GUN SAFE

[wrooster]

The TSC winchester is a real nice safe for the $$ .:thumbsup:I've been real happy with mine

Winchester Gun Safes - AR15.COM

Wrooster

 

[wrooster]

RSC pried open

Burglar(s) skipped attempting to open the cabinet (not a real RSC), and tried to take it with them instead. Big lag bolts into the studs saved the day -- appears they tried to take a section of the wall with the cabinet but it was taking too long to do so.

Winchester RSC opened with screwdrivers and a HiLift jack

Liberty Colonial 23, pried open

Remington safe, pried open using screwdrivers and a 6' long pry bar

Winchester RSC, top beaten off in 3 minutes using a small sledge hammer

ps:
Bank branch "drop safe" -- burglary interrupted, thieves apprehended. But look what you can do with power tools!

 

[sandman2234]

Some interesting pictures. Safe's are not full proof, just deterents. Safes are UL rated as to how long it would take a professional locksmith to get into it. Usually just a couple of hours max on most. I had a "Cannonball" safe from the late 1890's that was UL rated at 40 hours and anti dynamite to boot. 9" thick door and 3.5" cast steel walls, and HEAVY!!! I sold it to the boss for him to keep sensitive software in it. Don't know where it went when he sold the business, but it wasn't at the auction when the guy that bought it went bankrupt.
David from jax

 

[two_bit_score]

Next we'll be seeing pics of a small air compressor and plasma cutter next to a 'compromised' safe.

 

[sandman2234]

Locks are made for honest people...
David from jax

 

[Soundguy]

yup.. same as fences and gates...

 

[wrooster]

Safes are UL rated as to how long it would take a professional locksmith to get into it.

1) Besides the bank drop box shown cut apart above, everything else discussed/pictured in this thread so far is not a "safe" -- they are termed by UL as "RSC's" -- residential security containers.
2) UL does not rate safes/RSC's by "how long it would take a professional locksmith to get into it".

UL | Safe-Testing Program

The best safecrackers in the business never steal a penny. They work for UL.

UL has been testing and certifying safes for more than 80 years. The first safe tested for burglary resistance was in 1923 and the first bank vault in 1925.

Chisels, wenches, screwdrivers, power saws, cutting torches, crowbars, abrasive cutting wheels, jackhammers, even specified amounts of nitroglycerin are just a few of the "tools" UL technicians use during a safe attack. The idea is to test safes to worst-case scenarios. They use tools that could be found at any construction site or hardware store. They also analyze blueprints as if the burglar might have blueprints of the design and attack its weakest points to evaluate the safe for certification.

UL's safe attack tests are conducted by a two-person crew. The object is to create an opening large enough to withdraw "valuables" (anywhere from 2- to 6-square-inches on a safe and up to 96-square-inches on a vault), activate the locking mechanism so the door opens or to cut as many bolts from the door as necessary to pry it open before the time specified in the rating requirement expires.

Safes are rated for their resistance to attack against specific tools for a set period of time. There are a dozen different ratings, everything from ATM machines, to gun safes to bank vaults. For example, a safe that bears a Class TRTL-15x6 rating, which might be found in a jewelry store, should resist a hand tool and torch attack for a minimum of 15 minutes. A TRTL-30x6-rated safe, which would protect important documents or store money, should withstand an attack for 30 minutes. The ultimate safe rating a TXTL60 should withstand an hour's worth of attack that includes the use of 8 ounces of nitroglycerin.

Wrooster

 

[wrooster]

Next we'll be seeing pics of a small air compressor and plasma cutter next to a 'compromised' safe.

The point of the pictures is that most all "low end" RSC's can be opened with a prybar. One key element to preventing this approach includes securely fastening the RSC such that it can't be pushed over onto it's side or back. Prying an upright safe is more difficult. Furthermore, most RSC's lack adequate bolt support -- the result of which is that if the thief can get enough leverage on a long enough pry bar, the bolt mounting(s) will yield and the door will open. The bolts held but their mounts did not. Improperly supported bolts are useless, no matter how many bolts there are. Finally, it is very important that the door frame be able to withstand spreading, and sufficient thickness steel with proper bends can prevent this approach. For this reason a shorter safe is generally more resistant against a spreading/prying attack.

If the door, bolts, and door frame are stiff enough, the thief is forced into a cut-in approach (for example, see the UL TL-xx testing above), and in general if they have to cut-in you have a good RSC design. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, above a certain quality level/price point, no thief attacks the door head on -- it is not an efficient approach. To your point, a plasma cutter is certainly a way into any RSC, but few thieves are going to take this approach in a residential burglary. So in this case you "won" as an owner of a quality RSC.

I look at an RSC two ways -- one, it protects my property, and two, it prevents my property from falling into hands where it will most likely be misused. I don't like the idea of one or more of my firearms ending up in the waistband of some thug. So it's prudent, in my mind, to purchase a high quality RSC.

Just keep in mind that ANY RSC and ANY SAFE can be opened with a $5 wrench. If I keep hitting you or your loved ones with a $5 wrench eventually the safe will open.

Wrooster

 

[two_bit_score]

Wrooster, you bring up a really good point. In a home invasion the crooks will already have a gun and will be pointing them at you or your loved ones to get you to open the safe.

 

[Jeff Lary]

I dont have a ,but Liberty would be my choice. Remember 2 or 3 guns in my collection would be worth more that the top price you listed, dont skimp. I guess is what I would say. I have a built in hidden gun closet that holds 15 of mine and a second compartment that holds an additional 10.If I bought a safe it would be the best I could afford .Good luck on your purchase.