What do you consider to be the perfect "truck gun"?

[jimbeaux82]

I bought several CZ 82's when they were $175 ea and they seem like the perfect truck gun to me. Have them in each of my vehicles.

 

[Field Tester]

Can someone explain to me how some of you guys are taking potshots in your vehicles without complete hearing loss and blood dripping from your ears? Are you quickly putting on hearing protection before pulling the trigger?

 

[X-Rap]

It helps to have the muzzle extended out of the cab.

 

[lxd55]

if it is yours I don't think you can go wrong with a 10-22. The take down model or one with a folding stock might make it ideal as a truck gun. There are so many aftermarket parts out there that you can customize it as you like plus there are lots of high cap mags available.
Unlike a lot of people who you will undoubtedly hear from I keep guns in my vehicles all the time. I will not let the cost of a gun dictate what I carry either in my vehicle or on my person. Reliability is my only consideration when choosing a weapon. If it gets dinged up, oh well. If it gets stolen, from my locked vehicle, oh well. I always have a loaded Glock 23 with 4 spare mags in a small bag in my vehicle. I almost always have an AR-15 with 3-5 loaded mags in the vehicle as well. In addition, I always have a 1911 and 2 spare mags on my person, always.
If I were to choose a long gun for the ideal Truck gun I think it would be one of the following 3 in this order.
1) Mini 14 with folding stock
2) AK with folding stock
3) Hi-point carbine 4095 40 Smith and Wesson.
As for the ideal pistol, I think I already have it, the Glock 23.

would say sumpin but I would get in trouble.
12 gage pump 00 loads.

 

[rskent]

I think I will stick with my Glock 19.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Truck guns.....

I'm not sure, maybe;
www.Serbu.com 12ga Super Shorty 870 pump.
Glock 21/20 with a .50GI conversion kit. The .50GI is powerful & can do well in vehicle car doors/auto glass. If needed, you can switch to 10mm or .45acp if you run out of .50GI JHP.
Desert Eagle .44magnum; this big semi auto pistol can be used for cars/vehicles & can be fast to reload. DEs aren't cheap but you'll get a lot of use out of it.
S&W M&P R8 .357magnum; it's a N frame 8 round .357magnum. You can add a white light or red/green laser. S&Ws have lifetime warranty offers too. The big frame can soak up recoil too if need to fire one handed.

Rusty

 

[MtnCreek]

Can someone explain to me how some of you guys are taking potshots in your vehicles without complete hearing loss and blood dripping from your ears? Are you quickly putting on hearing protection before pulling the trigger?

I keep a couple pairs of plugs and muffs handy. My 'potshots' are typically something like spotting a yote or a crow pulling sprouts and I'll at least put a left plug in my ear before firing out the drivers window. I have shot a .223 carbine from the drivers seat, out the passengers side w/o ear protection and will never do that again unless my life depended on it. The blast inside of a vehicle is tremendous! I've fired a rifle inside a house and it in no way compares to shooting with the muzzle inside of a truck.

 

[improperlyaged]

Can someone explain to me how some of you guys are taking potshots in your vehicles without complete hearing loss and blood dripping from your ears? Are you quickly putting on hearing protection before pulling the trigger?

I keep a pair of cheap muffs in the car with me.

 

[drastic_quench]

I don't, but if I did, it wouldn't be a long gun. I'm more likely to need it for carjacking defense than wolf sniping, so handgun it is. Whatever double action revolver I could find a deal on would fit the bill.

 

[skoro]

A pistol caliber carbine in .357mag. Probably a lever action. I don't have one but I'd like to.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Ranch rifle, lever action.....

I was going to list a few pistol caliber lever-actions, but I don't see how they can be used in a vehicle/cab or CQB event.
The .44magnum or .44spl could work. It would be loud & awkward but it might work.

 

[BSA1]

Unlike a lot of people who you will undoubtedly hear from I keep guns in my vehicles all the time.

The O.P. topic seem to have two parts. The first one is what do I consider the perfect truck gun I don't have answer for. Different situations call for different hardware.

The second part is what do you actually have in your truck? In my case a P-64 9 x 18 loaded with FMJ ammo.

 

[627PCFan]

My 1954 Marlin 336SC in 35 Remy. Short barrel, and penetration out the yingyang.

 

[*Kemosabe*]

Perceived Need...

A truck gun is based on an individual’s perceived need. My constant companion .45 pistol is my truck gun, car gun, house gun, yard gun… etc.

I also have a dedicated Bug-In truck gun. Something to get me home in the event of situation requiring more than a handgun. Being involved in the 1980 Miami riots where 3 young, blameless Hispanic men were dragged out of their vehicle, attacked and brutalized by having an eye gouged out and a tongue cut out in retaliation for a jury exonerating white police officers in the beating death of a black man remains emblazoned in my mind.

