Family Had Guns Stolen....

[rugerla1]

A cheap sawall will cut into the safe in just a minute or so, and torches will be in it quicker than that.   However, they are likely dumb enough and greedy enough to sell the safe for scrap steel after the contents is emptied.  I would also check the scrap steel buyers, I believe there is one there on 25/70 (Ashville Hwy), between what the old timers called the Handy Dandy and the Jasper Jones. 

Didn't know it would be that easy to get into. Makes me think I need to surround mine in concrete :(

[runco]

Didn't know it would be that easy to get into. Makes me think I need to surround mine in concrete :(

The door is strong, but the sides and back is just sheet metal. 

 

I have a respectful and high heat rated safe (800lbs) that I paid very high for 12+ years ago.  I had to drill a accessory hole for an extension chord for my light, and I was amazed how easily and quick I penetrated the rear of the safe with the drill bit.  So if a drill bit penetrated it quickly, then a sawall will be easy as well, just first drill the hole, and then use the sawall.   Like opening a can.

Edited April 11, 2013 by Runco

[rugerla1]

The door is strong, but the sides and back is just sheet metal. 

 

I have a respectful and high heat rated safe (800lbs) that I paid very high for 12+ years ago.  I had to drill a accessory hole in mine several years ago for an extension chord for my light, and I was amazed how easily and quick I penetrated the rear of the safe with the drill bit.  So if a drill bit penetrated it quickly, then a sawall will be easy as well, just first drill the hole, and then use the sawall.   Like opening a can.

Wow, that sucks. Hell, so you could basically drill the back off. Thanks for the heads up, going to put some more thought into making it harder to remove in case the worst would ever happen.

[RichardR]

sorry to hear about this Bigbabysweets, from the description it was probably someone who knew the safe was there and planned in advance to take it whole, so they'd needed a dolly & a truck, two or more people to lift it into the truck.

I'd start by asking the MIL who all knew about the safe & its contents ..

[Wyldk2]

Always sad to hear this. I hate thieves. But maybe they'll do something stupid and get caught soon. Had to be an inside job, for them to know something that big and potentially expensive contents inside.

 

As a future reference( for everyone) photograph and document every single gun you own. Keep the originals in a safety deposit box in a bank ( it is cheaper than you might think), with any valuables and documents you don't need easy access to. Coming from experience we had not with theft but a house fire. Lost a colt woodsman and a revolver as well as a lot of sentimental stuff in a house fire a few years ago. We thought a fire safe was safe, but 1300 F for a few hours makes anything burn inside.

 

Also, never try to investigate a fire on your own, call the fire department. I lost my mother that way, just trying to save another life.

 

 

Also, like Patton suggested. All this computer stuff i was raised on and I forgot that.

Edited April 11, 2013 by Wyldk2

[Patton]

Email photos and the descriptive list to yourself. This way all you have to do is get on a computer to pull up what's needed in an incident.

[RichardR]

Yea, I've kept both digital & written copies of the reciepts, serial numbers & photographs of everything of value that I own (not just firearms), just in case of fire or theft, sad that we have to do things like this but it is the only way to catch a criminal(s), recover stolen items &/or get an insurence company to reimburse you for any losses. Edited April 11, 2013 by RichardR

[bigbabysweets]

Sending pictures to yourself is a great idea! They didn't know the value of half the stuff in the house. They got the cheaper, newer looking jewelry, but left the older more expensive stuff. Left diamond earrings and real gold necklaces but got silver plated necklaces? They even left a pair of shoes in the house and a taken pregnancy test on the counter! Idiots! It really seems that they had come in more than once. We feel like they broke in one day, discovered the safe, then came back.

I didn't know the safe would be that easy to get into!

We did file a complete police report. It happened a couple days ago and have heard zilch about it since.

Something else that's weird is my M.I.L. Had a dream this had happened, that's why she had went back that preticular day. She had a dream someone had stolen all this stuff and seen someone hiding under her dining room table. When she got there, they were gone, but the shoes were under the table.

[Krull]

I hate to say it, but sounds like who ever did this knew what they where after.  I know I am just stating the obvious, but Someone knew that safe was there.

 

 

and what was in it

[Volphin]

We should all be on the lookout for these items at the gun shows.  Post up the list of weapons and SNs if you can, and we can scour the shows.  There's a lot of us on here who absolutely HATE a thief.

[Krull]

The door is strong, but the sides and back is just sheet metal. 

 

I have a respectful and high heat rated safe (800lbs) that I paid very high for 12+ years ago.  I had to drill a accessory hole for an extension chord for my light, and I was amazed how easily and quick I penetrated the rear of the safe with the drill bit.  So if a drill bit penetrated it quickly, then a sawall will be easy as well, just first drill the hole, and then use the sawall.   Like opening a can.

 

 

most safes are only good for buying time.....even for the novice criminal.