less then 2 hours.
Bruce
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