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Evening ya'll,


I'm looking for a good gun safe. I currently have a 24 gun safe from the Patriot Safe Company (which is currently out of business), and due to Friday's burglary, it needs to be drilled out so I can open it. I'm looking for one that's a tad bit larger, and under the $3000 mark. The SnapSafe Super Titan Double Door is looking real good right now. Partly because I still have a few PCS's in our family's future. Do ya'll have any experience with SnapSafe or other suggestions to look at?

My last one came from Steelwater Guns Safes.

https://www.steelwatergunsafes.com/

Free Shipping, Garage Delivery.

Great product, I'll buy my next one from them too.

teraph wrote: ↑Sun Dec 29, 2019 12:51 am Evening ya'll,


I'm looking for a good gun safe. I currently have a 24 gun safe from the Patriot Safe Company (which is currently out of business), and due to Friday's burglary, it needs to be drilled out so I can open it. I'm looking for one that's a tad bit larger, and under the $3000 mark. The SnapSafe Super Titan Double Door is looking real good right now. Partly because I still have a few PCS's in our family's future. Do ya'll have any experience with SnapSafe or other suggestions to look at?

Sorry to hear that you were robbed... that's a raw deal.

When you have time, can you give us some detail as to how they went at your safe, how it was attached (or not) and how it faired? And pics would be extremely beneficial.

As to your question, I have a Champion but never had an attempted burglary so I can't give you any real world info. I do know several safe companies now offer free replacement if you suffer an attempted burglary.

The safe is in an under the stairs closet, and is about 700lbs empty. And I am not allowed to bolt it to the ground, because I live in post housing. But when the base weight is combined with the contents and the ammo cans on top, it easily pushes 1000lbs. As for how it was attacked, I'm not quite sure. It appears that the thief didn't even try moving it. If I had to guess, the thief cranked on the handle hard enough to activate the relocker. This is based on the lack of any kind of tool marks on the exterior of the safe, and the fact that my emergency keys seem to work, but with no motion of the handle.

teraph wrote: ↑Sun Dec 29, 2019 11:07 pm The safe is in an under the stairs closet, and is about 700lbs empty. And I am not allowed to bolt it to the ground, because I live in post housing. But when the base weight is combined with the contents and the ammo cans on top, it easily pushes 1000lbs. As for how it was attacked, I'm not quite sure. It appears that the thief didn't even try moving it. If I had to guess, the thief cranked on the handle hard enough to activate the relocker. This is based on the lack of any kind of tool marks on the exterior of the safe, and the fact that my emergency keys seem to work, but with no motion of the handle.

I have heard of this happening a few times. The thinking being that if they use a pry bar of some sort it will cause the lock to fail. I have the wheel/star type with three handles that screw on. I unscrewed them and put them in the safe so there is nothing to pry on for leverage. Nothing makes me more angry than a home burglar.

They look something like this

03Lightningrocks,

That’s pretty much how mine looks too. I got a chance to talk to a locksmith the other day, and he winced when I told him about the safe. Apparently it’s gonna be a pain for him to drill out. After that, I’ll have a very heavy paperweight. Maybe I’ll get a buddy or three to help me take it to the range for curiosity’s sake.

Is it a room under the stairs, by chance?

I have one of those, and decided to just reinforce that little room, with a solid core door, some deadbolts and a folding security gate as soon as you open the door. Of course, that may not be an option if they don't even want you bolting a safe to the floor. That said, the door is removable.

teraph wrote: ↑Thu Jan 02, 2020 1:34 pm 03Lightningrocks,

That’s pretty much how mine looks too. I got a chance to talk to a locksmith the other day, and he winced when I told him about the safe. Apparently it’s gonna be a pain for him to drill out. After that, I’ll have a very heavy paperweight. Maybe I’ll get a buddy or three to help me take it to the range for curiosity’s sake.

