SHTF Car Trunk Gun HELP!!!

[minsonngo]

I am planning on buying a dedicated SHTF car trunk gun soon.

Should I get a...

Remington 870 or Mossberg 500. The only thing I plan on adding is a shot sidesaddle, a sling, and maybe a light mount system. Trying to keep the price below 500 bucks or so. Load it up with buck shot and have a few slugs handy on the sidesaddle.

or

AK-47? Most likely I will keep this one stock in a golf club bag with a few extra clips.


The choices are cheap so if it gets stolen it will not hurt at much as losing an AR or a Benelli. I am leaning towards the AK right now since it has a longer range. But the shotty can double as a HD gun if necessary. I can't decide!

Any suggestions on what I should pick and why?

[The Gamemaster]

I think that you have been watching a little too much tv.

The SHTF is never going to happen and you money would be better spent on a new set of tires or one of them pine tree air fresheners.

If it ever gets that bad, call the police and have them come over and give you a police escort to work.

Tell em' Jerry sent ya!

[Huntergirl]

Aw come on, its just one more excuse to buy another rifle....

[azredhawk44]

Glock 19, Glock 23, Glock 26, Glock 27, .40 Baby Eagle Compact, H&K USP Compact 9mm, Sub-Compact XD 9mm, Service Model XD .40 cal, Kel-Tec P3AT.

I see you have several compact handguns.

I hope one of these is a daily carry and they aren't all safe queens.

Assuming that you have proficiency in all these handguns (or at least 1-2 of them and a CCW), I'd say a long gun in the car is a good idea. Aside from SHTF, it's great for opportunistic shooting of bunnies, coyotes, etc. I favor rifles personally and my choice of long gun when I go on trips is a Winchester 94 in 30-30, but a shottie or AK/SKS isn't a bad choice either.

[rantingredneck]

TFL doesn't do SHTF situations FYI. A moderater will be along shortly I'm sure.


That being said if you plan to add a side saddle to a remington 870 you better get the police version with the shorter forearm. The standard express and wingmaster forearems are long and actually cover part of the receiver when cycled. This will preclude a full length sidesaddle. Although Tacstar offers a short 4 round version for this purpose. Works well. Currently occupies my 870 Express synthetic.

[9mmHP]

Split the difference and get a SKS!

[Doug.38PR]

I carry both a rifle and a shotgun at times. (usually when I am traveling or sometimes when going into a metropolitian area). I carry a Remington 870 Police Magnum with four 00 Magnum Buckshot loads in the tube and the fifth in my pocket and an Olympic Arms AR-15 with one 20 round magazine in the gun and another in the glove compartment.

I carry the shotgun more than the rifle as the shotgun can come in handy even if the trash is not hitting the fan and you are just stranded on the roadside at night. But if the trash ever did hit the fan, you might very well need a rifle. If you feel you are in a potential SHTF Zone (like that term) Carry your AK-47 that day with an extra clip in the glove compartment.

[CALNRA]

you are in Texas, get a permit for handguns and carry plenty of spare mags. In california some of us carry shotguns in the car because most of us can't get CCWs, you live in a state that is good on the policy, treasure it

[lockedcj7]

"SHTF is never going to happen"

Do you remember the Rodney King riots? Reginald Denny probably didn't think it could happen either. All of the Korean store owners knew better. Were the police able to protect anyone? They retreated and left the citizens to fend for themselves in a burning, hostile wasteland.

Do you remember Katrina? Gangs of thugs roaming the streets and police overwhelmed? Food and water scarce, communication cut off and citizens left to fend for themselves in a polluted, flooded and burning wasteland.

SHTF- has, can and will happen again. When it does, you are either prepared or you are poised to become a victim.

I found myself living in a large city when an 'incident' threatened to set off city-wide riots. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed but I was ready to bug-out if necessary. My "disaster preparedness kit" included a Mini-14, Winchester riot gun, several handguns and tons of ammo.

