Massad Ayoob — Founder, Massad Ayoob Group · Retired Police Captain · Expert Witness on use of force · Review date: October 31, 2026
Chris Raper — Retired North Carolina law enforcement (40+ years) · U.S. Air Force Security Police · NRA-certified Pistol, Rifle & Shotgun Instructor · NC DOJ-certified Concealed Carry Instructor · Founder, Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. (Elm City, NC, 2006)In addition to my own research and what my students bring into the Concealed Handgun Carry class every week, this guide was reviewed by Massad Ayoob of Massad Ayoob Group, whose opinion appears below. [Keep only if true — Chris: I handled the product(s) on this page myself. Details are in the test record at the end.] The method line at the end of the article says exactly how this guide was built.
Plenty of my students carry in the car. Sooner or later every one of them has to walk in somewhere the gun isn’t allowed, and the question after class is always the same: what do I do with it while I’m inside? The glove box is not the answer. A small keypad box like the GunVault MicroVault MV500 is one of the answers I walk them through.
It also fits a desk drawer or a briefcase, which is where GunVault pitches it.
My verdict: a thin, light keypad box for one compact pistol, with a key backup and a 9V battery you buy yourself. It keeps kids and quick hands out. It is not a vault, and nobody should treat it like one.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
Specs from the manufacturer listing · owner feedback summarized and labelled · hands-on test notes being added · How we review
GunVault MicroVault MV500 – Best Slim Keypad Pistol Safe For A Drawer Or Car
HIGHLIGHT:
A notebook-size keypad box, 2.25 inches thick and about 4 pounds, with a key as the fallback.
FIRST OPENING & BATTERY:
Read this part before the box shows up. GunVault says the 9V battery is not included, and the listing says you have to unlock it with the key first. So day one goes like this: open it with the key, put in a fresh battery, then set your code. Buy the battery when you buy the safe, or you’ll have a keypad that does nothing.
In the photos you can see the box closed with two keys on a ring and a fob lying beside it. Those keys matter more than usual on this one, because the key is your only way in when the battery is dead.
KEYPAD:
The top of the box carries four finger slots with a button in each. The close-up shows how deep those slots are cut. The seller calls it a “no-eyes” keypad, meaning you’re supposed to find the buttons by feel in the dark. That’s the right idea. Your hand lays across the top and each finger drops onto its own button.
GunVault says more than 12 million codes are possible. That number doesn’t impress me much. What I tell students is simple: don’t use a birthday or a house number, and don’t pick a pattern that wears the same two buttons shiny. The listing says nothing about a backlight or a lockout after wrong tries, so don’t count on either one.
LEARN & MUTE BUTTONS:
The close-up of the inside shows two small buttons marked Mute and Learn, sitting above the latch. GunVault’s listing says the learn buttons let you set your own code. It doesn’t spell out the steps, so keep the printed instructions with your safe paperwork.
The listing doesn’t mention the mute button at all. I’d expect it quiets the beeps, but check the manual before you trust that. In a bedroom, or in a car in a parking lot, a quiet box is worth having. You don’t need to announce what you’re putting away.
INSIDE ROOM:
GunVault lists the inside at 10.75 inches long, 6.5 inches wide and 2 inches tall, with a foam lining. Two inches is the number that matters. The top photo shows a compact pistol and two magazines laid flat in the foam, and that’s about the load this box is built for.
Some full-size pistols may go in. A pistol with a weapon light, a red dot or an extended magazine may not close. The foam takes up a little room, too. Lay your gun on the table with whatever you’d store with it, measure the tallest point, and leave yourself some margin before you order.
BUILD & STEEL:
GunVault lists the body as 20-gauge steel and the weight as 4 pounds. Twenty gauge is on the thin side for a steel box. That’s what keeps it light enough to ride in a bag, and it’s also why I won’t call it a security safe. The seller talks about tight fittings and a high-strength lock, but that’s the seller talking. No fire rating, water rating or third-party certification is listed.
Two of the photos make the point better than I can. One shows an MV500 with the front edge of the lid bent and torn back from the body. Another shows the side edge by the key lock with the seam bent out of line. I can’t tell you from a photo what was done to that box. I can tell you thin steel bends, and a man with a pry bar and a few minutes knows it.
So think of it as a lock against children, visitors and the quick grab. That’s the job it can do. Don’t put passports or papers in it expecting them to come through a fire.
MOUNTING & SECURITY CABLE:
The listing doesn’t mention mounting holes or a security cable for this model. In the photos, though, you can see one on a wooden table with a steel cable looped around it, and a shot of the open box shows the cable’s loop coming in through a slot along the edge, over the foam.
Since the listing doesn’t say a cable comes with it, plan on buying one if you want it tied down, and make sure it fits before you count on it. As an old lawman, my first thought on a 4-pound box is that it leaves under somebody’s arm. A cable around a seat bracket, a bed frame or a desk leg won’t stop bolt cutters. It does stop the grab-and-go, and that’s the kind of theft I saw most.
If you have children in the house, this part isn’t optional. North Carolina’s safe-storage law (G.S. 14-315.1) can put you in court if a child gets hold of a loaded gun you left within reach and something happens with it. Other states have their own versions.
