Gun Safe Story

[TexZaa]

Many years ago, living in Houston my home was burglarized. At that time the only safe I had in the house was a small safe that fit on the floor of my bedroom closet. It was not large enough to hold a rifle or any other long arm, but was stuffed with pistols. The burglars dragged it into the middle of the bedroom where they worked upon it with crowbars in their attempt to pry it open. It was not a very expensive safe, but it kept them so busy that they failed to check deeper into the closet or under the beds where they would have found an AR-15 and several other long guns. They didn't even bother to check the bottom dresser drawer where they would have found some very expensive camera equipment. I believe we must have surprised them when we pulled up into the driveway because everything was dropped on the floor and it appeared they retreated empty-handed. They made a hasty retreat out of the back door.

I believe that given another 30 minutes or so, they would have gotten that little safe open. Since then I have purchase several safes, each one larger than the last to accomodate things I do not want to give up. I have not been burglarized since.

This is my question for other safe owners: Have you experienced a burglary since owning a large safe? They obviously are not going to walk out with my safe unless they are truly prepared for it by bringing a large safe-dolly and the Terminator to move it. Most burglars are not.

Have you ever had one opened, removed or damaged? Are these large gun safes that you find lined up outside many gun shows easy to crack? I want to feel like they aren't, but I just don't know.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

subscribed

 

[TxEMTP69]

same here...


this oughtta be good.

count me in also

 

[Dawico]

Breaking in

My buddy had a house fire early this year. He had a Stack On (read cheap) gunsafe that was totally charred. You couldn't even read the writing on the outside and the digital keypad was just a shell of its former self. The door had even warped a little from the heat. It took us over an hour with a metal cutting saw to break in. It also included a sledge hammer and some big pry bars. I was pretty impressed with the security of the safe for its (I believe) $200-$300 price. When we got in, the biggest damage was rust. It sat for a couple days and everything inside was soaked. All the paperwork, guns, and ammo survived. The worst heat damage was a warped plastic butt pad. Even the cheap safes seem to be a very good insurance policy. He has upgraded to a better one now, but something is definitely better than nothing.

I also had to break into one of the cheap fire safes from Walmart. Two hits from a hammer and presto. It only took two because I was being gentle, plus it is portable. Not much security there at all.

I also read that burgulars consider any safe 800 pounds or less portable. You must bolt them down. It only takes a minute and might save all your stuff.

 

[Big country]

When I get a safe I'm going to securely attach it to the floor with carriage bolts and play doe.
Subscribed BTW!

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I had mine bolted down when it was installed....

 

[TexasRedneck]

Mine's 1800 lbs...it's still bolted down. Ah figger if nuthin' else, ah'm gonna give 'em a helluva hernia....

 

[randmplumbingllc]

MAN, you have the worst luck by the looks of the rest of your posts. I'm thinkin it is time to MOVE !

 

[junkyguns]

2800 pounds 4 hours at 1800 degrees burgulary resistants level 1b

plus a seperate insurance policy and all is documented and photographed what else is a fellow to do .....oh yeah two 140 pound dogs !

 

[ss1]

That is class.

 

[Dawico]

Is that marketed as a large safe or a small tornado shelter?

 

[S&W439]

Moved the 800 lbs safe into the bed room and then built a closet around it. Also bolted it to the floor!!! I'm gonna be in trouble if we ever move!!! haha

 

[TexasRedneck]

Dude - where'd ya find that beast?!?!? Been tryin' to find one that size for the garage....

 

[TexZaa]

MAN, you have the worst luck by the looks of the rest of your posts. I'm thinkin it is time to MOVE !

I did move. All that took place when I was living in Houston. I moved my family to the Panhandle. It was a whole nuther world after that. Houston is a nice place to be from.

 

[ldcarson]

I know someone who has nothing but concrete in a safe. Its a decoy sitting in his bedroom...his otherstuff is in smaller safes spread around the house...he said he has been hit twice over the last 20 years and they always try and go for the decoy safe, never anything else...

 

[Fisherman777]

I know someone who has nothing but concrete in a safe. Its a decoy sitting in his bedroom...his otherstuff is in smaller safes spread around the house...he said he has been hit twice over the last 20 years and they always try and go for the decoy safe, never anything else...

Good idea! Might try that myself.

 

[espnazi]

Good Idea about the decoy safe but an expensive one nonetheless.


I suggest just get a decent safe bolt it down and get some good insurance.

 

[ROGER4314]

We hear a lot about fireproof safes so I had a story to share about that.

I lived in a small trailer park in Pittsburg, Kansas. Everyone there went to college in town so we were all broke. One of my friends had his own trailer which caught fire one day.

A trailer will simmer for a while until a door is opened or the first window breaks. Then WHOOM! Up she goes. Everything on the side of his car, the neighbors car and the side of the neighbors trailer was melted. The trailer burned down to the frame.

We all helped him recover his stuff from the wreckage. He pulled a red cardboard box from the ashes and opened it. Inside was a perfectly preserved Colt 25ACP pistol with original papers and wooden grips with no apparent damage! That cardboard box was toasted but it protected the pistol!

Could there have been some damage to the metallurgy of the pistol? Possibly but we were all dumb kids and never gave that a thought.

Flash

 

[TexasRedneck]

If the metallurgy had been affected, the grips and paperwork woulda been long gone. It's not unusual, actually - most fires don't burn deep - they surface burn.

 

[ROGER4314]

Guys,

If you're really interested in keeping your stuff secured, you need to look at a bigger picture. Any metal box can be opened by a BG (Bad Guy). The idea is to slow them down until other measures can come into play. If they want it badly enough, they'll get a dozer and smash the walls down down to get the box. That's where the neighbors come in.

I live on a dead end street where all 26 households know everyone around here. During 2 hurricanes, everyone bugged out leaving Little Bonnie and Big Flash to watch the whole neighborhood. We had every phone number of the neighbors and several 12 gauge shotguns. Folks who turned down our street were met with two very determined and armed people. Most turned around and left pronto without talking to us.

When I leave for a weekend trip, my neighbors know how long I'll be gone and if anyone should be around my place. On the last trip, my next door neighbor said: "don't worry, you have an armed neighbor!" My reply was "So do you!"

I keep a loaded 12 gauge by my door. I also bought a pair of S&W handcuffs. Someone messing with my neighbors' place had better be willing to offer ID or run real fast.

Someone was loading furniture from one of my neighbors place into a truck. He didn't look familiar so I stopped my vehicle, backed up, got out and demanded to see ID.

About 3 days following Hurricane IKE, my neighbor from 5 or 6 houses down the street woke me up (I was sleeping with the windows open). She told me a strange car had been going up and down the street and she asked me for help. The shotgun and I answered the call.

There is no doubt in my mind that a strange vehicle parked in front of my house would stir up my armed and dangerous neighbors. Hauling something out of my place would earn the thief a lethal dose of lead poisoning.

My neighbors daughter was burned out by a fire in her apartment. We all dipped in for stuff to help. I donated two dressers and offered a desk, too. When Don lost his Dad, I was over there mowing his yard. This week, I was all but crippled with a dose of joint pain. Don brought a plate of great food over to me.

That's the way a neighborhood is SUPPOSED to work. Taking the neighborhood away from the BG's starts with you.

Summed up: The steel boxes are nice but it's only part of the story. Get to know your neighbors. Be a neighbor to them and they will take care of you.

Flash