Truck console safes gurus....step in

[MikeInOr]

If you are parked somewhere in public with a fair amount of traffic all you need to do is slow the perp down for 60 seconds and they will most likely be gone. Even a cheap bicycle chain lock through the trigger guard and around a seat post will spoil the smash and run guys.

If you leave your vehicle parked in a parking garage or on the street over night in a high crime area there isn't much that will stop practiced thieves.

I quickly stashed my LCP and pocket holster in my car once when I had to run into the post office.. it took me 3 months to find it again. And that was after tearing my car apart several times looking for it.

 

[Ignition Override]

The many Unlocked handguns in cars parked by Nashville hotels - especially hotels just west and north of Vanderbilt Univ - invited a huge ' break-into-car thrill" in that city starting last winter.

Hundreds of car break-ins have taken place by the cluster of hotels in that area of Nashville. Our Hampton Inn had three smashed windows in one night last February, on West End Ave.

Guess which type of car they tend to choose?
Pickup trucks , because guys who 'carry' handguns quite often drive them - and many of their guns are Unsecured. "I'm a free handgun - Named Sig-linda… and I'm Lonely in this Cold Truck!"

This is why they prefer breaking into personal trucks in Nashville more than a smallish Lexus sedan or Subaru Outback. Guys with handguns -supposedly- drive trucks/pickups much more often than women (with or without a gun).

We were told that by hotel security staff on West End Ave.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Guess which type of car they tend to choose?
Pickup trucks , because guys who 'carry' handguns quite often drive them - and many of their guns are Unsecured.

Skip to one minute in. Jason Bourne says: "The best place to look for a gun is in the cab of the gray truck outside."

 

[Ignition Override]

“Lockdown” at

lockdownvaults.com.

In my Subaru Outback console, for my Sig P225, CZ PCR or Walther P99. All are compact 9mm, and maybe a full-size handgun Also fits? Go find out.

i don't know the box’s dimensions.

The thin black cable easily goes to a seat frame.

 

[daniel craig]

I really have mixed feelings about all this. If my schedule involves going to a place where I can't carry I'll probably just leave the gun at home. My home is much less likely to get broken into than my car is.

 

[tazbigdog]

What about fold down back seats, mounting it on the wall?

 

[Otto]

When my truck was stolen, I was glad I didn’t donate a firearm to a felon.

 

[drobs]

I'm thinking about these guys.

https://www.consolevault.com/

$300 though.


For you guys that have this exact brand, other than the difficult lock, how good is it? How difficult was the install? How secure is it? (Can it just be ripped out of the console?) How is the fit and finish? Is it worth the $300?

I think a dremel tool would breach it pretty quickly. This review shows the install which is pretty similar to how I installed it in my 4Runner.
https://www.offgridweb.com/transportation/review-console-vault-vehicle-safe/

It should prevent smash and grab though.

 

[Will Munny]

I think a dremel tool would breach it pretty quickly. This review shows the install which is pretty similar to how I installed it in my 4Runner.
https://www.offgridweb.com/transportation/review-console-vault-vehicle-safe/

It should prevent smash and grab though.

Frankly I would argue one should not be frequenting the type of places where people are wandering about with tools for the explicit purpose of breaking into vehicles.
In all realism, probabally 90%+ of vehicle break-ins involve one or more of the following.

1. Vehicle not locked
2. Items visible in plain sight through a window
3. Items seen being put into vehicle
4. Vehicle parked overnight in a very bad part of town that you probabally should not have been in anyway

I once left a car parked for a month with the keys in the cup holder. No one took it. Luck? Maybe. Or just that criminals go for the low hanging fruit, and rather than install a portable Fort Knox for your firearms just hiding them out of sight in a locked trunk will work 99% of the time.

 

[drobs]

Not that I would but I could:

 

[Ignition Override]

Will Munny: maybe so. That seems reasonable.

But in Nashville and probably other cities, handgun owners / “carriers” —in criminals’ eyes— very Often drive pickup trucks.

Hotel security guys in Nashville told me so.

Maybe they are mistaken and most male gun owners drive cars such as Camrys, Kias and Teslas?

 

[Will Munny]

Will Munny: maybe so. That seems reasonable.

But in Nashville and probably other cities, handgun owners / “carriers” —in criminals’ eyes— very Often drive pickup trucks.

Hotel security guys in Nashville told me so.

Maybe they are mistaken and most male gun owners drive cars such as Camrys, Kias and Teslas?

All the more reason not to drive a pickup. Why does someone living in Nashville need to drive a pickup anyway? A few might actually be engaged in some kind of work where they need a truck, but like everywhere else in the country the vast majority are town trucks that go from the garage to the Walmart and just waste gas along the way.

