Do you bring a long gun when you travel?

[Warp]

I see that point (well, those 10 days will pass regardless of where you are...so considering really just the 1,000 mile journey)

And if those 10 days pass while I am at home, I have rifles there.

but the statistics folks also say that most accidents and general trouble happen within a few miles of your home.

Because you spend the majority of your time at or within a few miles of your home, I think.

Ok, but yes, that is mighty specific. You're envisioning one kind of trip where you work around the rifle, and can without too much trouble because you aren't doing any of the things that most folks do when traveling.

(Staying in hotels, etc., etc.) Your specifically chosen trip is almost tailor-made for accommodating having that long gun around. In order for 95% of other travelers to be in the same position, they'd have to radically alter/curtail their normal travel accommodations and itineraries to make happen the conveniences you're taking for granted.

It's a bit like the "well I might happen along a spot to stop and shoot" suggestion. If you've stacked the deck very heavily in favor of that (e.g.: locating shooting ranges along your route, traveling through BLM land --or-- staying only with relatives and not entering buildings out of sight of your car along the way) then it starts to be more reasonable.

As a simple matter of course for a gun owner on a normal trip, it would be quite the opposite: A hassle and bother to deal with, forcing extra care and adjustment of travel arrangements the only rationale for which would be the galactically, vanishingly, rare occurrence of a self-defense confrontation in which a rifle was accessible AND the only sufficient tool.

I guess I'm just fortunate, for now, in how easy it is to bring a long gun along.

Although much of my somewhat-recent travel didn't fit that description exactly either, and I still brought a long gun...but it was just a Remington 870, not an accessorized AR, and I was certainly happy to have it in our rented domicile for the week considering the local bear presence. (Rockies, Tetons, Rockies again)

Didn't bring a shotgun to Alaska though. Had too many checked bags already. Settled for a .44mag to supplement the .45 on that trip.

 

[taliv]

i disagree with the 'odds' part of the conversation. sure the 'odds' of me needing a handgun in some small altercation are pretty dang small, but the impact justifies carrying one.

where the arguments get sketchy is estimating the odds of a large scale event (where you might theoretically want a rifle) in the same way you figure the odds of getting robbed. I don't think getting robbed for example is "inevitable, just a question of when". I do think anyone capable of doing basic arithmetic operations on 9 digit numbers, or anyone with a passing knowledge of history could tell you large scale social upheaval is inevitable. maybe not tomorrow, but we seem ripe for it, and all kinds of little random events could trigger it.

but i also keep the rifle like mistwolf, for opportunistic plinking. i have friends who like to shoot all over the country and i never know if we might get some free time to hit their local favorite shooting spots.

 

[taliv]

Again, why NOT carry the defibrillator, epi pen, fire extinguisher, tourniquet, and life jacket?

sam, i'm kinda surprised you don't carry some of this stuff. i don't have a defibrillator because they're expensive, or the life jacket because if i'm going to be on the water, there will be one in the boat waiting for me. but the rest of that stuff, and much more, of course i carry.

 

[45_auto]

MIGHTY specific? It's called driving across the country to visit family. Doesn't seem so super specific to me?

Driving across the country without staying in a hotel, visiting anything, or stopping anywhere that requires you to have your car out of your sight?

Yeah, I'd say that's mighty super specific.

 

[Warp]

I missed the fire extinguisher and tourniquet part. Yes, I carry those. The fire extinguishers are in each vehicle. The CAT's and israeli bandages and similar are in the first aid bag, which ride in my GHB/BOB.

A defibrillator is a bit expensive for me, but odds there are extremely low, and many places where activities might increase the chances of needing one will have one. The much less expensive CPR courses and 'CPR mask' will have to do for now.

The epi pen requires a prescription last I checked. I've asked my doctor for them before, and been granted. Those Rockies and Tetons trips I mentioned had us backpacking overnight, and I took an epi pen on all of those trips. They are now expired though and I haven't asked my doc for more scripts.

The life jacket...doesn't seem like a serious question there.

 

[Sam1911]

Again, I am not bashing anyone for bringing along a rifle (or shotgun) just working through the realities, perceptions, and logic of it.

I still hear frequently about how we've got pistols to "fight back to the rifles we never should have set down," or similar statements, and it jars me to try and reconcile that kind of "thou shalt have a long gun" thinking with the reality of life as it seems to happen for most people.

