What you need to know about “Truck Guns”

You have most likely heard the old adage “I have my pistol to fight my way to my rifle.” This is certainly something I believe in, though I hope to never have to. But I also believe in the old adage, “Better safe than sorry.” Especially in my line of work. I hope for the best, yet prepare for the worst.

With the threats of civil unrest and even riots increasing in our country, I see more and more preppers starting to carry “Truck guns”. For many, they want to take a step up from a concealed pistol when it comes to self-defense. I don’t blame them.

When I was in high school, it was not uncommon to see hunting rifles and shotguns hung in the back windows of pickup trucks parked at my school. My graduating class was over 800, so it wasn’t like it was a small school either. (Number of school shootings back then….ZERO!)

Today, we see the violence on our streets increase, and more and more people want to be able to protect themselves. I STRONGLY encourage people to get their carry conceal license, to carry, and to practice. But as I mentioned before, for some folks, this is no longer enough.

To me, the definition of a truck gun is a gun that you carry predominately in your vehicle. This is separate from your carry/conceal firearm you carry on your person. A truck gun does NOT have to be a rifle, shotgun, etc. Though many times it will be.

As the violence in our cities grows, more urban dwellers are looking into truck guns. If you find yourself considering getting one, here are some hints and tips you need to know. As always, please be sure to study your state and local laws, as the laws governing transporting firearms varies from state and state and city to city.

What are your needs?

Firearms are tools, and for me, most of my firearms fill a role. That’s not to say that I haven’t purchased firearms simply because I thought they were cool. But those that I carry daily, they have a purpose and help fill a need. You need to decide what purpose/role that your truck gun will fill.

People who live in rural areas most likely have a truck gun to help them take care of predators that could be a threat to their livestock. For them, a bolt-action rifle with a decent optic might be the way to go.

In an urban area, you might look at something like a shotgun or semi-automatic rifle to protect yourself from two-legged predators. Keep in mind that things like range and the potential for over-penetration in an urban or suburban setting could be an issue. Do you really need a 300 Win mag rifle if most of your time is spent in the city?

Either way, a truck gun will help you pack a bit more firepower if things were to ever go bad in a hurry. Look at the more probable scenarios you could face, and then base your decision around that.

For several years, my brother lived in Florida. He drove about 30 minutes to and from work, with several miles of that being desolate marsh area. He liked having a shotgun in his vehicle. Should he have broke down in that area, the threat of alligators was real. The shotgun was easy to handle, and would suit the majority of the more probable threats he might face.

Where/How will you store it?

Size, space, and length of your truck gun are all important factors to consider. These directly effect your ability to quickly and effectively wield your truck gun. Trying to pull out a 16 gauge shotgun with a ”32 goose barrel on a moment’s notice when crap has hit the fan is not going to be easy.

The size, space, and length also decide how easily you can conceal and store your truck gun. A carbine, short barrel rifle, or AR pistol will be easier to conceal than a 30.06 with an ”18 barrel.

This should go without saying, but you need to be able to not just conceal your truck gun, but also have a way to secure it. Leaving it out in the open is a sure-fire way to have someone break into your vehicle and steal it. So you definitely want to keep it concealed.

In addition to concealing it, you also want to look for a way to secure it. There are several different vehicle safes and locking mounts on the market. I like the one pictured to the right.

At the same time, you should be able to access it quickly and effectively. While I like that safe on the right, I also understand that I could not always have quick access to any firearms stored inside. This is something you will have to think about when looking for a way to secure your truck gun.

I NEVER leave any firearms out in my vehicle overnight, even with the locking mounts. And I do not store my firearms in a trunk for more than a day. Heat and moisture can and will find their way into your vehicle trunk. And this will cause you problems with rust if you leave them there for long periods of time. This also applies to any ammo you might store in your trunk or glove box. (For more on ammo storage, please click this link.)

Rifle sights? Optics?

