Importance Of Steel Thickness and Gun Safes Broken Into

12 Gauge Safe Body Performance

 

Gun safes attacked broken into

The image above demonstrates three types of attacks on 12-gauge steel. At the top, you can see the result of a fire axe strike—the pointed pike punched through with a single blow, and with just a few more swings the opening could be made large enough for entry. The middle shows the damage from a sledgehammer attack directly through the body of the safe. At the bottom, a sledgehammer strike to the top seam broke the welds apart, exposing a major weakness where the body had only been skip-welded.

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10 Gauge Safe Body Performance

 

gun safe axe attack

The photo above compares an attack on 10-gauge high-tensile steel. As shown, a single blow from a fire axe produced a large puncture in the plate — demonstrating that penetration time for high-tensile 10-gauge is comparable to 12-gauge under aggressive hand-tool attacks.

pried open gun safe broken into 10g

The photo on the left shows a 10-gauge safe that was breached during a robbery. According to the owner, the attackers began by cutting into the bottom frame, then pried the door lip outward past the locking bolts. They continued by sawing through the lip at each bolt location until they were able to pry past the remaining bolts and gain entry. This method demonstrates how thinner steel and exposed lips can be exploited with basic cutting and prying tools.


3/16" (7 Gauge) Safe Body Performance

 


 This video compares an axe attack on a Sturdy Safe with a 3/16" steel body versus a competing safe constructed with 11-gauge steel. The results show that 12-gauge, 11-gauge, and even 10-gauge steel all perform nearly the same when subjected to non-powered tool attacks—even when combined with a light “cement” composite fill and a thin 16-gauge liner. By contrast, the 3/16" plate of the Sturdy Safe demonstrates significantly greater resistance to impact, preventing quick penetration.
gun safe axe attack This safe was returned to us by Richard, a firefighter, after a burglary attempt at his home. The intruders attacked the 3/16" steel body with a fire axe for 10–15 minutes, striking the handle and dial until they were destroyed. They also attempted to sever the top-right hinge and eventually pushed the safe onto its side in further efforts to force it open. Despite the prolonged attack, the safe held up and the burglars abandoned their attempt, after which we repaired it free of charge.

sturdy safe attacked

The Following Was Posted In The CONTRA COSTA TIMES News Paper In Hercules CA: 3 Arrested After Hercules Robbery, Stand Off. By Karl FischerArticle Launched: 06/04/2007 01:49:09 PM PDT: "Police were called to a home at Lupine Road and Dogwood Court, where family members in the front yard told them that armed men had run into the home. The home is near Lupine Hills Elementary School, which was evacuated shortly before 2 p.m. Hercules Police Chief Fred Deltorchio said the incident started about midday on the 100 block of Golden Rock Drive, where a homeowner either came upon a burglary in progress or was the victim of a home- invasion robbery involving three armed men. One man put a gun to the woman's head and ordered her to open a safe that held guns as part of her husband's collection, Deltorchio said." ---- News reports described armed men forcing a homeowner to try to open a gun safe—but what they didn’t mention was that the thieves had already spent 2–3 hours attacking the safe with power tools before she arrived home. The safe they failed to open was a Sturdy Gun Safe. Shown here after our team removed the door for repairs, you can see that even after hours of abuse, the body only shows cosmetic marks and no structural failure. The door (not pictured) held up just as well. Proof that Sturdy Safes stop real-world break-ins where others wouldn’t.

sturdy safe attempted broke inThe Following Was Posted In AR15.com
Launched: 11/21/2009 Screen Name MITCHELL states: "So, my house was robbed. The (burglars) went at the safe with a crowbar that in retrospect, should have been in the safe. The (burglars) didn't thinks to use the impact drill or 3" grinder on the floor next to it, rather they tried to file down the hinge with a hand file. It seems they gave up after about 8.7 seconds...I couldn't get in and had to call a locksmith. One of the relockers had been activated by the (burglars) trying to pound on the combination shaft. This guy breaks safes every day and it took him 4.5 hours to get in. He said it was the best gun safe he's ever opened. He also opens jewelry safes and much harder things to open. It was entertaining to watch the opening and repair. To repair it, we replaced the hardplate and put bearing steel in the holes of the door."

gun safe grinder gun safe grinder

Another real-world test: thieves went after this Sturdy Safe with a cut-off wheel and grinder, working on the 3/16" steel body (not even the door) for about 20 minutes. They still couldn’t get in. Frustrated, they gave up and left—just minutes before the police showed up. Once again, Sturdy’s heavy steel proved to be the difference between a failed burglary and a devastating loss.