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I went and picked up a cable-lock last night. Apparently the best ones have a built in combination lock.

Only $10 for a 5ft cable-lock.

Right now I think the cable-lock is more secure than my case/case-locks.

Braden wrote:What about a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with rifled slugs? Surely that would put a stop to a bad guy...even if he's wearing armor.

Depends on how much armor.

http://www.bodyarmorcompany.com/ballisticlevels.html

A slug is pretty good, but 5.56mm and 7.62mm have more penetration.

ghentry wrote:Also, I would like something that keeps the gun from being visible when I open my trunk. I could imagine how people would freak out if I load groceries into the trunk and there is a evil black rifle staring at them.

I was thinking the same thing. Plus, like your concealed carry handgun(s) you don't want to tip the wrong people off too early or make the rifle's presence known to potential thieves.

ghentry wrote:Also, I guess with a hard case you would need to bolt it to the body of the trunk so that a thief couldn't just grab the case and run?

My thought was to lock the case, and run a cable lock through the case handle and through some solid piece of the car. My case handle is part of the case so it should work for me, but haven't tried it yet.

ghentry wrote:The hot and cold is another issue I was wondering about, not to mention whether or not a scope could endure the punishment and still stay zeroed in. I'm thinking iron sights would be a safer bet.

That's what I've got (I don't have the money for anything better now anyways). Iron sights are sounding more and more practical to me.

Some other thoughts on trunk guns:

I don't leave a round chambered in my rifle while it's in it's case. Rifles like AK's and my AR have free floating firing pins that aren't as safe as modern handguns.

I also don't leave the bolt back with a loaded magazine in the rifle. If for some reason the bolt release gets triggered, there is a small chance of an accidental discharge.

AR-15's have good penetration against soft body armor. They are proven to be effective.

This is a comment on the subject by a SWAT Officer (USMC03) over on ar15.com:

"A few things to consider on a Patrol Rifle....The most important thing to remember is that as a cop your carbine will live it's life in the trunk of your patrol car....and if you drive like the rest of us, then your carbine is going to get bounced around quite often. Ensure that the all the parts, optics (if you decide to go in that direction), accessories, etc. will stand up to the riggors of riding in the trunk of a police car for 8+ hours a day 365 days a year. Make sure you get a quality hard case for you carbine (ie. Pelican or Starlight) and make sure to put the Silica-Gel Desiccant packs in your hard case.

Remeber how hot that trunk get's in the summer and how cold it gets in the winter. Thus a lot of our Patrol Officers use just iron sights. That being said there is nothing wrong with optics, just some food for thought."

I've been thinking a lot about this too. Not really sure what the best solution is.

There are units you can buy and install to lock your rifle to the trunk. Quick to access, but they seem kinda pricy.

In the past I've carried my AR in a locked hard case. I understand that over time a gun can take quite a beating in the trunk if it's not in a hard case.

For security I'm considering a cable lock. Better than a locked, but portable case.

I hear that it's good to have some desiccant in the case. I have some in mine.