Truck guns?? THR'ers, I request thy divine insight...

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SpookyPistolero

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Hello all!

In other threads regarding a recent incident about a body-armored BG with an AK against a CHL holder trying to take him down, the idea of a good truck gun is being discussed. I have been considering this idea for a while now and have not come to any great conclusions.

For right now, I am not to concerned with exactly what rifle (or shotgun, I suppose) to try and take in the vehicle with me. I can think of several pieces that would serve well in this role, like a scout rifle, big-bore levergun, SKS, AK or 12 ga pump.

It seems that some of the details of maintaining a rifle in your vehicle are what trip me up. So here is a slew of questions that I hope some who either carry a rifle in their vehicle or have experience with the subject can answer:

a) How do you secure your weapon? How would you do so in an extended cab truck without an exterior, lockable tool hatch? How much do you depend on camouflage (like dirty clothes, bags, etc.) to hide the piece?

b) What sized cities do you live in? Does its size (and therefore probable increase in vehicle theft or break-in's) play a role for you?

c) Do you remove the weapon from your vehicle every time you get out, or do you just leave it there to face the temperature fluxes, moisture, etc.?

d) How do you justify the risk of a break-in and someone stealing it?

e) Out of curiosity, what rifle do you actually keep in your vehicle? And what load do you use for that weapon?

Whew, it feels great to get all these questions down in one place. This is stuff that I've been wondering about for a while now. I hope that I haven't asked too much at once.

Any other info you'd like to give or expand upon is very welcome. And for any Kentuckians, I am in Lexington, in case you have insights about this and knowing that specific info is helpful.

Thanks much!

-Spooky :)
 
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a) on floor covered by towel
b) Boise, Missoula, Vegas - It depends
c) Always present
d) Always lock my vehicle and try to park in decent, lighted areas
e) AK47 w/30 round mag +8 extra mags in tac bag

Used to carry only a .40 but decided to upgrade realizing all the crazies out there.
 
Bearing in mind that your truck gun may have to shoot through light cover (e.g. vehicle bodies, etc.), I'd suggest a rifle caliber, rather than a pistol caliber. 7.62x39, .30-30, etc. should do well for a minimum.

As for securing it, if you're prepared to spend the money, this is simultaneously very concealable, secure, and easily accessed. I'm saving up for one.
 
Preacherman,

Yea, making it a rifle caliber is one of the only things I had decided on quickly. If I needed a pistol caliber, I'd reach for my pistol.

That truckvault looks like a great idea and probably well worth the money.
 
A SKS or Enfield was/is the setup for me - not too worried about cost/value, accurate enough for their intended role, and not too EBR-looking.
 
For the truck, a Levergun such as a Marlin in .30-30, bought used for $150 or so, works great. It's more powerful and accurate than the SKS while being about the same price, if not cheaper, faster to use than a bolt gun, and since it looks like granddad's rifle, it is almost completely benign to look at. The Highway patrol will be much less likely to view you as some militia wacko if they find it behind the seat.

My own grandfather kept a Winchester 94 in .30-30 in a sling behind the seat of his 64 Ford Pickup. Of course, his main use was shooting rabid racoons, but that is how he carried it all the same.

Keep this in mind, though. A rifle or shotgun are difficult to deploy while seated in your vehicle. Unless the truck won't go, the best course of action is driving away. If your truck is incapacitated, then stepping out with a rifle can be justified, but remember that if you shoot anyone, you will have to face the consequences.

Ash
 
I keep a Mossberg 395 bolt action 12 guage in my truck.
Out here in the woods I have more trouble with coyotes and raccoons than bad guys.
00 buck for the coyotes and 1 1/4 ounce # 4s for the raccoons.
 
A Mosin Nagant is what is in the truck right now. I would also recomend a SKS
a. mine is in the back (under a locked shell) on a rifle rack, mounted and hidden under a 2 foot horizonal shelf at the front of the bed, and secured by a bungy. I can get it from the pass thru, and for sleeping in the bed it's perfect.
b. 50k population, but it rides back there on trips to So. Cal. also.
c. It lives in the back of the truck, but the pistol (Glock 23)under the seat goes in and out.
d. cost is <$100
c. Major rifle caliber, or 12 ga.
 
