Thanks for posting the pics. I'm sure you have a lot on your mind besides coming onto a forum. Curious what the inside looks like. I'm sorry you're family had to go through this.

Glad the family is ok.  

Thanks to those who who posted sympathy.

Fire report was released earlier last week, should have it in my hands early this week.  Have the letter from the insurance company stating that insurance for that area was canceled several years ago due to fire concerns.  Liberty has requested these two pieces of information before they will assign me a locksmith to drill out the safe door, which is going to cost me a grand or so.  That part kind of sucks...to have to pay to see your trashed weapons...but it is what it is.

A grand to cut the door open?!!?

Google "how to open a gun safe" and do it yourself.  Some can be opened with crowbars.

Rent a cutoff saw and have at it.

Seems kinda high to open a safe, is this for warranty purposes ?

3 hours drive time @ $80-$100/hour, 3 hours of drilling (off of generator power) at $180-$250 an hour.

Have to use their locksmith.  

I could open the safe myself...but it would absolutely negate their warranty.  We're looking at over $6000 to replace this safe in today's money.

I don't know if they're going to honor their warranty or not...but I'm going to play the game their way, for now.

I think they insist on a safe guy drilling her open because they're going to want to use the safe later in one of their stores, should the insides be ok.

I'm wishing you the best of luck with the safe's contents.  In that whole crappy situation, perhaps, just maybe, this will be one little bright spot - something not lost when all else was.

nevermind the chop saw.

Do not engage the lock smith !

Call the local fire department.   They love to practice with their jaws of life on stuff for free.   They train their rookies with the tools and you get the safe open for nothing.  

It is what I do here at the PD instead of costing the taxpayers.

Any updates OP?

All the information has been sent to Lliberty.  Waiting to hear from them to proceed.

Sorry, guys--this isn't intended to be a "safe thread".  I promise resolution, one way or another.

Interesting,.... by dragging their feet and not allowing you to expedite the safe opening, they are almost guaranteeing a bunch of rusty, damaged firearms inside.  Even if they didn't burn/ignite, all the oils will be baked off.

O.P., why not rent a U-haul, and take the safe to the approved locksmith yourself, and save @$300?

If it's Hilti Bolted to the ground, could you rent a chop saw and cut around the safe?

1700 lbs empty.  That's why.  I don't have any way to get that into the back of a U-Haul.

Got an official response from Liberty Safe...They're going to replace it!

Customer service was great over the phone when I started the process.  When I contacted them, they told me they could send me all the required forms if I wished, or I could download them off the 'net.  I chose to download, and included the requested pictures with their paperwork when I sent it all off.

Five days later--there was no messing around with these guys--I got a response from Liberty.  They needed one more item: A notarized statement from me stating that I had no insurance on the safe, or that insurance was refusing to cover it.  I included letters from the insurance company from 2005 when the policy was cancelled, stating that no other insurance was available for that property.  I paid $5 for a notarization after I typed up a memo, and sent it out.

That was a couple of weeks ago.  Yesterday, I got a voucher from Liberty Safe for a new Presidential 50.  I've already called the nearest dealer (4 hours away), and my new safe is on order.  Should be here end of December/beginning of January.

It should be noted that I had no problem dealing with the safe company.  They asked to be faxed a copy of the voucher, and twenty minutes later I had a phone call from a very nice lady, asking what color options I would like.  She stated that Liberty was a great company to deal with, and that they've never had any problems with them.  I'll have to pay for shipping and installation, but that's only $400.  

This is a pretty nice thing.  It doesn't replace the lost weapons...I'll probably never be able to do that, at this point...but it's sure been great dealing with these guys in the middle of a really shitty situation.  I was a little nervous at first, as some noise was made at the dealer level about not honoring warranties from safes made before 2005...but it wasn't an issue, at all.  

Nobody has said anything about having an "approved" locksmith open it up...so I might give the jaws of life idea a try.  Either that, or I might just take a torch to it, myself.

O.P., can't you just purchase another dial face for your safe, and open it yourself?

Did your safe have a manual dial, as opposed to the electronic style?

Years ago, I had to replace my entire manual combo mechanism, as I recall, the dial slips over the half round shaft.

If you have enough "purchase area", the dial should be held in place so you can open it without torching or drilling.


My safe had a Sargent and Greenleaf manual dial mechanism.

Great news on the safe replacement. Now just hope there is something to salvage inside the old one.

Tom

For sure.   I have two(2) Liberty safes and would love to see the resulting pics.

Thanks for the update.

My safe had a Sargent and Greenleaf manual lock (my preference on all my safes--I actually had three safes in that fire).

There is a dark stub of metal of no discernible shape--certainly not any kind of cast or machined shape--where the lock used to be.  A dark globule that used to be metal.

Where the door handle was is just a grey spot with another globule of ashy compound.

Intially, this was an idea I had too--I have extra S&G parts in my home, including a dial--but it was a no go.

This. I have a liberty safe as well. Glad to hear they were easy to work with.