 

[Ignition Override]

Will Munny: Hundreds of cars parked at hotels in the area near Vanderbilt U. were burglarized last winter-spring.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn on West End Ave, and in One night, three cars at our hotel had windows smashed.

Most cars at these hotels were probably from other cities and states.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

All the more reason not to drive a pickup. Why does someone living in Nashville need to drive a pickup anyway? A few might actually be engaged in some kind of work where they need a truck, but like everywhere else in the country the vast majority are town trucks that go from the garage to the Walmart and just waste gas along the way.

Why does someone need a gun?

 

[D.B. Cooper]

All the more reason not to drive a pickup.

This speaks to a larger issue. I've heard of people who are so dedicated (some might say obsessed) to the armed lifestyle that they severely curtail their activities and associations with certain people because it would require them to be disarmed for a few hours. This behavior doesn't really hurt anyone, other than perhaps themselves, so it's nothing to be really concerned about, but I'm not going to sacrifice a key part of my lifestyle (my truck) simply because I cannot hide a gun inside it.

Why does someone living in Nashville need to drive a pickup anyway? A few might actually be engaged in some kind of work where they need a truck, but like everywhere else in the country the vast majority are town trucks that go from the garage to the Walmart and just waste gas along the way.

I'm going to be as polite as I can here. You really have no right to even ask that question. I live in a city about 1/3 the population and about 3x the land area of Nashville. My F150 is my daily driver. Could I get around in a Prius? Mostly. Until it snows a lot. Then I'm stuck-literally. But the only reason I daily drive my truck to work is so that, in spring I can haul fertilizer and compost for my garden, so that, in summer I can haul fishing nets and coolers to the river, so that in fall I can tow my side by side (I bet you think I shouldn't have one of those either) to hunt, so that I can haul firewood for the winter, lumber to build/repair my cabin, tools, cement, etc etc etc. Yet. I live in a city. Should I be required to own TWO vehicles? Who are you to make that decision for me? If I want to "waste gas" driving my truck to the store (I haven't shopped at or spent a dime in Wal Mart in about 15 years), and if I can afford the gas, what's the problem? It's a free market economy; I can choose how to spend my time and resources.

I find it quite odd that, on a website/forum dedicated to defending and preserving an individual right (the 2nd Amendment) you would suggest that someone should not be allowed to exercise their rights because you don't see a "need" for them to have that right. Your statement is analogous to, and equally as ignorant as, someone saying "I support the 2nd Amendment, but no one needs an AR15, and since I don't own one, I'll go along with banning them."

 

[drobs]

When parking at a hotel, I find it's best to get as close to the front door as possible. That's where all the lights and cameras are at.

I recently bought up a 2019 Ford F150 FX4 Platinum pickup. Wow it is nice heated steering wheeling, heated and cooled massaging seats, locking rear differential that works in 2wd and 4wd. I love that 35 gallon gas tank!!! Pickup trucks sure are handy both out in the sticks and in the city. My uses are similar to D.B. Cooper - mud and blood. Soil in the spring and dead bloody deer in the winter. I will probably add a winch to mine so I can help others that are stuck and not need to rely on my Jeep Wrangler all the time.

Gratuitous pickup picture:


Looking at how the Console Vault and FAS1 mount in the F150, neither are ideal. Both are mounted to the plastic in the center console. Pretty sure a crowbar could pry both out. I don't mean to dog the FAS1 safe but it would be easier to get leverage on a smaller safe that doesn't take up the whole console box. I can think of some ways to make that more difficult though. A plate of steel could be under the plastic of the console box. It would act as big washer.

The console vault in my 2019 4Runer uses the bolt holes that mount the console to body / floor of the vehicle.

 

[drobs]

Another option to prevent / significantly slow smash and grab is... aftermarket window tint (security film).

 

[drobs]

I like Land Rover's solution:





Before buying my Jeep Wrangler, I was kind of shopping 110 Land Rovers. I like that you can mount Riot Protection shields to all the windows. Great for passing through protests.

 

[Will Munny]

Why does someone need a gun?

For various reasons, principally self defense.

 

[Will Munny]

This speaks to a larger issue. I've heard of people who are so dedicated (some might say obsessed) to the armed lifestyle that they severely curtail their activities and associations with certain people because it would require them to be disarmed for a few hours. This behavior doesn't really hurt anyone, other than perhaps themselves, so it's nothing to be really concerned about, but I'm not going to sacrifice a key part of my lifestyle (my truck) simply because I cannot hide a gun inside it.

