Nowadays, the term “Truck Gun” comes up frequently in conversations. We’ve heard many opinions on the perfect truck gun — everything from AR-15s, AK-47s, shotguns, bolt guns, rifles, and pistols of all manner. Lever action carbines come up quite a little bit as many peoples’ idea of the perfect truck gun. Same with the pump shotgun.
Honestly, I can’t refute any of these suggestions, they’re all excellent. And more importantly, for each person making each specific suggestion, that selection is the perfect truck gun for that individual.
Another consideration is that most of us who have a long gun in our vehicle will also have a handgun on our person as our primary carry weapon. The vehicle gun is there in case we need heavier artillery. If it really hits the fan, that old axiom, “A handgun is something that you use to fight your way to a long gun” comes into play.
Truck Gun Options
Given all this banter, we thought it would be fun to debate and compare a few very popular platforms as truck gun candidates. And when we say truck guns, no, you don’t necessarily have to drive a literal truck around (except that all the cool kids are doing it). It can be any vehicle that floats your boat.
12 Gauge Pump Action Shotgun
The pump-action shotgun. The riot gun. The shotty. The Gauge.
Long known for its incredible close-range power, the pump-action shotgun can accomplish a lot of things up close and personal. With slugs, the distance can be extended a bit.
Most people are very familiar with this arm — it needs little introduction. For this article, I’m going to use the Remington 870, which is a good, old American institution. I trained on this one back when the earth was cooling and we’d just killed off the last dinosaur. Of course, there are other manufacturers out there who put out decent shotguns too.
12 Gauge Firearm
I agonized over whether to throw this one into the mix because it’s a little off the beaten path, but figured what the hell, why not?
Mossberg’s Shockwave 12 Gauge “firearm” is so short, that it’s the most difficult one to fire accurately out of the three options compared in this article. However, it possesses a few good points that make it attractive in some respects. We’ll go into those respects shortly.
Lever Action Rifle
For this category, I chose Marlin’s .30-30 lever action because…well, that’s the one I had on hand to play with. It’s representative of the lever actions of today and yesteryear, and it is an American icon.
The Job
What does a truck gun do? And do you need to drive a truck to have one?
No, you don’t need a truck; any vehicle will do.
As for what they do…basically, anything that you need it to do. Self Defense. Dispatching wounded animals along the roadway. Protecting livestock against wolves, coyotes, feral dogs, bears, mountain lions, or any number of other predators. In short, its job is to dispatch any imaginable (and some unimaginable) threats.
As part of their jobs, rural law enforcement officers often find themselves in a position to have to dispatch animals that have been hit by vehicles. Here in PA, that frequently means deer; you can’t drive more than a couple of miles without passing a dead deer carcass along the road. In some locales, it might be a bear, moose, or other large animal that needs to be put out of its misery.
Having a weapon that is more substantial and powerful than a handgun is an asset in such circumstances.
Spec Sheet
We’re going to list the main specifications for each of these weapons systems here so readers can make a comparison. To do any less would be an injustice.
Remington 870 HHD (Hardwood Home Defense)
This version of the 870 sports hardwood furniture (Walnut) for a very cool, retro-type look.
The overall length is 38.5 inches (mine is 37.5 inches because I had an inch of the stock lopped off). Weight is 7.25 pounds empty. The 18.5-inch barrel is .73 caliber (12 gauge).
The tube magazine accepts 6+1 rounds (and it will accept 3-inch shells).
Sights are a single brass bead up front. It sports a steel receiver, which is strong and durable. These models of the 870 now come complete with sling posts fore and aft, so attaching a sling is no trouble.
The steel receiver inspires confidence in many users too.
Mossberg Shockwave
This 12-guage “Firearm” is not technically a shotgun because of its overall length and the fact that it only has a hand grip as opposed to a stock. That, combined with the 14-inch barrel, drop it into a certain category.
It has a pump action, holds 5+1 rounds of 12 gauge, and will handle up to 3-inch shells. The overall length is 26.37 inches.
The sights consist of a brass bead front sight.
Weight is 5.3 pounds. The furniture is synthetic, with the front corn cob fore end having a synthetic strap so your hand won’t slip off during firing (the recoil tends to be a little brisk).
Marlin Model 336 .30-30 Lever Action
Marlin began producing the 336 in 1948 and it has been a huge hit with the public ever since.
This particular rifle has a 20-inch barrel and weighs around seven pounds. The overall length is 38.5 inches. Its tubular magazine holds six rounds plus one in the chamber. Feeding is via a side gate. This rifle was made in 1973.
