Rifle in car...be honest

Most of us carry concealed handguns, but since a handgun really cant get it done under "some" conditions, does anyone keep a rifle in their vehicle??

I'm talking as you go about your daily activities, not at the deer lease or workin on your farm.

Unless your like the D.A. who was in line next to me at the gun show, who told me he could make a 140 yard shot with his hand gun....I asked him, "a first round hit on an armed bad guy??" he got quiet

I'm worried about someone steeling my firearms. I personally never leave any type of weapon in my vehicle.

I understand what you mean, I would love to have more ammo/range that a rifle can offer. But until I build a safe in my car I will leave my rifles at home. My truck has been broken into too many times...

That's how I feel as well. Short of trips to the lease and shooting range, I only carry a concealed handgun when traveling. And whenever one of my vehicles is parked outside the garage, the guns are in the house.

I do sometimes.

I do occasionally but if I had to get to it quick could be an issue. Slides way up under rear seat and hides really well.

Only times is on the way to range or to hunt

I've thought about buying a mini Draco and SBR'n it so it could fit in my console of my truck. But too scared about someone stealing it. Especially after my storage unit got robbed I'm real sensitive to that crap right now lol.

All the time

that's my concern. I hate leaving a gun in the truck

So what's the law on that. Can I drive around with a loaded AR in the front seat? Never even considered it bc I've never intended to do it except for while hinting

I never leave a firearm in a vehicle if I can help it, especially not overnight. To answer the topic question, no I have never felt the need to carry a rifle around in my vehicle on any kind of ongoing basis.

Trips to the shooting range or the hunting camp, well that's another story.

Perfectly legal just like walking around with one strapped to your back in public in Texas

good to know

Would probably make sure your hands are very visible if pulled over though lol

first thing I do is turn on all the interior lights and roll all windows down then hand them my drivers and CHL. Ever since I started doing that always end up with a warning. If I had an AR out if def let him know right away.

Sitting in the middle console gets you some funny looks at drive thrus

I've wanted to fashion some kind of Velcro holding system for my SBR under my back seat of my truck while the seat is down you'd never know it was there and quick access just pop the seat up and unstrap it. But losing an NFA item probably is frowned upon by the ATF I'm guessing. So that's out lol. Maybe get me a little 7.5" pistol with a "pistol brace" that way even if it got taken it wouldn't be an NFA item. No stolen gun is a good stolen gun obviously but would rather a beater pistol than an NFA item.

I've been saying I'm going to start keeping an AR in the truck with me at all times, and I think now be the time to start. If there's going to be fun-n-games with the scum our sorry excuse for a POTUS refuses to turn away from the borders, I would rather have a rifle and thirty rounds than just a pistol and spare mag---which I always have anyway.

16" AR carbine lives under my back seat, with a 1-6X on top. Told several officers in my city about it, and they said get to it, when needed.

10 round Mag in it, four 30's with it. I expect a fire station to get attempted. I hope it's mine, and I get to my truck. Treat the basta*ds like feral hogs.

I keep an old beater 22 in my truck at all times. Hell, if someone stole it, they'd be doing me a favor!!! It really aint that bad but it is there all the time

They won't try the FS, they will need you fr when they get shot. More likely to hit the police station. Aren't y'alls FS secure though?

I'm heading to Goldthwaite tomorrow to go fishing I think I'll tote my 6.8 SBR in the front seat just for the heck of it

Goes against every Dept of Homeland Security class I've ever taken. We are targets, same as y'all. Some stations have fenced lots, some don't.

I guess those classes are written for the target audience

243 AR in my truck all the time with a 10 and 5 rd mag and plenty of ammo. Colt 1911 holstered under the seat in my other truck.

There's been FD held hostage years after those classes. So it turns out they were correct.

My in the vehicle protection:

I used to keep mine riding up front when I was guiding. If you're scared of it getting stolen you could get a real long cable lock and run it through the trigger guard and around a seat mount to where you could still even shoulder it standing right by the truck if needed, or take a few seconds and unlock it if you need to move with it...

I see what you did there. Clever.

I keep a carbine length AR next to the center console on pax side of truck once I hit dirt roads and then it gets put back in the case after my trip. But that is primarily for seeing a target of opportunity in my travels. My pistol is always in easy reach for defensive purposes.