Some suggest a Mosin M44 in a Bianchi gunsock, as the rifle is about $65, and a couple of boxes of Czech Silvertip, with the mild steel core, is about $1.50 each from J&G Sales.A couple of cheap stripper clips from TAPCO, fiddled with, and waxed, 30 rounds placed in the handy dandy "came with the gun" ammo pouch, and you're ready to roll. Even put the pouch on a cheap belt, and sling it around you while running.
Why a bolt action? Well, it's A) cheap, yet fully functional, and B) I don't know of all that many gangbangers that would be really interested in one, if they were to break into your car/truck/SUV/tank/etc. It also mounts a permanantly attached bayonet, and you never know when a spear could be handy.....
The 7.62x54R is just about equivilent to 30-06, so imagine what that does to a bodyarmored gangbager....
Oh, yeah, get a recoil pad from Wally World.....imagine 30-06 in an M1 Carbine....
 
Well, I don't have a truck so I can't help with how, but I keep a Mini-14 in the trunk of my Jaguar. It's mounted in an out of the way spot, so I still have room for baggage. I only chose that because it was paid for and I don't shoot it much anymore anyway.

I carry M855 ammo in 4-20 rounders. I know M855 doesn't fragment as well but it does offer a lot better penetration of cover. I'm in and out of Dallas and Ft. Worth all the time, but there are not really any long gun restrictions where I live so I'm good there. I also travel for business and I'm on the road all over texas most weeks.

As for theft, it's in the trunk first of all, and under a dark fabric cover anyway, it's actually hard to see unless you know it's in there.

Of course the drawback is that if I ever need it, I have to fight my way to the trunk. But in a car it's the best I can manage.
 
b. 50k population, but it rides back there on trips to So. Cal. also.
Click to expand...

Don't get pulled over in CA with that in your truck.
From packing.org
Date updated: Thursday, March 11, 2004

If you do not have a Concealed Carry Permit issued by a California Sheriff or Law Enforcement Agency you can not transport a loaded firearm in a vehicle or on your person in California.

If you do not have a California CCW Permit the unloaded firearm must be in a locked box in the trunk or in a locked box (Not the glove box or console) inside the vehicle. If transporting a firearm in California it must be legal for you to possess that firearm under California Law.

California Defensive Spray Laws can be found in Penal Code SECTION 12401-12404 There may be local regulations that control sprays also.
Click to expand...

========================================================
In some of the previous truck gun threads I've seen alot of people living in more wild states (like AK) carry Enfields, would seem to be a good choice to me as a truck gun. Really, IMHO, any carbine in a rifle caliber that would be considered a beater rifle would be a good choice. If I carried a truck gun it'd probably be an SKS.
 
As much as I love the Mosin-Nagant, I think my upcoming SKS purchase will end up being my truck gun. I like the autoloaders and increased capacity over the M44. The yugo SKS also have the attached bayonet although it isn't as wicked looking as the M44's cruciform type.

As of right now, I'm only tooling around in my 97 GTI. There is room in the hatch for the rifle, but it takes too long to get around back or to crawl through the car to drop the back seat and grab the rifle. My Bronco has more room, but it also has a busted carb right now.

In the VW, I just use my carry weapon as my truck gun (FN Forty-Nine in .40)
In the Bronco its still the M44 but will probably be an SKS.

-edit- In the VW, the gun is on my hip for security. It goes with me unless prohibited by law. In th Bronco, the rifle is secured in a few rubber coated hooks (bent to form more of a U shape.) I also ran a long eye-bolt through the floor and have a long clasped padlock going through the trigger guard. This sits partially under the rear seat, but I can reach it from the drivers seat.
 
I recently purchased a Mod 94 win 20" in .357 and have loaded 180 gr XTP JHP in it. it now has the ballistics of a 30 30 and the same ammo as my GP100. i am extremely happy with it. very accurate with .38 and .357 i love it as my new truck gun.
 
Truck/car gun? Ideally if I'm in the car already, I can drive away or drive through the person creating an obstacle. ;) Otherwise I'm bailing out of the car ASAP and probably wouldn't have time to grab anything not already on my person or within immediate reach.

