Liberty Safe broken into lessons learned

[Koda]

Whatever side you attack the safe its going to be easier lying down flat.
A bolted down safe makes for more work to break into. Most people are right handed, bolt your safe into a right corner and then theres only two sides to attack that need the left hand as the primary strength and dexterity....
Lastly those that put their safes in their garages can just be loaded into a truck to figure out elsewhere.
The whole point behind buying a safe is "buying time". It makes no sense to me to invest in an expensive safe to not fully utilize its security potential.

 

[DirectDrive]

With the safe laying on its back, it's easier to use a pry bar on it (you can throw your weight into the bar)
Not a deal-breaker if the crook can't lay the safe down, though.
DD - very experienced Burke Bar operator.
Wait, what....pry bar ? I thought they used an angle grinder with cut-off wheels ?
Correct, but a pry bar is used in addition to the grinder.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Laying it down is for comfort and convenience, nothing more. It would have made no difference if it was bolted down other than arms getting tired faster.

 

[orygun]

I think the idea here is that a safe laying on its back has the door supported by the door frame, as opposed to a standing safe, where your fighting gravity and the weight of the door.

My .25 worth and every penny paid for it (Bidenomics)

Agreed. Anything to make it more difficult...

 

[NeoBlackdog]

Proof positive that we need die grinder control right now!

 

[Koda]

It would have made no difference if it was bolted down other than arms getting tired faster.

To me thats a huge difference.

Its like trying to fix your car what would be a 1 hour job becomes 4 just because some engineer decided that one last bolt was better placed behind two other engine components that need to be removed or you can snake your off hand thru the engine maze to loosen that bolt 1/16th turn at a time...

The kind of thief thats going to attack a safe like a Liberty has cased the house and is coming prepared, to me its all about making his job as difficult as possible. Even just an extra 30 minutes is 30 more minutes for someone to notice, a neighbor to call the police, owner to return home, the thief may even decide to give up and leave.

 

[AshWilliams]

I didn't watch the video and this is just speculation, but if someone broke into a house with power tools to cut into a safe then they in all likelihood knew of the safe's existence and what it contained.

My safe is more of a deterrent and to prevent easy access. A would be thief would have to go through a lot just to get to it, as in break through two reinforced doors or windows with security film on them, and while that's obviously not insurmountable they'd spend a lot of time doing it and would generate a lot of noise. Then they'd need to cut or pry open the safe. There's no way they're wheeling it out of its current location.

 

[MikeInOr]

This guy had his Liberty safe broken into. They tipped it over and used a die grinder.

Not too be a smart a$... but I will. A die grinder won't do anything to a safe. I am pretty confident you mean an angle grinder.

 

[DirectDrive]

Not too be a smart a$... but I will. A die grinder won't do anything to a safe. I am pretty confident you mean an angle grinder.

Yep, "die grinder" is not what you would use to cut into a safe.
A Dremel is a consumer grade die grinder.
Would a Dremel be a threat to a safe ?

LOL

 

[Nosferatu]

So what are the odds a crook breaking into your house is going to bring a die grinder with them? You don't think someone would hear a die grinder being used on a safe. The idea is not to attract attention.

All the tools anyone needs to break into my gun cabinet are right there in the shop with it. Plasma cutter, torch, grinders, pry bars, BFH...etc.

The hot safe in the house a bit more secure, but certainly not impenetrable if they have the time and gumption. I do have them screwed into the studs.

They are more for keeping me legal and prevent a quick grab.

 

[JRuby]

All the tools anyone needs to break into my gun cabinet are right there in the shop with it. Plasma cutter, torch, grinders, pry bars, BFH...etc.

The hot safe in the house a bit more secure, but certainly not impenetrable if they have the time and gumption. I do have them screwed into the studs.

They are more for keeping me legal and prevent a quick grab.

The one time someone broke into our home it was a snatch and grab.. They took what they could get a hold of easily. They even used the chapstick and tooth brushes in the bathroom. This occurred on a Monday my dog died the Saturday before. Correlation maybe. God was kind for not letting me know who did the break in for the thief's and my sake. That was back in March 2008.

My safes will not stop a dedicated thief but for most of the people doing break ins it's alot better than nothing.. Definitely better than a gun cabinet.

