Is there a safe cracker in the house?

[375RUGER]

I have acquired this safe. it was free. It is locked open right now. Nameplate says Gary or it could be a Cary. I have the key that unlocks the dial, the dial doesn't turn without the key. I am going to move it home this week, it's a heavy sucker.
I looked on the net and found a small amount of info but not much. The best thing I found was that the combination probably goes like this: 4 turns left, 3 turns right, 2 turns left, then 1 turn till the dial stops.

I think I can figure out the combo by watching the lockworks since the door is open.

Does anybody know about these safes?
Do I have to figure out the old combo first to change it?
or Can I set the new combo with the door locked open?
How do I set the new combo?

I have the serial # too if that would help.

[wgr]

i would ask someone that sales safes

[No_1]

Call a locksmith. The safe is open so it will be no sweat and less expensive for him to either set the combo of the current lock or upgrade it to newer technology that is harder to crack.

[bearcove]

I have a locking dial like that on mine.its 4L, 3R...

[L1A1Rocker]

Call a locksmith. The safe is open so it will be no sweat and less expensive for him to either set the combo of the current lock or upgrade it to newer technology that is harder to crack.

THIS!!!

With the back open it's easy as pie for the locksmith to re-set the combo. Be sure to tell him what kind it is so he knows what re-set key to have.

[Mk42gunner]

From about my second ship on I was the Key and Lock Custodian and got to change a lot of safe combinations. I really don't like combination locks any more, but a pound or ten of keys is worse.

Free is good.

Locked open is good. A heck of a lot better than locked closed without the combo.

I never had any safes that had the dial locked; but I had quite a few in my career that had that style of lock mechanism. It looks like a fairly standard Sargeant & Greenleaf or Mosler lock. They aren't hard to change the combo; just be sure to check it at least three times before locking the safe.

Do you have the backplate for the lock? If not I don't imagine the part would cost too much.

One time out of several hundred combo changes I got dyslexic on the middle number. It took us about half a day to figure out what happened, not a lot of fun.

The standard combo for shipping safes in the Navy used to be 50-25-50; however I have seen it 25-50-25. It would be worth trying to see if it opens.

Let us know how it turns out, please.

Robert

[Longwood]

Gary are quality safes that use good locks.
There is a special, goofy shaped key that a smith will have for setting a new combination.
You can see the little odd shaped hole for it in the backing plate.
You were correct in being able t o read the present combo by watching.
Do not shut and lock it until you ca run the combo perfectly.
One number off and you are seriously locked out.

[OneSkinnyMass]

19-39-29
That was the combo lock for my footlocker in boot camp back in 1970
funny how certain numbers stick with ya and chances are, you'll never forget your new combo.

Skinny

[pmer]

The long brass arm is the Drop Arm.
The round brass part is called the cam.
The round silver part is a combo wheel. There should be 3 of them, one for each number.
The sqaurish notch at 5 o-clock on the number wheel has to line up to the bar on the left side drop arm. It's behind drop arm on the hook side.

When the combo is entered correctly the 3 notches in the combo wheels are in line and located under the bar on the drop arm.

When you enter the last # and turn the dial till it stops the hook on the drop arm falls into the notch on the cam pulling the bolt in.

If you wanted to play with it till the lock smith shows up get a pencil, paper and flash light. Turn the dial a bunch of times to the left then watch the inside wheel notch and stop when it is under that bar - write down number. Two times right and as you turn watch for the notch on the middle wheel - write that down. Then go left till the outside wheel in the picture is in line - write that down.

If the lock is set to start to the left that should be the combo or close to it.

[Longwood]

I believe the little brass lever in the lower part of pic #1 must be held in for the bolt to retract.
It is to lock the lock if the dial is punched.
If you cant find a smith, I may have one of the keys I could loan.

[flagman1776]

I'm not sure of the internals anymore. Sargent & Greenleaf locks... most common... There is a reset key... looks like an allen wrench with cuts. Old combo is dialed in, key is inserted into inside of lock though a hole (square with a teat) & turned, new combo dialed, key turned back. Combo is reset. A buddy & I bought a dozen safes when a hardware chain went out, I reset all the combos. Do all the resetting & recheck several times before closing the door.

[375RUGER]

pmer, great instructions.

got 'er dun.
loaded it up and brought it home. figured the combo out (first try) and now I just have to get it off the truck. Getting it on was a piece of cake, fork truck. I don't have a fork truck at the house though.
I don't see any need to change the combo, I'll just leave it for now.

I do have the other parts, last week I told my boys to take the cover off so we could see inside and they stripped it down to the mechanism.

Now I just hope it's big enough to hold all my gold and silver bullion

Thanks fellas.

[TCLouis]

375 RUGER

Tie rope to safe.

Tie rope to immovable object

Drive off in vehicle with the safe on it

Loud noise it indicator of some level of success.

All kidding aside, that is how I unloaded my gunsafe and had to clear topper at the same time.

The 6" climb to floor level was a challenge for old fat guy like me and then pieces of 1"pipe were my friend to roll it into place

[TCLouis]

375 RUGER

Tie rope to safe.

Tie rope to immovable object

Drive off in vehicle with the safe on it

Loud noise indicates some level of success.

All kidding aside, that is how I unloaded my gun safe including a come-a-long to get it from horizontal to vertical as I had to clear topper on my pickup at the same time.

The 6" climb to get the safe to floor level was a challenge for old fat guy like me and then pieces of 1"pipe were my friend to roll it into place

[thegreatdane]

When I first read the title, I thought cautious white-guy

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[pmer]

Good job getting the combo.

Cautious white guy..

[waksupi]

It is amazing the things you can learn here!

[geargnasher]

That's good news! Operational with no locksmith required, all one needs is an OPEN safe and somebody to tell you how it works. I think we have "one of" just about everyone here, very little that can't be solved amongst the membership.

A former employer and (still!) good friend of mine was given a locked, empty safe by someone who salvaged it from the city dump. It was practially new, and a pretty decent, very large unit at that. We puzzled over it for a bit and then decided to cut the bottom out with a plasma torch, crawl up inside, and pull the back off the door. After doing that with little fuss he figured out the lock from the inside while another one of us worked the knob from the outside. After solving the combo and recording it we welded the bottom back on and put it in his office, where it still lives and functions today.

Gear

[Longwood]

The little square hole, @ 11 oclock in photo 2 is the key hole.
Get a pieceof key stock that will fit it and you can set a new combo if the back is off of the lock.
Be gentle, 1/4 turn is all.

[375RUGER]

When I first read the title, I thought cautious white-guy

I was thinking about that when I wrote the title but decided to leave it and see what happens