Between kids and wife and luggage, and the sorts of things we do when we're on the road, man...I REALLY don't want to have to deal with a long gun. I'm gonna spend a great deal of the trip wishing it was locked up back home rather than taking up space in the vehicle, sitting in the hotel room, locked in the car in a parking lot somewhere, getting pawed over by a police officer who doesn't quite cotton to the idea of folks travelling "so heavily armed" in "his" town, etc., etc. All negatives which can be worked with or around, but real or potential frictions all the same.

And yet I sort of feel like I'm "supposed" to anyway. Hey, I'm an aware, defensive-minded person with a lot to protect. Should I just suck it up and deal so I am supremely armed at all times?

What are the odds? What are the stakes? Heck, if we were all actuaries, none of us would probably carry a gun at all...

 

[Warp]

Driving across the country without staying in a hotel, visiting anything, or stopping anywhere that requires you to have your car out of your sight?

Yeah, I'd say that's mighty super specific.

I guess for some people it might be.

We start at our house, we drive to a family member's house.

We stop for food and for gas and sometimes at a retail location of opportunity.

We aren't going to park the car and just leave it with the dogs, the computers, the cameras, our clothing, our young child's supplies, etc, vulnerable.

Plus we don't really have the time to spare to go out sightseeing when we have 700+ miles to go in a day. I really don't see how it's so mighty super specific, but okay.

 

[45_auto]

Those Rockies and Tetons trips I mentioned had us backpacking overnight

Backpacking overnight in sight of your car?

Why do you need a backpack?

 

[Sam1911]

sam, i'm kinda surprised you don't carry some of this stuff. i don't have a defibrillator because they're expensive, or the life jacket because if i'm going to be on the water, there will be one in the boat waiting for me. but the rest of that stuff, and much more, of course i carry.

I missed the fire extinguisher and tourniquet part. Yes, I carry those. The fire extinguishers are in each vehicle. The CAT's and israeli bandages and similar are in the first aid bag, which ride in my GHB/BOB.

Ahhh, I hesitated to include some of those because I figured that some would indeed carry at least a few of those items. And, yeah, I do myself ... those that have direct relevance to risks we accept as likely. But ANY of those -- and I'll contend, even the life preserver ... is more likely to be necessary on a trip than a rifle.*

(* -- A rifle, as supplemental to and required above a sidearm that I assume is carried regardless.)

 

[Warp]

Since we seem to be going down this road, after asking about fire extinguishers and tourniquets and the like...here is a copy/paste from the last time I typed out the contents of the storage container I keep in the back of the car

(the list does not include the GHB/BOB, or the console or glovebox or seatback pockets)

-6 gallons water container
-Tire slime compressor/tie sealant combo
-JNC660, 1700 peak amp jump starter/12v power source
-20', 4 gauge, heavy duty jumper cables
-Auto fire extinguisher
-1 gallon antifreeze
-3", 30', 30k lb rated recovery strap
-Hitch for D-ring shackle
-2x 4.75T D-rings
-6x 30 minute Orion road flares, MFG. Feb 2011
-Drop cloths in 4x10 and 8x12
-Assorted bungee cords
-Trailer hitch w/ball
-Windshield wiper blade
-1 pair work gloves
-Ice scraper
-2x shop rags
-Medium funnel
-Spout for my Scepter MFCs
-1qt Royal Purple synthetic motor oil
-Serpentine belt (OEM, taken off vehicle, still in great condition)
-GearWrench ratcheting wrench serpentine belt tool
-Screwdriver/monkey wrench/fixed blade knife
-Radiator hose repair kit
-Heater hose repair kit
-150 pc automotive fuse kit
-Full roll of duct tape (Gorilla tape)
-Adapter for 7 pin - 4 flat for trailering
-Yellow reflective safety vest
-3x 2,400 calorie ER emergency ration bars
-Pair of kaki cargo pants
-Brown gun belt
-2x cotton T-shirts
-Hooded sweatshirt
-Columbia waterproof/breathable rain jacket
-Poncho
-Warm/thick vest
-Baseball cap
-Tennis shoes
-5.11 HRT boots


Edit: It all fits in one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I1BU6E/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Warp]

Backpacking overnight in sight of your car?

Why do you need a backpack?

Different long gun, different trips.

I had (and have) no problem leaving the 870 in the cabin while we go backpacking.

