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Gun Safe Boltworks: Part 3

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Other factors that determine how strong a gun safe or vault door is against a prying attacks include the length of the bolts, and whether pressure is deflected or distributed to parts besides the bolt bar.

Imagine a safe in which, when it is locked, the bolt bar goes right up to that part of the door which frames in the boltworks, lock, re-lockers etc. — that piece about 3” wide through which the bolts stick out. If the bolt bar fits up tight to that frame, and someone is prying on the door, then all the pressure is put right on the point where the bolt is attached to the bolt bar. That point of attachment and the bolt bar would take all the stress.

Now assume that when the gun safe is locked the bolt bar does not go right up to the frame, but stays, for example, 1” away. If someone pries on that door the frame will absorb most of the stress, at the point where the bolts come through the holes. Having a second point of contact makes a huge difference in strength. But some manufacturers use only 12 gauge steel there. Also, the size of the whole that the bolts go through can make a difference. If that hole is much bigger than the bolt itself, then the bolt has more room to move and more of the stress will be passed on to the bolt bar. It is best when the hole is just big enough for the bolt to go through, so any pressure immediately puts the bolt in contact with the frame. Naturally, thicker steel in the frame makes the whole unit stronger

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The pictures show several methods of adding strength against pry attacks. On the left, for each bolt there is a welded guide piece to keep the bolts aligned. It also acts like a spacer that keeps the bolts back from the frame about ½”, and it makes a third point of contact that absorbs pressure from prying. The bolt bar itself needs help in this safe because it is weak. Note how much of the bolt bar is cut away to reduce material cost, and the steel is only 12 gauge to begin with.

On the right is a brand of safe we sell. Notice that the frame is ½” thick! Bolts are welded to the bar, not attached with a fastener. The bar is 2” X 1/4” and is arranged in a way that yields maximum strength. Incidentally, these safe bolts are stainless steel, not plain steel.

People come to our store from all over the state because they know they will really learn about safes here.  A store or safe dealer should be willing to remove the inner door panel before you buy a gun safe, because you can learn a lot by looking inside. Don’t buy until you see what’s inside.

Gun Safe Boltworks: Part 2, Bolt Bars

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The last post said that the size of the bolts in a gun safe makes no difference in a pry attack, but mentioned that there are other potential weaknesses. Flimsy bolt bars are a major problem in many safes.

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The picture on the left shows the bolt bar– the vertical angle iron to which the bolts are attached — from a safe we sell.   The picture on the right shows the bolt bar from a well-known brand of gun safe that we will not sell. The safes are the same size. The bolt bar in the safe on the right is extremely weak compared to the one on the left for four reasons:

  • The one on the left is slightly longer than the one on the right.
  • The one on the left is 23% bigger: 2” x 2” vs. 1.5” x 1.75”.
  • The one on the left is 44% thicker: .1943” VS .1345”.
  • The one on the left is a solid piece of steel, while the other piece has 12 extra holes punched into it, each of which makes the piece weaker.

I believe the extra holes are there so the bolt bar can be used interchangeably in other safe models – good for manufacturing efficiency, bad for security.  Smaller dimensions and thinner steel also keep manufacturing costs down, but they’re bad for security. Take all these things together and there is a huge difference in strength.

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So why is that important? The next picture shows a safe which uses that same flimsy bolt bar. Burglars successfully pried this safe door open.  Pressure from their pry bar caused the bolt bar to bend, which allowed the bolts to fold over enough for the door to open. This manufacturer talks about protecting your valuables, but in reality all they want to do is make more money. They make more money by going cheap on one of the most important pieces in their safes! The same principle applies  to vault doors.  This is why you need to talk with real experts when buying a gun safe, not a box store or a gun dealer who also happens to sell gun safes.

Gun Safe Boltworks: Part 1

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Do bigger bolts really make a difference?

