Truck Guns - Practicality Questions

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pricedo
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Re: Truck Guns - Practicality Questions

Post by pricedo »

larryp wrote:Here in Montana you can carry a fully loaded gun in your vehicle without any restrictions. Also if someone breaks into your rig and steals it then uses it to commit a crime you are not liable.
I'm presuming by "gun" you mean both handguns & long guns.
The loaded firearm transportation laws no doubt has a direct relationship to the high Grizzly population in Montana.
If I lived there my 7.5" barrel Ruger Super Redhawk in 454 Casull would be on my person at all time outside city/town limits.
If you are fishing or hunting and smell of fresh meat cause of a rucksack full of trout or are covered with blood & guts after having dressed out a deer you are particularly vulnerable.
I prefer the handgun (in addition to a rifle) for bush carry because I have a tendency to get careless and walk away from my rifle.
If Mr. Grizz pops up unexpectedly and your rifle is leaning against a tree 50 yards away you aren't going to beat the bear in the 50 yard dash........your head will be crushed by that big paw or those steel trap jaws before your trigger finger touches metal.
The securely holstered handgun on the other hand is always with you along with a cylinder full of ammo even if you upset your canoe and the rifle and the rest of your supplies are carried away by the current.
I load the ammo loops in my belt because if the rifle becomes lost in a canoe upset or is stolen I have a dozen rounds + the ammo in the revolvers cylinder for sustenance hunting & defense.
Also a handgun carried under your jacket & protected from the elements will not freeze up like an exposed rifle will in winter.
I remember a day in particular in the late fall when a freeing rain which soon turned to snow started while I was still deep in the bush..........my 94 which had been soaked with water fast turning to ice was as useless for defense as a Popsicle because the action was frozen up but my S&W 629 (44 Mag) was loaded & completely functional in a belt holster covered by my jacket.
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Re: Truck Guns - Practicality Questions

Post by ironhead7544 »

To me, a "Truck Rifle" is going to be used as a regular tool or as a self defense gun if you are caught in a bad situation.

If you have to go into a big city, or have to live in one you may find yourself in a riot situation. Back in the 60ties we had a lot of riots. I heard many stories of people being trapped "behind the lines" when that happened. Having a rifle and ammo would have been a good thing for them. One LEO always kept 3 boxes of 50 in the car while working. He used all of it to escape. He was attacked by large groups after his car was turned over. A rifle might have kept them farther away and scared them more.

You can also get into trouble on a road trip. A friend of mine and some buddies rented an RV and came down to see me in south FL. They were going across Alligator Alley and got a flat. This was in the dead of night. When they got out. they realized they were not alone out there. They could hear things moving around. It is not called Alligator Alley for no reason. Had to wait until it got light out before they could do anything.

I dont see anything wrong with carrying emergency equipment in the car. I used to keep my Rossi 357 carbine in the car trunk with some ammo. Was perfectly legal so why not?
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Re: Truck Guns - Practicality Questions

Post by pricedo »

If you want to carry a rifle as a truck/defense gun fine & dandy.
As long as you are doing it in compliance with the law you should have no problems in any jurisdiction.
I will concede this much and that is if you are being attacked or otherwise beset upon it's always better to have a rifle than no gun at all.
All arguments as to what is the best gun in the heat of the life threatening emergency become moot & redundant........when the "S is hitting the fan" you use what you got. :mrgreen:
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Re: Truck Guns - Practicality Questions

Post by Rooster59 »

Compliance with regulations is the point of my post. Truck guns do have multiple purposes, one of them is the single example I used. That would not be a self defense situation but a defense of personal property and loved ones. I wouldn't feel threatened at a distance outside of ten yards unless faced with an armed aggressor. At that point they are lethal at greater distances.

My wife works from her home office where the nearest homes wouldn't necessarily notice unusual activities. One is owned by a retired couple with health issues. The other has been empty for 3.5 years due to foreclosure. We are surrounded by large inhabited but wooded properties.

For at-home situations my intention would be to block the BG's from leaving my property with my truck and move to the woods for a defensive/offensive position while waiting for authorities (after describing myself for ID when they arrive).

In addition to human threats we have a healthy coyote population that need dispatched if spotted on a moment's notice. Not to mention the highly credible sightings of cougars within a 1-5 mile radius of my property. Where my deer camp is it would not be unheard of to be doing food plot or clearing work and come across an angered, armed poacher or hungry predator. Our SSS policy for large predators encourages us to dispatch coyotes or a cougar if at all possible. Hence my inquiry regarding "other motorized land conveyances".

I appreciate the legal warnings. I'm a very prudent person and fully grasp the impact of shooting someone and the parameters of personal defense distances. Discretion is the better part of valor, if it's a viable option. If I caught someone abducting my wife by vehicle I'd want the authorities to be able to identify the vehicle better via the flat reat tire, bullet holes in the rear fender, in addition to my description. If she ran out of the house chased by someone with a butcher knife I'm more likely to save her from a distance with a long gun than a 3.4" barrel semi-auto handgun.

I'm not a trained SWAT sniper but would want to be able to use methods within the scope of the skills I am capable of. Everything has to be kept in perspective though. It is certainly easier to wait for insurance reimbursement for a stolen TV than defend yourself for using a firearm when not warranted.

Jeff
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Re: Truck Guns - Practicality Questions

Post by Rooster59 »

@ pricedo - Quote: "Who ever coined that phrase was never involved in any tactical self defense (from other people) situations......probably the author of western novels whose only imminent danger experience was from paper cuts & the occasional jab from a pen nib."

Clint Smith, noted self-defense instructor, is credited with that expression. I am a bit more capable of separating fantasy from reality than suggested but I appreciate the warning.

Jeff
"I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me." Willard Duncan Vandiver
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