You won't believe this.

I made an awesome fully upgraded rifle all from salvaged parts from other maxed found weapons (need max out perks, I meet only half the requirements), so yea, that project took a lot of time to do.

So I mod this rifle, pour my love into making it, put some thought in naming it, then store it in shared workbench for later use (it automatic rifle so I decided to hoard 2000 rounds before using it).

Then some in-game weeks later I check the workbench stash and my rifle is gone! AND AMMO TOO! WHAT THE...!!!

I then remembered that this settlement suffered 1 attack in its whole history and that we defended it, so I figured that the attackers ran off with my rifle! But then my gut told me to check

the settlers and see if one of them "borrowed" my rifle. AND I FOUND HIM! Blasted thief took the rifle, dropped all mods from it (it was now completely unmodded), and also took 1534 ammo!

I probably don't have to tell you what great pleasure I took in delivering some sweet, sweet wasteland justice to THAT BASTARD. And then I built a fence around my workshops. svck ON THAT, SETTLERS!

BEWARE OF THE BLASTED THIEVING SETTLERS!

Never store ammo with weapons, or settlers will take both.

In fact, why store ammo?
It weighs nothing.

What Ace said, plus walls won't keep them out.

I've never had a settler change the mods on a weapon either, that Is definitely odd.

Maybe he is role playing and only carrying what you would carry in real life instead of a million rounds of ammo.

this.

@OP: why are you storing ANY of your unique and personal weapons in the workshop bench to begin with anyways? Why not just make a safe container and then store that container in a SAFE, COMPLETELY INACCESSIBLE place? Like your personal house in Diamond City? Or at the top of the R&R outside Sanctuary? Or on the top roof of ANY settlement building which only YOU (and not your companions or any other NPCs) can access?

I use my Home Base in Diamond and the Sanctuary R&R as a personal storage base for exactly this purpose. Diamond City is more ideal because it has that outside area on the balcony. Which quickly allows you to easily access your house without a load screen. With the R&R, don't have any settlers or NPCs there except my PC companions. So no buggy NPC teleporting up onto roofs with no means of getting down can occur there. I just toggle off collisions and fly up to the roof. Or for realism, use a ladder I store in the workshop to gain quick access. Either way works with zero loss.

Regardless, funny story. Just as funny as when I learned not to leave full fusion cells in my PC's power armor at that PA workbench outside Home Base. Those Diamond City guards sure do have a 5 finger discount fetish. That particular incident made for a really interesting sandbox crime investigation.

This is awesome. Is there any other (non gamesas game) where anything like that could happen?

Well...you put your special weapon in your workbench of all places...if this thing is that special to you, why is it not on your person so I can fulfill it's destiny?

And secondly, you stored the ammo with it...

When settlements are attacked, they are going to make for weapons to defend themselves...If you were one of those settlers, you'd be running for the best gun in the village too.

This is why I have a personal settlement without settlers.

Having the ammo stored with the gun doesn't mater. I had some Legendary weapons in storage and all the ammo with me and a settler took them any way. I guess he wanted to use the Fatman and missile launcher as a club or something.

But yeah, the only real way to keep your stuff secure is to store it at a location with no settlers.

yep exactly this.

Thanks for the tips people, I will make some secure stashes.

Although my avatar on my next playthrough will be named: Roger "D.U.S.T." Demios (Death Upon Settlers Thieves)

You do you.

Its called borrowing not stealing the Blood ravens taught me that much.