Yes. Religiously these days.

If I could figure out how to really secure it without making it hugely hard to get to, one would be in there all the time.

That is a pretty decent idea sir .

I keep a .22 in my truck most of the time.

During deer season I'll keep a .30-30 under the back seat

Just for my own curiosity: what type of situation would you be in where you need to shoot someone that far away? If you're in your truck or car, you can drive away. And if you're too far away for a handgun, you'd have a tough time convincing a jury that you felt an imminent threat for your life.

So, if you have a rifle in your vehicle you shouldn't use it in case of a gunfight? You are going with a handgun instead so the jury won't be mad at you?

No, I'm going with a handgun because I don't have to leave it in the car and risk losing it if a thief shows up.

It's much, much, much more likely that a thief steals a gun you leave in the car than you end up using a gun that never leaves your car to successfully defend your life.

My pistol is only for fighting my way to my rifle.

Say you're on a major highway during rush hour, and the cretins park their cars in tandem to create what would essentially be a parking lot. Then they just walk down between the cars and start blasting the innocent occupants. I'd rather shoot at them when they're beyond pistol range.

When was the last time that happened?

Supposedly a similar scenario was being planned by terrorists in California a while back.

Rifle in truck, yes. I won't argue against having one in the truck.
Practical wisdom might argue against grabbing a rifle for a defensive encounter if you are in town. Getting into your vehicle, grabbing rifle, and getting onto a target would take just as much time as it would to just get in the vehicle and vacate the area. This is a whole different scenario if you are a first responder of some sort.
A vehicle with a visible AR in it would be a definite target for thieves and personal injury lawyers. A Ruger mini 14/30 is a viable truck rifle that is less likely to get you sued if you are forced to use it in town or it gets stolen and used in a crime.

Still seems extremely unlikely that it would happen and infinitely less likely that I would be there for it.

Still - It's much, much, much more likely that a thief steals a gun you leave in the car than you end up using a gun that never leaves your car to successfully defend your life.

Agreed. But for regular folks, you're putting yourself at risk for no reason. Just drive away.

Victory loves preparedness.

When was the last time a Muzzie mass murdered people in a night club? Never has happened before, but is sure did a few days ago.

I want the high Mag capacity, and longer sight radius of a rifle.

Beat me to it, JG. If I just happen to find myself in/around a Muzzie attack, I would much rather have a rifle. Don't know if I could run away with people needing help. Just SHTF scenarios.

Pistol in the door, SBR or bolt gun in between the seat, shotgun under the back seat 24\7. Never had a problem. But I'm sure living in a town of 4500 is different than DFW area.

I have a Husky laptop bag that houses a Kel Tec Sub2000, modified to use CZ mags, a CZ75 clone, several magazines, and extra ammo that I generally take with me everywhere. It is doubly handy as I generally carry a CZ75 compact clone; so the magazines are interchangeable.

I hear what you're saying. But what I'm saying is that a rifle in the truck doesn't prepare you for any real scenario for self defense. You wouldn't have had it in the nightclub in Orlando, in the building at Virginia Tech, in the school at Sandy Hook, or anywhere else.

On the flip side, guns get stolen from cars ALL THE TIME. The risk isn't worth the reward, primarily because the possible reward really doesn't exist. I can't think of a single scenario that's actually happened where a rifle in your car would have saved you but a handgun on your person wouldn't have.

Back in the '80's and 90's when Suburbans dinnit have no overhead lights/sunglass/garage door remote holder yadda yadda crap above the front seat and behind the sun visors, you could buy an aftermarket color matched cloth covered panel that created a shelf all the way across the truck, that was held in place with little metal feet under the roof liner trim.

Perfect place for a flat sided 1911, a short barreled pump shotgun, snicker bars and peanut butter crackers...out of sight and out of mind and oh so very handy in those Pre CHL days for a travelling gun rep with a couple dozen soft cased long gun samples under the cargo areas 3/4" plywood covered shelf....I always had 20+ guns in the 'Burban.

As long as I parked the truck with the clam shell doors backed up to a solid wall or something similar, the old trick of pulling off the side window weather stripping to gain access inside the then vacant hole kept me from ever having a break in. FWIW the gun owning neighbors either side and across the street from me knew to "shoot" at car thieves on sight.