My state frowns upon having rifles/shotguns in areas accessible to drivers/passangers. State game law. NFA items are exempted, however, so maybe I'll stick a SBR in the seat beside me sometime. I definitely wouldn't leave it in the car, though, so I'd want to secure it somehow. And it'd come in with me when I got back home.
 
1. The utility of such things is dubious. In order to get them, you need to go to your truck, open your truck, access the weapon, load the weapon, close your truck, and run back to the scene of the fighting.

If its nearby, you're probably better off using your sidearm. If its far away, it will be over before you return.

Think about it for a moment...my PD carries shotguns in their cruisers. I cannot think of a single time when an officer observed a deadly-force situation and went back to his car to retrieve the shotty. It was either with him when it all went down, or it languished in the rack.

2. Another thing to consider, in this instance. The shooter was a crazy guy with a rifle, right? So, when you come running on-scene with a rifle, what's to stop your fellow CCW holders from popping you in the head? Gunfights are terribly confusing things, and the #1 point of confusion is who is the Bad Guy. Just a thought- as Mr. Murphy said, doing anything can get you killed, including doing nothing.

3. If you do this, please engineer a way to lock up the gun. Racks, seatvaults, something. Catching a guy breaking into your car is a heck of a lot more likely than being anywhere when a gunfight goes down. And it would truly suck to catch the guy just as he discovers the AK under the beach towel, you know?
 
I disagree about a truck gun being of dubious value on several accounts.

I keep a Winchester 94 carbine in my truck full time. I've shot 3 deer and 1 antelope that other drivers had hit on the road.

The guy in Texas did have time to hear the commotion and grab a gun from home then get to the scene, it was not over when he got there. Imagine if HE had had a long gun handy in his vehicle on the street, rather than having to run back home and upstairs to get a long gun when he realized what was happening? He used a pistol, and it didn't work out well for him. It was all he had available when he chose to become a participant.

This is the point of this whole concept. A gun in your vehicle is worlds better than one at home if you don't happen to be sitting in your gun room when attacked. I believe this is also a time when having a relatively innocuous looking gun is in your favor.

For me, accuracy, decisive power, and reliability are the top considerations in a truck gun. A scoped bolt gun ties for my choice with the Winchester carbine. Any ordinary deer rifle could have stopped the incident in Texas, and the big one in California.
 
a) I keep it behind the seat in the locked cab. If it had to be exposed I'd put some bags of laundry or something on it.

b) Mid-sized, surrounded by howling wilderness. Anchorage PD can sometimes be touchy, but the troopers aren't too concerned with a rifle behind the seat. They kind of expect it, in fact.

c) I leave it for short trips, take it in overnight. Rust has never been much of a problem since I started using CLP. It really helps resists ambient moisture in the cab.

d) If I'm worried about theft it takes two seconds to pop out the bolt, rendering the rifle useless to any thief without a bunch of spare bolts and headspace tools. In the case of M-N's, the bolts can be held in the fist with the short bolt handle sticking between the fingers to make a really mean steel knuckle. Plus, it's so weird looking most folks have no idea it goes with a rifle. It looks like an auto part.

e) My truck gun is currently a Mosin-Nagant M-38. I use S&B 180 grain SP's. I need something that can cover all the bases, from killing a wounded moose in a hurry to persuading Spenard yokels to take their attitudes elsewhere. I don't figure on shooting much of anything beyond fifty yards, so it's plenty accurate for its purpose.

I'm all for CCW, but frankly handguns are at best backup weapons. A nice truck rifle is an argument-ender. Kevler does nothing to stop rifle bullets, and they're accurate enough you can get yourself concealed and covered from a much safer distance before taking action. Plus, if you have to intervene to protect a third party they're pretty much the only way to go without risking shooting the person you're trying to save or someone else.
 
The posts from Beren, Coronach, Malamute and Cosmoline probably highlight my largest concerns. I understand that it is unlikely that I will ever actually be in a situation that will require the use of my handgun, let alone one where the handgun (assuming my skills are up to par) won't do the job. But I am not a big fan of playing life by the odds.