If you don't think it is safe to leave a shotgun in your cabin while you go hiking in Colorado or Wyoming or wherever...leave it at home

 

[Sam1911]

That is an awesome list. Nearly complete, I'd say! ()

I think most folks, even gunny folks who say they travel with four firearms (as some here have contended) don't carry more than a spare tire along, and that's just because the manufacturer bolted it to the car for them. That's perhaps not very responsible, but does the balance of personal responsibility really fall all the way out at the other end, of having a secondary, medium-range weapon with you while going to grandma's house?

Obviously a personal question each must answer. For me, I can't make the benefits add up.

...

Edit: And again, wilderness travel, camping, etc. -- all that totally skews the balance toward "Yes!" in my mind. Very reasonable to think that the very unlikely event of trouble might reasonably involve some longer ranges and higher power than provided by a service or compact sidearm when you're in the woods and mountains.

 

[MistWolf]

...i have friends who like to shoot all over the country and i never know if we might get some free time to hit their local favorite shooting spots.

This is a point I was going to make. In the last few years, I've done quite a bit of travelling, going from one contract to another. I've always taken a few firearms, including rifles to stop off to see friends, several I've made on the internet, just so we could go shooting. To me, it's the most natural thing in the world.

I don't have to contrive a reason to travel through the back country, it's just something I've always done. When we lived in Tusayan, the little village right outside of the entrance to the Grand Canyon, travelling the back country was almost a daily event. We didn't go anywhere without sleeping bags, first aid kits, recovery gear, jumper cables extra water etc. as you never knew when something might happen. I still keep that kind of gear in my Crown Vic although I rarely take it very far off road.

I also travel with other stuff because of it's potential entertainment value

 

[LaVere]

I was thinking an AR15 pistol might work out well. I would fit well into small suit case or other case. Lots of power. Large round magazines in most states. At lease in Mich I can carry it as a pistol.
What do you think?

 

[Warp]

I was thinking an AR15 pistol might work out well. I would fit well into small suit case or other case. Lots of power. Large round magazines in most states. At lease in Mich I can carry it as a pistol.
What do you think?

Can you shoot it more effectively than a 'regular' pistol?

Would it be supplemental to a 'regular' pistol carried on your person?

 

[Malamute]

Folks can rationalize the answer either way to suit their circumstances, feel free to make your own choice, but the size doesn't have to be an issue. I took a beater model 12 Winchester and cut it to 20", had sights and sling installed, and had a case made when taken down. It isn't a pain to take into rooms, I lay it on top of my black overnight duffel and it pretty much disappears when carrying it.

I always have a rifle in my truck, the shotgun is just handier when travelling to take in and out of rooms. Not being much of a shotgun fan for much of anything, I'd happily use a takedown Winchester 94 as a travel gun. I'm trying to figure out a decent way to make a folding stock for a 94.

 

[Teachu2]

Nope - we travel on Harleys.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

JMO but the risks far outweigh the benefits for me

 

[Trent]

What I packed for our last family vacation. Driving 1200 miles w/ a trailer, so I had extra room.



"We are getting back home again. Period."

To me, peace of mind is being prepared for anything.

 

[Sam1911]

Malamute, your "beater" 12 has world-class wood on it! NICE!

 

[skiking]

I like the point that gun folk prepare for using their gun in self defense far more than they prepare or take precautions against far more likely threats, often health related but that is a different subject. I do carry a long gun when I travel. But the more important stuff is the spare parts I keep in my vehicle, tools, fluids, first aid kit, water and other stuff. Don't want to take the time to list it all. I have learned from experience, when a vehicle has 220k miles on it, stuff breaks or fails and it always does so at the worst time.

 

[Malamute]

Originally posted by Sam1911

Malamute, your "beater" 12 has world-class wood on it! NICE!

Thanks, I definitely lucked out on that aspect. It had lived a very hard life before I got it though, and some clod had allowed a screwdriver to slip in the slot for the stock and blew a chip out the side of that nice wood. One day I'll refinish it, should be nice, even with the chip.

 

[KingTiger]

Mini-30 with 3 - 20 round mags is always under my back seat.

Why?

The AR's wouldn't fit.

 

[Sam1911]

Mini-30 with 3 - 20 round mags is always under my back seat.

Cool! What do you use it for?

 

[blarby]

I generally bring a shotgun.

You can break most pumps down fairly small if you need to, or just remove the BBL if something a tad bigger than a cue case would work for ya.