SIZE CHECK & PLACEMENT:
GunVault lists the outside at 11 by 8.5 inches and 2.25 inches thick, about the size of a spiral notebook. From a low angle you can see how thin it sits on the floor. Another photo shows it tucked under a seat, and that’s the kind of spot this box was made for.
Wherever it goes, practice with it. I teach students to work a bedside or car box the same way they practice a draw: lights off, from where you’d really be sitting or lying, five times in a row. If you can’t put in the code smoothly by feel, the box is in the wrong spot. And if it rides in the car, check the rules for guns in vehicles where you live and where you’re headed.
WHAT TO CHECK BEFORE YOU BUY:
Where it earns its keep: It is well built and as easy to use as the larger GunVault models, a good quick-access option when space under a bed or in a vehicle is tight, and the brand has a long track record.
Where it falls short: Reliability can decline over time on a portion of units: the stored combination can be lost, the factory code may not work out of the box, and the unit can fail entirely after a few years.
Who it’s for: A trusted-brand quick-access safe for tight spaces if you are prepared to replace it every several years. Skip it if the safe must never lose its combination.
WHAT TO WATCH:
Three things. The 2-inch inside height limits what fits. The battery isn’t in the box, and the listing doesn’t describe a low-battery warning, so write the install date on the battery and test the code and the key on the first of every month. And the thin steel makes this a deterrent, not a barrier against tools.
One more: the seller says the MicroVault line also comes in a biometric style. This listing describes the keypad model, so check which option you’re clicking before you pay.
WHO SHOULD BUY IT:
Buy it if you want a thin keypad box for one compact pistol that can move between a desk drawer, a bag and a car, and you don’t mind buying a 9V and keeping track of a key. At the time of writing it sat in the $100 to $200 range. Skip it if you carry a full-size gun with a light or optic, you want fingerprint or touch-free entry, or you need fire protection or a box built to stand up to tools.
SPECS AT A GLANCE:
| Spec | What GunVault lists |
|---|---|
| Outside size | 11″ x 8.5″ x 2.25″ |
| Inside size | 10.75″ x 6.5″ x 2″ |
| Weight | 4 lb |
| Body | 20-gauge steel |
| Ways in | Programmable keypad with learn buttons, key backup |
| Codes | More than 12 million possible |
| Lining | Foam |
| Battery | 9V, not included (open with the key first) |
| Not listed | Fire rating, mounting holes, security cable, low-battery warning |
PROS & CONS:
Pros
- Thin and light enough for a drawer, a bag or under a seat
- Finger-slot keypad you can work by feel
- Key backup when the battery dies
- Foam lining and published inside dimensions
Cons
- 2-inch inside height rules out a lot of lights and optics
- 9V battery not included
- 20-gauge steel, with no mounting holes or cable listed
$139.99 on Amazon (as of Oct 31, 2026, 12:05 AM EDT – details)
Shopping small boxes? See my best small gun safe picks.
Hands-on test record
Protocol prepared for Chris. Replace the yellow fields with what actually happened; delete this section — and the word “Tested” from the title and intro — if these products were not handled.
| Who tested | Chris Raper, NRA-certified instructor |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 31, 2026 |
| Products on this page | GunVault MicroVault MV500 |
| Protocol (plan) | Install a 9V battery, set a code, cable the box inside a vehicle and in a drawer, then open it by keypad in the dark and by key with the battery removed; check which compact pistols close inside. |
| To measure | Record keypad open time, key open time with the battery removed, cable hold under a firm pull, and the largest compact pistol that fits in the 2.25-inch-thick box. |
| What failed or disappointed | |
| Photos from the tester | Our community |
GunVault MicroVault MV500 FAQ
What size handgun fits in the GunVault MicroVault MV500?
GunVault lists the inside at 10.75 by 6.5 by 2 inches. Many compact pistols fit, but a tall frame, a light or an optic may not. Measure your gun with its accessories on, leave room for the foam, and compare before you order.
Does the MV500 come with a battery?
No. The listing says the 9V battery is not included and that you have to unlock it with the key first. Buy a fresh 9V with the safe, install it after that first key opening, then test the keypad and the key.
Can the MV500 be mounted or cabled down?
The listing doesn’t mention mounting holes or a security cable for this model. The photos show one with a cable looped through it, so if you want it tied down, plan on buying a cable that fits.
What if the battery dies or I forget the code?
Use the key. Keep it away from the safe and out of children’s reach. If the code is lost, follow GunVault’s instructions or contact their support.
Does the MicroVault come in a biometric version?
The seller says MicroVaults come in keypad or biometric styles. This listing describes the keypad version, so check the option selector and title on the Amazon page before you buy.
Chris Raper
Chris Raper is the founder and lead reviewer of Conceal & Carry Network. A retired North Carolina law-enforcement officer with more than 40 years of service and a U.S. Air Force Security Police veteran, he founded Concealed Handgun Carry, Inc. in Elm City, NC in 2006 and has taught the state-approved NC Concealed Handgun Carry class there ever since. He is an NC Department of Justice certified Firearms Safety Instructor, an NRA Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun Instructor, an NRA Range Safety Officer and a graduate of Massad Ayoob's Lethal Force Institute. He reviews the carry guns, holsters, safes and sight tools his students ask about every week.