The Car/Truck Gun

[BlackAgnes]

Yep--a recurring notion in the gun culture is having a handgun suitable for travel, likely stored in the console or some other location where it can readily be retrieved and employed.

The "Car Gun", or, if you prefer, the "Truck Gun".

Now, before the fusillade of sage advice starts incoming, I want to say right here and now that I would never LEAVE a gun unattended in my truck, and I hope you wouldn't either!

OK.

These are the qualities I think this gun should possess (feel free to add/subtract/modify/whatever):

1) Reliability. It should function flawlessly.

2) Power--it should have excellent penetration and range.

3) It should be easy to get into action, maybe with one hand. This might rule out our favorite revolvers (?)

4) It ought to be accurate out to 50 yards or so.

5) It should be low maintenance--and have a durable workmanlike finish.

6) Since the employment or even display this gun will probably get it confiscated, at least temporarily, and stored rather casually by the authorities, it shouldn't be so expensive that you'd be heartbroken. I read occasionally where some folks are wont to carry Registered Magnums, Single-Action Colts, and the like. Not this old boy! Have you ever seen what evidence lockers and firearms examiners do to fine finishes? Brrrrr!

7) Night sights and/or lasers might be worth considering, since confrontations often occur at night.

All Right.

I vote for a properly vetted Czech CZ-52. Plenty of power and penetration, reliable and accurate, easy to load and unload, and cheap. I haven't figured out how to put night sights on one yet (economically), but I bet it's possible.

Your pick?

Tim

 

[P&R Fan]

Mine has been a Glock 22 for years. !5 rounds (in condition 3) of .40 S&W Silvertips. Who cares if it gets scuffed up? And it certainly has over the years. It's a Glock, they aren't pretty, they just work very well all the time in my experience.
Most of my revolvers are special to me. A Glock I can replace, any time.

 

[m1gunner]

Mine is a Star high cap 9mm, cost me about 100 bucks.

Gun runs without a hiccup. Won't cry if it is in lockup for a year or so.

 

[sigp220.45]

A Model 36 in the console and an M1 carbine in a hidey hole.

 

[bitstream]

Get a Sigma. Fits all your requirements. 100% reliable, DAO, no external safety, striker fired, avail in .40 s&w, very accurate, not expensive. Perfect.

 

[sheriffoconee]

Charter Arms Bulldog for me. I have about a hunnred bucks in it. I don't need a 50 yard gun if I am in my POV, I outta be driving and not shooting if that is the case.
I figure 5 44 spl rounds outta keep a carjacker out, and if I need to stick it in my belt and cover it with a shirt, I can do that too.
I have to say I always have another gun on me, but sometimes it is nice to have that thing in my lap, depending on where I find myself

 

[4864]

I have had a few different truck guns. Right now it is a S&W Model 65-5LS up front and a S&W Model 3000 shotgun in the back. I also carry my S&W M&P AR-15X most of the time for work. I am going to replace that soon with a Beretta PX4 .45ACP carbine.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Mine is a Kel Tec SU-16C and four 30 round mags.

 

[mamasfatty]

i keep a 4506 in my truck,,,cheap ,reliable,stainless auto that wont let you down.

 

[Joe Kent]

A Model 65 in a shoulder holster and an FR8 308 in the trunk with a bandoleer of 308's in stripper clips.

 

[redlevel]

For the last 37 years, if you saw me in my family vehicle, there was probably a Model 36 in the console, on the seat, or in my pocket. There have been others, a Ruger .38special, a Norinco 1911 .45, a GI 1911A1, and one or two others. That Chiefs Special, though, was there most often. All those other guns are hard to conceal when I get out to shop with my wife, go to a restaurant, whatever. That Chiefs Special fits in a pocket of semi-loose/baggy khaki britches just right. I have to say, with the availability of the BB .38 +p loads for snub nose .38s, I feel better about carrying that small gun than ever before.

Now, if you see me in my pickup, it's a different story. Maybe a .45 Colt Vaquero and a shotgun, maybe a SKS and a Model 10 or Model 15, probably a rimfire rifle of some kind. Just depends. I recently bought a Model 19-3 2.5 inch that's getting some play time now, and I've been shooting the Nork .45 a lot, trying to pick out reliable magazines for it. But you know what? That Model 36 (sometimes a Model 60) is still in my pocket.

 

[DeadAye]

S&W M49
Others too, but the 49 is always within reach.

 

[Rule3]

SA XD 40 sub compact.(better than a Block)

 

[Steave]

I didn't jump in on the last car/truck gun thread, by the time I saw it everything that needed to be said had been said. That said, I keep three guns in my vehicle at all times, a Glock 23, a 16" AR-15 and a 18" Remington 870. I figure these should suffice for any situation that might arise in Dallas, if I really expected things to get hairy, I guess I could always throw the M240 or a M60 in the Suburban as well!

 

[rimfired]

Mine is a AMT BACKUP .45.
I've made sure it's reliable and accurate.
If you're unsure, make sure the first number
is a "4". JMHO.

 

[GKC]

In the house, I keep my M&P45c loaded and close to hand, and I just got my wife a M&P9c for her nightstand. I prefer to have a revolver for the car (I don't leave it IN the car) and from now on it's going to be the 64-2 that I just bought. The rest of my guns reside in the safe.

 

[Rule3]

I didn't jump in on the last car/truck gun thread, by the time I saw it everything that needed to be said had been said. That said, I keep three guns in my vehicle at all times, a Glock 23, a 16" AR-15 and a 18" Remington 870. I figure these should suffice for any situation that might arise in Dallas, if I really expected things to get hairy, I guess I could always throw the M240 or a M60 in the Suburban as well!

For a Suburban you are very under gunned. I think a tripod mounted something when you swing the rear doors open would be nice.

 

[jlrhiner]

Marlin Camp Carbine in .45 is always behind the seat of the truck. Sometimes it gets visits by other family members, but it's the "always there" gun.

 

[pawncop]

686 2 1/2" issued off duty side arm. Stays with me in the car all the time. Five (5) speed loaders available.

 

[10-12]

For the last 37 years, if you saw me in my family vehicle, there was probably a Model 36 in the console, on the seat, or in my pocket. There have been others, a Ruger .38special, a Norinco 1911 .45, a GI 1911A1, and one or two others. That Chiefs Special, though, was there most often. All those other guns are hard to conceal when I get out to shop with my wife, go to a restaurant, whatever. That Chiefs Special fits in a pocket of semi-loose/baggy khaki britches just right. I have to say, with the availability of the BB .38 +p loads for snub nose .38s, I feel better about carrying that small gun than ever before.

Now, if you see me in my pickup, it's a different story. Maybe a .45 Colt Vaquero and a shotgun, maybe a SKS and a Model 10 or Model 15, probably a rimfire rifle of some kind. Just depends. I recently bought a Model 19-3 2.5 inch that's getting some play time now, and I've been shooting the Nork .45 a lot, trying to pick out reliable magazines for it. But you know what? That Model 36 (sometimes a Model 60) is still in my pocket.

Try a Cobra Mag from Tripp Enterprises. They have fixed many a feeding problem even when the top of the line mags such as Wilson would not. The cartridge rides a lot higher in the Tripp.

Hope this helps.

Bill