I cannot get into my dial safe. What should I try before calling a locksmith.

Find the code card and make sure you didn't get Alzheimer's

I got it open by shifting all the numbers one digit down.

Should I have someone look at it before it gets worse?

Only if you want in it.

Your safe's memory is slipping

That is one of the downsides of having a safe. I'm surprised my digital hasn't locked me out.

I always thought the mechanical dial was the ultimate in reliability.

Buy a used GSA approved lock off of eBay and use it on you safe. I have the tools to pull the dial and thatis usually the only hang-up in the install. Most so-called safes are not really safes and are considered residential security containers and the locks that come on them are garbage.

Next one I buy will be a jewelers safe. Used, of course.

I had the hookup on thoses for a while but the guy I got them from moved to Florida. You can still find them from time to time because a whole bunch of older houses in Highland Park have them and the people don't use them. When the houses trade hands the new owner is usually wanting to get rid of the safe and I got my last one for free simply because I was able to haul it off.

I went with digital pad,much much much easier.

Agree. Get a digital pad.

This happened to me years ago. On the day I was moving from one house to another, I couldn't unlock the gun safe. Locksmith did the same thing you did. Then he replaced the pins (tumblers?) once he got it open.

My dial safe numbered have drifted slightly. If a combination number used to be 25, now it’s a teeny bit past that. From what I’ve read, it comes from spinning the dial too briskly, and I did used to do that. For a short time, I couldn’t get into the safe, but read that article, added a teeny bit to the numbers, and it opened right up (not on the first try).

This, I had the same issue. Seems like what I did was wrote my combination down at the top of the sheet of paper, then wrote out combinations below it adding or subtracting one to each number and started working through it. Didn't take long to figure out which number had drifted.

I went from a digital to mechanical lock. Don't have to worry about batteries, emp, shorts, etc.

Since that I have quit spinning the dial and not had any more issues.

Never doing that again. My digital (Cabela's Outfitter was the model FWIW) failed on me as I went to get guns out to leave for a hunting trip to Kansas. Had to borrow guns that trip. Thankfully the manufacturer paid for the locksmith to get into the safe and replace the lock, but it was a huge pain at the time.

I'll take my chances with the combination, but obviously they can have issues as well..

I've had 3 digitals drilled out on Canons. No thanks.

Digitals easier for ATF

Dials are the way to go and never spin them fast.

For those of you that went digital, did you retrofit from a dial, or just buy it as digital. I have a dial that I want to convert to digital, but I don't know what ballpark I'm even looking at, or whether it would be cheaper to get a new safe. It's a 10 or 12 gun safe, so I'm not talking about some $5000, 50 gun safe.

Thanks,
Rich

One of my numbers is off by about a 1/2 number. If you stop directly on the number, it won't open. You have to go past it 1/2 a number for it to open. I also spin my dial quickly, which I guess I will stop doing now!

my grandpa owned a jewelry store. He gave me the combo to his safe and bet I'd never get it open. He was right.

Yep, spinning is the worst thing for the mechanism.

I use digital now but I have an extra unit to change out if the main ever goes out.


Think Im done with the heavy safes now. Two friends with fires and nothing survived inside anyways. My next few will be https://www.secureitgunstorage.com/gun-storage/gun-safes/

Are the combos that complicated?

I used to like to look online where people would hide their guns. Folks can get real creative. False walls, drawers, hiding it in plain sight, ect... It's fascinating what people can engineer or come up with.