Pickup truck rifle racks?

jmorris said:

If you have to get out to get it, I’d just put it in a soft case behind the rear seat. Out of sight for sure and at least it’s inside the cab. That looks like a handy spot for a cooler though. Now that you have to have steps and handles to get inside the bed of a pickup…

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jmorris said:

If you have to get out to get it, I’d just put it in a soft case behind the rear seat. Out of sight for sure and at least it’s inside the cab. That looks like a handy spot for a cooler though. Now that you have to have steps and handles to get inside the bed of a pickup…

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Or under the rear seat. The F150s have next to no room behind the rear seat and the driver side is a PIA to get to fold down.. The jack and the funnel for the (I hate it but our GM and Ford trucks have it) capless fuel filler. And if you have either of the upgraded radio packages you have even less room because of the powered sub and amp. The inverter for the 110 outlets are under and behind the passenger side too. Lol. There is a decent spot under the rear seat though. But then they have split rear seats and you have to raise up both sides to get one out. If you have a car seat in the middle its even worse. The one pictured is not 2021 and up. It's a single rear seat. Now they are split. Plus the rear is a good bit nicer on the 2021 and up

jmorris said:

I think thieves killed the gun rack,

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Like as not, it was the vent window and extended cabs that put paid to the rear window mounts.

I had some glue-on mounts for the rear side windows of my Bronco II. They mostly carried levels and tape measures, as the space available was not very long.

BigBlue 94 said:

The visors in my bronco do not have center supports, so they flop around some

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I have seen folks get the center clips and just install them on the shelf using self-drilling, self-tapping screws. Not having floppity visors off road can be a good thing.

I have an '07 Tacoma and a '14 F150. Both are 4 door crew cab 4X4's. I just use a soft case behind the rear seat. I had to do a little tweaking on the seats to make that work on the Ford. For some reason Ford doesn't make it easy to access that space, but there is a lot of room there. And with an aftermarket quick release is pretty fast to access.

CapnMac said:

I have seen folks get the center clips and just install them on the shelf using self-drilling, self-tapping screws. Not having floppity visors off road can be a good thing.

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My visors dont have the provisions for a center clip... But yeah, you can install them if you have em. I had the visor strapped to the shelf lol.

Pick up rifle racks.................
That was a time. Does bring back good memories.

A REAL truck with a rifle rack and my poser truck as well. Lol. So they still are in use.

Most of my vehicles are in decent shape.... but my favorite of all is that rickety old rust bucket that I don't care to bounce off a tree or something. Ive kept that thing on the road for 20+ years. Was my first 4x4 and was already a rusty POS when I got it.... lol

Unless of course its raining or a long walk home.... or there is a gasoline shortage but it's still my favorite and most used truck out of many

As a kid I rode around every summer with my Grandfather in a 1974 Chevy longbed with a gun rack in the rear window. The upper hooks always held an old oak cane for whacking rattlesnakes often found in the hay barn, the lower hooks held a 722 Rem in .257 Roberts during lambing/calving time or an 1894 Winchester during deer season.

I do miss seeing gun racks and what they represented; tools of the trade for the hardworking ranchers and farmers that lived in the hill country area.

Stay safe.

SharpDog said:

If you put guns visible in your vehicle in most places you will end up with broken windows and no guns. I transport my weapons in cases that do not look like gun cases or, if they do, it's the rectangular Pelican-style case. If I was going to put something in my truck to keep guns in it would be something like this:

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I don't believe that is anything like what the OP was asking. The idea behind the old fashion gun rack in the farm or work truck was to grab a gun when you saw a predator or varmint, etc, that you needed a gun quick.

Armored farmer said:

Yeah. Unfortunately my shortbed has a crossover toolbox and a 75gal fuel tank in it. Not much room left over.

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Even full size beds loose most of their capacity. Barely room for a gooseneck after the tool box and fuel tank. To the original question I'd like a good solution too, I usually just keep a gun laying in the back seat or if I don't have a passenger and anticipate needing it I'll lean it in the passenger seat so I can get to it if need be without getting out of the truck.

crestoncowboy said:

The one pictured is not 2021 and up. It's a single rear seat. Now they are split. Plus the rear is a good bit nicer on the 2021 and up

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That looks a lot nicer than my 2022 but I have other stuff I need more, under the guns. They have jacked the trucks up so high these days, truck boxes are less useful than they used to be.



This isn’t as fast as an overhead mount but the cheapest solution I have ever found.

crestoncowboy said:

If you see a coyote or predator and your guns are in that monstrosity then you may as well left them at home. Completly misses the purpose of a rifle rack.

If I'm going to Applebee's I don't carry my rifle at all. I agree it would be a bad idea to leave it exposed. If I have my rifle in my truck i want it a bit more accessible than having to get out to find it

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Cowhide Cliff said:

I don't believe that is anything like what the OP was asking. The idea behind the old fashion gun rack in the farm or work truck was to grab a gun when you saw a predator or varmint, etc, that you needed a gun quick.