It is chambered for the venerable .30-30 Winchester cartridge, a popular round for hunting deer and various other medium to large game that dates back to 1895.
The sights are a buckhorn rear (not my favorite at all) and a front post. Side ejection makes mounting a scope easier than on top-ejecting Winchester models.
The .30-30 round was invented in 1895 and has been going strong ever since. Many, many lever actions have been chambered in .30-30. Rounds for this caliber are generally found in the 150-170 grain range and they travel somewhere around 2,300 feet per second, give or take a little.
Attributes of Each Platform
Now that we have the dry tech specs out of the way, let’s get a better feel for each of the platforms by looking at each one’s attributes individually. Understandably, different people will have different requirements based on the locale in which they live or operate. Some might operate in urban areas, so they may not want a heavy rifle caliber due to overpenetration. Rural dwellers may actually prefer a rifle.
Remington 870
Understand, I used the 870 because it’s what I have on hand. But really, any quality shotgun will do. For urban dwellers, the shotgun might be the best choice, as it won’t send a rifle round careening through house walls to endanger innocents. Those who can’t or don’t want to deal with stout recoil could step down to a 20-gauge offering, as most companies do offer their platforms in a choice of gauges these days. The nice thing about 12 gauge is that it’s available everywhere.
For dispatching wounded animals, the full-sized shotgun would certainly do the job for anything in North America. As far as taking out predators in places such as ranches, it might not be the top pick because such shots can often stretch to well over 100 yards. Despite that, a shotgun could still serve well enough in a rural setting. The wielder would simply be limited in effective range.
For self-defense, the range would generally be limited to around 35 or so yards with buckshot.
Pump guns are typically very reliable, not having to rely on a gas system. Additionally, the pump can be operated very fast, so the rate of fire can be brisk, depending upon the operator.
Mossberg Shockwave
I included this one mainly for one reason: it’s very small size. For stashing in a vehicle, the Shockwave-sized firearm is about perfect. Other manufacturers, including Remington (with their Tac-14), have their own version of this firearm.
Being able to have a firearm available in the vehicle that is around 26 inches long and very powerful is certainly an attractive proposition. The downside is that it is an extremely close-range proposition. 25 yards is stretching things, with 15-20 yards being far more realistic. Still, for defense or dispatching wounded animals, it wouldn’t be a bad option to have along for the ride.
Another huge plus is that the Shockwave can be deployed from inside a vehicle far more easily than a full-sized long gun. That short length can come in mighty handy!
Be aware, though, that accurate fire requires some practice, it doesn’t magically (or naturally) occur. Aside from the accuracy issue, recoil is substantial.
As with the full-sized shotguns, this one is available in 20-gauge or even .410 gauge if shooters want an easier-to-shoot platform.
Marlin 336
There’s a reason that lever actions have been around for so long. They work, and they do so efficiently. They’re sleek and often compact. They can fire a .30 caliber (or larger) round. The example that I chose is a .30-30, which is a great round out to around 200 yards. It will reach a bit farther, depending on the ammo being used (specifically, Hornady’s LeverEvolution). This round is usually available in any place that sells ammunition.
It’s a light, short, reasonably powerful rifle that tucks away well into many vehicles. Like the shotgun, it fires from an under-barrel tube magazine just like the 870. Both platforms can have their magazines topped off as the weapon is being fired. The lever action can be operated very quickly in the event of a defensive encounter, which is a distinct advantage for this platform.
For rural users, this one might be the most advantageous choice of all three options in this the article. Launching a rifle round will be less of a concern for rural users, as they have fewer bystanders to be concerned about. And rural folks are more likely to run into large predators as well as needing to dispatch wounded animals along the side of the road.
Another nice aspect of the old “Cowboy Gun” is that it doesn’t carry the “Black Rifle” stigma that so many other rifles do these days. People are far less alarmed of a lever action than they are with AR-15s and some others.
Which is the best truck gun?
We’ve examined all the plusses and minuses of each platform. Readers will have to make their own choices. For overall versatility, I personally like the .30-30 lever action. But then I live in a rural area and I don’t have a huge worry about bystanders, for the most part.
Beyond that, I like the thought of launching one well-aimed projectile as opposed to a swarm of them. On the other hand, the Shockwave is a possibility for certain circumstances where I’d like something that’s extremely easy to tuck away.
Whatever you decide, it will be based on your needs, which you’ll take into account. I have faith that you’ll make the right choice. If you choose one of these platforms, I don’t think you’ll go wrong.
