What exactly is a "truck gun?"

[buckhorn_cortez]

Does the Buckhorn come from the saloon up in PA? Had my wedding reception there years ago.

Nope. A sign on a county road in western Nevada with the directions to two different mines.

Traveled much of the Butterfield Trail. I've spent days down there where you never saw or heard another soul unless they were traveling with you.

Now, if you're in the Peloncillo Mountains, you're more than likely to see a number of people who are "traveling" through that area. The last time I was down there, I was advised by a Border Patrol officer "To be very careful" in that area.

Strange since there is the Playas Training and Research Center run by NM Tech for the Dept. of Homeland Security and there are all kinds of officers doing training scenarios in the area.

 

[C.R.]

4) If I'm ever in a place like a mall or school or other public area and an active shooter/mass killer starts taking people out, I can run to my car, get my rifle, and go back in and shoot him.
Im thinking thats a bad idea. If you are in an area and a person starts shooting,and you are able to get clear of the area and get to your car Why risk getting mistaken for a perpertrator ? If you would choose to be a witness,and tell the L.E. personel what you saw sure why not,but leave the hostage rescue stuff to the pro's . Here in Wisconsin there was a situation simalar to what you are talking about,and an innocent man was killed by the authorities he was armed leaving the area the police saw he had a gun and shot him before they knew he was one of the "Good guys"

 

[200Apples]

.
I shortened an old H&R single-shot break-action 12 ga to have a truck gun but since I learned it will hit you like a mule ho0f, I've moved on. Hahrr...

I sure like chicharrones' .22WMR Zastava. Well done, sir.

Meanwhile, I agree with the idea that you'd like to be able to easily replace the firearm in question, but since most of my long guns were little-used before I got them I think them harder to replace. So I moved my recent-manufacture Henry H001M into the 'disposable' role of truck/trunk gun. Other long guns suitable for the role would be one of my 870s or an old '94 I have in the back of the safe.

 

[Warp]

4) If I'm ever in a place like a mall or school or other public area and an active shooter/mass killer starts taking people out, I can run to my car, get my rifle, and go back in and shoot him.
Im thinking thats a bad idea. If you are in an area and a person starts shooting,and you are able to get clear of the area and get to your car Why risk getting mistaken for a perpertrator ? If you would choose to be a witness,and tell the L.E. personel what you saw sure why not,but leave the hostage rescue stuff to the pro's . Here in Wisconsin there was a situation simalar to what you are talking about,and an innocent man was killed by the authorities he was armed leaving the area the police saw he had a gun and shot him before they knew he was one of the "Good guys"

That is its own topic. Many people, including Sam1911, don't think it is a good idea, generally speaking.

However, there are people that take the "leave the hostage rescue stuff to the pros" and reply with the first quote you see in my sig. BTW I'm not sure going after a shooter is "hostage rescue", exactly.

If you attempt to shoot, or successfully shoot, an "active shooter", with any firearm, at any time, even your pistol if you are right on top of the shooter when it happens, you run the risk of being mis-identified and shot, either by another carrier, or by law enforcement. Or maybe even by an accomplice, if the shooter manages to have one. Anybody who makes that decision needs to be fully aware of that.

 

[JohnBiltz]

I was thinking about this the other day. It used to be, say the 70s, you did not see a pick up truck without a gun rack in it. They did tend to run to thirty thirties. Sometimes they would have an old shotgun or baseball bat as well. Simpler times I guess.

I have to say I do not like to travel far from home without a long gun. I don't want one when driving around town but I take one with me when driving more than a hundred miles.

 

[MattShlock]

Who Wouldn't Everyone Have a Truck Gun?

What I originally coined a Trunk Gun (that's right -- it was me) is the kind of generic, all-purpose, go-to gun someone doesn't mind bouncing around in their vehicle and even losing. It is the "uh oh -- I might need a gun for some reasons (which are in the owner's mind's eye) and want something reasonably reliable that is not a significant financial or emotional investment." Spare tire, jack, trunk gun, handful of ammo...

We all know the uses of a firearm. Consequently, though it seems to be dismissed with a look of disdain by those holier than thou, there is only one reason one shouldn't have (a certain) one in their vehicle, like any other tool, and that's because you don't want even that generic AR stolen by those "livin' da t'ug life." But any gun is better than none. And when you need one nothing else will do! And then hopefully it is adequate.

My own have transitioned over the years from a nickel 21" .22 LR take-down pump-action Rossi, soon to a custom-shortened 18-1/2" .22 Mag version, and now to a fold-in-half single-shot 16" .22 Mag Chiappa Little Badger. Your mileage will vary.