[scsov509]

"I think that you have been watching a little too much tv."

Like maybe the news? Seriously, these situations have happened and will happen again. Most of us are of course probably unlikely to actualy ever have such and experience, but the fact that they might happen at all is cause enough for me to be prepared. It's the same reason I carry a CCW in the first place, even though I may well never use it.

Personally, I'd go with a rifle of some kind. I have a mini-14 with a side folding stock that I keep close by at all times.

[WeedWacker]

I prefer a shotgun over an AR, but that's probably the Iowa talking (no rifles for deer) and the skeet shooter in me.

If you do get a scatter gun, make sure you can have it legally first of all, secondly, an Ithica with a pistol grip pump and a folding stock (or no stock where legal) is about what you would want in a situation where the attacker is close and you need something to "shoot from the hip" with (although this is not reccommended). And if you are in your car type situation you might only get off a few shots anyway so a USAS 12 with a 12 rnd drum is a little over kill

[sjsfire]

A lot of good it will do in the truck.......my opinion

[BillCA]

If you live in or near urban or large suburban zones, I'd suggest the shotgun is probably the better choice. An 870, Mossberg or Winchester 1300 equipped with an ammo-sling and perhaps a sidesaddle shell holder or a buttstock mounted one. If you're really worried, keep a bandolier in the trunk too.

I'd probably put at least 6 rounds of slugs in the sling and keep a couple of heavy birdshot (#2 or #4) available in the mix.

If your travels take you to more rural areas, an inexpensive SKS rifle with a deteachable mag works. The 7.62x39 is potent and has decent range for keeping hostiles at a distance.

[FirstFreedom]

Saiga .308 16". Nuff said.

[minsonngo]

I had the real SHTF situations such as hurricane Katrina or Rita, mass rioting, looting, zombie outbreaks haha, and such on my mind when I was trying to decide which choice to make.

***I always carry a handgun as my CCW. And yes I am proficient with all of the handguns... I can make great groupings with my Keltec P3AT. But like that always say... never bring a handgun to a rifle fight.

But with everyone's help I think I am going to go with a shotgun for my trunk gun now. It will be a great car trunk gun, it has decent range with slugs, it does not easily label me as a terrorist if I ever have to use it, and it can double as a home defense gun too.

***I have just one more questions. How does the finish on the Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 hold up in the hot and humid Houston summers? Any experience or suggestions? Will I have to apply a thin layer of CLP on the shotty every once in a while to prevent rusting?***

Thanks everyone for your help, yall are awesome!

[The Gamemaster]

The last time I saw the Sh1t hit the fan was Kent State back in 1970.

May 4th I was in elementary school when they showed on tv them hippy radicals get theirs when the National Guardsmen didn't take their lip no more.

AS I remember it, the president of the United States stepped in and took over the situation.

Them kids quit protesting and our boys came home from Vietnam not long after that.

If they brought back Hangings like they did to Sadam Hussein - it would straighten out a lot of these punks and the crime rate would take a sudden nose dive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings

[rantingredneck]

Here's the 870 I have:



I bought a stock 870 Express synthetic with 28" Remchoke barrel. I added a 20" IC Rifle Sighted smoothbore barrel, a Tacstar 8 round mag extension and barrel clamp, an ATI buttstock with pistol grip, and a Tacstar 4 round sidesaddle. Now it is my HD shotgun. You see the side saddle is shorter due to the way the standard 870 forend is made. You can switch out the forend and get a larger sidesaddle but I didn't feel like going that far for 2 more rounds.

If I can't kill it with 12 rounds of 12 ga. slugs and buckshot then it ain't dyin.

All of the stuff I've done is reversible though and I can change it back to it's stock configuration in about 20 minutes. That way I can still dove hunt with it in the fall with the regular 28 inch barrel. Can also deer hunt with the 20 inch slug barrel.

