Alright guys, looking to upgrade my safe to something nicer. I have a $1500 max budget in mind, but after shopping around and around this weekend, I'm not sure which one to choose.
My requirements for a safe are simple. I have a $1500 cash to spend and the safe cannot be any wider than 30 inches in width. I only have a couple of guns anyways, so capacity isn't an issue. I know, I know..... People always say go bigger, but really, I want no wider than a 30 inch safe. Height and depth are of no concern (as long as it's reasonable).
I started my trip off by looking at the "Winchester" 24 gun safe at Tractor Supply since the dimensions were about perfect. (http://reviews.tractorsupply.com/0519/1 ... ng&dir=asc) It was $600, but I wasn't happy with how sloppy the door fit after it was locked up. It just felt overall like it was built "cheap". I suppose it was since it was only $600.
My next stop was Cabelas......
They had one that was similar in size, and seemed to be built a little better, but it had 12 locking bolts which were 1 1/4" in diameter. The tractor supply one had only 1" bolts and the door was floppy like an old wooden screen door. The price on that was $1579, but with my employee discount coupon mailer it brought it down to $1479. Still kind of disappointed at the build quality.
Last stop was the Safe & Knife company in Rogers next to cabelas. They had their own house brand safe that was MADE FOR THEM by Champion, but labeled "National Safe Company" branded safe. Their safe (same dimensions as the above 2) had 10 retractable door bolts (1" diameter) and was $1300 delivered and installed. The only thing more impressive about this one, was the fact that it had a solid sheet of 5/16" inch steel for the front door. When I tried bending the door and shaking it, it was by far the most sturdy of the 3 I looked at. Otherwise, as far as the rest of the safe goes, I couldn't tell a difference.
So my question to you guys, what else should I be looking at? Is this all the better it gets at the price point I'm shopping? Anywhere else in town I should be shopping? Am I being overly anal as to how it's built for a $1500 budget?
I'll take any suggestions you guys throw at me. Thanks in advance!