That front seat overhead shelf did make for some "spirited" conversations when the BH took my truck at the last minute to haul preteen soccer teams with instead of her lil Buick Station Wagon that always out of gas...and some other soccer mom rode along and Noticed!!! the Hidey Hole and felt around looking for candy bar's that were always stored there...and came up with my Lwt Commander that travelled cocked and locked when I forgot to pull my road toys out of the truck after a trip. That Shelf thingy was 98% invisible too from outside the vehicle's deep tinted windows.
Oh well that was then, back when life was Mo Simpler...
Ron

They couldn't possibly fly airliners into large building before and it would make no sense to have been prepared for it because that had never happened before. Right?

I guess you think you could have stopped 9/11 with a rifle in your car?

tap the breaks 07, no one is fighting over it. just answer the OP's question. Its cool if you don't want to , don't need a reason to carry one or not. you either do or don't.

no need to troll the thread

Technically I don't drive a car, I drive a pickup. I nearly always have a rifle in the truck because I live in a small town and shoot out at work on a very regular basis. Kind of funny though, for all the nice rifles I own, I don't own a single AR. I don't have anything against them, in fact I keep planning on buying one someday. But every time I get the money I find something else I want more. Normally I will have at minimum a bolt action 243 or 223, and may easily have multiple rifles in the truck. Plus my CC.

Traveling ?
Yes, there is always an AR or a Tikka bolt gun in the truck and at least one extra mag.
Running around Plano where I work ? No.
It's 8 miles from home to the shop.
I could bring the rifle into the office with me, boss wouldn't care.
But like a lot have said I'd worry about it getting stolen if I stopped on the way home to get groceries or something.

This. I think we as gun owners need to be more mindful than ever to take steps to prevent firearms from falling into the hands of those who should not have them.

I took my wife out for a nice dinner on Valentine's evening. We came out and the window was smashed out. Binos, a laptop, and even cash in the console was left. Cops said they were looking for guns.

Unfortunately for them, it was riding with me rather than sitting in the car.

You have to believe theives profile vehicles to judge which ones are likely to have firearms. For that reason, I don't put any gun or hunting-related stickers or decals on any of my vehicles.

THAT is obviously a deliberate effort to be obtuse.

You deserve

No I don't but maybe I should. I think it would be awesome to see citizens put their rifles to use against the next Muslim extremist [censored] that decides to attack the population.

I carry a rifle daily.

Lol you don't answer the door without your AR behind your back

The poor Schwans man will never be the same.

http://www.odmp.org/officer/8242-patrolman-sammy-charles-long

Thats why. Sorry its 2 posts.

In all honesty, I don't daily. Too much chance of thieves. When traveling, I keep a 30-30 under the back seat.

If I was traveling, I'd go with poisonivie's suggest of a 30-30. Easily handle-able. Under normal everyday circumstances, my answer to the OP is that I think he's putting himself at risk of being robbed and doesn't make himself appreciably more prepared with a rifle.

Sorry if I was being confrontational. I was just trying to make my point and felt like some folks were having a tough time understanding it.

Reading the thread, I suspect that everyone clearly understood your point, but not everyone agreed with you. There is a difference.

Yes, I normally carry an AR-15 in my truck.

I don't live in a big city, I drive 7 miles to work and my truck is parked inside my shop during the day. At home my truck lives in my garage. Yes, the AR is out of sight and secured using a cable lock system. I haven't had a car broken into during the last 30 years.

Why carry a rifle? Because it just makes sense to have a little more firepower available than my 9mm or .357 mag. Our world is changing faster than some people recognize.

Do I expect a firefight? Nope. I don't expect a fire or a crash either, but I do carry a fire extinguisher, wear my seat belts and have insurance.

Respectfully,
Marc

Exactly.

Hey 07, we still love you!!

I don't always roll with a rifle in the truck but when I do it is an AR. For those that can spare 5-10 seconds I have a vault (actually two) in my backseat and center console. This is what is under the back seat.....sure it won't stop a determined thief but it will stop most smash and grabs. It bolts into the seat mounting bolts.



Center console for the pistols if I can't carry somewhere.