[minsonngo]

Well, in Houston and near Houston... there was Hurricane Rita and Katrina which caused a high surge of crime. There was a lot of looting, rape and such from a particlar race which I choose not to disclose when this occurred. During that time I was helping some close family friends board up their shop in Port Arthur, TX and we were resting outside when a van full of hostiles pulled up wanting to take stuff from our shop forcefully. Luckily all three of my friends, my brother, and I were carrying our CCWs, because they got the hell out of there fast when we all drew or made a motion to draw as they headed towards us with their bats and pipes!

We also have MS-13 a very very dangerous gang here that even the police fear. If you don't know about them, do a search on You Tube or on the internet and you will see.

Assault rifles such as SKSs and AK-47s are easily had for less than 300 bucks here in Texas and a news article recently stated that more crimes are committed with assault rifles now thus causing all local PD to upgrade or add AR-15s to their patrol cars now.

The world is NOT getting safer, so we must all be prepared to defend our lives and the lives of our loved ones.

[The Gamemaster]

I have seen SKS's on the rack - again for $125!

At that price, I guess anyone could afford one.

The 12 gauge shotgun was a very wise choice and I am proud of rantingredneck.

I guess I live a very sheltered life because of where I live.

Most people out in the country has some kind of gun or another and nobody in their right mind would ever attempt to rob anyone else.

I cannot remember the last time anyone was robbed at gunpoint or knife point.

The only robberies takes place at the local drug store when the druggies runs out of money and needs their fixx.

I had some people that I knew that were commiting mischevious mischief in my yard and when I took the 10 Ga Browning pump shotgun outside with me, they left and never came back.

When you have a gun that you can stick your thumb down the barrel - and shoots a shell bigger than my thumb - you can be sure that no one will mess with you!

[kgpcr]

SHTF is real. I carry 12 hand grenades a laws rocket, m-60 with 1500rnds, 2 m16's. two 870's, one SAW with 500rns. a low yeild light tactical nuke and a machete. My wife took away my nunchucks or i would have them as well. I had a gatling gun as well but i sold it. in the back of my truck i carry a browning M2 and 1000 rounds for it.

On a serious note i carry my 1911 double stack or a .40 with 17rnds and afew mags in the car.

[minsonngo]

I think the Kel-Tec Sub 2000 will be my purchase instead of the shotgun now. I can interchange the mags between the Kel-Tec and my G19 (one of my main ccws). Plus I have a bunch of 33 rounds mags just lying around that can accompany this rifle in my trunk.


From what I read from multiple sources, it has an effective range of over 100 m. AND at distances closer than 50 m, the 9mm bullet approaches the muzzle velocity of a .357 Magnum. At 200 m, velocity approximates .380 ACP muzzle velocities. Thats pretty darn good if you ask me.

[Edward429451]

May 4th I was in elementary school when they showed on tv them hippy radicals get theirs when the National Guardsmen didn't take their lip no more.

I've never read more slanted tripe in my life.

[auburnboattail]

I am sure if stuff hits the fan, all on this forum can take care of themselves.

Lets get back to discussing actual attributes of various weapons and loads for various purposes.

[hpg]

If it ever gets that bad, call the police and have them come over and give you a police escort to work.

What country you living in dude?? Definately not the U.S.of A.

[Bill DeShivs]

Here is a real SHTF situation. I work in Memphis- a city always on the verge of riots (it has happened several times) and infested with gangs. Memphis is also on a very large earthquake fault. I work in a very large municipal facility in the very heart of downtown. I live 32 miles away in a suburb. It is quite possible that I will have to make that 32 mile trek home to protect my family, or that I may have to hole up and stay on the job. I have seen what the locals do-riots, looting, etc. I don't always carry a long gun with me, but on election days, days that the "race thermometer" is up, or when the natives are restless-it's good to know that I have something a little bigger than the 2-3 handguns I always carry.
Bill