GUN SAFES

[Ripsnortr]

Yes, Rip it looks like the same one but I have the electronic keypad. It looks bigger online, lol. I wanted the safe to fit in the closet in MBR and be able to close the sliding door so it is "out of site out of mind" and yes I know that thieves will find it and try to open it but I am going to place it on the left side of the closet where there is an exterior wall. I think the way it is placed makes a difference. In your picture it looks like that there is room to stick a pry bar on the bolt side of the door and there may be enough room and leverage to get a good shot at prying it open. If you turn it 90 degrees to the left they can't get enough leverage because of the wall. There are videos on youtube of guys prying open safes. The first thing they do is shove in over with the door facing up and use 2 pry bars to pry the door open using their body weight as leverage. I am hoping that bolted down ( so they can't flip it on its back) and placing it close to a wall on the left side (no room for leverage) will deter them. It will take them longer than normal to get thru the door of the MBR alone ( because of the way it has been altered) so I am hoping they get scared (run out of time)and get the heck out of dodge. I do live on a dead end street with the houses close togeather and being in Socal all of the kids and stay at home moms are outside alot and will see any activity and call the police. Maybe this is wishful thinking but I think this my best alternative. Questions and responses are welcome. Oh, the safe did arrive and is in tact and I am getting everything togeather to move it in place. And I am sorry that your insurance company did not help as much as they should. I hope you all are getting back to being close to normal.

I looked at the same videos you did and was going to put the safe the way you mentioned, unforunately, I am a big guy (6'4" 245lbs) and I had a hard time fitting between the door and the wall when it was open. I had to rotate it 90 degrees, just for ease of my own access.

The viedos always show two guys working together with the safe on it's back and using their body weight to get leverage. Given that it is bolted to the reenforced framing of the house, and they will not have the best leverage to their advantage my hopes are that they will have already had to work out a few "layers of protection" before even getting to that point and run down their window of oportunity.

It is not the best one out there, but it is better than what I had, and as I think I have beat to death, it is not the only thing protecting them.

The reason I didn't go with the electronic lock is I felt better relying on a mechanical device rather than an electrical one. Just a personal preference. I also like that I can lock the dial from physicaly turning with a key.

I'm with Ripsnortr. The snap-on ones, while providing okay protection, are essentially a large tool box with a basic 2 or 3 point locking mechanism. A rod that goes through the top and bottom, plus a tab that is dependent upon the strength of the metal on the left of the door to secure it. Good to keep kids out, not so much for someone with ambition and a crow bar. Guess I'll be looking around for other options. Just don't want to drop a grand on a huge safe.

Pay now or pay later... I paid later, and then some. Not going to happen to everyone, but this was my turn to be a stastic.

 

[SHOOTER13]

Ripsnortr wrote: "I have called it the "onion" approach. If there is enough layers between them and what they want, they will have to decide if it is worth the trouble as they keep pressing forward"

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Concentric layers of security is what the Govt calls it...and it works !! Anything...including Fort Knox... can be broken into, given enough time, planning, and the right circumstances ( like the Army base next door closing )... that being said...most thieves want to get in and get out, don't always have the time, tools, determination, etc... to crack a real good safe. That's why my investments are behind something solid that will take time, more time than most will want to take. Thieves don't like confrontation...or risk.

Then again, a crackhead or meth junkie don't even consider all that. But they are going to have to work around the dog nawling on their ass...

 

[Mudinyeri]

Good point, Shooter.

In general, you have two types of thieves - the planners and those acting on impulse. Multiple layers can potentially dissuade planners. They may go look for an easier target. It's the impulsive guys that are a bit more difficult to dissuade. A meth head isn't thinking rationally to begin with. Therefore, rational plans to thwart him can make little to no difference.

 

[ripjack13]

Well you can't really call it a gun safe, but it's a gun security cabinet. It's thinner steel but still has 3 locking points. It only cost me $115 from Big 5 and is going to do a good job while I save up for something better! It holds 8 long guns, has a shelf for ammo and etc. and fits my handgun in case just fine. Here you go, the Stack On Gun Security Cabinet.

I have that exact one. I got mine from my local gun shop. $109.00 out the door.

 

[cbshooter]

Well I have run into a problem bolting my safe down. I was going to drill holes into the slab but when talking to a neighbor he told me that all the houses in my small sub division have post stressed slabs. Which mean that they have cables that are in the slab when poured and are tightened up afterwards. They do this so the slabs don't have problems later on. So I guess it is time to rethink this. I am placing the safe on the left hand side of my closet and it is a tight fit ( the left corner of the safe will be about 3 inches in past the jam so the door will barely clear the trim on the side) so this is what I am thinking about. After I get the safe in place there will be an open space (about 6 inches) between the left side of the safe and the inside wall that will be hidden. If I make a pad out of say 2x6's that will be snug and anchored the the wall that is 6 inches longer on each side of the safe and then screw and glue 3/4 plywood to this making sure that it is a tight fit between the 3 walls then lag screw the safe to this it may be ok. Maybe I should epoxy the wood pad to the slab. If you all can think of a better way let me know. thanks