Owning a deadly weapon comes with great responsibilities. We need to keep it safe and secure. It goes without saying that protecting a firearm not only from damage but also from theft or getting lost is crucial.
When you are not carrying it on you, a gun safe is a perfect solution for all that. But a gun safe only protects the gun and not the password/key. So, how do you open a gun safe when the password is lost?
Opening a gun safe for the first time is generic. The salesman will show you the process. You’ll also get your manual as well. This guide is focused on the users that are used to the safe but lost their keys or forgot the password or combination.
You can get inside a locked safe using a paperclip, credit card, straw, screwdriver, magnet, and other tools.
How To Open A Gun Safe Without Proper Access
For the most part, safes are pretty safe. But they can also be accessed by other means if you know what you are doing.
I want to mention that if you want to open a locked safe, some of the safest methods are to contact the seller, the manufacturer, or a good technician. Anyway, here are some methods that can be accomplished from home and by one person.
- Backdooring With A Paperclip
Many safes have a nearly negligible hole on the structure. In some safes, it is located near and around the lock or the keyhole. On some electronic safes, it can be found inside the battery chamber; if the battery chamber is exposed outside that is. You can backdoor the security using the hole.
Bend a paperclip into an “L” shape and insert it through the hole. It’s hard to explain exactly what you will feel inside since it varies drastically. Basically, you are expecting movable objects. Try turning the paperclip and hope to move something while jerking the door. If you are lucky, you will get the door opened.
- The Paper Ninja
You can access a gun safe with some thin but strong materials such as a paper-like thin plastic sheet, metal sheet, or even a flattened-out straw. But not exactly paper, actually. It is not strong enough. In some cases, even a credit card may work. Basically, you will try to sneak your way inside like a ninja.
You see, all the safes have a door that turns open. Most of the time, the locking mechanism is more like the one on an actual door. They have a latch that enters a groove on the casing. If you can find some of the materials I mentioned above, try to insert them through the narrow gap between the door and the casing.
With enough luck, you might be able to push the latch backward and open the door. Since you are the owner, you should know where the latch is positioned exactly. Try to focus on the area. However, there is no guarantee that you will succeed.
- Lawful Lockpicking
If your safe has a keylock, you may attempt to pick the lock. It is unbelievable how not-so-difficult picking a keylock is. Don’t get me wrong, it is not easy by any means and not guaranteed to work. But it is feasible. Obviously, it will be an option only if your safe can be unlocked with a key.
The tools that can be used include a paperclip, thin hair clip, a piece of strong wire, a knife, a fork, or a small screwdriver. You need to bend all the teeth of the fork except for one if you are attempting with one.
Other than that, try to bend the object into a wiggly or wave-like pattern. The waves should be small, about half a centimeter between two peaks. Enter the object into the keyhole and try to push up (or down) against the pins inside.
If you can manage to try to rotate it, you are lucky. Otherwise, you will need a second wider object to insert into the keyway that you can apply force on to rotate the “fake” key. Move the curly/wavy object up or down, in or out, try to apply a different amount of force to hopefully trick the lock.
Keep a constant force on the second object so that as soon as the curly one catches the right spot, which it hopefully will, you can rotate the “fake” key and open the safe.
- Manipulating The Lock
If none of the above methods worked, here is another method that might just be the lucky one for you. Try to use a magnet to pull the latch out of its place. However, simply, for this reason, a lot of the manufacturers do not use magnetic metals in locks. However, many of them do it anyway.
Take a considerably big and strong magnet and cover it with a piece of cloth. Place it against the door. The piece of cloth is there to help pull the magnet against the door. It will also keep the door safe from scratches. Without the piece of cloth, the motion of pulling the magnet will not be as smooth.
Your goal is to place the magnet near the edge of the door, where the latch is situated. Slowly and gently pull the magnet toward the center. If your lock has a vital part made of magnetic metals like nickel, you might be in for a treat.
Are The Safes That Insecure?
In short, “Kind of,” but they are not really that easy to pick either. If you paid attention, you might have noticed that none of the methods I mentioned above is a guaranteed success. The best you can do is hope. So, it is not as if you walk up to a safe with a few tools in hand and return with all the assets.
At the same time, they are not guaranteed to deter unauthorized access every single time. With proper knowledge and practice, one can master the process and access safes without keys reliably.
I need to mention, if, reading through this, you are feeling confident and planning to try yourself out on anyone else’s lock, please do not attempt something like that. That will be stupid.
All the locks are equipped with measures to prevent many types of attacks. Some of the electronic locks may be armed with alarm or theft protection that will inform the seller, manufacturer, owner, or even police are a possibility. You might end up finding yourself in a tough spot.
Summary
A gun safe is to safeguard the gun, ammunition, and related objects from harm. But it will never safeguard the key or password. It is up to you to do so. However, I know that passwords have a habit of being forgotten, and keys simply like to be lost. It’s their nature. Hence is this guide to hopefully aid you.
Again, if you lost access, the safest way is to contact the manufacturer, seller, or a good technician. However, the best way is not to lose access in the first place. Make a habit of keeping the keys at the same place every day and use a strong password. Better not to use your birthday date though, try something a little complex. Peace.
Also read-Gun Safe Vs Gun Cabinet | Read This Before You Buy One
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