One of the biggest misconceptions relating to gun safes  is that “the bigger the bolts are, the more security you have against pry attacks”. The idea is that if someone is trying to pry open your safe, 1” bolts will break before 1 .25” bolts, and those would break before 1.5” bolts. Bigger bolts do look more impressive, but they are primarily cosmetic. Manufacturers use larger bolts to differentiate between lower priced and higher priced safes.

Consider this: If you are towing a 5000# trailer where you are stopping, starting, slamming on the breaks, etc., your whole rig is usually held together by just one 5/8” bolt in the hitch. Ever hear of that bolt breaking? So how would someone break the bolts on a gun safe or vault door, even with a long pry bar?

Bigger bolts make no difference in prying attacks – the weakness is somewhere else. The next post will tell how prying attacks DO open some gun safes.

P.S. It is appropriate to note that if someone uses power tools to cut through the edge of a safe door, then cuts completely through the safe bolts, bigger is better. But this kind of attack is extremely rare and doesn’t even make sense. Someone with that kind of tool will go through the side of the safe much quicker.

New Year’s Resolutions: Improve Home Security

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I’m not big on New Year’s Resolutions. One reason is that if I had any flaws I would have fixed them already. The other reason is that most resolutions are never fully met. If you resolve to lose 20 pounds and keep it off, you never really finish. If you resolve to “be a better person”, you never get to quit being good, or you blow your resolution commitment.

If, however, you want to do something meaningful and have an end point at which time you can say “I achieved my resolution” — then I have an idea. Do that home security upgrade that you have been thinking about. It could be installing security cameras, installing deadbolts, putting motion activated lights outside your house, locking up papers and jewelry in a fire/burglary safe, securing your guns in a gun safe, properly protecting your coin or stamp collection, etc.

Take some time to study what you need, spend enough money to buy quality products, and then arrange for installation. By the middle of January you can sit back with a cold beer and feel proud that you accomplished your resolution. No guilt for the rest of the year! Besides, if you try to be a better person than you really are, that’s likely to cause more stress, which might make you eat more, resulting in gain weight, then you feel bad so you start to drink more than you should, which causes . . .

Have a great 2016!

Customize Your Fort Knox Gun Safe

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Most brands of gun safes are mass produced with little or no flexibility in colors or options. Fort Knox gun safes (excluding the Maverick series) can be customized to create your own one-of-kind safe that truly reflects your needs and taste. Here are some of the options Fort Knox gives you:

  • Nine sizes of gun safes
  • Internal or external hinges, on the left or right
  • Three textured paint colors and thirteen high gloss paint colors
  • Two tone paint schemes or custom blended colors
  • Eight interior configurations, with five fabric selections
  • Door organizers or Velcro compatible inside door panels
  • Two interior light packages
  • Multiple different graphics packages
  • Up-graded fire protection
  • Add extra steel to the safe body and/or the door – you decide how much
  • Add stainless steel or Armaknox Ballistic AR500 steel
  • Add corner bolts to units that don’t normally have them
  • Pull handles to make opening a heavy safe door easier
  • Locks: Group 2, Group 1, electronic or redundant
  • All kinds of accessories and extras: Mirror inside back wall; jewelry drawers; pistol pockets & storage bags; carpeted pedestals; humidity control, etc.

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The safe shown is a Fort Knox Guardian 6031 in Champaign color, with black chrome hardware & trim, and beige interior. Options include external hinges, pull handle, raised double diamond graphics, electronic lock, internal lights and an inner steel lining of 10 gauge steel. Standard features include the 5 spoke handle, corner bolts, door organizer, internal electric plug, etc.

Everyone’s needs and preferences are different: You store gold, your friend stores silver; you have 47 valuable rare rifles, your friend has 5 low end shotguns; you like black, he likes green; your safe will be a showpiece where everyone sees it, his will be hidden in the furnace room; you keep lots of cash at home, he doesn’t. You need more protection than your friend and you want to project your personality. Don’t buy the same (inferior) gun safe that everyone else buys at the local box store. Work with your Fort Knox dealer to design something special – something with real protection and style.