Unless you are willing to shell out some bucks on an optic, I would encourage you to stick with iron sights on your truck gun. Keep in mind that your truck gun could get banged around. This could easily throw off the zero on an inexpensive optic. The middle of a gun fight is the wrong time to discover this.

Temperature extremes can also play havoc on cheap optics. When it is 95 degrees outside, the inside of your car can reach close to 140 degrees. This can cause what is known as thermal drift, a condition where your optic no longer holds zero and can cause optics to fail. Eotech recently resolved a multi-million dollar lawsuit over this.

Cold temperatures can cause issues too. An optic quickly pulled out a warm vehicle and into a cold environment could fog up. Clearly this is no-bueno in a life or death situation.

Obviously iron sights won’t have these problems. But again, you need to decide what works for you. Just keep these things in mind. (For more on things to consider when buying rifle optics, please click this link.)

Some truck guns to consider

I thought it might be fun to look at some firearms that could be suitable as truck guns. I tried to stick with firearms that have decent range, yet are lightweight, common caliber, and are easy to store and secure. Some of these guns I have shot. Some I haven’t. Ultimately, you need to decide what works for you. But these are at least worth checking out.

Kel-Tec Sub 2000

This semi-automatic gun is easy to store as it folds neatly in half. It quickly and easily folds out when the situation calls for it. This firearm comes in two calibers, 9mm and .40. and is available in the following variants:

• Smith & Wesson M&P (9mm or .40cal)
• Sig Sauer P226 (9mm or .40cal)
• Beretta 92 & 96
• Glock 17, 19, 22 & 23

So if you already have a Glock 19, you can buy the Glock 19 variant and it will use those magazines. Very nice feature if your EDC is one of the above listed pistols.

The Sub2000 weighs a little over 4 pounds and is 30.5 inches long when extended, and 16.25 inches long when collapsed. I wasn’t crazy about the trigger, but it was still a neat little gun to shoot. The video below is a good review on the Sub2000. Click here to get yours.

AR pistol/SBR

A variant of the AR-15 rifle, the AR pistol has a smaller barrel and has a brace as opposed to a stock. An SBR (Short Barrel Rifle) is a rifle with a short barrel, but as a regular rifle stock as opposed to a brace. Note the pictures below. The top picture is my SBR. The picture below is an AR pistol. The only difference is the brace. (Same upper.)

Short barrel rifles are defined in the US Code 18 U.S.C., § 921(A)(8) as “a rifle having one or more barrels less than sixteen inches in length and any weapon made from a rifle (whether by alteration, modification, or otherwise) if such weapon, as modified, has an overall length of less than twenty-six inches.”  These are governed under the National Firearms Act (NFA) and require you to fill forms with the ATF and pay for a $200 tax stamp. For more information on this, please click the link here.

Because of this, many people prefer to go with the AR pistol. But there are some things to keep in mind if you go this route.

First, you cannot attach a vertical fore-grip on an AR pistol if the overall length is under 26″. However, angled fore-grips like this one from Magpul are just fine. And once an AR-15 lower receiver has been built as a rifle, it cannot be built into a pistol without registering it with the BATFE.

There are multiple variants on these, shooting everything from 9mm up to 7.62 and everything in between.

I have both an AR pistol and a SBR in 5.56. On my pistol I have the SB Tactical SBA3 pistol stabilizing brace. I love it, and would encourage folks that want an AR pistol to check it out. Click here to read my review on it.

Henry Ar-7 Survival Rifle

This neat little rifle from Henry is a .22 long rifle that breaks down and store the major pieces in the butt stock. Once the rifle is unloaded, the barrel nut can be unscrewed and the barrel removed. The receiver is then detached from stock by unscrewing the take-down screw in the base of the grip. Once the major parts are separated, the barrel, the receiver, and a spare magazine can be stored inside the hollow butt stock. This is protected by removable rubber butt plate. This is fairly simple, and with some practice can be done in about 30 seconds.

