Gun safe question, are they really safe?

[crackerjack222]

I have a question for the collective wisdom here. Can a thief remove the digital lock from my safe and replace it with his own? If that is possible can he not just replace my lock from the outside of the door with his own and enter his combo and open my safe?

 

[azranger]

Theif is not going to spend that much time in your home. I assume you are talking about a gun safe? I think they have to be replaced from the inside

 

[Raspy]

I have a question for the collective wisdom here. Can a thief remove the digital lock from my safe and replace it with his own? If that is possible can he not just replace my lock from the outside of the door with his own and enter his combo and open my safe?

No he can't. That wouldn't be very safe would it.

 

[rtimgray]

I looked at mine and can't figure out how I would do it. It looks like I would have to take it apart from inside the door.

Most thieves are not going to be that smart or take that much time. Not saying it can't be done, but I would rank that pretty low on my list of concerns.

It also may vary by make/model, so who knows.

Good luck and take care.

 

[oosik]

My gun safe requires removal of the lock/replacement of the lock/reset of combination from the inside. Any of these three actions can only be accomplished - without using brute force - after I contact the manufacturer, provide positive proof of my identity and receive an authorization code. When I registered the safe, I chose the exact method/means of providing positive proof of my identity. For my part - the only one of the three, that I feel qualified to do is reset of the combination. The other two would have to be accomplished by a qualified locksmith.

IMHO - I guess I can see somebody attempting to access the contents of the gun safe. I can see no earthly reason to remove the lock, replace the lock or reset the combination.

 

[groundcover]

Take a look at some of the videos online, most thiefs go with pry bars and brute force . Sturdy safes have some good Utube videos.

 

[gsganzer]

The short answer is no. On most safes, when the external lock is removed, a "locking pin" drops through the locking mechanism and permanently locks the safe.

That being said, I have a friend that used to buy "store demo's" that were inadvertently locked on the showroom floors. He'd buy them for a fraction of the new price. He'd take them home and smash the lockset off. He'd then take a specially designed tool he made that he would snake through the lockset hole. It was bent in such a way that he could lift the locking pin and get the door open. Once opened, he'd remove the back of the door and install a new lockset that he bought off ebay.

I think the goal of most safes is to buy time against an attack. The higher the security grade, the more time and technique it typically takes to get into them.

 

[bumperm]

I'm in the security industry, own an alarm company and operate a "central station" (24 hour monitoring facility) - a coming together of an electronics background from the USN and 10 years on the Oakland, CA police department. Safes may be rated for fire and/or burglary, sometimes this rating will be non-confirmed letter rating. Gun safe, of the variety sold at box stores etc, may have a fire rating, but seldom would you see a proper UL rating such at TL-15 (which would basically mean the door can withstand a concerted attack for 15 minutes). Here's a pretty good site that describes what to look for etc:

11 Myths about Gun Safe Theft Protection - Gun Safe Reviews Guy

If one has a good security system too (and a very many aren't all that good - especially when dealing with all but the most stupid of bad guys), then the amount of time a bad guy would be willing to spend on site will be limited. In my 35 years in the alarm industry, I've never seen a successful residential gun safe attack or loss when there was a security system. Did see a commercial safe attack when an alarm system was defective.

 

[k0ua]

I saw a really good safe broken in to with a gasoline powered concrete saw with a diamond blade.

Many that must of taken some time and made a horrible racket.. But they did it.

 

[bumperm]

When I was a cop in Oakland, back in the 70's, Leroy and Tyrone went down to Laney College and first broke into the auto shop, where they absconded an oxy-acetylene rig. Hauled that over to the office and set to work in the back room a burnin' the safe. Next morning, when staff opened up, they found the mess left behind. Safe still in one piece, but black soot everywhere, as was most of the room. Seems the bad guys didn't quite know about turning on the oxygen.