 

[yugorpk]

I was thinking about this the other day. It used to be, say the 70s, you did not see a pick up truck without a gun rack in it. They did tend to run to thirty thirties. Sometimes they would have an old shotgun or baseball bat as well. Simpler times I guess.

I have to say I do not like to travel far from home without a long gun. I don't want one when driving around town but I take one with me when driving more than a hundred miles.

When I was in high school you hardly saw a truck in the parking lot without some sort of rifle sitting in the rack.

 

[C.R.]

My thoughts on a truck gun,would be something inexpensive, light and handy , a 30-30 lever gun,maybe an SKS, maybe an A.R. 15 ,or a Ruger Mini 14. Something that uses ammunition that is easy to find . A gun that you wont loose any sleep over if it gets nicked up or stolen.

 

[jamesjames]

truck guns are unique to region and habits

...but usually its another tool in the rural tool box. Many from east of the Mississippi or north of the Mason-Dixon line may not have a use for a truck gun. You don't travel rural highways and back roads, you don't traverse a lot of public land like we have in the west. You may not see wilderness or wild animals. You may not see any need or threat that would be addressed by having a gun in your rig. Or you may see too much risk in car break-ins in an urban environment or even towns in a rural area.

I live in rural Oregon, far from urban Portland. I drive through ranch and farm and forest and wilderness all the time. I have prepared for earthquake (and tsunami) which can bury the few roads we have linking the coast to the inland under miles of mudslides. Rural people run across the occasional wild animal injured by collision with a car or tangled in a barb wire fence that needs to be put out of its misery. Ranchers put down the occasional aged stock animal or dog to ease its suffering at life's end. Sure, there's the rare occasion to shoot a varmint or possibly hunt a game animal, but that's more conceit than reality for me. In truth all of this is probably more fiction than fact. But when you get to a certain age where you take responsibility for yourself and the small part of the world that crosses your path, these things make some sense and give some measure of comfort.

I wanted a 30 caliber, carbine-length rifle for a truck gun. One day an undesirable, 1970's chromed Winnie 94 (with rust specs) spoke to me from the rack at a pawn shop. They took $230 for it and I adopted somebody else's old truck gun and gave it a new home in my rig.

 

[Reloadron]

What exactly is a "truck gun?"

I guess we all apparently have our thoughts on the subject. While I never gave it much if any thought when the term "truck gun" is used I want to think of a short handy carbine type rifle with iron sights. Can be a bolt gun or semi-auto, even a lever gun. Never having given it much if any thought that is what I see when I hear the term. I also associate it with a truck, don't know why? Maybe because I like trucks? Surprisingly I don't see a handgun despite my liking handguns. Strange. I also do not see any of my AR type rifles. No clue why.

I just asked my wife who also drives a truck but is simpler in her reply. She just answered a short rifle. She also envisions the classic EZ Rider Rifle Rack.

Ron

 

[Warp]

I was thinking about this the other day. It used to be, say the 70s, you did not see a pick up truck without a gun rack in it. They did tend to run to thirty thirties. Sometimes they would have an old shotgun or baseball bat as well. Simpler times I guess.

I have to say I do not like to travel far from home without a long gun. I don't want one when driving around town but I take one with me when driving more than a hundred miles.

It used to be, say the 70s, violent crime was a lot higher, too. Must be some relevance there.

 

[22-rimfire]

A truck gun is any firearm you keep in your "truck" that you routinely drive. It is a gun you don't mind if it gets scratched occasionally but you do protect it. It probably doesn't get wiped down with oil often, so some rust could form. Why you keep it there is your business. It generally is not a gun that you can retrieve quickly and would take a bit of effort. So, normal self defense is not its purpose.

 

[Berger.Fan222]

When I spent more time in rural farm areas, I kept a gun behind the seat for targets of opportunity. Most of the summer, it was a varmint rifle. I transitioned to a shotgun then to a deer rifle as duck and deer seasons rolled around.

I shot a lot of critters with the truck gun over the years.

 

[jeepnik]

Interesting as I have just re-evaluated mine. I was using a 20 ga semi auto shotgun. It was modified to be broken down and reassembled quickly. It broke down in to three major parts, action and magazine tube, butt stock and barrel. I'd done something similar to an old 500 Mossy in .410 for my Jeep.

Frankly these days I've upgraded to a Springfield Scout Squad. Much larger magazine capacity, longer reach and more accurate.

It's not near as packable but I'll sacrifice storage size for capability these days.