I'm going to be as polite as I can here. You really have no right to even ask that question. I live in a city about 1/3 the population and about 3x the land area of Nashville. My F150 is my daily driver. Could I get around in a Prius? Mostly. Until it snows a lot. Then I'm stuck-literally. But the only reason I daily drive my truck to work is so that, in spring I can haul fertilizer and compost for my garden, so that, in summer I can haul fishing nets and coolers to the river, so that in fall I can tow my side by side (I bet you think I shouldn't have one of those either) to hunt, so that I can haul firewood for the winter, lumber to build/repair my cabin, tools, cement, etc etc etc. Yet. I live in a city. Should I be required to own TWO vehicles? Who are you to make that decision for me? If I want to "waste gas" driving my truck to the store (I haven't shopped at or spent a dime in Wal Mart in about 15 years), and if I can afford the gas, what's the problem? It's a free market economy; I can choose how to spend my time and resources.

I find it quite odd that, on a website/forum dedicated to defending and preserving an individual right (the 2nd Amendment) you would suggest that someone should not be allowed to exercise their rights because you don't see a "need" for them to have that right. Your statement is analogous to, and equally as ignorant as, someone saying "I support the 2nd Amendment, but no one needs an AR15, and since I don't own one, I'll go along with banning them."

This entire thing is so full of fallacies I don't even know where to begin.

You really have no right to even ask that question.—Defensive much? The mere fact that someone asks why you need a truck and your response is that they have no right to ask?

Until it snows a lot. Then I'm stuck-literally.—This particular argument I see again and again and I find it hilarious. I've spent years driving in brutal northern climates with a FWD sedan, the only people that are immobilized by a few inches of snow are those that can't drive to save their souls.

It's a free market economy—False. The US is not a "free market economy" and has never been one in our lifetimes. The fact that Trucks and SUVs are so widespread in the first place is an artifact of government CAFE regulations.

you would suggest that someone should not be allowed to exercise their rights because you don't see a "need" for them to have that right.—And here we have the straw-man logical fallacy, along with some others. First, I never said anyone should not be "allowed" to exercise their rights, I merely pointed out that a pickup truck makes a poor choice for a vehicle in urban/suburban areas, which most of the country actually lives in. Despite what the Ford Ads tell you, more Americans live in an apartment than on a ranch. Second, firearms and vehicles are not entitled to the same protections. The 2A is a constitutional amendment which explicitly guarantees a right. By contrast, the right to drive a vehicle on public roads is not a right, it is a privilege, and is subject to a great deal of regulation as such. So there is no possibility of direct comparison. And third, even at that, I don't object to people's "right" to buy a pickup but I do object to the regulatory structure that biased America in favor of them because it was bad public policy, and I also maintain that while people should be able to make that choice it is a poor choice for most of them.

All of this is to say that for those who want to store/transport firearms a truck is not the best option, and in choosing a vehicle you might want to seriously ask yourself how much you are driving to Walmart versus the snow capped peaks that are in the commercials on TV.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

I just realized. I've been trolled. I feel like one of them there Bass floppin' around in the bottom of a boat.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Before buying my Jeep Wrangler, I was kind of shopping 110 Land Rovers. I like that you can mount Riot Protection shields to all the windows. Great for passing through protests.

You could always buy some 18x24 AR500 targets form TargetsUSA and weld them to your doors.

 

[drobs]

You could always buy some 18x24 AR500 targets form TargetsUSA and weld them to your doors.

I'm on a couple vehicle forums and there is always some guy pulling all the carpeting and seats out of their vehicle so they can redo the sound deadening material for their stereo system. Level 2 Kevlar is available by the sheet. I imagine that light weight Chinese level 4 plate armor would also work.

Neatest Armored vehicle I saw while in Iraq, at the end of the war, was this Armored Excursion:


I road in an Armored Ford F350 similar to the below (minus the turret) to and from the airport a couple times while in Iraq. I was drinking buddies with the security contractors and they handed me a full auto Serbian M92 AK for the trip.

 

[FAS1]

Looking at how the Console Vault and FAS1 mount in the F150, neither are ideal. Both are mounted to the plastic in the center console. Pretty sure a crowbar could pry both out. I don't mean to dog the FAS1 safe but it would be easier to get leverage on a smaller safe that doesn't take up the whole console box. I can think of some ways to make that more difficult though. A plate of steel could be under the plastic of the console box. It would act as big washer.

I would just say that prying on the console vault is not the easiest or quickest way to defeat it. The FAS1 is 7GA steel and the box itself is very strong. Of course if you only decide to secure it to the plastic of the console that's on you. That's why it takes some effort to see how it can be secured to the floorboard either with bolts (if possible) or like I mentioned earlier to fabricate a bracket for your application. They aren't made specifically for any vehicle, but if you can install it properly, it's one of the strongest options and the thickest steel available in a handgun safe.

 

[SwampWolf]

Why does someone need a gun?

Hopefully, you'll never find out.