Up until now I have mostly felt that there is more liability to keeping a rifle in the truck than there is value in having it. But if it were needed in an incident resembling the one in Texas, there is not really any substitute. I have read also of other instances where, for example, students at a university had to run back to their cars to retrieve their weapons when a gunman started shooting on their campus, and successfully stopped him after returning. So overall, I think there is a possibility of having time to run back to my truck to get the weapon. The response would certainly be faster than the police.

I should note that for my purposes, it will be something to return to the truck to get, not to have with me for when I find trouble while I am in it (I'd be stomping the gas pretty hard). I go to college here in Kentucky, and therefore may not have my sidearm on my person when I need it.

I have also considered that police or another CCW holder would not know friend from foe is there were two armed men. But dealing with that is a risk I would be willing to take if it meant stopping many deaths.

I don't think I'm Rambo or John Wayne for those of you already looking down your noses at me, but I believe in being as prepared as a person can be. Prepared, not paranoid. But if it's possible, I will be part of the solution instead of part of the landscape, and certainly instead of someone who ditched out to save their hide instead of saving those of many others.

So overall, I'm looking for more how's and why's than for what's. I certainly wouldn't leave a firearm unsecured in my vehicle, and it wouldn't be to hard to come up with something safe and protective.

It may be unproductive to discuss this at all since it seems to largely be a moral decision you have to make individually. In the end, it will probably depend on how effectively I can engineer a semi moisture-proof and lockable storage device, that is unobtrusive to boot.

Thanks much for all the thoughts and replies! It's great to hear the different views.

-Spooky
 
I've not had problems with moisture and guns in a vehicle here in Wy, it's a very dry climate. If in a more humid environment I think a regular soft gun case, and your gun cleaned and oiled weekly or every two weeks should do for you. Remember to leave the chamber dry for quick use.

As someone mentioned, a bolt gun can be left ready to go(if legal to do so in your state) but the bolt with you and only a moment to insert the bolt and be ready. Just a thought.
 
Atc1Man--

Just to clarify on CA law: The section you're referring to regards firearms concealable on persons. Regarding long guns, this is what the CA DOJ website says:
----------
SHOTGUNS AND RIFLES

Nonconcealable firearms (rifles and shotguns) are not generally covered within the provisions of California Penal Code section 12025 and therefore are not required to be transported in a locked container. However, as with any firearm, nonconcealable firearms must be unloaded while they are being transported. A rifle or shotgun that is considered an assault weapon in California must be transported in accordance with Penal Code section 12026.1.
------------
PS -- I am not a lawyer. :)
 
so, in California, could one use an Enfield and just detach the magazine?

Could you place the magazine in the glovebox and the rifle in its storage case and still be legal should Eric Estrada pull you over ;)
 
In Texas it's legal to carry a loaded rifle or shotgun anywhere in your vehicle without a license.
Our concealed carry license is for handguns.
I usually have at least 2 pistols and a rifle in my cars and truck, 24/7.
If I need a gun having them all locked up in the safe at home wouldn't do me much good.

I don't have the kind of vehicles that tend to get ripped off so it doesn't worry me keeping the guns in the cars.
And I live out of town.

I've been carrying M1 Carbines for years but after that shooting the other day I may swap them out for something that will go through a vest.

I've got Limo tinting on one car and have a folding stock Carbine on the floor where I can reach it from the driver's seat.

My second car has a SKS in the trunk and a Carbine is hung behind the pickup truck seat.


BTW, when I first came to Texas in the mid 60s almost every pickup had a rifle or shotgun hanging in the back window.
The more we allow the anti gun liberals to neuter us, the worse gun crime becomes.
If that punk, the other day, had tried murdering people on the street years ago he would have probably been shot down in seconds by several Deer rifles.
 
A SKS or Enfield was/is the setup for me - not too worried about cost/value, accurate enough for their intended role, and not too EBR-looking.
Click to expand...
Both in my car trunk. Romanian SKS and Ishapore (.308) Enfield both in soft cases, both bandoleer-strippered to 100 rounds.

I'll be getting a truck next year. That will complicate things depending how I decide to set up the truck.

Rick
Phx, Az. 5th largest city
 
A couple of cheap stripper clips from TAPCO, fiddled with, and waxed,
Click to expand...

Amoredman, please elaborate. What do you do to your mosin stripper clips?
 
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