I frequent urban areas and this is my personal concern, so I keep an unscoped Mini-14 with a folding stock hidden behind a false panel. If I happen upon threatening coyotes and wolves or it’s open season on them… well, I guess I’ll be ready for that too!

 

[Red Wind]

Of course there is no perfect truck gun, but the Yugo 59 SKS has been riding with me since 2006.

Nondetachable clip fed 10 round magazine. It is California legal, not having the dreaded grenade launcher of the later 59/66. 7.62 X 39 packs a fair wallop.

 

[Fiv3r]

I keep an old Type 53 Chinese M44 under my back seat. It's there as a back up, something to put down an injured critter with, and as a "cabin gun" when we go to my step dad's cabin for the evening. Nice to supplement my sidearm.

Easy to store since it's short, packs a punch, didn't cost much, etc.

I like that it's a durable old battle rifle that doesn't look "tactical". I don't mind tactical, but there are times being discrete is preferable. I should probably take the folding bayonet off, but I like it. Not that I would ever expect to need to go hand to hand, but something about an 8lb piece of wood and steel sporting a foot-long screwdriver tip out the front of it makes me feel better about my chances if I ever had to go all Captain Caveman in a survival situation.

I really need to get an older slicked up Marlin 336 with a shorter barrel. I could never warm up to my new one. 30-30 is always a good caliber to have close on hand. If things get even nastier with Russia, then feeding the Type 53 might not be worth it.

I thinking even a scoped handi rifle in something like .223 with a synthetic stock might be a good choice.

 

[MedWheeler]

"Perfect", of course, depends on the individual and his or her needs and wants.

Me? Right now, it's whatever is on my hip at the time I get into any of my three trucks. I don't keep a "truck gun" so stored anymore, since having one stolen from a truck in 1989 (recovered three years later.)

But, I have entertained the idea lately again, more for the extremely-unlikely scenario of needing to re-arm after a DGU-incident.

Those I own that have been considered for such duty meet the low-cost, low-loss criteria, and include a Phoenix HP22A, Grendel P10, and Hi-Point C9.

Like the OP, though, I've also considered the Heritage Rough Rider I own, though it wouldn't ever be carried on my person when leaving the vehicle (no lawful open carry here except under stringent circumstances.)

 

[Jackal]

Any AK rifle.

 

[Legionnaire]

Savage 24 .22 mag/20 gauge combo.

Criteria: I carry my self-defense on my person; what I want in the truck is something for plinking and varmint-sized game.

 

[george burns]

My weapons stay on my person. We switch cars a lot, and my wife is just not that security conscious, "no matter what I have tried". So to make thins easier I just don't leave a loaded gun in the car.
I have Grandkids and my wife is absent minded and always multitasking. It's just easier not to have to worry about it.
I carry 2 guns normally, and that should be more than enough in an urban setting. I do carry 2 or 3 extra mags and an ammo wallet in each car. I have about 50 rounds and a cell phone on me at all times.
If I were single again, "you never know", I would like a diamondback 223 pistol, with an Eotech on it. It would be bolted to the rear floor, or I would make some kind of compartment in the rear, "by a professional".
Something perhaps biometric where I could grab the gun in a short amount of time.
Also it would be suppressed.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Vehicle defense; defense driving classes, incidents....

The recent motorcycle group/SUV event in New York City & the incident in Detroit MI(where a unarmed driver hit a young child, parked his car to check on her, then was savagely beaten by a mob) are good examples of why a car or vehicle defense gun is a smart idea.
In my area, I deal with road ragers, lost or distracted tourists & seniors who can't drive properly.
That doesn't include the tired or intoxicated(drunk) drivers either.

I think being alert & knowing how to react in these situations is important too.
I keep my Glock .45acp close by. If I'm going indoors or not carrying it, I put a cable lock on the gun case. I always carry at least one spare loaded magazine too.

There are courses for defense driving & a few car makers offer special classes.
Knowing how to spot/avoid danger signs is good. These tactics can help you flee or be in a better spot if you need to use deadly force(ambush, robbery, riot, etc).

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Pistol and a short barreled pump in 12 or 20.

 

[Trent]

Any AK rifle.

Ditto.

 

[sauer1911]

Since that is so not possible in So. Cal, I am gonna go for a fantasy shot.

start with a Ruger 10/22 in .22lr or .22magnum, add a Red Jacket Bullpup stock and your good to go! Not too loud, and easy to wield around in the truck.

be safe

 

[OrangePwrx9]

Unconverted Saiga in 7.62x39 or .223 (2nd choice) with 16" barrel. Painted, with chromed bore; not prone to rust. Reliable, powerful, and accurate enough. It's appearance won't have people clutching their pearls.

I suppose an SKS would be as good.

I like my Savage 24s too; too much to leave them in the truck.