Browning is perhaps best known, historically, for its firearms. From rifles to shotguns to pistols, the Utah-based company has become the choice of many shooters.
In more recent times, however, Browning has also become pretty adept at producing another product — gun safes. The company has more than made a name for itself with its high-end firearms storage options.
For the most part, Browning has focused on larger safes, designed to hold a slew of firearms — no matter their shape and size. But recently, the company has endeavored to tackle a more petite form of storage.
Browning has added handgun storage options to its catalog with the release of the ProSteel Pistol Vaults. And while the new 500 and 1000 models have some familiar features, they do break from many other handgun safes on the market in marked ways.
Perhaps the most notable departure Browning has taken from its competition is the ProSteel Pistol Vaults' construction. With the body of the vaults constructed of 10-gauge steel (.1406-inches U.S.G.), they are design to take a licking.
The heavy-duty steel composition also endows the vaults with another desirable attribute — heft. The ProSteel 500 weights in at 21 pounds and the 1000 at 25, which would seem to give the vaults fairly solid footing, no matter where they’re planted.
This is a feature sometimes overlooked, but can be an important advantage for a quick-access safe. The weight means the vaults aren’t going anywhere when a pistol is retrieved, even if the situation has blunted fine motor skills.
The ProSteel Pistol Vaults’ main access point is a programmable four-button touch pad that runs off eight AA batteries. But the safe has a slew of redundancies that should help soothe the nerves of those skeptical of electric entry systems.
First and foremost, the both models of the vault come with a unique four-sided key that gives access to them anytime. On top of that the vaults have external electrical contacts that in a pinch can quickly power up the keypad with a nine-volt battery.
While these are some of the more notable features, the ProSteel Pistol Vaults have a number of other assets, including: ½-inch diameter locking bolts, internal LED lighting and spring-loaded lids.
The 1000 model is 7.5-inches high, 14.5-inches wide and 11-inches deep. The 500 has the same width and depth as the larger model, but has a slightly lower profile at 4.5-inches high.
The MSRP on the 1000 is $219, while the 500 is presently priced at $199.
Outstanding Gun Storage Gear
