Need of a gun safe
Has anyone ever had a gun safe keep firearms from being stolen such as during a home robbery?
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I have never had a home invasion type where they tried to get into my big safe but I have had several intrusion attempts into gun boxes. When I travel, I take along a lock box and once in a hotel and another time in my vehicle they have tried to get into it. This wasn't even a high dollar one, but it was connected to bed frame and vehicle respectively.
I did have a home break-in back around 98 or so and they never touched the safe but grabbed a cheap pistol that was out.
A local safe company in Oklahoma City, https://www.bearsafes.net/ has countless pictures of their safes still standing after an EF-5 tornado flattened the house but the safe is still standing.0 -
Given enough time, they will get in.
Luckily, the safe pictured was empty at the time of the the attempted break in.
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Typical Meth addicts and tweakers will loot and ransack and skim the cream off the top but almost never will attempt to mess with any type of safe unless they can carry it away and work on it in a safe and remote location...
Which is odd because if you have a quad or atv or utv or any type of muscle car on your property they will find away to bring it with them to part out on Craigslist or backpage...
A professional thief or burglar - a traveler or gypsy - you will not stop them from stealing your stuff...
Car theives will bypass any alarm or lock out system - take a can of Freon and a hammer or a hack saw to a club anti theft device (or cut the wheel or remove the wheel)
Hidden storage is often better then heavy pricey safes.
If you can get into it with power tools you are done for.
Mike0 -
My dad always said locks help honest people stay honest, but anything one man can lock, another man can open. I think that is probably still true today. We have safes in a closet, in a room with a deadbolt lock, in a house with iron bars on doors or windows. Garage door is double walled and insulated with a bolt lock. The idea is from the outside you can see it is easier to break in next door or down the street than at our place. Otherwise there is nothing to indicate there is anything more valuable here than next door. A smash and grabber will not take the time. Very few know they might score anything if they were more determined. Far more dangerous to break in if I am home. We also have video and lights outside. 0 -
I have my safe as much for fire protection as a robbery. I agree with many facts above points. A smash and grab wont mess with a big safe but if a pro wants in bad enough they could drill or find a way. In a fire 90 minutes of protection should get you through the typical house fire without and damage. This to me is money we'll spent. Keeping things in a safe also makes it unlikely kids or visitors have an accident. we also use it for jewelry and laptops... if we are leaving for vacation. 0 -
We had a forum member Mateomasfeo whose place burned to the ground some years ago & if I recall his safe was left standing and his firearms undamaged. 0 -
Maalox wrote:I have my safe as much for fire protection as a robbery.
In a fire 90 minutes of protection should get you through the typical house fire without and damage. we also use it for jewelry and laptops... if we are leaving for vacation.
I'd recommend putting photo albums, electronics, and other more delicate items at the bottom of the safe where it will get exposed to less heat and smoke should something happen.
Also, not for you specifically but if anyone gets a fire rated safe and drills through it for power or network on the inside, use a fire "pillow" and fire rated caulk to cover the opening. Otherwise, the jacketing will melt away and leave a hole around the now bare wires for fire to ingress.
I ran both power and Ethernet into my safe and have my Security DVR located in there. For the opening, I did both caulk and pillows. The pillow I got for it has a 4 hour 1500 degree fire rating and is much, much larger than the hole. It will swell when it gets hot, plus, it is already smashed in there fairly well between the safe and the wall. I also have a backup network hard drive in there. Between those two devices, I don't feel I need to run a dehumidifier as it keeps it about the same temperature, or perhaps slightly warmer than my Goldenrod used to. Once I get my shelves set up the way that I want them (I keep trying different layouts), I will eventually do home made strip LED lights.0 -
penguin1 wrote:Has anyone ever had a gun safe keep firearms from being stolen such as during a home robbery?
Never had a home robbery.
Never had a new wording by the liberals for a home robbery call a home 'invasion' either.0 -
bambihunter wrote:Maalox wrote:I have my safe as much for fire protection as a robbery.
In a fire 90 minutes of protection should get you through the typical house fire without and damage. we also use it for jewelry and laptops... if we are leaving for vacation.
I'd recommend putting photo albums, electronics, and other more delicate items at the bottom of the safe where it will get exposed to less heat and smoke should something happen.
