FAL PARA, AUG, or AR15 for Trunk/Car Gun?

[Dirk Williams]

I don't feel like packing my gear in and out of the house daily. Sooner or later you will say screw it, or forget to do it.

In fact I think by exposing your gear daily to whom ever is trolling the hood makes your gear that much more likely to go away.

I live in the woods other then the city I live in there is not much out here.

Ive wayed all those factors and feel it's in my best interest to continue on with the practice ive established many many years ago.

It's not like Im sporting an EZ rider rifle rack with the gun in the back window, or some silly little bumper stickers saying Im a gunfighter or tin soldier packing heat and looking for trouble.

Have a great day.
DW

[SteyrAUG]

I don't feel like packing my gear in and out of the house daily. Sooner or later you will say screw it, or forget to do it.

In fact I think by exposing your gear daily to whom ever is trolling the hood makes your gear that much more likely to go away.

I live in the woods other then the city I live in there is not much out here.

Ive wayed all those factors and feel it's in my best interest to continue on with the practice ive established many many years ago.

It's not like Im sporting an EZ rider rifle rack with the gun in the back window, or some silly little bumper stickers saying Im a gunfighter or tin soldier packing heat and looking for trouble.

Have a great day.
DW

Your call.

I know a couple guys personally who have lost even handguns that they considered well concealed in the vehicle. It just takes the one time.

These days even police cars aren't safe and we get several stories a year about how somebody hit one for an AR15 or MP5.

They might not be going after the gun at all, they might be raising your tool box at a mall parking lot and the gun becomes a bonus gift. We're only telling you because we've seen it first hand.

Now I really wish that weren't the case. I can distinctly remember growing up when you could have a gun rack in your pickup and not even worry about it. My friends older brother kept a couple nice Winchesters in his rack and nobody ever screwed with them.

We could go to a movie theater on friday night and when we came out two hours later that truck would still be in the parking lot, the guns still in the rack. But that was a different time and a different place. You couldn't do that today long enough to go pay for the gas you just put in your truck.

It really sucks, but that is the way it is.

[AZ-Renegade]

My father had a habit of carrying all sorts of gear in his personal vehicle for "just in case" situations. You name it, firearms, camping gear, binoculars, foul weather gear, if he thought he might need it, he had it. He also lives in a rural area. I always thought it was a good idea to be that prepared....

A few years back my dad takes a road trip in his pickup truck, hauling his live-in trailer. On the way, he parks at a gas station at a major junction in the mojave desert. Not a town, just a little berg with a few fast food joints and a gas station in the middle of nowhere. He spent the night in his trailer. The next morning he woke up to find that his truck had been broken into and everything of value had been stolen. [In his defense, his hearing is not very good].

I learned through that incident that having everything you need in a mobile conveyeance ALL THE TIME is not the smartest thing to do.

I also learned not to spend the night in gas station parking lots.

[KTR03]

So... moving us back to the question, and not whether you should or shouldn't. I live in the north west and we had a time a couple of years ago where we were out of power for over a week. Folks in gas lines and food lines start to get cranky. I put a long gun in the car.

I own all three, and all three would work. I think the FAL is probably too much for a trunk gun. Great penetration, great power, but expensive and expensive to train with. I love my Steyr Aug a3 and it would make a good car gun, but frankly between lights, optics, and the gun, its worth 3 grand. I'm not leaving 3 grand in my car. I opted fo an AK with a folding stock. I have about 500 bucks in it. Its reliable, accurate enough for all but the most edge scenario, and the round is great against automotive barriers. It also tolerates lack of maintenance.

I'll leave the should you/shouldn't you debate alone. But for me, if I was going to be leaving it in the car, I'd make it an AK.

[duece71]

If whatever rifle you choose gets stolen out of your car, then what? That firearm could be used in a crime and now you got some 'splain'in to do. My opinion, CCW and carry the pistol, it just seems like the rifle option is too much trouble for what its presence might be worth. Just my opinion.

[DeltaSierra]

My opinion, CCW and carry the pistol, it just seems like the rifle option is too much trouble for what its presence might be worth.

unless i can keep the rifle on my person, i am leery of leaving it even in a locked vehicle.

honestly, i would either carry a carbine in a backpack (like the pack noveske had for a while) that would go everywhere with me, or i'd just content myself with a handgun...

