gun safe manufacture date by serial number

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rossim92
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Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:42 am
Location: mechanicsville, md.

gun safe manufacture date by serial number

Post by rossim92 »

I bought a fire safe gun safe at a yard sale sell. heavy as u know what. the guy i bought it from says it came from his father, and he father got it in 1932 and was used then. it is a remington rand serial # 1y95024. i tried google but no luck, any ideas or info on the dom fellas? works good, tumbler a little sticky in one spot i took it apart as far as i dared to oil it a bit. lubed the the door bolts works better. this is what mine looks like . not a good video but it is the same safe https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2319454168145057
Rossi 92 .357 lever , and a cz pcr 9mm
Henry .22 lever, Remington speedmaster 552 .22 lr
Marlin Glenfield .22 boltaction
gforce 12ga semi
Taylor's Tactical 1911 A1 FS in .45acp
winchester 1873 44.40
Marlin 336W .30.30
beeman sportsman rs2 dual caliber pellet rifle
henry .22 magnum pumpaction/octagon barrel
stag 5.56 m4 with reddot
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Old No7
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Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 9:06 pm
Location: Southern Maine

Re: gun safe manufacture date by serial number

Post by Old No7 »

Hope yours doesn't open as easy with a crowbar... :wink:

As a 3rd generation locksmith that did business 15 miles north of Boston (before I escaped to Maine), my family's business used to do a lot of safe work. Lots of work at times, but there was good money in it as very few shops would touch them. There was the chance for making even more money by drilling safes at night -- but we did it by day with guards watching over us closely.

From my experience, I think it will be very tough to get an exact DOM and you'll have to accept the 1932 date (-5 or -20 years) as close enough.

By the way... Don't EVER use WD-40 on a safe tumbler, key lock -- or a GUN -- as it gums up over time and will cause you problems. We had an old lock and an older .38 S&W (with a burst barrel) that my Dad had put a squirt of WD-40 into every month for a year or so; after many more months (and years) we would open up the sideplate of the gun and the cover of the lock to show folks the gummy varnish-like residue that the WD-40 left behind.

If you do use any oil, make it a light viscosity one for sure; and I'd suggest Naptha (lighter fluid) as a solvent to clean it as it dries to almost nothing (and that's what the benchrest shooters use on their 2-ounce trigger mechanisms).

The good news is your old safe is indeed a SAFE.

Most of the "gun safes" sold today (including mine...) are really UL-listed "residential security containers"... An RSC-rated container -- which are sold as "safes" -- will resist forced opening for up to five minutes by an attacker using simple, non-powered hand tools (screwdrivers, hammers <3 lbs or pry bars <18″ long). RSCs are not rated against any attack by power tools of any kind, or any attack lasting longer than five minutes. If anyone has one of those RSCs, then the best thing to do is to hide/disguise it from view and use an alarm and/or motion/camera system to provide extra security past 5 minutes of entry to the premises.

I do have an old HEAVY safe that came off of a WWII Destroyer, but it won't fit any of my long guns. It is a SAFE, and just the weight of the 4" thick steel door alone is a lot for one person to handle.

Oh... Good luck moving that one....

Old No7
"Freedom and the Second Amendment... One cannot exist without the other." © 2000 DTH
rossim92
Senior Levergunner
Posts: 1416
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:42 am
Location: mechanicsville, md.

Re: gun safe manufacture date by serial number

Post by rossim92 »

Old No7 wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 9:22 am Hope yours doesn't open as easy with a crowbar... :wink:

As a 3rd generation locksmith that did business 15 miles north of Boston (before I escaped to Maine), my family's business used to do a lot of safe work. Lots of work at times, but there was good money in it as very few shops would touch them. There was the chance for making even more money by drilling safes at night -- but we did it by day with guards watching over us closely.

From my experience, I think it will be very tough to get an exact DOM and you'll have to accept the 1932 date (-5 or -20 years) as close enough.

By the way... Don't EVER use WD-40 on a safe tumbler, key lock -- or a GUN -- as it gums up over time and will cause you problems. We had an old lock and an older .38 S&W (with a burst barrel) that my Dad had put a squirt of WD-40 into every month for a year or so; after many more months (and years) we would open up the sideplate of the gun and the cover of the lock to show folks the gummy varnish-like residue that the WD-40 left behind.

If you do use any oil, make it a light viscosity one for sure; and I'd suggest Naptha (lighter fluid) as a solvent to clean it as it dries to almost nothing (and that's what the benchrest shooters use on their 2-ounce trigger mechanisms).

The good news is your old safe is indeed a SAFE.

Most of the "gun safes" sold today (including mine...) are really UL-listed "residential security containers"... An RSC-rated container -- which are sold as "safes" -- will resist forced opening for up to five minutes by an attacker using simple, non-powered hand tools (screwdrivers, hammers <3 lbs or pry bars <18″ long). RSCs are not rated against any attack by power tools of any kind, or any attack lasting longer than five minutes. If anyone has one of those RSCs, then the best thing to do is to hide/disguise it from view and use an alarm and/or motion/camera system to provide extra security past 5 minutes of entry to the premises.

I do have an old HEAVY safe that came off of a WWII Destroyer, but it won't fit any of my long guns. It is a SAFE, and just the weight of the 4" thick steel door alone is a lot for one person to handle.

Oh... Good luck moving that one....

Old No7
I used clp4 to lube it
Rossi 92 .357 lever , and a cz pcr 9mm
Henry .22 lever, Remington speedmaster 552 .22 lr
Marlin Glenfield .22 boltaction
gforce 12ga semi
Taylor's Tactical 1911 A1 FS in .45acp
winchester 1873 44.40
Marlin 336W .30.30
beeman sportsman rs2 dual caliber pellet rifle
henry .22 magnum pumpaction/octagon barrel
stag 5.56 m4 with reddot
mickbr
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Posts: 903
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 11:29 pm

Re: gun safe manufacture date by serial number

Post by mickbr »

Old no.7 is right about the term safes, most these days arent, they are lightweight security boxes. Real safes means 1/2" steel in the door and steel with concrete in the body. ratings go up from there. These old safes are still okay for what they are, they can be refurbed/resprayed nice and the old locks switched to key, combo or new dials by a competent smith. For any safe good idea to back up with alarms, disguise it, place in a corner of the room where door opens away from wall being as per video pry attacks(called 'flipping the door') need to work around to the opposite side and -if a wall is in the way its much harder. Flipping doors is easier for criminals standing over a safe so bolt the safe down so it cant be toppled. Also use furniture, eg bolt down fridges, cabinets or sofas etc near the safe to limit near access. Dont leave tools laying about, lock them up too, burglars may use what is at hand. And internal racks or chains on guns if you are protecting real expensive ones are a good idea too. If the burglar cant beat the door they may just cut a hole in the plate and when they find things inside racked and locked, they may have to recut larger hole to get tools in to deal with it.
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gamekeeper
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Re: gun safe manufacture date by serial number

Post by gamekeeper »

Some good advice there . . . 8)
If more men loved and cherished their wives as much as I love bacon the world would be a much better place.
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