[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/2018\/07\/gun-safe-lost-combination-get-combo\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/2018\/07\/gun-safe-lost-combination-get-combo\/","headline":"Gun Safe With Lost Combination:  How to Get the Combo.","name":"Gun Safe With Lost Combination:  How to Get the Combo.","description":"When your safe or gun safe needs service you should contact a real safe company, rather than a locksmith.\u00a0 This is especially true if the safe is locked shut and needs to be opened.\u00a0 Safe technicians have more knowledge and experience in this area than a traditional locksmith.\u00a0 They also have specialized tools to do…","datePublished":"2018-07-03","dateModified":"2018-07-03","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/author\/tom-ziemer\/#Person","name":"Tom Ziemer","url":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/author\/tom-ziemer\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9b9c11d2236675907238ca9827cd4345b2203020e91f7b2b44a75133834a1dab?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9b9c11d2236675907238ca9827cd4345b2203020e91f7b2b44a75133834a1dab?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Hoogerhyde Safe and Lock","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Hoogerhyde-logo.png","url":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Hoogerhyde-logo.png","width":600,"height":217}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/www.tomziemer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/DSC01766-300x225.jpg","url":"http:\/\/www.tomziemer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/DSC01766-300x225.jpg","height":"225","width":"300"},"url":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/2018\/07\/gun-safe-lost-combination-get-combo\/","about":["Uncategorized"],"wordCount":921,"keywords":["gun safes","locksmith service","Safe locks","safe service"],"articleBody":"When your safe or gun safe needs service you should contact a real safe company, rather than a locksmith.\u00a0 This is especially true if the safe is locked shut and needs to be opened.\u00a0 Safe technicians have more knowledge and experience in this area than a traditional locksmith.\u00a0 They also have specialized tools to do the work properly.The pictures show an Auto Dialer connected to a gun safe that we recently opened.\u00a0 These specialized machines are great for some situations where a safe with a mechanical combination lock is in good working order but the combination is unknown.\u00a0 The Auto Dialer is mounted on the front of the safe, gripping jaws are attached to the lock dial and electronics are then programmed.\u00a0 When turned on the Auto Dialer will systematically dial every one of the 1,000,000 possible combinations on standard Group 2 mechanical locks.\u00a0 When everything works properly the machine comes to a stop at the right number, and a display shows you the combination.The advantage of opening a safe this way is that there is no drilling, no holes at all to compromise the unit\u2019s security.\u00a0 No damage to the paint either.Very few of these machines are out there. They are expensive and a traditional locksmith is unlikely to own one.\u00a0 For obvious reasons not everyone is able to purchase an Auto Dialer.\u00a0 In fact, I have always suspected the FBI has a file on me as a result of owning one.While the Auto Dialer is great for some situations there are many limitations which keep it from being an \u201cevery day\u201d tool:Auto dialers only work on certain types of mechanical locks. They work on standard three wheel Group 2 locks, locks that mimic Group 2, and several other types.\u00a0 They do not work on Group 2M, Group 1, Group 1M, and many old locks.\u00a0 Sometimes the type of lock on a safe is difficult to determine, which makes a safe tech\u2019s knowledge and experience important.Auto Dialers can work fast and don\u2019t take breaks, but they can still take a long time to find the combination. Think about how many combinations \u201ca million\u201d really are.\u00a0 You might get lucky and get the combination in an hour if the combo\u2019s first number is low. \u00a0But when set on the fastest speed it can still take three straight days if the first number is high.\u00a0 Some locks, for a number of reasons, need to be run at slow speeds so it can actually take as long as two weeks!\u00a0 Occasionally the process can be shortened.\u00a0 For instance, if it is suspected that the combination was a “MM-DD-YY date”, these can all be run quickly.\u00a0 If it is known that the safe owner only used \u201czero and five\u201d numbers for ease of dialing, these possible combinations can also be run quickly.\u00a0 If the first or second number is known for certain, that dramatically reduces the number of combinations that need to be dialed.The lock needs to be in good working order. Certain parts inside the lock might move too freely or may bind up.\u00a0 Dirt in the lock or old grease can prevent proper movement of parts.\u00a0 Parts can also be too worn for the machine to work.The very process of using the Auto Dialer can wear out the lock before finding the right combination.\u00a0 If the machine needs to run a long time, that by itself will be more work than most locks see in a hundred years.\u00a0 Even when the machine opens the safe we frequently replace the lock due to wear from the process.It is not worth hooking up the machine to locks with plastic or nylon parts. They will almost certainly not last long enough for the combination to be found.Potential for theft of the machine severely limits where we can use it. We don\u2019t want to be responsible for the wrong person getting their hands on an Auto Dialer.\u00a0 As a result we seldom use it in the field.\u00a0 We usually use it here in the shop when someone brings a safe to us.\u00a0 It can run in the back room for hours or days without us worrying about it.There are times when everything seems to be perfect, but the machine just plain cannot find the numbers it is looking for. It may take two weeks, dial every combination, and still give the message \u201cCombination Not Found\u201d.\u00a0 Then you still need to drill the safe.The Auto Dialer is certainly not the Silver Bullet cure-all.\u00a0 It is a good tool when people bring us locked safes they bought at auction, or they inherit Grandpa\u2019s safe, the combination for which he took to the grave.\u00a0 Maybe they just forgot the combo and lost that little piece of paper with the numbers.\u00a0 Few locksmiths have this tool, or the other specialized gizmos we have.\u00a0 It takes lots of special, expensive tools, along with lots of experience to be really good at vault door or safe work. Look for that kind of company when you need safe service.As I write this our Auto Dialer is in the back working on a vault we bought yesterday.\u00a0 It has not been opened in 20 years.\u00a0 It has the right kind of lock, the lock seems to be working well, the machine has tried about 35,000 combinations so far without stopping.\u00a0 I just KNOW that this is THE ONE \u2013 the safe packed with silver and gold bars that will allow me to retire . . ."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2018","item":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/2018\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"07","item":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/2018\/\/07\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Gun Safe With Lost Combination:  How to Get the Combo.","item":"https:\/\/hoogerhydesafe.com\/2018\/07\/gun-safe-lost-combination-get-combo\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]