Glove compartment gun, which one?

There may or may not be a S&W J-frame floating around in the glovebox of my old Jeep Cherokee. Really freakin' small glove box (from when they were a "glove box" instead of a "crap carrier"), so I needed a smallish gun anyway to fit/share space with owner's manual, etc.

Not only is .38 +P fine, so is the barrel length, etc, from distances ranging from "me" to "outside the car door." Never have to worry about the mag getting ejected or unseated, either, and it WILL fire when I pull the trigger.

Call me a screwhead if you want, but I've put some serious thought into putting one of those Taurus Judges out there stoked with some of that Federal Hangun .410 defense ammo....because from "me" to "outside the car window" distances, it'd do plenty w/o much worry of overpenetration.

YMMV, but I want a gun that can handle any temperature extreme w/o worrying about mag spring tension, if the mag is still seated properly, if lint somehow gets on it, etc etc etc, over a period of years of "not checking on it" if need be (I do check it, but still).

I have a Keltec P32 in my center console. It also acts as my deep concealed gun when the time warrants. It is inexpensive, reliable and always there.

I think a nice 4" S&W 66 would be a nice glove compartment gun. I want something that can reach out a ways besides the small carry piece I might have on me.

The S&W model 64 police trade-in revolvers are great deals right now and make a fine glovebox piece: J&G Sales


Also, the CZ82 is a good deal right now as well: Aim Surplus

CZ-82, best buy on the market while the gettin is good. I you haven't bought one then what they heck are you waiting for, once the surplus dries up they will become alot more expensive. Glocks and Bersas aren't going anywhere and neither is their price.














....you still here? Why aren't you buying a CZ-82 yet!!!! Damnit now man!!!!

Kel-tec P3AT or P32 would be the key

got a 3 in Rossi .38 that fits nicely between armrests, unseen unless u raise them up, but easy to get to. Once pulled into a rest stop and a fella saw me and began slowly walking towards my car with something behind his back. I slipped the Rossi out and laid it on the dash and seems the guy decided he really didn't wish to converse with me after all as he backed away and started walking off

I remember the gun writer Jim Wilson asked his readers this question some time back. It doesn't exactly fit your criteria, because it would not be as concealable, but the overwhelming choice was a large caliber, short barrelled revolver, because:

1. revolver reliability, no manual safety
2 large caliber (.44 special, .45 colt, .45 acp) makes a big hole but,
3. is subsonic, so you don't get a sonic crack in the car
4. can't be put out of battery by pressure on the front, if it's for a car it might well be close quarters

I currently have a glock 30 in my car, i was thinking of a little taurus revolver i saw in .45 colt.

star firestar m40 with .40 180gr gold dot

I have decided, in addition to my conceal carry gun, I'd like to keep a small handgun in the glove compartment of my vehicle.

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I'm not trying to be a you-know-what, but this is how a lot of guns end up on the street. It's been my belief that guns need to be locked up in a safe or on your person.

Post #11 will back up that assertion. I've had my car broken into twice now and the thought of a firearm ending up in a criminal's hands gives me the creeps.

S&W 442 or 642. They sound perfect for what your trying to do. Load up some 158 grain LSWCHP's and your good to go. I prefer the buffalo bore + P's.

I would guess 75% of the stolen gun reports I have taken over the years were unsecured in cars.

I would be really pissed if I came out and found somebody breaking into my car. Even more unhappy to get shot with my own gun.

Every gun stolen from a decent person and used in a crime is one more argument for the anti gunners to show how "irresponsible" gun owners are.

Car guns should be reliable but fairly inexpensive, in the event your car gets broken into. For what you'd described, something flatter & smaller would work better in a wallet/pocket holster. Going from small to larger...
- Kel Tec P32, P3AT, or PF9
- FEG PA63
- CZ82
- Sigma or Ruger PXX

blue_ridge
Glove compartment gun, which one?

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I don't operate gun giveaway programs, so I don't keep guns in glove compartments. The odds of my vehicle being burglarized are FAR greater than my odds of being in a gunfight. Moreover, my glove compartment is too far away to reach quickly in an emergency. I do usually carry a secondary handgun, but I keep it closer than a glovebox or console, and take it with me when I exit the car.

It's been my belief that guns need to be locked up in a safe or on your person.