This rifle weighs about 3.5 pounds, and is 35 inches long. When broken down and stored, it is 16.5 inches. This Henry rifle comes with two 8 round magazines, and load fairly easily. I thought that the trigger was a bit stiff, but otherwise it was fun to shoot. Below is a video review on it. Click here to get yours.

Ruger also makes a 10-22 rifle similar to this, though I have not shot it. For more on the Ruger rifle, click here to read the review.

Hi-point Carbine

I have reviewed this carbine before, and you can read that review by clicking here. I include this on the list because it is an inexpensive option that is very durable, reliable, and fairly accurate. With the spring-loaded, shock absorbing recoil plate, this gun is easy to shoot. The trigger is kinda mushy, but isn’t terrible for an inexpensive carbine either.

You can mount items on it like an optic, light,  or a forward vertical grip. The “Ghost Ring” rear sight and post front are both fully adjustable.

The magazine, which loads in the pistol grip, is a 10 rounder. ProMag makes a 15 rounder for it, but as I discuss in my review, you have to modify your carbine to use it. And that will void the lifetime warranty of this gun.

The Hi-point carbine variants come in .380, 9mm, .40, .45, and now 10mm. Watch the video below on the new 10mm carbine. Click here to get yours.

PSA AK V 

The AK V is a 9mm pistol based on the AK design, based on a Russian sub-machine gun, the Vityaz-SN. I was immediately taken with the gun, and quickly found myself lusting after one. I recently did a review of this “pistol”, which you can read by clicking here!

Many of the internal parts, including the bolt, charge handle, etc are exactly what you would find on an AK. But this pistol has some new features as well. The bolt holds open after the last round is fired, the bolt catch, and the SBA3 brace are all new, and really make this gun what it is. The AK V is a blowback system that uses CZ Scorpion 9mm mags. PSA does make their own mags, which will work in the CZ Scorpion.

The AK V does have a catch release on the left side, which will release the slide. This is VERY nice because the AK V WILL hold open on empty. That makes reloads much quicker as you no longer have to rack it back on the right side.

The front cover, on a stamped 1mm steel receiver, comes fabricated with a Picatinney rail. This makes mounting low mount optics like red dots a complete breeze! And opening and the closing the cover won’t effect your zero!! At least it didn’t for me.

The price point on this is under $800 as of this writing. Considering the quality you get, this is very reasonable. To learn more about this firearm, click the link here.

Marlin 1895 Co-Pilot

The last gun on my list is a heavy hitter! A big bore lever gun, the Marlin 1895 Co-Pilot comes in 45-70, a .457 Wild West Magnum, or the quite large .50 Alaskan. This thing will certainly stop any threat headed your way.

This Marlin easily breaks down into 2 pieces for easy storage and concealment. This rifle has a threaded barrel and it comes apart at the receiver. To disassemble, simply open the action and loosen the set screw on the end of the magazine tube. Then slide the magazine tube forward an inch or two, so it comes free of the receiver. Unscrew the barrel and magazine from the receiver. You can do this in about 20-30 seconds with a little practice.

The 18.5 inch barrel is ported, which helps reduce recoil and muzzle rise. In the more recent models, a rail has been added over the barrel forward of the receiver to mount a scope.

The .457 WWG caliber version (developed specifically for this rifle) is basically a magnum version of the .45-70 Govt. cartridge. This round fires a 350 grain .45 caliber slug out at 2,250 feet per second. The barrel will still also fire the standard .45-70 round and can even single-feed a .410 shotgun shell. The downside of the .457 WWG caliber is of course finding ammo for it. And it won’t be cheap either. Additionally, if you have an optic on it zeroed for 45-70, you will have to rezero it for the .457 WWG.

If you don’t use an optic, there is a fully adjustable Ghost ring rear sight and a fiber optic front sight.

When I said this gun was a heavy-hitter, I wasn’t just talking about the caliber. The MSRP on this little gem is $2900. It is easily the most expensive gun on the list.

So did I miss an excellent “Truck gun”? Let me know in the comments below.

Stay safe out there!

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