Center of Mass "In Car Gun Safe"

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http://www.center-of-mass.com/

So I needed a "hard sided, locking case" to secure my weapon in while I traveled by air this holiday season, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and get one of these "safes"

For the record, I ordered one of the Large variety.

The first thing that I appreciated when I first unpacked it was it's weight. Empty, it weighs nearly 2 lbs.

It is constructed of 21 Gauge steel (1mm thick) with 14 gauge (2mm thick) reinforcing plates welded to the sides of the bottom half. There are two bolt holes in the bottom to facilitate hard-mounting. The lock and cable anchor is also constructed of stamped 19 gauge steel, welded to the bottom and side in 5 places. The lock is a 12-pin, double sided security lock. The lock's catch is 14-gauge steel. The hinge is a 16-segment "piano hinge" secured with a 12 gauge wire pin and spot welded in a total of 10 places. Everything but the lock is powder coated.

Overall construction is very well done.

It is lined with 3/8th-inch, medium-density, closed-cell foam pads on both top and bottom. The pads are easily removed.

I had been a little concerned with the cable, used for temporally securing the 'safe', for example, to the seat rail in your car or to the frame of a bed.

The cable itself is multi-stranded braided steel cable 4mm thick and vinyl coated, with loops crimped on both ends. One end attaches to the anchor and locking mechanism of the 'safe' and passed through a notch in the side. The other end is wrapped around any solid object.

While it COULD be cut fairly easily with heavy-duty wire cutters, in and of itself it's very sturdy. To test it, I attached it to the 'safe' and around a beam in the basement of my house. I gave it several vicious tugs and didn't notice any deformation of the safe or cable. This really surprised me.

So far I'm extremely happy with the In Car Gun Safe. I'll call it a "recommended" buy, and I plan to purchase several others for various uses.

Some pictures, for those interested:
http://www.lildobe.net/albums/view.php?sid=Guns&cid=Center_of_Mass_In_Car_Safe

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I got one of the medium safes myself. It's a great product and perfect to secure your pistol in the car. While it probably won't withstand a truly determined theif, it's definitely great to protect from smash and grabs. No safe is truly human proof, but you want to discourage them long enough for them to leave.

I drilled some new holes in the bottom and have installed it to the frame of my vehicle. It's hidden from view and where it's located, it'd be very hard for someone to pry it open.

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Me too, I dug through the pile at my local Cabela's and found two that were keyed alike. One key two gun safes in separate cars not a bad deal for a total of 60 bucks. :celebrate:celebrate:celebrate

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How long do you think it would take for a man to break his way into the box?

Thinking about getting one.

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LEO 229 wrote:

How long do you think it would take for a man to break his way into the box?

Thinking about getting one.

Click to expand...

It all depends on what tools are available. With a heavy screwdriver or small pry bar, you could probably get into it in about 5 or 10 minutes. The weakest point is the cable itself, which could be cut quickly with heavy duty wire cutters.

It certainly isn't a vault. But it is a decently secure lock box that will protect your gun from a smash-and-grab or a snooping valet.

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OK.. thanks. I am looking for something I can use to store for a little while longer.

Box is great if your not going to be gone long...

I like to make it tough to get my gun. :lol:

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LEO 229 wrote:

OK.. thanks. I am looking for something I can use to store for a little while longer.

Box is great if your not going to be gone long...

I like to make it tough to get my gun. :lol:

Click to expand...

For homes I'd really recommend something heftier.
but for your car, it's a great solution!

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LEO 229 wrote:

How long do you think it would take for a man to break his way into the box?

Thinking about getting one.

Click to expand...

LEO, like what was said it all depends on the tools. Another thing to consider is the placement of the unit. I have mine in such a location that it makes it very difficult to attack all 4 sides and the only access is the top of the unit. The unit opens like a clam with the lock on the top. I have it bolted to my vehicle with two bolts and washers. It would be difficult to pry under the safe to wedge it out of it's location too. I didn't want to rely on the cable as it can be cut with some cable cutters quite easily.

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thanks to the article i just got a large in the car safe that showed up sat! Cant wait to test it out

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Well, for $30-40 you can't go too wrong I suppose. Looks like a great box for passing through national parks andstupid states with. It doesn't look the hardest to break into, but if someone wants something in your car bad enough they might steal the whole dang car and then it doesn't matter if it was in the most secure safe in the world.

§ 926A. Interstate transportation of firearms
Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof, any person who is not otherwise prohibited by this chapter from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm shall be entitled to transport a firearm for any lawful purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm if, during such transportation the firearm is unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such transporting vehicle: Provided, That in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment the firearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.

Click to expand...

Does this mean it would have to be stored in a trunk, unless you didn't have a trunk?

If it was under a seat, would that qualify as "readily accessible" to a passenger compartment?

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For the vehicle, I got a safe with electronic keypad. On sale @ harbor freight for 20$, perfect size for a few pistols + ammo.



Link to HF

Link to manual with operation/dimensions

It has holes/mounting hardware for floor/wall mounting, but I had to drill holes in the top to mount it to the top of the rear deck from underneath.

It's not fire resistant, and won't stop a determined theif, but it's enough of a deterrent that noone will mess with it, and if I EVER 'have' to leave a firearm in a vehicle, I want it to stay there, even if the car is stolen or broken into.

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Felid`Maximus wrote:

Well, for $30-40 you can't go too wrong I suppose. Looks like a great box for passing through national parks andstupid states with. It doesn't look the hardest to break into, but if someone wants something in your car bad enough they might steal the whole dang car and then it doesn't matter if it was in the most secure safe in the world.

§ 926A. Interstate transportation of firearms
Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof, any person who is not otherwise prohibited by this chapter from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm shall be entitled to transport a firearm for any lawful purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm if, during such transportation the firearm is unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such transporting vehicle: Provided, That in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment the firearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.

Click to expand...

Does this mean it would have to be stored in a trunk, unless you didn't have a trunk?

If it was under a seat, would that qualify as "readily accessible" to a passenger compartment?

Click to expand...

Yep, unloaded in a locked case in the passenger compartment of a pickup is OK (no glovebox or center console even if lockable).

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I have had one bolted down in my pick-upbehind the passengers seat for over a year, the electronic key pad broke but the key still works. Mine will hold 9 pistols, some spare ammo and a copy of the Constitution. Loco