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That isn't always possible. I am now retired but when I was working I was employed by a truck rental company. I was "installed" on site on the customers premises. I was the ONLY person on the property and worked at night. This was in one of the WORST communities in Birmingham,Alabama. An area known for it's high crime rate. Neither the company that I worked for nor the customer allowed for firearms either on my person or in my vehicle. I had to drive through the worst areas going to and from work. My truck was broken into by an aquaintance who knew the guns were there. The guns were lock in the glove box inside a locked vehicle. So my only choice was to keep it where it was or leave it at home and THATwas NOT an option. I was neither irresponsible nor negligent.

how about a flintlock in your glove compartment! One shot and you can use the ensuing smoke cloud as your chance to escape

My ideal of a "car gun" is different than my CCW handgun.

My car gun should be bigger, heavier, longer barreled and accurate. It should be able to shoot ammo that will PENETRATE well . . . just the opposite of a house gun, in case you have to defend yourself from some drive by thug on the highway.

It should be a good, economical REVOLVER for several reasons. First, you have to DRIVE, so a limp-wristed, one-handed jam of an auto would put you in deep trouble!

Second, you don't want hot cartridge cases forcefully ejecting INTO the car and bouncing around and possibly hitting your eye or cracking the windshield.

Third, most revolvers are cheaper if they were stolen than a pricey automatic that requires hundreds of rounds through it to break it in, reliability-wise.

RECOMMENDATION? A fine, vintage (20-30 year old) S&W .38 special or .357 revolver. Lots of police trade-ins from that era are still bouncing around out there at great prices . . . well within your range. Don't trust your life to a second-tier gun. IMHO, only the best will do . . . and that means a sweet trigger pull Smith and Wesson.

I'd go with an RIA 45 or Kel Tek P11. Not sure if those would be in your budget range though.

I am not allowed to carry at work, like many people here. Let me just say that I park in a secure parking lot that is monitored on video. It also happens to be adjacent to a Sheriff Department. This doesn’t make it %100 safe, but I do feel more comfortable about my vehicle’s safety.

Since I can’t carry at work, I like to leave a weapon/holster in the car. Several companies make holster mounts, which are pretty much a mount anywhere solution that has belt sized bars for attaching your own holster. Quite easy to make on your own. I don’t leave it in this, I lock it in a lock box bolted to the floor. This isn’t foolproof, but it is fool-resistant. If you park in an area where you wouldn’t leave a laptop in plain view, unattended in the seat then I wouldn’t recommend keeping a loaded weapon locked inside. I’d hate to imagine my gun falling into some guy’s hand who uses it to perform a violent crime.

As far as the best model I’d recommend? Well I use a Glock. Definitely not my favorite piece. But if it is stolen, there is no love loss. It’s a tool, an ugly tool. It is also very cheap and very resistant to heat and moisture. Living in the south, it can get hot and humid really quick inside of a vehicle. If I keep my carry piece in there (Kimber Pro CDP II) at times, but I make sure to clean it once a week since the barrel isn’t stainless. I’ve heard of tight fitting 1911 grips swelling and cracking due to extended vehicle storage, but never personally seen it.

I also notify the officer I have a concealed carry permit (legal obligation in NC), that I have a weapon and the weapon’s location as soon as he steps to the window. I also turn on the interior light if it is dark and keep my hands on the wheel where he can see them as opposed to digging around for my insurance card as he approaches the vehicle. That’s called respect. If I were in his shoes, I’d have respect and show leniency for the guy/gal that did that for me. CCW permit holder or not and legality aside, you should notify an LEO about any weapons you have. These guys run the risk of getting shot during traffic stops. I had a friend lose his life when he stopped an interstate traveler with a broken tail light.

And for heavens’ sake, if you keep it in the glove box…don’t keep anything else in there and make it stable. You’re using it as a holster/storage. Treat it as such. You don’t want to need it and go digging for it. You also don’t want crap setting off that trigger when it slides around, accidents happen and you don’t want an exit hole in your fender to prove it.

The gun you keep in the glove-compartment should be the one you don't mind losing, having used in a crime, scaring the hell out of an LEO, being found where you are not allowed to have it, or being found by someone in the car who's gonna screw around with it sober or not.

Just make sure you park under the lights when you pull into the Trailer Park and you'll be fine.



Al

Just make sure you park under the lights when you pull into the Trailer Park and you'll be fine.

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I'm speechless.

Hmmmm, how would you feel if your glove box gun WAS stolen and used to killed someone?

how would you feel if your glove box gun WAS stolen

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the same way I'd feel if someone hit me over the head and took it off my person or broke into my house and stole it out of the safe.

killed someone?

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All by it's self?

Choice of glove box gun? Whatever fits.

Another factor: Do you have to hold a CCW permit to have a gun in the glove box where you live? If so, does anyone else use that car?

Another factor: Do you have to hold a CCW permit to have a gun in the glove box where you live? If so, does anyone else use that car?

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Yes we do,yes they do and yes we all do.