[Dirk Williams]

Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda. To carry a rifle in your rig is a personal choice. Im not in the habit of letting shit heads/criminals dictate how I live or determine what I carry.

AUG your right. My patrol truck got jacked right here in my driveway 4 years ago. They left a full auto G-36 and 10 mags, but took a set of PVS 21 Night Vision which were on loan to me from some old friends.

Being I was a deputy in Calif and retired here in Oregon I called 911. They sent over some dumb **** to investigate. I pulled the prints, I did the photo work, I did the shoe casting, cuz I knew these butt plugs were going down.

I had to drive 200 miles round trip over thhe pass to get the passanger window replaced in a nasty nasty snow storm. On the way home I called the local sheriff's office and asked where they were on this investigation.

THEY had done NOTHING. I got back to Klamath Falls and called my Sheriff in Calif, told him I was going to have to get our shit back.

The sheriff told me to get it done, and try not to kill anybody. I went to two different locations and had a chat with those folks. I discovered the PVS 21's were in a motel room here in town.

I callled the local Sheriff, speaking with an old friend who was the undersheriff. I told him I knew where the stole property was at, and ask him to meet me across the street.

This cock sucker say's well Dirk You not a cop here in Oregon anymore and we are shutting down for the day. I acknoleged the fact I wasn't sworn here anymore and then nicely explained to the undersheriff that I was going to recover my agency's stolen gear.

I advised him that they could tag along, or read about it in the ****ing paper the next morning. Interestingly enough the undersheriff knew I wasn't kidding and surely didn't want to read about it in the local rag so he rolled to back me.

Long story short in 15 minutes I was back in possession of the ANS 21's. and other stuff like GPS's Compasses etc etc.

Long story short. Someone jacks my shit, I'll find them sooner or later. Well chat and Im sure we will find a workable solution.

Im sorry for you guys who got your stuff stolen and never recovered in the past. With dwindling budgets and less cops do you really really believe the poo is going to get your shit back. Not likely, they all have 20/200 more cases just like yours that their working on at the same time.

Have a great day.
DW

[shootist~]

Far a car I would suggest the best place to leave a long gun is in the trunk. Much less likely to get stolen if your car gets burglarized. And even then you should keep it in a garage at night.

My thoughts on a long gun in the vehicle are not for instant access, but the extremely remote situation (we are in a war) or if an LEO is in deep do-do and needs help. A handgun might not be the best choice. I do like the idea of citizens across the country (with some ability) to be able to respond to something extreme. It worked for the Minute Men.

Mine stays locked up in the back of my truck, but I'm semi-retired and work from home. Truck stays in a locked garage. Going to the movies or somewhere where it will stay in a public parking lot for more than a short while, I make other arrangements such as taking the wife's SUV.

[AZ-Renegade]

Not to deviate the thread any further, but I saw an interesting security modification on a government vehicle the other day for transporting/storing weapons in the trunk of a sedan.

A bracket had been installed on the trunk lid and on the rear most portion of the trunk [near the opening] that allowed two short lengths of hardened chain to be secured to the trunk lid and just inside of the trunk.

Before completely closing the trunk, they would lock the two chains together using a padlock. The trunk could be opened just wide enought to unlock the padlock, but if there was a cased weapon in the trunk it could not be removed without unlocking the chains.

[SteyrAUG]

Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda. To carry a rifle in your rig is a personal choice. Im not in the habit of letting shit heads/criminals dictate how I live or determine what I carry.

I'm not here to tell you how to live your life, I'm just making sure you are aware of the pitfalls of your potential decisions and it seems you are.

I typically have a mindset of the one you advocate and try not to let the shitheads dictate the rules. Like you I have been lucky enough to have gotten away with my obstinance on more than a few occasions. I also think you got incredibly lucky in finding and recovering your stolen items (and here I mean beating the odds and not commenting on your investigation skills).

But I have also had it bite me on the ass and I have discovered we are greatly outnumbered by the shitheads.

If I lived by my rules and the way things "aught to be" I wouldn't own a gun safe at all and my entire collection would be proudly displayed on the living room wall where it belongs and I'd have a selection shelf for handguns in the front room. My power tools would also be left on my workbench on the back porch and a lot of my shooting accessories would be in the shed.

But things aren't the way they "aught to be."

So to return to the original topic, I think any of the rifles mentioned would be suitable and you should choose one based upon "potential loss" as all will do the job adequately. I'd also agree with the recommendation for a decent AK for this role.