 

[Plan2Live]

Thanks for clarifying Sam1911. I thought this is what folks were talking about when they said "truck gun"

 

[Sam1911]

Caption that, "Done broke down with a radiator boiling over. Can't imagine why no one's stopping to help!"

 

[Carl N. Brown]

The truck gun used by a friend of mine in Afghanistan was .50 BMG Barrett. He put an incendiary round through the fuel tank but it did not light up as he expected but drove away. When he and allied Afghanis investigated, it had left a trail of diesel. They were able to track it to where it was abandoned, towed it back, patched it up and put it to work against the insurgents.

Didn't mean to start a "what caliber for trucks" side trip.

My truck guns are "would not cry if it was dented or scratched" or "goes to the mountain when the nice guns stay safely at home" but I don't buy the "wouldn't miss it if it was stolen" angle. While my favorite "truck guns" are pawn shop orphans -- $50 and $53 each -- after a trip to the mountain they go inside where it's safe.

 

[matrem]

My truck guns have seemed to range from a 10/.22 that rode in a back window gun rack for years, to a Ruger 77 .223, to now, a cased M4gery under the back seat.

A shotgun or three has ridden in that position over the last thirty years, but a good rifle sure seems to fill the truck gun bill better for me.

 

[nebraska_farmer]

I don't have a truck gun, but if I did it'd be a cheap AR15 with a handful of pmags loaded up and nearby. Maybe one day I'll decide I need one.

 

[taliv]

mine's an SBR AR15 that lays in the back floorboard. it's there for most of the reasons sam listed. but mostly for the same reason i keep other tools in the truck. who knows when i might need one?

 

[Ironicaintit]

For us old timey rural folks at least, a truck gun still seems like a good idea.
I like stainless and/or synthetics in the 5.56 variety with folding stocks, soft cased with a few spare magazines, busted case extractor and some clp. Im on the fence about optics...

I also have a med-kit, fire extinguisher, spare tire, mechanics tools, and wear my seat belt.
I dont presume to know what may come in handy when.

 

[Red Wind]

This is my truck gun. Yugo 59 SKS , 10 round mag, re loadable with stripper clips. I carry 3. You never know just how much you may need!

Even in Alaska! 7.62x39 rounds.

 

[gatorwade]

Another vote for the M1 Carbine. Light, handy, reliable, and capable of dealing with whatever might be a problem. But I wouldn't subject a veteran USGI to that daily wear and tear. So anything else will have to do. Mini 14 Ranch, or AR15 gets the call to duty on our farm.

 

[Old Dog]

I guess I'm different from most -- those for whom a truck gun is one they'd not miss if it were stolen, and one they'd not mind when it gets scratched or damaged -- I want the most effective long gun possible in my vehicle.

I live in an area where a 10.0 earthquake is considered imminently possible, as well as fairly close to two dormant -- not extinct -- volcanoes. While I don't rule out the possibility of some type of social upheaval, I think a large-scale natural disaster more likely. Plus, I drive East-West across the state fairly regularly, across a substantial mountain range and in and out of fairly rural areas.

All reasons I normally keep a Colt M-4 with an optic with five loaded mags in the bag under the truck's back-seat. C

 

[BigBore45]

Well i run a cheap ar-15 in the truck with a 3-9-40 scope from the 70's that i got for like 20 bucks that are on quick detach rings with back up irons. i have a magazine with varmint loads a mag with deer loads and a mag with some standard soft points. they are all within 2" of the bullseye at 100 yards. I have used it for unexpected hunting.

latest example, i was deer hunting and had a heavy 18lb+ ar-10 and was planning to set and wait for the deer but i made it out late because i had been called out for a service call. on my way to the hunting location i seen the deer bedded behind a pond damn. the only way to get close to them and go unnoticed was to walk about a mile up and down a few cuts/draws. so i took the light ar-15 and got the deer.

in this rural area and having to deal with cattle and other farm animals you may have to put one down in the middle of summer when hunting is the last thing you would plan on doing. or coyotes on a calf or the wounded animals in the ditch or a rabid animal.

Also you never know what you might run across, i have been out hunting coyotes and seen pheasant run into a small patch of thickets, well i have the shotgun so i grab it and now im pheasant hunting.

Also once i had my primary gun for a hunt that the sight broke off, instead of the hunt being over i just grabbed the backup gun and went back to hunting.

My truck guns are the AR-15 mentioned above and a rem 870 express with 4 shot and some buck shot under the seat. been handy more than a few times.

there are also the possibilities ( very remote ) of running across something crazy going on and being shot at, like stumbling upon someone poaching or selling drugs. In my area the law enforcement can be as much as an hour away and some places where no one will even hear gun fire or see your vehicle for days