I got my hands on a Steelhead Drifter 1 pistol lock box and I’m pretty excited about it. This is a first look at a box I think will deliver!
With the holidays right around the corner, I wanted to tease this unit in case it would appeal to a special someone in your life.
Steelhead Outdoors is a manufacturer of American-made high quality lock boxes and safes. I previously reviewed their Large HD Pistol Box and love it. I have been using the Large HD box for a couple of years to store my EDC and looking at the Drifter 1, I can see it’s made with the same level of care and quality.
This first glance is not after using the box for a long while but just dipping my toe into it — or pistol, you know what I mean. Most of what I talk about is going to be in comparison to the Large HD box.
One of the things that is really abundantly clear when looking at the Steelhead boxes is that they are engineered. What do I mean by that? Well, I don’t want to say they are “over engineered,” because I feel their stout status is exactly what you want with a lock box for a firearm.
Both the Large HD and the Drifter 1 are made of 12-gauge steel. You could probably launch one of these boxes to the moon and back and it would survive. Some might say this is an overkill; I say this is a desired feature — It weighs five pounds.
Who is the Drifter 1 for? Anyone that wants to store a firearm securely — a firearm. There are some caveats here. This is a keyed lock box. This is not a quick-access solution, but rather a secured solution. If you’re interested in quick-access lock boxes, Steelhead has their Fast Access pistol lock box and it’s equipped with a simplex-style mechanical lock. But if you’re good with the capabilities of a keyed box, carry on. If you want fast access, this is probably not your solution.
The Drifter 1 is almost a smaller and junior version of the HD boxes. If the Large HD is a doublewide trailer, the Drifter 1 is a singlewide, maybe a travel trailer. I was able to fit my Glock 17 in the box, without an issue. Alternatively, I was also able to fit my Beretta 92FS in the box, without an issue.
Do understand that “without an issue” means they fit. There was not much room for error or any extra space. Could you put a magazine in there with the pistol? Sure. But don’t expect to cram a bunch of accessories in there with a full-sized firearm. The box’s dimensions are: 6.5 inches wide, 10 inches long, and 3 inches high.
The lock and key combination are anti-pick. The lowered and raised areas on the keys make for a mating surface with the warding of the lock. These are proprietary lock and key combinations and not something you can easily duplicate. Can the Lockpicking Lawyer get into the box? Maybe. But he’s also like the Houdini of lock penetration.
For anchoring the box, there’s an optional nylon coated steel cable. Think bike cable, but only beefier. Much beefier. The cable has a swage on one end and a thimble on the other. It’s designed to loop around something sturdy in a cow hitch style. The swaged end is placed in a cutout in the box/lid combination. When closed, the cable is secured. Perfect for tethering to a car’s seat or other sturdy anchor point.
On the underside of the box, there’s four holes. The holes are suitable for mounting hardware if you’re looking to place the box in a more permanent location.
Hinges on the box are all steel and the hinge pins are fully enclosed. Can you cut them off? Maybe. But you better pack your lunch. Most any locking device can be overcome with the right power tools. The Drifter 1, much like the Large HD, does not seem like it’s easy to penetrate from the hinge side.
To help facilitate the box as an anti-pry design, the lid will close a half inch past the body of the box. In contrast to the Large HD box, there’s no internal flange for the lid and box bottom to meet even. Rather the bottom nests into the box top when closed.
With there being no internal flange, that would cut down on both manufacturing costs as well as material costs. The internal flange on the Large HD box is stitch welded across several areas of it, and that kind of work ends up affecting the bottom line in fabrication costs. With the close contact half-inch overlap, it’s safe to consider this box anti-pry.
For me, this box is going to be more than acceptable for use to put up my everyday carry. It’s smaller and lighter than the Large HD box, so I’m also going to be more likely to use it when traveling — even by air, as it’s listed as TSA compliant.
Considering my experiences with the larger cousin of the Drifter 1, the Large HD, I can confidently say that if you’re in the market for this kind of storage device, it might be for you. Worried about breaking the bank? The box clocks in just under one Benny, at $99.00. For an all-metal American-made box, I’d say that’s a steel — er steal.
For more information about the Drifter 1 by Steelhead Outdoors, check them out online HERE. Alternatively, letters to Santa might be in order.
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