Safe cracking. Is it that easy?

[911/914gary]

A friend just had a break-in. He had a dozen guns, his laptop, cameras, personal information stolen.
Edited - details of safe-picking removed... -Z-man.

If this is the case I need a better system to secure my stuff. Can safes be upgraded?

[Brando]

You get what you pay for with a safe. Most cases they serve more as a deterrent than security. High-end safes have tamper-proof mechanisms inside so that if someone were to pull the same stunt with them, they would 'fail' locked and you would either have to cut them open with a torch (thus destroying the contents) or call the manufacturer.

[stomachmonkey]

Yes.

[john70t]

There is no such thing as prevention.
Everything made by mankind can be unmade by mankind.

Only ignorance, complexity, delay, destruction, and/or motivated idividuals who can intervene serve as delays.

[MBAtarga]

"Locks are to keep honest people out." - Mr. Anderson, my 8th grade shop teacher

[masraum]

there are definitely different levels of safes. I don't know how upgradeable they are. It would probably depend a lot on your safe.

Wow, I'm betting it was someone that knew that your friend had a safe. I doubt that most thieves carry the gear and know how to get into a safe.

I suspect that the entry level safes may be a lot easier to get into than the next level up. You'd probably want something that had a burglary-resistance rating, and you probably need to spend a lot more than the entry level $ to get a safe that can't be "picked" by a big hammer.

[masraum]

I bet this one wouldn't have been so easy (but I could be wrong).

http://www.amsecusa.com/Burglary_and_Fire_Protection/BF_Series_Gun_Safes/

If that isn't good enough...

Check into the TL 30 on this page. One that's 4" shy of 7'x4'x3' may run you about $8,424.15 (shipping is $2k) according to a quick search of the net.
http://www.amsecusa.com/Burglary_and_Fire_Protection/AmVault_TL-15_and_TL-30/

Here are some sizes and shipping weights for you.

Model --- Product ---------------------- Dimensions ------------------Weight
CF1814 - 21.5” D AmVault TL-30 -- 25” H x 21” W x 21.5” D -- 710
CF2518 - 25.5” D AmVault TL-30 -- 32” H x 25” W x 25.5” D -- 1125
CF3524 - 42” H --AmVault TL-30 -- 42” H x 31” W x 29.5” D -- 1764
CF4524 - 52” H --AmVault TL-30 -- 52” H x 31” W x 29.5” D -- 2100
CF5524 - 62” H --AmVault TL-30 -- 62” H x 31” W x 29.5” D -- 2474
CF6528 - 72” H --AmVault TL-30 -- 72” H x 35” W x 29.5” D -- 3206
CF7236 - 32.5”D- AmVault TL-30 - 79” H x 43” W x 32.5” D -- 4270

The smallest model will run you $2200 plus $500 shipping on the site that I found that sells them. Who knows what kind of price you'd find if you did a bit of shopping around.

[911/914gary]

Originally Posted by masraum

Wow, I'm betting it was someone that knew that your friend had a safe. I doubt that most thieves carry the gear and know how to get into a safe.

It was definitely an "inside job". He suspects his neighbor who has had some gun theft related history.

[Rick Lee]

This is why you don't let your neigbors know what you have. No one with that kind of safe-cracking knowledge plays Russian Roulette with houses. They knew the safe and contents were there and when the homeowner wasn't. I've flashed a handgun here and there on my waist outside the garage when on the bike. But when transporting long guns to or from the house, they only go in or out of the car once the garage door is closed. In fact, now that my wife is dodging a process server from a photo radar ticket, we always load and unload the car with the garage door closed.

[Jim Bremner]

Please DELETE THE DETAILS NOW!!!!!!!

[Jim Bremner]

If you know how a safe works it's scary how many ways you can get in. If you don't care about ruining the safe.

I've tore up some decent safes and there's no such thing as CHEAP and GOOD

I will own a TL306 rated safe when I can buy one.

[john70t]

The first rule of fight club is: you never talk about fight club.

The best safe is one nobody knows about.
Else, the contractors have to be buried after the installation.

Wherever the secondary storage area is, make sure it's not visible from outside.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

I will own a TL306 rated safe when I can buy one.

And in case anyone wants to do a google search to figure out what that is (like I did), you'll get better results searching for TL-30x6 than you will searching for TL306.

The first one that I found is 27x21x23" external dimensions, holds almost 2 cf and weighs over 1000lbs. Wow.

The TL-15 safe will resist entry when attacked on the door with common hand tools, picking tools, mechanical or portable electric tools, grinding tools, carbide drills, and pressure applying devices or mechanisms for a total attack working time of fifteen minutes.

The TL-30 safe has the same testing as the TL-15, but will resist attack for a period of thirty minutes.

The TL-30X6 safe offers the same thirty-minute protection as the TL-30, but it resists attacks on all six sides.

The TRTL-30X6 safe offers the same six-sided, thirty-minute protection as the TL-30X6, but in addition resists attacks from oxy-fuel gas cutting or welding torch (quantity of gas consumed in one test limited to 1,000 cubic feet combined total oxygen and fuel gas).

It should be noted that the attack time as given does not mean that the safe resists intrusion only for the time period indicated. This is the minimum amount of resistance time required for the rating.

[Jim Bremner]

I missed on a TL-30x6 that was around 72"x36"x36 for $750!

A TL-30 is rated to take a safe craker 30 minutes to get into with any power tools needed. ONLY fro a frontal attack.

A TL-30x6 is the same but all 6 sides will take 30 minutes.


Next thing guys BOLT your safe down! If they can take it with them to a better place to open it they will. I can move a 700 pound safe my self! I can get it into the back of a pickup bed!

Next, Bolt it down close to a wall so that it defies someone leverage to pry the door open if you can If the door opens to the left, place it up to the left side of a wall if you can.

Conceal the safe if you can, Can't see it it's not there!

Most safes are 10 or 12 ga. steel. they have wallboard for firelining. Most of us can defeat that in many ways.

Amsec BF series is a pretty well made safe. They're made in Fontana CA. MOST of the cheaper safes are made in Asia. I thought about importing them for a while.

If I was going to buy a NEW safe from what I've looked at I would buy a safe from Gun Safes : Fire Safe Manufacturer : Sturdy Gun Safe. They're not pretty but they seem to be a damn fine safe for the $$$

If I poo'ed gold coins I would buy a Safes – Brown Safe Manufactures Luxury Jewelry Safes, Home Safes, Custom Safes and Vault Doors.




I bought this one for $400 and had extra 10ga. welded on 4 sides over its 10 ga. body which is over 2" of concrete and lined with 14 ga. steel.

Sad thing is is that I dropped it off of my forklift and I need to take it to a pro safemaker to see if he can get it square.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

I bought this one for $400 and had extra 10ga. welded on 4 sides over its 10 ga. body which is over 2" of concrete and lined with 14 ga. steel.

Sad thing is is that I dropped it off of my forklift and I need to take it to a pro safemaker to see if he can get it square.

If you put a vent hole or two in the bottom of that one, it would make a doable "panic-room" too.

Wow, that's a big-un!