Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's atv rifle rack?

which dio you prefer, and why?

The boot like kolpin makes (hard plastic scabbard)

or clips or clamps to carry the rifle in front of the handlebars?

When would one be preferable to another?

Sycamore

Depends on your state laws. Here in ID, we can carry a loaded one on an atv (not recommended, but legal). Some states require them to be unloaded and cased. I often have a couple rounds in the mag but not chambered. I use a couple of clips on the front rack, but many rifles are a bit long and you have to be careful to not hit the barrel or stock on trees or sagebrush.
It's illegal to hunt from an atv, but having it in clips is handier than a case when it's time to park and hike.

front rack on my polaris, those cases just take up to much room for me. i think mine is a kolpin

I've got the Kolpin boot and the down side is that it does take up a ton of room. For example, I have a soft sided seat/pack thing that covers up the entire back rack. It enables the kids to sit more comfortably and I can also store stuff. However, I can't have it and the gun boot on the ATV at the same time. I don't like the front ones because I usually throw the deer on the front when I'm carting it down the mountain.

i made me a 4ft wide rack and hinged it off the bottom of my brush guard to haul deer out . it fold up against the front when not in use. i use the winch to pick them up.

The Kolpin Gun boot is the way to go. I've found that the atv "gun racks" that mount across the front of your atv don't protect your rifle very well. Unless you have a way to keep the dirt, mud, water and such of your rifle, your better off with a gun boot.

Hi Sycamore, I like my rifle cased, when the terrian is muddy or wet so my rifle dosnt get covered with dirt and mud . it takes a little more time to get out than the open racks but to me its worth it i dont spend so much time cleaning it at night. its all a matter of preferance. and how valuable your rifle is too.

hope this helped

During hunting season I always have the complete enclosed Kolpin for my rifle. I also have an open fork-type on the front for the assault grouse gun, in case I see that opportunity to ground sluice one of those tasty critters. Sometimes it is hard to stack deer on the ATV if you have too may rifles.

Shrapnel,
Nice set up. I've got a kolpin in about the same place (opposite side) and the open fork type on front (for a shooting rest if needed) on my Polaris.

I don't bother with an extra long gun for grouse.... The glock .45 worked just fine for the three I shot this year..... Hit em in the head and they will go down. HAHAHA.

I had the kolpin boot and didn't care for it,it took up to much space on my ATV.

Went with the fork type on the front rack.If your worried about getting your gun dirty you can still but it in a soft gun case and still use the forks.

I agree. I misread the original post and realized that you need to check your laws... in CO, you have to have the gun in a case, so the kolpin or the forks with a soft case is required. I've used both.... The kolpin looks more sturdy for if you roll over or if you hit something.... The forks and soft case combo makes for quick access...

Here in Colorado, the law says that a firearm must be unloaded and cased if carried on an ATV.

I use the Kolpin Gun Boot, with bracket mount along the side of the vehicle. It leaves the rear rack pretty much unobstructed for carrying gear, game, etc.

I've used the clamps for rifle carry in Wyoming. Biggest problem is that if it is dry, firearms get very dusty and dirty, and are subject to a lot of vibration.

Nice Xplorer MOSSYOAK1957. What year is yours? I have a 99 Xplorer 400 that is green. Has been an excellent atv.

My dad and brother have the Kolpin system on their ATV's and like them. I have the Plano setup simply because that is what they had at Wal Mart when I was looking. It differs from the Kolpin system in the padding. With the Kolpin, the padding is fixed to the inside of the case, where my Plano has a standard padded case that fits inside the hard shell. You can zip the rifle in the case and keep it in your pickup until ready to go, then put the whole thing in the hard shell on the ATV. It works well, but not really any advantage/disadvantage over the Kolpin. One muddy trip with an exposed rifle was enough for me to get one.