I do believe I heard that when the relockers kick in, the safe is no longer usable. My Home Owners will cover my safe as well as contents in case of break in or damage to safe. If you have renters insurance you may want to check with them. I suppose my insurance doesn't mind paying for a new safe if they save 10 times that amount in stolen guns.

It might be a fun day at the range or a long stay at the hospital from ricochets.

teraph wrote: ↑Sun Dec 29, 2019 11:07 pm The safe is in an under the stairs closet, and is about 700lbs empty. And I am not allowed to bolt it to the ground, because I live in post housing. But when the base weight is combined with the contents and the ammo cans on top, it easily pushes 1000lbs. As for how it was attacked, I'm not quite sure. It appears that the thief didn't even try moving it. If I had to guess, the thief cranked on the handle hard enough to activate the relocker. This is based on the lack of any kind of tool marks on the exterior of the safe, and the fact that my emergency keys seem to work, but with no motion of the handle.

Sorry you had it happen, unfortunately somebody now knows you have it & may return.
I agree w soccerdad1995 about the solid core door & deadbolt. Anything to slow them down & maybe stop 'em Can you bolt thru the
drywall into a couple studs ? That leaves a simple hole that can be repaired but gives a little more security.
My safe is over 1000 lbs empty and when we bought a new place I had it moved (empty). I unbolted it. They pulled up, 2 guys, & just like
when it was delivered, 6-7 min later & they were gone . No dolly inside the house. They were being careful. The really scary part
was as they were getting back in their truck, w my safe on the trailer, the helpers pant leg rode up on his leg & revealed his ankle bracelet. Thankfully, because we own, besides bolting it at the new place, I walled it in. A wall now needs to be removed to remove the safe
Yes, it now stays w the house.

03Lightningrocks wrote: ↑Thu Jan 02, 2020 3:30 pm

teraph wrote: ↑Thu Jan 02, 2020 1:34 pm 03Lightningrocks,

That’s pretty much how mine looks too. I got a chance to talk to a locksmith the other day, and he winced when I told him about the safe. Apparently it’s gonna be a pain for him to drill out. After that, I’ll have a very heavy paperweight. Maybe I’ll get a buddy or three to help me take it to the range for curiosity’s sake.

I do believe I heard that when the relockers kick in, the safe is no longer usable. My Home Owners will cover my safe as well as contents in case of break in or damage to safe. If you have renters insurance you may want to check with them. I suppose my insurance doesn't mind paying for a new safe if they save 10 times that amount in stolen guns.

It might be a fun day at the range or a long stay at the hospital from ricochets.

teraph... I just looked at my safe and it has a lifetime warranty for burglary or fire. I have owned it so long i forgot about it. Your safe may have such a warranty. Something to check anyway. Good luck with it all. Getting robbed like that is just awful. At least the guns were not taken.

How I wish housing wouldn’t care if I modified this place.....but I like the way y’all think. Maybe when we PCS back to GA, I can convince the wife to let me turn a closet into a vault room.
Also, good news. I called the insurance company and my renter’s insurance is going to cover locksmith fees and a replacement safe. And however much I like the safe I have, the company that made it is out of business. That and we may have outgrown it as well. So the search is most definitely on for a larger safe. And the wife is even on board with it

You can put that safe up for sale, they great smokers.

All my rifles are scope save one AK. The long rifle capacity for me is a concern. What safe do you recommend for scoped rifles?

In thinking about you problem I googled your old safe CO and found a BBB listing that said the owner of your safe co is now working under
the name of OC Safe co. They have a listing and address and phone numbers. This might not be important to you but the locksmith you choose
might get a drawing of the locking and relockers. Maybe drillone small hole and reset the relocker without massive damage to safe. in which case the safe can be repaired very easily They have some videos on Utube showing that brand of safe from several years ago. Not all locksmiths are skilled
safe men. But mostly this is about money and risk to your firearms.
Google the National Safemans Association and see if they recommend a safe man in your area. A magazine called The National locksmith may also
offer some good advice.
I think I better quit right here as I cannot practice locksmithing.