Hey guys how essential is bolting down a safe. Bought a big Cannon 80 from Tractor Supply. Its going on a cement floor with a rug. Id rather leave it on the factory risers but my main concern is the safe falling forward. Not worried so much about a thief rolling it out. How many of you think bolting a safe is essential. Especially from a safety standpoint
-
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
Bolting down a safe
- Thread starter bigalf
- Start date
Enzo
NES Member
If someone is going to break into a safe you don’t attack the most hardened part, the front, but the sides and back. Tipping the safe over makes this “easier”. I’d bolt it to the floor.
I guess it’s easier to work on the door too if it’s on it’s side.....
I guess it’s easier to work on the door too if it’s on it’s side.....
Last edited:
You could add some more weight to the bottom if you want. Ammo is good for this.
I agree with the previous 2 posts. That being said, you should have a good security system backing up your safes! It takes time to break into a house, tip a safe over, and cut it open. If you have a security system no one is going to wait around long enough to do all that.
EddieZoom
NES Member
I have 2 Cannon safes on concrete not
bolted down. No problems with
stability. If there is a pair of guys
that can carry either one of them off
they can have it!
I was in awe of what one guy (who knew what he was doing) was capable of with an appliance dolly....bolt it down.
2 dertermined thiefs targeting your safe could walk out with it in just a few minutes.
The point of safes and bolting them down is to keep you average smash and grab hacks from snagging your guns with easy. Alarms are good but honeslty a good thief will know how long they have to get in and get out.
Its not hard to bolt them down. Make it hard for them to get around it and anyway to get leverage on it.
The point of safes and bolting them down is to keep you average smash and grab hacks from snagging your guns with easy. Alarms are good but honeslty a good thief will know how long they have to get in and get out.
Its not hard to bolt them down. Make it hard for them to get around it and anyway to get leverage on it.
Put it on hockey pucks to give it a thermal barrier from the floor. Lag bolt it thru the back in to the wall.
JayMcB
NES Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2011
- Messages
- 22,341
- Likes
- 108,907
This
Don't make it easy. Lagging it makes the difference between switching the under 2 minutes to over 4 minutes and may be the difference between them getting something easily, and not getting anything.
It's been scary how fast the local PD has responded when our alarm has notified them.
Layers:
Secured containers,
spreading out your collection among several containers,
an obvious alarm,
dogs
evident (and hidden) video they'd have a difficult time tracking down the dvr on are all deterrents.
And Eastern Insurance for the just-in-case......and I only have shitty non-collectible guns.
Back in the 80s a gun safe was stolen in Natick while the owner was away. The PD figured 3-4 guys carried it out the front door. Bolting it down is more important than how strong it is.
The safe was recovered, they cut it open with some kind of cutting wheel.
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2013
- Messages
- 1,686
- Likes
- 1,084
Be smarter then the thief, hide the 1st safe good and bolt/weld/epoxy it in, whatever, put up a fake wall even if necessary and get another smallish safe that it's relatively easy to battle out the door, make no effort on hiding it. Set a gold testing kit on top of it, maybe some empty ammo packaging too. Guess who thinks they hit the lottery and becomes absolutely obsessed with getting one thing out of there and taking off with it as fast as possible.
Just remove the factory risers. If its going on carpet I wouldn't worry about putting a barrier under it. I have one in my basement on concrete. I put a 1/2" rubber pad under it to keep it off the concrete. I don't have either of my safe's bolted down. Just never got around to it. I dont worry about it.
MAGG
NES Member
I built a riser for mine..out of 2 by 6's on their side and 1 inch plywood.so its up in the air almost 8 inches..safe is bolted to that and to the wall in multiple place. also have an alarm system, motion detector, video camera and window bars.....multiple deterrents help me sleep better at night
Sorry but I just can't understand doing this (not bolting it down). I got a good look at that safe in Natick, they left it in the garage at the PD for weeks, too big and heavy to bring up to the evidence room, and it was clear they took their time opening it. Something that would have never happened if the owner had just bolted it down.
My safes are >2000lbs. I have them bolted. My wife asked me why I bolted them if it took a few guys with specialized equipment to bring them in. I told her it took a few guys with specialized equipment, because they were trying to NOT (sorry don't mean to trigger you people that get triggered with CAPS), damage the safes or the house. Someone who doesn't care can get them out easy. I think I could get them out by myself if I didn't care with the right equipment. By the way, I think bolting "might" slow them down, or dissuade them. But maybe not, depending on multiple factors (size of bolts, proximity to the wall,etc...). I also have alarm and video surveilance systems.
IMO, If what you care about only is tip safety, then don't make it top heavy. Put your ammo, gold bars, power tool collection, whatever heavy on the bottom. Put light weight stuff towards the top. Open the door, and test stability. If it seems unstable, put in bolts, or more weight on the bottom. If security is also a concern, put in the bolts.
radioman
NES Member
I’m thinking rust.
Many good ideas above. I bolted mine down and use a Golden Rod to keep the moisture under control. I do think a small air space under and behind would be useful if your basement has any moisture at all. Alarms and security cameras are helpful. Several years ago a home in my town was hit, they slid the safe to the top of the stairs and let it fall to the floor below, then out the door. The guns must have been badly damaged but I think this robbery was not for money but to get even. Safe was recovered later cut open in a river.
If they want to get in they will. That safe in the video has a cheap "tin" liner around the frame/interior jam. The bolts just expand into the tin and not into the actual steel. I checked my safes and one of them, (the safe from tractor supply co) has the same cheap tin jam. No idea why a safe company would do that. Very, very easy to jar the door open. If you see the full video you can actually see the tin frame pull out of it. I would say this is definitely not a premium safe!
My other safe (the more expensive one) has a solid steel plate welded jam all the way around the locking bolts. This would require a lot more effort to break into but still no match for a professional thief.
Video? I was talking about a personal experience. I saw the opened safe sitting in the Natick PD garage and talked to the investigating officer.
You can't stop a pro. You're trying to stop the casual thief. And you don't even need to stop him, just slow him down so he will go elsewhere or just take something easier.
And neither the pro or casual is going to open it in your house, they will take it with them. Then they have all the time they need to get in, and youtube to help them.
MAGG
NES Member
![[rofl]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/013.gif "ROFL [rofl]")
It's apparent by this thread that everyone obviously has their own opinion when it comes to security. I think the #1 take away from this thread is that you can't just have 1 layer of security. You need multiple layers of security to try to keep your stuff safe.
Like mentioned before you're trying to stop the casual thief. A simple smash and grab thief isn't going run off with your safe IMO. They're likely going to for for left out jewelry, computers, tablets, phones etc. If you're targeted by professional thieves with "the right equipment" you're going to have a hard time no matter what. Good security and safes cost A LOT of money, more money than most of us can afford to spend. All we can do is follow some best practices.
Like mentioned before you're trying to stop the casual thief. A simple smash and grab thief isn't going run off with your safe IMO. They're likely going to for for left out jewelry, computers, tablets, phones etc. If you're targeted by professional thieves with "the right equipment" you're going to have a hard time no matter what. Good security and safes cost A LOT of money, more money than most of us can afford to spend. All we can do is follow some best practices.
Last edited:
