{"id":2012,"date":"2024-01-19T22:45:49","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T22:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/?p=2012"},"modified":"2024-01-19T22:45:49","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T22:45:49","slug":"buying-a-gun-safe-read-this-advice-from-a-professional-safecracker-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americangunpeople.com\/?p=2012","title":{"rendered":"Buying a Gun Safe? Read This Advice from a Professional Safecracker First"},"content":{"rendered":"


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A masked burglar enters someone\u2019s home and expertly uses gadgets to guess a safe\u2019s combination. They pop the safe, empty it, and slip away without anyone the wiser.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That sort of theft is depicted in most movie scenes, but that isn\u2019t how thieves are opening safes in 2024. Today\u2019s criminals are less sophisticated and more brazen. So we have to reconsider how we choose safes to protect our guns.<\/p>\n

I interviewed safecracker Charlie Santore of Santore & Son Lock & Safe<\/a> to get his perspective on safe security. Santore is the guy people call when they\u2019re locked out of their own safe, often after a fire or after someone has tried breaking into it. He has also worked with law enforcement to open safes after attempted robberies. When he\u2019s not cracking safes, Santore services them. That means he\u2019s had hands-on experience with a lot <\/em>of safe models. Here\u2019s what he had to say about choosing a gun safe that\u2019s theft- and fire-resistant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Real Talk on Safe Security\u00a0<\/h2>\n
According to Santore most criminals aren\u2019t drilling, picking, or using technology to open safes. Instead, they\u2019re using cheap angle grinders. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The lock is one of the first features most people look for when choosing a safe. You can choose between an electronic combination, a biometric<\/a> mechanism, a low-tech dial, or a key. While the lock plays a role in convenience and security, it\u2019s not as a big of a barrier to entry as you think. The locking mechanism for your safe is only as secure as the safe\u2019s construction, Santore says \u2014 just like the lock on your front door.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you put that $500 lock on a wood frame door that has a glass panel, it doesn\u2019t matter because someone\u2019s going to put a brick through it, stick their hand in, and open up that lock,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Santore stresses the importance of thinking beyond the lock and safe door. The sides are just as, if not more, vulnerable to forced entry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the modern wave of burglary and crime, people don\u2019t run around manipulating safes open,\u201d he says. \u201c[Yes] there are sophisticated tools that can scrub electronic locks. These tools exist, they\u2019re out there, and some people have access to them. Most people don\u2019t. Most burglaries right now are people using cutting wheels, abrasive tools, grinders, concrete saws, and that kind of stuff. So at the end of the day, a secure lock winds up being a very small part of a bigger problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cheap angle grinders with abrasive wheels are the most common safe-breaking tool, says Santore, because most consumer safes have walls made of drywall (for fire protection) and thin steel, which can be cut through in minutes.<\/p>\n

If you look at most gun safes<\/a>, even the pricey ones, they\u2019re made of 14 to 7 gauge steel. Consider that 7 gauge steel is only 3\/16-inch thick<\/a> and 14 gauge is even thinner at 5\/64-inch thick. So you can see how it wouldn\u2019t be difficult to cut through that steel and make a new door.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Safes can receive a burglary rating by getting tested against various types of tools. These ratings designate different levels of security and are important for insurance because companies can put limits on the amount they\u2019ll insure your items for based on the safe\u2019s rating (especially for businesses). There are a lot of designations and varied testing protocols for each rating. You can read about them here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Basically you want to avoid safes that have a B, C, or B\/C rating because no testing is required. Those ratings just mean the safes are metal and have a lock. Instead, look for safes with a UL RSC, TL-15, TL-30, TL-30X6, or TRTL-30X6 rating. Those mean the safe can protect your guns against different type of attacks for set amounts of time. For example a TL-15 is tested to hold up against a 15-minute attack from hand tools like sledge hammers and pry bars. There are also build standards for each rating. Like the TL-15 must be at least 750 pounds and the walls must have a minimum tensile strength of 50,000 psi. <\/p>\n

What to Look for in a Safe\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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  • Thick steel walls\u00a0<\/li>\n
  • A burglary rating\u00a0<\/li>\n
  • Ability to be bolted down\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    What\u2019s the Most Secure Safe You Can Buy?<\/h3>\n

    We now know that most safes you can buy at a big box store can be cut open with cheap tools. Let\u2019s say you have some really valuable guns that you want to protect. What safe do you buy? Santore says the most secure options are jeweler\u2019s safes. He says to expect to pay $10,000 to $25,000 for a TRTL-30X6 rated option. TRTL stands for torch and tool, and a TRTL-30X6 can withstand a 30-minute attack from hand tools, picking devices, handheld power tools, pressure devices, high speed drills with carbide bits, cutting wheels, saws, impact tools, and cutting torches on all six sides of the safe.<\/p>\n

    Are Portable Pistol Safes Worth It?\u00a0<\/h3>\n

    Small, portable safes are a popular option for taking on the road or keeping in a drawer. But do they do anything to protect the items inside? According to Santore it depends on the safe\u2019s purpose.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \u201cDoes it serve its function of keeping the gun out of the hands of kids, and keeping you compliant with federal law or local law? Then absolutely, it does its part. But does any of that shit stop anybody from stealing your guns? You know, I would say, probably not,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

    Just like the larger safes, pistol safes can be opened with cutting or prying tools. This can occur in your home or they can be carried off and opened elsewhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    How to Improve Your Safe\u2019s Security\u00a0<\/h3>\n

    Most of us can\u2019t shell out five digits for a proper safe, so if you want to increase the security of your consumer-grade option, Santore has some tips. Since the door is the most fortified part of the safe, you want to focus your efforts on layers of security around the walls.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIf you can only afford a mid-range gun safe, which doesn\u2019t have a whole lot of metal in that body, then you want to make sure that the sides of the safe are hard to access,\u201d he says. \u201cBolt it down in the corner of a concrete wall. Build cabinets or build other stuff around it. Just make it difficult for somebody to get to your safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

    He also says an alarm system and keeping a safe in a room with a locked door will add layers of security.<\/p>\n

    Fireproof Safes<\/h2>\n
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    A $41 safe was put into a small fire for ten minutes. Scott Einsmann<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Even if your dreams of stopping criminals with a gun safe have been dashed, you might still be holding out hope it will at least protect your belongings from fire. The reality is that it depends on the fire\u2019s duration and intensity. Santore lives in California, where he\u2019s often hired to open safes that have endured devastating forest fires.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI typically tell people if you\u2019re expecting your stuff to make it out of a fire \u2014 like a serious, serious fire \u2014 don\u2019t. If you\u2019re in a place where there\u2019s a raging fire, and no one\u2019s gonna get out there for hours or half a day? I don\u2019t care whether the safe is rated for hours, it\u2019s just not going to make it out of there,\u201d Santore says. \u201cIf you\u2019re in a residential area, and the fire department gets there in 10 minutes, your stuff is probably going to be fine. There might be some smoke damage, but it\u2019s gonna be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re concerned about fire, Santore doesn\u2019t recommend a solid steel safe. Look for a composite construction that has some type of fire retardant insulation. <\/p>\n

    \u201cA lot of them use a fire-activated door seal that, when it heats up, it expands and seals it off from heat and smoke,\u201d he says. The seal also prevents water from entering the safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    Testing a \u201cFireproof\u201d Safe<\/h3>\n
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