4 Wheel Off Road Camping Guide - Outdoor Adventure Guide

How To Carry Firearms In Your 4x4Boxes, Cases, Racks-What's Right For You?There are a number of factors to consider when deciding how to transport firearms in your truck. Are you carrying long arms, handguns, or both? How many of each? Are you transporting them in a daily-driven 4x4 or a dedicated hunting rig? How much space are you willing to give up? How much money do you want to invest?

When making the decision, consider the laws in your state (and/or the state where you hunt) regarding the transport of firearms. Some states have no restrictions on how firearms are carried in a vehicle. Some do for handguns but not for long arms. Other states require firearms to be carried unloaded, with the action open. Still others demand that firearms be locked in a car trunk, locked in a case or other "secure container," or somehow rendered inaccessible from inside the vehicle. If you're unsure about the laws in your state, the NRA Institute for Legislative Action Web site has a guide to the interstate transportation of firearms (www.nraila.org/ GunLaws.asp).

After you've determined your needs and what's permitted by law, look for a matching transport system. The systems we've included should help you decide. You'll note that we opted not to include the various types of gun cases. Instead, we concentrated on those systems designed to work with or in a vehicle. In doing so, the options fell into one of two categories: vaults and boxes, and racks.

Vaults & Boxes"Smashing a truck window and grabbing a rifle or shotgun can take less than 10 seconds," said Al Chandler, CEO of Truck Vault. "A shotgun in a case just gives the thief a handle to carry it by."

For the ultimate in secure storage, Truck Vault and other companies manufacture dedicated gun vaults or lock boxes for pickup trucks and SUVs. These range from toolbox-like cross-bed units to custom-built storage systems. In a box or vault, firearms are out of sight of potential thieves. Even if a bad actor guesses that a box contains hunting gear, "a thief doesn't have the time or the patience to do what's needed to steal" from these containers, Chandler said.

Racks"Not everyone has the room or is a serious enough shooter to invest in an expensive product" like a gun box, said Bruce Kelly, general manager of Rugged Gear. How expensive? Vehicle boxes range from several hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars for a custom vault. For those outdoorsmen looking for a less expensive means of carrying firearms, there's a wide variety of racks available, and most rack systems cost less than $100.

Current rack technology has come a long way from the old-fashioned, back-of-cab rifle rack. Now you can mount them on the roof of your truck cab or on the floor between the front seats, hang them behind the seats, or even mount them over your truck's windshield.