Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Is having a car/truck handgun a good idea?

I like that lockable vehicle handgun safe idea. I've seen the locksmith-car opening professionasl get into a locked car almost as fast as you can with a key and a common smash and grab guy would be even faster. A friend had a late model Suburban and when the navigation screen button was pushed, that nav screen would pop up and under it was a perfect place for his Kel-Tec 9mm. Back in my youth when seat belt use was recommended and not mandatory, I had a stainless J-frame in place of the seat belt reel. Then logic prevailed and I decided that given the odds that I might need a seat belt more than a .38 Special.

I owned a Ford pickup once, that had a welded in pistol safe under the driver's seat. You could only open it with the door open, as it faced the driver's door. Had a push button 4 digit lock. Don't know who made or installed it. Came with the used truck.

If you can't/don't/won't carry at work, having one in your work vehicle is the closest convenient place you can have it.

A truck gun is a rifle. I carry a pistol all the time and it’s main purpose is to be able to fight your way back to your rifle

My thinking is that if a gun is going to be used to defend my life then I don't want to scrimp on that just on the off chance it could be stolen. It could just as easily be stolen from my home. Now I don't know that I'd keep some high dollar super customized gun in the car, but I don't use super high dollar customized guns in any self-defense role. To that end a Beretta 92FS lives in the car with one spare mag, that gives 16 on board and 15 spares. It's not cheap but it's not super expensive either, and mostly I can shoot it very well which is my first criteria for a self defense gun - the other first criteria being reliability and the Beretta has a very good reputation for that. If it is stolen there are thousands just like it available for a few hundred bucks.

Every person's situation is going to be different - and especially crime rates and types of threats which will vary widely around the country - so no one size fits all approach is going to work for everyone.

What year model GM trucks? Mine is a 2006 Chev. Silverado. The cup holders seem to be mounted to the floor. Thanks for the reply.

thanks enabler, other than 41magnums, i just ordered two of them.
i don't typically leave a gun in the car where it could be acessed, two much crime in arizona, neighborhood rats breaking into cars.
My wife parks her car in the garage, but i still have issues with her leaving a gun in the car in the garage. This might help.
the other issue is leaving the truck in the desert, where you are out of it, and out of sight for a while.
this takes care of the problem.

...you are welcome... Find any more of the correct caliber guns lately?

M9 with 18+1 here.

My SnapSafe arrived today (due to someone here's suggestion), and I just hooked it up to the frame of the passenger seat. I like it.

I don't leave a gun in my truck. I have one on me which goes in the house when I go in the house, goes in the truck when I go in the truck, etc. I don't like the idea of possibly providing a gun to some crook who previously only had a crow bar or a rock to bust my window with. I sure don't want to return to my truck to face someone holding my own gun.

YMMV.

I do. Sometimes I have to. Like going to vote.

Or going to the Post Office

My current one is a 2015 GMC Sierra. See below:







I used to have a 2006 H2, which had something similar.

OK, Now I see the difference. You have bucket seats and I have a split bench seat. I have a fold down console with cup holders bolted to the floor in front of the console. Mine does not have this feature like yours. Wish it did. Thanks for the reply and photos!

Why the KKM barrel in that Glock? Caliber change?

Maybe it didn’t need it, but I have put KKM barrels in all of my plastic Austrian 10mm pistols.

I could be wrong, but I doubt many thieves would think to lift the cup holders to see if they come out and think there would be something underneath them. I also rarely park in places where a break in is a realistic possibility and don’t leave apparent valuables in view from the outside.

Better chamber support? You want to shoot lead? How's the reliability vs OEM? Do they need to be fitted, or are they generally drop in?

I have shot a lot of hard cast through them, and took down a couple of deer with HC loads last year. But I think I am transitioning to the Underwood/Lehigh Xtreme Penatrator and/or Hunter loads. Originally, I figured that any additional chamber support would be plus. I am not saying that that actually makes a difference, but I was in a better-safe-than-sorry mindset. And I seem to be able to get tighter groups with the KKM barrels. I have a 3.8” KKM bbl for my G29, 4.6” and 6” KKM bible for my G20, and a 6” KKM bbl for my G40. The first three feed everything perfectly, except for HC rounds over 200 grains. Must be the tighter chamber.space. The G40 KKM bbl is the same except that, for some reason, it also shoots the UW 220gr HC rounds without fail. My Dan Wesson Bruin shoots anything without fail, and even an amateur like me can get some pretty good groups with it. I think both the G40 and DW both are more accurate than I can shoot. For me, the longer sight radius helps. I’ll stop rambling. Bored sitting in the airport lounge in Abu Dhabi waiting for my flight to Karachi. I always seem to be in a better mood when leaving Karachi than when headed there.