Installing a 12” strike plate for security

[Lineman North Florida]

By doing what you are doing it will slow entry down a little bit and give whoever is home a little more time to get settled in for good target acquisition, as unfortunate as it is they need to be broke from a bad habit.

 

[LouNY]

Damn, I live in one of the worst states to be in, New York. But it is rural enough that the vehicles are not locked, the house doors are very seldom locked, have to find the keys when trying to.
I'm sure glad to not live in a place where breakins are a worry.
That said a 12 gauge is handy as well as a rifle or two.

 

[nyone]

I'm also in NY and dont lock vehicles or my garage...but all it takes is one bad apple.

 

[WranglerX]

Sorry for your situation. Can't help with your specific question, but I do like the idea of security outer doors. I made my own ghetto bars for the shop.
View attachment 895178

Probably best solution....

36 in. x 80 in. Universal/Reversible Su Casa Black Surface Mount Outswing Steel Security Door with Expanded Metal Screen

Or something similar... Many styles and color options at local home improvement stores....

 

[Dftodd]

A German Shepherd..or 2

I can attest to how well that works.

No breakins in 8 3/4 years. If someone comes in after that bark and growl...
They sure won't stick around

She sounds and resembles one of Satan's he!! Hounds when she growls and bristles

Heck, the one time she did it on leash, it made me clench, and she was protecring me

 

[CDBUG]

Had ours out on a strong chain off the house.....when were not home , the Propane Delivery man, [1st time she'd seen him] came dragging that hose from the dway towards the house. She broke the chain, he got bit, and had to spray her with the Propane nozzle to get her to release!... thought were gonna be in be some deep ****. Nope...the company called.. wanted to make sure the Dog was OK and not harmed!!

 

[blitzen]

And remember, "A man worth shooting once, is worth shooting twice" and "Dead men tell no tales".

As John from ASP would say-- boarding house rules: everyone gets firsts before they get seconds...

 

[sixdogs]

I was reading an article a number of years back about what convicts were afraid of when breaking into a house or business. Number one was a dog barking on the other side. Any dog because you never knew what to expect with an angry dog. Number two was a woman with a shotgun.

 

[Thall303]

I live in a suburb of Houston which is not the safest of cities.
We don’t have a lot of home break-ins because most homes have guns inside.

 

[scootr]

I read a convicts testimony that the large barking dog and wireless security were their worst fears. Wireless because they could not simply cut the power outside and enter without fear of the alarm. I have not alarm besides the 6 dogs. But I do have a sign at the gate and back door which reads 24 hr Surveillance Wireless Alarm, 2 pistols and a shotgun bedside. I also recently installed the lock shown on Amazon link.
If you need real door security nothing beats a 2x4 hung across the door.

 

[terraformer]

Get some dogs. Our female dogs are awake at any noise. Imagine having 6 dogs on you after you open the door.

Keep a car in the driveway.

Owning a gun is nice but that is probably the wrong one. The shooter has to be prepared to take a life. What if there are 3 of them having 5 rounds may not be enough. Expect the perps to be high and they may not even feel the shots or be disabled by a 650fps 38 pill.

I bet these perps have fingerprints. Perhaps your dogs will retrieve the fingers for you to compare to other invasions.

 

[tstorzuk]

You might want something that secures your door to the floor, and not just the jamb. Useful when someone is home, as they can't be used when no one is home.

The Best Door Security Bars, Tested and Reviewed

The best door security bars can give you peace of mind. We tested top picks to see which ones could stand up to intruders. See our reviews to which ones met our high bar.

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HAVEN Brown Mech Floor Wedge Lock HL1-MCH-001-BR - The Home Depot

HAVEN Mech is a manual lock activated by your foot that engages with the bottom of your door for strong and reliable security. Made with steel, Delrin and military-grade nylon, the HAVEN system is 10x

www.homedepot.com

NIGHTLOCK® LOCKDOWN Door Barricade for Schools & Office

Whether it’s a small Day Care facility or 400-room school, college dorm or office complex, NIGHTLOCK provides protection in just seconds for emergency lockdown situations. Teachers and employees simply drop the locking handle into the floor plate. NIGHTLOCK® Lockdown can withstand tremendous...

