Given all the shit going around, I'm tempted to start keeping an AR in the back of my Grand Cherokee.  I would want it to be secured though so it doesn't get five-finger discounted, kid-proof, and discrete for OPSEC reasons.  I'm not sure if this is the right forum or not but does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations?

Drawer style "safe" / locking storage.

http://greatdayinc.com/products/truck-auto-jeep-accessories/center-lok-overhead-gun-rack-for-trucks/

I've been really happy with my rack. It is NOT secure in the classic sense BUT it's almost impossible to see it in my truck from the outside.

With some slight modification this could work in a vehicle if you are willing to mount it to the vehicles steel.

https://www.gunvault.com/product/arvault/

AR pistol in a soft case in floor compartment take with when you get home.
5% tint and car alarm work wonders for discretion.

Nothing is theft proof, if they want it they'll get it.

Truck Vault or something similar.

I know I'm not going to stop the committed thief.  More concerned with smash & grab type thefts.  Ideally it would be something that I can take out since I travel to America's Hat fairly often and need the cargo space for baby stuff and traveling armed isn't an option.  I was originally thinking of installing an anchor of sorts that I could secure something like a gun vault to.  It could be easily be removed if unlocked for additional cargo room or access to the spare tire.  An AR pistol might be a good investment for such a scenario.

I have this:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07831CKL7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 for a similar purpose and I paid 308.00 delivered.   It can hold a lot more than an AR and it can hold it in such a way that it is accessible even with other stuff piled on top of it.   It is reasonable secure so I don’t worry much about the stuff inside being stolen.    The 40” version fits my Hummer H3 with approx 1” on each side.   At one point Home Depot was selling something very similar for the $250-$260 range.  

2HUT8

Look in your spare tire area. May be room for a broken down AR pistol.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.storemorestore.com/trunk-mounted-gun-locker-safe-for-police-weapons-p/sms-71-ct0100.htm&ved=2ahUKEwi5iOu4v6LqAhUpoHIEHf2NCNAQFjAQegQICBAB&usg=AOvVaw3WJmmNBNCBt2DP_XlxxSLa&cshid=1593278489363

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://truckvault.com/usage/law-enforcement&ved=2ahUKEwi5iOu4v6LqAhUpoHIEHf2NCNAQFjAKegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw3yL25ZLkjZE_a1sdzq42FM&cshid=1593278489363

Are the dimensions interior or exterior?
Thanks.

ETA; Nevermind, didn't read far enough down.

I recently went through this exact scenario.    

I have lived in Austin Texas for 20+ years, in the west side (i.e. safer) side of town and never felt like I ever needed anything more than my normal carry piece even if I ventured into the more "sketchy" neighborhoods.  But even "sketchy" in Austin is nothing like were I grew up in Saint Louis, or the bad parts of Houston or Dallas.  

However, with all the protests and riots starting to move outside of the normal core downtown area I finally decided that I needed something more than my normal 9MM carry handgun and wanted a higher capacity firearm in a traditional rifle caliber in the car.

I also have a Jeep Grand Cherokee (2014 SRT) and the storage/hiding places were limited.

My requirements:

- Something small enough to be wielded inside the vehicle but packed enough "punch".
- A gun that was reliable and had an red dot optic but also wouldn't be tragic cost wise if it was stolen.
- Something not NFA in the event it did get stolen.
- A case that was covert and didn't scream "gun" and draw attention to it both from a theft point of view and if I needed to remove the AR and take it with me.  (dropping the car off for service, checking into a hotel, etc.)
- I wanted some level of smash and grab type security but also wanted to make sure that I could access the rifle caliber AR15 Pistol from the driver or passenger seat.   (i.e. its of limited utility if I have to get out of the car, open the tailgate, remove the spare tire holder, and then assemble the upper to the lower)


Ultimately I ended up building an 10.5" AR15 "pistol" in 5.56 on a RRA lower and a PSA kit.   I added Sig Romeo 5 Red Dot co-witnessed with a fixed A2 front site tower and a magpul flip up BUIS.

I bought this AR15 "Discrete" carry case from Bulldog as the 10.5" pistol with an SBA3 brace fits it in without having to be broken down.

https://www.bulldogcases.com/product/ultra-compact-ar15-discreet-sporting-rifle-case/

Attached File


For security I grabbed this AR15 lock.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KLYA4OM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Attached File



I keep the case pushed up against the rear of the back seat and since the case is black and the interior is black its blends.  I keep my medical bag on top of it as my medical bag has rode in my car for years and nobody has ever had any interest in stealing it.  Add in tinted rear door windows its pretty hard to make out.

I keep the lock in the magwell, the cable strung out of the case and wrapped around the rear seat support and the key to the lock on my keychain.

Would it be great to make a custom vault that fit in the rear seat area.....sure.  However, this was the best compromise of adding a "rifle caliber" AR15 Pistol to my Jeep, keeping it hidden/discrete, still having handy access to it from the drivers seat if the needed, not compromising my storage/trunk area or rear passenger space, still allows me to easily fold my rear seats down, and adding at least a small security barrier to a smash and grab type theft from some homeless hobo looking for an easy score.

Total cost all in was less than a $1000.

$100 for the RRA lower
$500 for the PSA Kit
$150 for the Sig Romeo
$50 for the case
$20 for the lock
$50 for two pmags loaded with M855

Final Setup.

In case and under med kit bag on Left,  AR Pistol in case with lock on right.

Attached File


Good luck with whatever you decide.

I have the exact same one in my FJ cruiser and it fits great. I used steel security cables to mount it to the frame of the car and used 2x4s to fill the gap so it doesn’t slide.

Good stuff in this thread.
Without going down too many different paths, the feedback on extended storage is a good topic, as I had been thinking similarly.

I recently took a surplus command box cabinet (Made for SUV cargo areas) from a local fire department and cut it down. I removed roughly half the box with circular saw, leaving a lockable drawer and several cubbie holes. The resulting container is solid, weighs about 60lbs and is secured into my SUV cargo area. Of course it takes up room and adds weight, but most of the existing cargo area is available.

My rationale is I wanted something more substantial than a nylon bag/cables. I also checked out the spare tire area, but that didn’t work on my particular vehicle. Bad guys are going to need a minute, at least, in the dark to defeat a cabinet. Realistically, it will likely buy considerably more time than that. That is worth $50 and a few hours of my time.

It also looks “cooler” as my gear is not a pile of assorted bags in the back of the SUV, but organized into the cabinet.