 

[Alexx1401]

At least once a year we get a good thread going about safes and how NOTHING short of something a small bank would use is worth having. Always includes several youtube video's of how fast people can open them. Great. Problem is a LOT of the gun owning public is not going to spend as much on a safe as they did on the car they drive. There is no gun safe that can't be easily opened by anyone with some simple tools and a few brain cells. What ANY safe will do well is make a lot of the smash and grab dope heads move on to another house. Another thing they are real good at is fending off bottom feeder lawyers if your gun does get taken. So by all means buy a better one if you can. Bolting it down helps a little but unless its in a space where no one can get at the sides they don't need to tip it over to peel into it. Now days alarm systems are VERY cheap and easy. As are camera systems that will notify you.

 

[Alexx1401]

That's the main takeaway I got from this. I'll give the guy some slack because, if I recall correctly he just moved into the house and there's certainly a timeline of vulnerability in any moving situation. That said, people who've invested in a huge nice safe are not worried at all about someone getting into it simply because it weighs so much or they don't want to drill large holes into their walls or anchors in their garage floor. The problem is the larger safes are banners for the type of thief's that know how to get into them (typically home contractors...), it makes no sense to buy a safe of that level to prevent random low level smash and grab thief's who probably never target most neighborhood homes anyways.

Last two times we moved an alarm system and camera's were the FIRST move. When we rented a place years ago I bought a new set of camera's just for that house. As soon as I got keys I did three things. Turned on internet. Changed the locks and put up the camera's and an alarm that would use Cell signal if internet died. The old house the last thing to be removed was the camera's and alarm system.

 

[Koda]

Not too be a smart a$... but I will. A die grinder won't do anything to a safe. I am pretty confident you mean an angle grinder.

Updated my post, thank you for clarifying.

 

[MikeInOr]

At least once a year we get a good thread going about safes and how NOTHING short of something a small bank would use is worth having. Always includes several youtube video's of how fast people can open them. Great. Problem is a LOT of the gun owning public is not going to spend as much on a safe as they did on the car they drive. There is no gun safe that can't be easily opened by anyone with some simple tools and a few brain cells. What ANY safe will do well is make a lot of the smash and grab dope heads move on to another house. Another thing they are real good at is fending off bottom feeder lawyers if your gun does get taken. So by all means buy a better one if you can. Bolting it down helps a little but unless its in a space where no one can get at the sides they don't need to tip it over to peel into it. Now days alarm systems are VERY cheap and easy. As are camera systems that will notify you.

I have and intelligent burgle alarm watching my safe which is an excellent deterrent to thieves.

We call her Piper, she is a German Shepherd!

My gun safes are pretty flimsy. They just have to appear more secure than the neighbors. Most thieves won't spend the time to break into a safe unless he is pretty sure there is something in there worth stealing. I.e. don't flaunt it and likely hood you are targeted goes way down.

 

[Nosferatu]

Most thieves won't spend the time to break into a safe unless he is pretty sure there is something in there worth stealing.

Exactly. Just slap the Hi-Point sticker on the front of it and you're sound-as-a-pound!

 

[PDXbiker]

I know of an elderly individual who died , lived alone, no immediate family. His obituary divulged the fact that he enjoyed competitive shooting. The day after his passing the obit was posted and thieves hit the house, with an angle grinder sawing open the side of a large basement gun safe and emptying it out. A lifetime of collectible firearms gone. Also obtaining keys and stealing two vehicles out of the garage. Bottom line, don't advertise to the world of there being a high probability of a gun safe in the home. Alive or dead.

.

 

[Member 53867]

What are the laws concerning trapdoors and punji sticks?

Asking for a friend.

 

[JRuby]

Wife says not in the house

 

[monks]

No RSC type safe is going to stop a dedicated burglar, it just slows them down. They attacked the safe in the video through the door which means they were dedicated but not that smart. The sides and back are much easier to deal with then the door. If you can secure your safe in such a way that they can't access the sides and back that will give you more time. I built mine into the wall and surrounded it with cabinets. The back is against a concrete basement wall. There's a lot to consider when buying a safe and where to place it and it really depends on what's stored inside, your budget and your living situation. This site is worth a read. https://gunsafereviewsguy.com/articles/what-to-look-for-in-a-gun-safe/