Gun safe or hide them?
- Thread starter valnar
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Saxon, I am sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what that was like.
But question for you: If they came in...twice....while you had the safe and saw it, what has prevented them from coming in a third time with tools? After all, somebody knew you had guns previously. It wouldn't take a genius to know you have more in that safe?
But question for you: If they came in...twice....while you had the safe and saw it, what has prevented them from coming in a third time with tools? After all, somebody knew you had guns previously. It wouldn't take a genius to know you have more in that safe?
Bobson
Member
My thoughts exactly. Unless Saxon changed something drastic regarding his home security, I'd say it's just a matter of time until someone cracks his safe. I hope I'm wrong though. Good luck man.
Owen Sparks
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SaxonPig said:
Did they tear up the walls, floors and ceilings looking for secret compartments between the studs? Did they move the refrigerator to look for hidden compartments behind it? Did they take your water heater apart to see if it was fake and full of valuables? Probably not.
You CAN successfully hide things from thieves if you know how. The best safe set-up I ever saw was bolted into a solid concrete recess in a basement wall behind a heavy upright freezer. Another time I saw a false water heater with pipes, wiring and all that hid a carousel type gun rack. Phony electrical pannels are also great for hiding things as most people are afraid of electricty and are not going to take your breaker box apart to find out what is behind it.
And if you keep that safe concealed (and your mouth shut) they are not going to know you have it and that alone might be enough to remove the REASON your house gets chosen. Sure they might find the safe once they break in but that is not the point. If they don't know it is there they may not break in at all. If they do find it, like you said, they probably will not be prepared with the heavy tools it takes to open it.
The OP asked "Gun safe or hide them?" I say BOTH! Keep that safe concealed and it removes both the attraction of something valuable and the ability of the bad guys to know what to prepare for.
Did they tear up the walls, floors and ceilings looking for secret compartments between the studs? Did they move the refrigerator to look for hidden compartments behind it? Did they take your water heater apart to see if it was fake and full of valuables? Probably not.
You CAN successfully hide things from thieves if you know how. The best safe set-up I ever saw was bolted into a solid concrete recess in a basement wall behind a heavy upright freezer. Another time I saw a false water heater with pipes, wiring and all that hid a carousel type gun rack. Phony electrical pannels are also great for hiding things as most people are afraid of electricty and are not going to take your breaker box apart to find out what is behind it.
And if you keep that safe concealed (and your mouth shut) they are not going to know you have it and that alone might be enough to remove the REASON your house gets chosen. Sure they might find the safe once they break in but that is not the point. If they don't know it is there they may not break in at all. If they do find it, like you said, they probably will not be prepared with the heavy tools it takes to open it.
The OP asked "Gun safe or hide them?" I say BOTH! Keep that safe concealed and it removes both the attraction of something valuable and the ability of the bad guys to know what to prepare for.
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BigN
Member
I don't know why you'd need to hide it. You can't break into it with a pc of dynamite, you can't carry it, too darn heavy. Where's it going to go?
Bobson
Member
There's always the possibility that a professional crew of crafty, skilled thieves (as in The Italian Job) is going to break into my place to steal my entire collection of guns.
Having said that, I don't think the average person needs to be too concerned with hiding a 700 pound safe. If you've got twenty thousand dollars in firearms, that might be a different story. Then again, if you're dropping that kind of money on guns, I would think you have a fairly serious security system in place throughout your estate.
V-line in-the-wall gun locker.
http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=iu7jTryjLMiItwfA0J3KCg&ved=0CGwQ8gIwAQ#
http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=iu7jTryjLMiItwfA0J3KCg&ved=0CGwQ8gIwAQ#
colbysdad
Member
I bought a Liberty safe a few years ago. It took three men and a hand truck to get it into my house. I keep all my guns and important papers in it.It makes me feel safer when we are gone from the house. Peace of mind is worth something.
Owen Sparks
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Some years back professional thieves broke into a house in my state and brought along heavy equipment. They actually unplugged an appliance and changed out the outlet so that they could run a 240volt electric motor on some heavy tool that they used to cut into a built in vault in a basement. As I recall they did not go through the steel door but through the concrete wall beside it. Luckily this “vault” served primarily as a tornado shelter and did not contain anything of great value except tax records that were left untouched.
My point is that whoever planned this robbery KNEW this vault was there and prepared accordingly. Had the door been hidden from view no one would have known it was there in the first place. Service people like plumbers, electricians, handy men and other trades had seen it over the years but the police never figured out who was responsible. It also could have been a domestic helper or who told her boyfriend. It might even have been a well-meaning friend who told stories about an impressive built in safe in front of the wrong people.
Conceal your safe! The fewer people who know about it the better.
My point is that whoever planned this robbery KNEW this vault was there and prepared accordingly. Had the door been hidden from view no one would have known it was there in the first place. Service people like plumbers, electricians, handy men and other trades had seen it over the years but the police never figured out who was responsible. It also could have been a domestic helper or who told her boyfriend. It might even have been a well-meaning friend who told stories about an impressive built in safe in front of the wrong people.
Conceal your safe! The fewer people who know about it the better.
Hide the gun safe.
Big Nugget
Member
Just incase anyone has guns stolen I hope they have kept a log of the guns including type & serial number they own in a separate location. You will need these numbers when reporting it to the police and incase the firearms are found you can prove that they are yours. If the guns are used in a crime and recovered you'll also be notified and will need to be able to prove that your guns had been stolen and reported to the police. This helps to show that you were no longer in the possession of the firearm when the crime was committed.
A log can also help you keep track of when you purchased/sold/traded a firearm and who/where it went to/came from.