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Well, I don't have any occasion to pull a rifle on a coyote, fox or wolf unless I was hunting them. If you're talking about two legged that would be different. The vast majority of my driving is in the city / suburbs and IMHO that any indication you have guns (like a rifle rack or a Glock sticker) will get your ride broken into.

If I did feel I need a ready rifle (as opposed to my EDC) I would just lay the scabbard across the passenger seat and attend to my business.

And btw, I love my 'poser' truck (whatever that means) Silverado with a camper shell that I can sit upright and sleep in, which is my daily driver.

Yes, not everyone is going to have the same set of circumstances. I suppose for some having nothing would be better but they would already have to be in a bad place if that were the case.

SharpDog said:

I love my 'poser' truck (whatever that means) Silverado with a camper shel

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You had some idea "whatever that means" or you wouldn't have included your Chevy in with my F150.

Means a truck that is far better at car things than truck things. I have several. I like them too, but I have to leave my tailgate down to haul a pallet of feed or a small riding mower. Some of the better optioned trucks use up all their payload on options. Ive seen 1100 lb payload on some king ranch/ platinums.....while a rav 4 or highlander have 1500 or more.

I agreed though, if I'm in my commuting trucks I have no gun in sight. No Gun stickers. Just one of one million plain old f150 a year made.

SharpDog said:

Well, I don't have any occasion to pull a rifle on a coyote, fox or wolf unless I was hunting them. If you're talking about two legged that would be different. The vast majority of my driving is in the city / suburbs and IMHO that any indication you have guns (like a rifle rack or a Glock sticker) will get your ride broken into.

If I did feel I need a ready rifle (as opposed to my EDC) I would just lay the scabbard across the passenger seat and attend to my business.

And btw, I love my 'poser' truck (whatever that means) Silverado with a camper shell that I can sit upright and sleep in, which is my daily driver.

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I understand but your circumstances don't really fit in to what I gathered the OP was asking. Out on ranches and farms you many times need a rifle handy at all times to dispatch 4 legged predators and varmints. Especially during calving season and such. We live in two different worlds.

Yeah, probably not going to throw the keys to the valet while having a night out on the town with any of my setups.

I have a rifle rack in my truck now. It’s behind the seat screwed into the rear cab wall. Mounted a few that way in past trucks. Still there, only I know it and see it.

Armored farmer said:

Pickup rifle racks.
We all remember them. Some of us had them in the rear window of our pickups. They were great for rifles, but good for lots of other things too.
Bows
Fishing poles
Lariats
Cattle prods

....etc
So what is the modern version?
Something relatively quick access yet maybe more discreet.
I still would like to tote a rifle or two-piece fly rod in the cab without it being on the seat or floorboards.
I guess the four door pickup killed the gunrack.
Does anyone have the new Cordura rifle bags that attach to the back of the front seat?

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I believe you are correct, the four door did kill the gun rack. I own a 4 door truck and this is what I use.

That’s a shotgun rack.

I like that one, would like it more if it enclosed the firearms with maybe a zipper.

A lower, soft case version of my farm mule setup.

Like your rimfire ctg setup........first I've seen that method............neat!!!

usaral63 said:

Like your rimfire ctg setup........first I've seen that method............neat!!!

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Had not noticed it until you mentioned it. Now I'm drying to remember where I put all my drill bits.

They are a great place for a building contractor to keep blueprints for different job sites.

I just keep a cheap shotgun in a soft case behind the seat. Not accessible from the cab, but I have it.

BigBlue 94 said:

Its called the Shelf-It and it works very well. Had one in my bronco but it obstructs a bit of view i needed when offroading. So i took it out. They are made of aluminum with a flocking glued on. Mine was $100 about 5 years ago. It mounts in the place of the sun visors, which are relocated to the shelf.

It will hold a scoped rifle, but not an AR. At least not in the "trough" of the shelf.

I used it just for storage and a CB mount. The visors in my bronco do not have center supports, so they flop around some
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Ive also seen some rifle holders that mount to the ceiling.

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I didn't know these were still available, I haven't seen one in years. I bought one in 1989 for my 1986 Ford Ranger, best accessory I ever bought. Mine had a scanner and VHF police radio mounted just like your CB and I kept my backup handgun and a few spare mags up there.

jmorris said:

That looks a lot nicer than my 2022 but I have other stuff I need more, under the guns. They have jacked the trucks up so high these days, truck boxes are less useful than they used to be.

View attachment 1091997

This isn’t as fast as an overhead mount but the cheapest solution I have ever found.

View attachment 1091998

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That's how I do it when in the country. But my truck does not have a center console, so it's easier to carry the rifle there. It's hard to buy a truck without a center console these days, however. My truck is a 2006 Chevy....

on my old pickups that had bench seats I used to put Indian blanket seat covers on that had sleeve to slip a long gun into & keep it out of site, had to open a door to slip it out but it worked well. Something like this
Wouldn’t work in most truck’s front seats these days, maybe in back. Mine usually ride cased in the back seat these days.