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Have two large gun safes and still have some in a gun rack, stored in a closet, one or more in each vehicle and stuck in various drawers and beside my favorite recliner.
I'd have to get another couple if I was going to include 'other valuable stuff.'0 -
bambihunter wrote:Maalox wrote:I have my safe as much for fire protection as a robbery.
In a fire 90 minutes of protection should get you through the typical house fire without and damage. we also use it for jewelry and laptops... if we are leaving for vacation.
I'd recommend putting photo albums, electronics, and other more delicate items at the bottom of the safe where it will get exposed to less heat and smoke should something happen.
Also, not for you specifically but if anyone gets a fire rated safe and drills through it for power or network on the inside, use a fire "pillow" and fire rated caulk to cover the opening. Otherwise, the jacketing will melt away and leave a hole around the now bare wires for fire to ingress.
I ran both power and Ethernet into my safe and have my Security DVR located in there. For the opening, I did both caulk and pillows. The pillow I got for it has a 4 hour 1500 degree fire rating and is much, much larger than the hole. It will swell when it gets hot, plus, it is already smashed in there fairly well between the safe and the wall. I also have a backup network hard drive in there. Between those two devices, I don't feel I need to run a dehumidifier as it keeps it about the same temperature, or perhaps slightly warmer than my Goldenrod used to. Once I get my shelves set up the way that I want them (I keep trying different layouts), I will eventually do home made strip LED lights.
Good Advice, I have a power cord running my interior lights. I also have a couple of Cool Pockets that I keep papers in https://www.libertysafe.com/accessory-cool-pocket-ps-15-pg-62.html0 -
If your insurance scammer, er, agent, says yours guns aren't covered unless they are in a gun safe....get yourself a gun safe.
If your policy does not specify rating - you are good to go. No matter what happens.0 -
Don't get me wrong - I have two stack on safes along with innumerable cabinets and wall racks...
I installed 3 in the wall flush mount light duty safes in makailas house and have a bunch of the cable anchor pistol safes...
Ideals the safe room or safe door closet or roll up armor door closet would be ideal.
Mike0 -
A good point to verify with your carrier... bustedknee wrote:If your insurance scammer, er, agent, says yours guns aren't covered unless they are in a gun safe....get yourself a gun safe.
If your policy does not specify rating - you are good to go. No matter what happens.0 -
Hey Bhunter, where do you get that fire rated caulk? Never heard of it, but sound advice, I want some. 0 -
He Dog wrote:Hey Bhunter, where do you get that fire rated caulk? Never heard of it, but sound advice, I want some.
Walmart, amazon, Lowe?s, Home Depot , Menard?s.
Don?t combine different kinds of firestop material, or brands of the same type. They can defeat each other.0 -
? I also have the need for smoke alarms,CO2 detectors,fire extinguishers,fire dept phone number,police dept phone number,all of which I thankfully,have not had to use either,,,, 0 -
Safes?
In general the more you spend - the better the protection.
+1 on putting the important papers and cash stash in a Fire resistant one.0 -
My gun safe imploded from the water pressure after the boating accident, 0 -
He Dog wrote:Hey Bhunter, where do you get that fire rated caulk? Never heard of it, but sound advice, I want some.
Here's the exact product (or its newer replacement) that I bought and put in ~8 years ago. 3m Fire Barrier Sealant: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Fire-Barrier-Sealant-CP-25WB-/?N=5002385+3292218599+3293123924&rt=rud. That is what I put around the cables going into the back of the safe. Remember that if exposed, the cable jacketing can melt away. That caulk will expand a minimum of 3 times its original dry size.
I have alarm wires, 2 Ethernet cable, power jack, and antenna wire all coming through a hole in the back. Since the hole is larger than some safes, to give it extra protection, I then put a "Fire Barrier Pillow" over the cables between the wall and the safe. This is what I think I used:
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Fire-Barrier-Pillows/?N=5002385+3293123937&rt=rud
I use both of these sometimes in my I.T. world. When we do intrusions through firewalls at some facilities it is required. They do work. I have seen the "after the fire" look on the pillows. They swell up like a puffer fish.0 -
I have alarm wires, 2 Ethernet cable, power jack, and antenna wire all coming through a hole in the back.
