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Steel Truck Bed Tool Box for Gun Safe

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as a retired master locksmith specializing in "cracking" safes it is all about time I had one they couldn't get into so they knocked a hole in the wall and pulled the safe out and removed it to a different location to open it
In my travels I've found that no visible safe is safe if the perps have the time & tools to steal your stuff.
Eric is correct, the safest safe is hidden in plain sight...
I converted a closet in a spare room into a gun safe & ammo storage by covering the opening with a tall shelf unit that swung open on a HD piano hinge, I used a gate-latch to secure the door with a tripwire concealed under a waist level shelf.
Necessity is the mother of invention :thumb:
 
I worked at a dealership in my youth, we used to pop open the "tool boxes" on trade in trucks by tapping in a screw driver into the lock and using a wrench or vise grip on the shaft of the screw driver to turn it.

Many times the keys were lost, sometimes we just wanted to see what was inside the box. New locks and keys were only a few dollars.
 
Your suggestion is far better than nothing and at least keeps the kids out. A good set of bolt cutters or a cordless cut off angle grinder will get in a truck box in heart beat. Not trying to puttin ya down, but anyone thinking about protecting their property needs to see reality.
Larry
Such devices or locks keeps an honest person honest. If someone is determined to get your stuff, they will probably find a way. These security systems beat the thieves who break into your property and smash and grab stuff. If they don't have time to search, torch and cut stuff they will leave difficult things to steal behind.
 
There's probably no safe in the world that can't be cracked with enough time and money, but the average thief doesn't want to spend a lot of time getting what they want.
Whatever you have that slows them down is a good point for The owner. Here's the downside don't show off your firearms,
most larger thief is either an inside job or cased, someone knows.
It is a good practice to not show off your guns. I knew a fellow who had a huge collection. He loved to show them off. He did that and even let some of his sons' friends shoot a couple of them. Within a week the "friends" broke into the house and stole several of the guns.
 
I have a large older safe that I restored. To reset the combination I brought it to a locksmith who warned me that this was mostly a sheet-metal and concrete fire safe that could be hacked into with just a small hatchet. But it serves the purpose of keeping the local homeless and bad kids that might break in away from my inexpensive guns and silver. For very valuables I either don't own them or keep them in a safe deposit box. Of course there are stories of safe deposit boxes now being emptied by thieves.
 
I have a large older safe that I restored. To reset the combination I brought it to a locksmith who warned me that this was mostly a sheet-metal and concrete fire safe that could be hacked into with just a small hatchet. But it serves the purpose of keeping the local homeless and bad kids that might break in away from my inexpensive guns and silver. For very valuables I either don't own them or keep them in a safe deposit box. Of course there are stories of safe deposit boxes now being emptied by thieves.
You mean the thieving Government?
 
Two pages and little mention of fire protection.
Modern safes (expensive) listed by time and temperature rating.
My reasons for owning a good safe:
1. Kid safe
2. Fire
3. Burglary (because, as mentioned, you can’t keep a determined burglar out, given enough time).
 
A little off subject but I have some home defense unmentionables in units sold by “Tactical Traps”. For those that might not know they sell book shelves, tables, wall units etc. that have hidden compartments for gun storage. I don’t think they have anything for a muzzleloader but I have one of their shelf units and the grandkids have no idea there are two fully loaded .357 magnum revolvers right over their heads as they watch the TV.
 
In 40 years of working burglaries (among lots of other stuff), I know a few things. Real gun safes work for the vast majority of people simply because the most common burglars are amateurs - kids mostly. Professional burglars (not crack/meth heads) are after cash and valuables easily fenced, not long guns as a rule. As with everything, there are exceptions.

One fellow collected Lugers. Took off wooden grips, stored them in 5-gallon metal buckets of motor oil - son of a family friend broke in, stole a trunkload of stuff, but didn't find the Lugers. We saw some amateur attempts to open gun safes, none worked if the safe was either too heavy to move or bolted down securely. Mostly, they did mess up dials, handles, etc.

One successful theft was a smaller gunsafe carried off and accessed through the bottom of the safe with an angle grinder. Bolt yours down.

In fires, when the floor is weakened, safes fall through. Stuff inside not cooked, is ruined by water as well. Best place to put a safe is bolted to a concrete floor. Get insurance. Good insurance. Keep a list w/photos.

Outside of the rare professional burglar, it may not be someone who's seen you stuff that breaks in, but someone who's been told about your stuff by someone who's seen it and ran their mouth. (workers, friends, family - "I know this guy with some neat guns." Anyway ...good luck.
 
I practically begged a friend to get a real safe. He had his collection in minimum spec lockers. One night it was all stolen. It was his lifetime accumulation, over $100K worth.

He can not replace them. Even the basic guns for hunting are unobtanium. He is a lefty making it harder. Insurance gave him a fraction of the value for only the guns he could document, mostly with sales receipts. The valuable collectables and family guns? To bad, so sad, all are lost.

The cops have made virtually no effort to return any that turned up. One is sitting in a an evidence locker. Most agencies destroy all guns asap, around here.

The crook was a habitual reoffender. It has been a year, he is out of jail. Since he did not have any of the guns with him upon arrest it was, "hard to prove". Never mind he was recorded on video stealing the guns.

Get a real safe!! I went with Sturdy Safe out of Fresno CA.
 
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