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Saw a movie a long time ago, "Burglar" staring Whoopie Goldberg. She had some sort of bar that "locked" in place into the floor. I've never been able to find it available online.

 

[olenjohn]

Amazing you asked for advice on insulating for the heat and cold but I saw only one response for that - magnetic seal. Do people just not pay attention?
Great Stuff - Window and Door. After the plate and reinforcement is done, fill the gaps with the foam and leave it alone for a few hours. After it has set, carefully trim away the strike hole and anything that oozed out. Don’t try to wipe the foam while wet. It smears and makes a big mess.

 

[Sid Post]

First, send your wife to a shooting school to get some basic knowledge and confidence with that snub-38. You don't need to spend $500 a day for a SEAL TEAM SIX operator but, you do need someone other than yourself to give her guidance she will remember when the hammer drops.

Next, identify the best defensible position in your house. This isn't a WWJWD (What would John Wick Do) situation. How much is your TV worth anyway? Let your wife shoot from a defensive barricade if she HAS TO! The last thing you want is the trauma of all that follows a LAWFUL SHOOTING. Heaven forbid if it is a young ethnic person and you get into a public fight post-shooting involving Civil Litigation and constant news coverage.

 

[Shady oak]

Not sure of the chances of her hitting anything with a .38 snub nose? And if she isn’t really well trained then the chances of her hitting anything intentionally diminish substantially.

 

[TugHillDog]

Hopefully you are practicing shooting with wife if she is not experienced yet...
Myself, I would prefer a shotgun for my wife. But I get the argument for a handgun, which is what is my choice for me.

I was going to suggest that the .38 snub get swapped out for a 12gauge pump with 00 buckshot. When we had the threat of bad visitors when I was away, my wife and I moved her shotgun to the bedside. Her 9mm was still there, but the go to is the shotgun - especially in the dark.

I hate that we have to go through all these steps to secure our property. I just went through this with a dry-storage garage near home. I reinforced the door with 3" angle iron, clad the door with sheet metal on both sides and installed a camera. Good luck. My friend suggests leaving the welder on and attached to the door handle...

 

[gerryc01]

Hello Guys,

We’ve had 12 door break’ins in the last 2 weeks. Kicking in back doors the main MO. Wife is on edge when I’m traveling.

Besides the wife getting a .38 snub, I’m going to install these 12” strike plates and sub 3.5” stainless steel screws. In doing so, i have to remove 12” total of the copper flashing.

Is there anything that’s cost effective I can retrofit that 12” area to help keep in the cool air and keep out the heat? I have 4 of these so I’m going to repeat this process multiple times.

Pls see pic of product and 2 of the 4 thresholds. Thank you very much in advance.

 

[ray66v]

Real long, high quality screws, that engage not just the door frame, but the building framing, are critical on strikers.

I also have a steel plate bolted to the inside face of 6x6, that the striker is attached to.

My thought is, make the thieves work for it.

 

[gerryc01]

Have you considered an "active security system" to drive away the intruders? I have some friends living on remote acreage that swear by the products from Burglar Bomb. See burglarbomb.com They even have systems that will re-arm and repel intruders multiple times in case they come back.

 

[ZiggyD]

Hello Guys,

We’ve had 12 door break’ins in the last 2 weeks. Kicking in back doors the main MO. Wife is on edge when I’m traveling.

Besides the wife getting a .38 snub, I’m going to install these 12” strike plates and sub 3.5” stainless steel screws. In doing so, i have to remove 12” total of the copper flashing.

Is there anything that’s cost effective I can retrofit that 12” area to help keep in the cool air and keep out the heat? I have 4 of these so I’m going to repeat this process multiple times.

Pls see pic of product and 2 of the 4 thresholds. Thank you very much in advance.

Either those plates or move to New York City. I heard, that contrary to rumors, it's really safe there