Your guns watch TV? I would not have room for guns if I had all that hooked up.
Thanks!0 -
HeDog, I have to keep them entertained while I am away. You know, I don't want them getting out and doing a mass shooting. You know, because everyone knows it is the guns that do it, not the person holding it. :roll: :roll:
Basically, the safe is alarmed both with, and separately from the home alarm. Someone could cut the phone line, cut power, etc and it will still send out alarm if tampered with. The safe also stores my security DVR so if someone breaks in, they couldn't take the video evidence and run. I also have a network backup drive in there that is connected so backups happen nightly. I have one outside the safe that is "live" so backups happen in real time. I also have an unhooked backup drive in there that I rotate. My thinking on the drives is in case of a fire, two drives are likely to make it through. And, in case of a huge surge, it could potentially take out two of them though everything is protected with surge protection. All of this takes up about 4" by 19" by 10". Not too much in the grand scheme of things. This isn't a small safe. I upgraded a few years ago. Now, this one is nearly full too. I almost kept the old one but since my wife surprised me with "just go order whatever safe you want, happy birthday" one year virtually unprompted, I decided I sold my old one to my brother in law. I wish I had a good place to store ammo too. It would have been perfect though I don't know where I would have put it. The new one was custom made to fit available space. Also, the electronics running inside put off enough heat that have negated the need to run a dehumidifier. I used to use a longer Golden Rod but have removed it.0 -
He Dog wrote:My dad always said locks help honest people stay honest, but anything one man can lock, another man can open. I think that is probably still true today. We have safes in a closet, in a room with a deadbolt lock, in a house with iron bars on doors or windows. Garage door is double walled and insulated with a bolt lock. The idea is from the outside you can see it is easier to break in next door or down the street than at our place. Otherwise there is nothing to indicate there is anything more valuable here than next door. A smash and grabber will not take the time. Very few know they might score anything if they were more determined. Far more dangerous to break in if I am home. We also have video and lights outside.
That was my Dads and is my opinion, too.
Neighbor kid gone bad? about any lock, deterrent, barking dog, etc will keep him moving to the next easy target.
A TRUE Pro or a crew of pros? No safe, alarm, or any lock of any sort will work. They will take what they came for.
I had a 12' Aluminum boat with a 1966 Johnson 9 1/2 H.P. outboard when I was a kid.(1974 or so)
Boat was pulled up out of the river in my Grandmas back yard about 35 yards from the shore. Boat was chained and locked to a post. Engine had a chain to the "Safety loop and lock, along with both clamps locked together.
Thieves pulled the pivot bolt, left the clamps and swiped my just paid for beloved Johnson with the Michigan Wheel Bronze 2 bladed prop!
Damn, I miss that outboard........
I hate thieves.
Keep in mind, no sense in having a $2,500.00-3500.00+ safe to protect $1000.00-2000.00 worth of guns........I've seen it many times.....0 -
gearheaddad wrote:Keep in mind, no sense in having a $2,500.00-3500.00+ safe to protect $1000.00-2000.00 worth of guns........I've seen it many times.....
That is called planning for expansion.0 -
(But) A $2k safe protecting apprx. $10k worth of firearms, (if I were to have such) is only prudent.
I know they can be defeated. As a prior service construction employee, all I would need is a cordless drill, and a cordless Sawzall with several metal cutting blades. I'd be in there in no more than 10-15 minutes.
(Unless your safe is about a 4 ga., in thickness.) Most safes, are 12-14 ga., 10 ga. for the better ones. (Cut like butter, with a properly equipped drill/sawzall set up.)
Most thieves are not so equipped.0 -
I heard of a guy that had a safe in his garage. bolted to the floor. Tow truck, a chain and good bye! A couple of scratched up, banged around guns and cameras, etc and an unlimited time to peel the safe off sight.........KenK/84Bravo wrote:(But) A $2k safe protecting apprx. $10k worth of firearms, (if I were to have such) is only prudent.
I know they can be defeated. As a prior service construction employee, all I would need is a cordless drill, and a cordless Sawzall with several metal cutting blades. I'd be in there in no more than 10-15 minutes.
(Unless your safe is about a 4 ga., in thickness.)
Most thieves are not so equipped.
Perhaps it was urban legend, but I can see how it would work!0
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