A log can also help you keep track of when you purchased/sold/traded a firearm and who/where it went to/came from.
mgmorden
Member
Somehow I think you're making the mistake of thinking that "they" is some organized group.
His house was burglarized several times. I doubt that "they" were the same group every time. Owen Sparks
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An acquaintance was robbed but the thieves failed to defeat his safe. The down side is they damaged it so badly in trying that he could not get it opened. Not only did he have to replace an expensive safe but he had to pay a professional locksmith big bucks to get it opened. He contacted the safe company about the warranty but it only applied if the safe was breeched. It did not cover damages if it held.
CONCEAL YOUR SAFE! Not only is it an open invitation to burglary if the wrong person sees it but it is really expensive to replace when they beat the handles off of it and give up.
CONCEAL YOUR SAFE! Not only is it an open invitation to burglary if the wrong person sees it but it is really expensive to replace when they beat the handles off of it and give up.
Shadow 7D
Member
Read a number of stories about how safes are defeated
a RSC, about 5 minutes, two tweekers, and a fire ax, I'll have every gun you own, don't worry, the door will be fine. A real safe doesn't way 1000 pounds, unless it's a SMALL safe. A safe the size of a gun safe, with 4-6 inch composite or SOLID steel walls, yeah, you ain't putting that on a standard residential floor.
Hiding works, as long as you don't damage the guys due to environment, and they aren't going to be found. The house I lived in as a kid was previously owned by a cop, he build an addition of a garage with a master bedroom above it. Where the A-frame roof met the rest of the house, there was significant dead space behind the built in drawers, in the bathroom there was a built in shelf system with a trap door that you couldn't open unless you knew how. I don't thing a burger would think of climbing through a dresser or getting down behind the toilet and clearing out the TP stash to check the shelf's for a false back. Anywho I don't have that option at my present home, and don't have concrete for a real safe (or the money) So I think I'll have to content myself with an RSC, I plan to buy used or from one of the locksmiths here. I realize that they can be ripped out of my house by a pickup truck, I know that they can be popped by a tanker bar, I realize that they can be opened like a can of tuna with a fire ax. But they are better than the 200 dollar wall lockers (sentry 16ga 'safe')
OH and the pro's (not the guys from lows, but locksmiths specializing in safes and vaults)
say any place that sends more than 1 guy to deliver a gun safe is either doing it because of insurance or they don't know what they are doing. a dolly, some pvc piping, and a bit of know-how can get it out of your house (or in without dinging up the walls).
a RSC, about 5 minutes, two tweekers, and a fire ax, I'll have every gun you own, don't worry, the door will be fine. A real safe doesn't way 1000 pounds, unless it's a SMALL safe. A safe the size of a gun safe, with 4-6 inch composite or SOLID steel walls, yeah, you ain't putting that on a standard residential floor.
Hiding works, as long as you don't damage the guys due to environment, and they aren't going to be found. The house I lived in as a kid was previously owned by a cop, he build an addition of a garage with a master bedroom above it. Where the A-frame roof met the rest of the house, there was significant dead space behind the built in drawers, in the bathroom there was a built in shelf system with a trap door that you couldn't open unless you knew how. I don't thing a burger would think of climbing through a dresser or getting down behind the toilet and clearing out the TP stash to check the shelf's for a false back. Anywho I don't have that option at my present home, and don't have concrete for a real safe (or the money) So I think I'll have to content myself with an RSC, I plan to buy used or from one of the locksmiths here. I realize that they can be ripped out of my house by a pickup truck, I know that they can be popped by a tanker bar, I realize that they can be opened like a can of tuna with a fire ax. But they are better than the 200 dollar wall lockers (sentry 16ga 'safe')
OH and the pro's (not the guys from lows, but locksmiths specializing in safes and vaults)
say any place that sends more than 1 guy to deliver a gun safe is either doing it because of insurance or they don't know what they are doing. a dolly, some pvc piping, and a bit of know-how can get it out of your house (or in without dinging up the walls).
bruzer
Member
Definitely get the safe. As far as hiding, sometimes you can't. Mine is 7'x5' and takes a forklift to move. There is noway I am going to hide it unless I can do some MAJOR construction. I got it used and the fire protection is great. Inside temp will not get above 150 degrees. As far as theft, all I can do is get a safe and pray. Good luck,
Mike
Mike
Ramone
Member
I go for the safe and hidden option.
A friend has a smallish safe that is neatly covered by the box a christmas tree came in. He cut it up, reinforced it with some lathe and staples and duct tape, and has a box with no back or bottom in a corner of the basement, hiding a safe.
A friend has a smallish safe that is neatly covered by the box a christmas tree came in. He cut it up, reinforced it with some lathe and staples and duct tape, and has a box with no back or bottom in a corner of the basement, hiding a safe.
doc540
Member
both
store in a safe
hide home defense guns so they'll be accessible
they'll be no charge for having read my opinion
store in a safe
hide home defense guns so they'll be accessible
they'll be no charge for having read my opinion
Shadow 7D
Member
There is a company that sells magnetic laminate to change your safe in to a wardrobe or filing cabinet or something similar
Batty67
Member
I have a few handguns stored for quick access SD in semi-hidden gunvaults, and the rest in a 24-gun (well, more like 16) safe.
I would (and do) worry a lot more about children, teenagers or the unskilled and/or unstable getting access to firearms than having them stolen. Firearms can be replaced. Lives cannot. I think it's only good sense to have a safe and keep all firearms (at least all of the ones that you are not currently carrying; in my case, that would be all of them) locked up and safe from prying hands.
allaroundhunter
Member
I agree with this 100%. I don't see the point to hiding all of your weapons at random places throughout your house. Keep one with you, or in a drawer safe in the nightstand, and lock the others up in a secure, bolted down safe.
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