February 28, 2014
By Mike Schoby
Forget the rubber-coated metal rear-window pickup racks of yesteryear that would scratch the stock of a fine gun and rattle the scope loose before you left the driveway.
Today's offerings are a lot better. These up-to-date options are ideal for keeping your AR accessible , your side-by-side secure or your ranch rifle ready at a moment's notice. Here are five gun racks that make the grade.
Cabela's Hunters TackleBack For the hunter who doesn't want to permanently modify their pickup by drilling or who uses the family SUV for hunting trips, the
Hunters TackleBack is ideal. It slips over the headrest of nearly any seat and secures around the base with a buckle strap — installation takes less than a minute.
Cabela's Hunters TackleBack Once installed, it holds two long guns horizontally or two bows vertically. In addition, there are large pockets for holding maps, hearing protection, or miscellaneous hunting accessories. We tested the TackleBack over miles of rough washboard roads, and neither the bows nor the rifles bounced or shook out of position. A well-designed kit that is a valuable addition to any vehicle.
Price: $ 26.99 (black); $ 31.99 (Mossy Oak Infinity)
Decisive Action Peg Lock Rifle Mount Kit Easily the most innovative gun mount we have seen recently, the board and peg system from
Decisive Action is truly unique. It doesn't look like a gun rack in the traditional sense. The base plate is a 11x11-inch piece of tough polymer with keyed holes throughout.
Decisive Action Peg Lock Rifle Mount Kit When used in conjunction with the supplied bracket, straps, and pegs, it creates an extremely versatile mounting system. Users can easily cut the plate to any desired size or leave it as is. The plate can be screwed to car roofs, camper shells, truck bed sidewalls, home walls, or inside a safe — the sky is the limit on configuration from there.
Decisive Action Peg Lock Rifle Mount Kit Best of all, if you have it setup for one firearm and want to change to something else, the pegs twist out in seconds and can be moved to fit a different gun. It's a really slick system that any gun owner will love.
Price: $ 50
Great Day Center-Lok Overhead Gun Rack Great Day Outdoors knows a thing or two about making gun racks, and we have to tip the cap to them for coming up with some pretty innovative gun transport designs. We tested their overhead model and found the construction and design to be first-rate.
Great Day Center-Lok Overhead Gun Rack They make a version to fit Jeeps (Quick-Draw Overhead) and most pickups (Center-Lok) without drilling into the body — a definite plus in our book. They also make a Quick-Draw floor mount for vertically mounting long guns. With many different gun mounts, Great Day probably makes something that will suit your individual needs.
Price: $ 149.99 (single); $ 169.99 (double)
Gunner Fab JK Center Rifle Mount I ran into Max Duncan, owner of
Gunner Fab , at the SEMA Show while I was checking out a homemade-looking gun scabbard mounted on a Jeep. He stepped out of the crowd and said, 'You like that? '
'Yeah ', I said noncommitally.
'They ripped mine off — mine is much better. '
He sent a sample, and I have to agree — much better.
Gunner Fab Ford F250 Pistol Mount Crafted from heavy steel then powder coated with a matte black textured finish, it is built to last. But more than just being rugged, Gunner Fab designs are innovative. Specializing in Jeep rifle racks (dual gun center console vertical mounts and vertical door mounts), they also make some really unique mounts to affix a handgun next to the front seat not only of a Jeep, but also of Dodge, Ford, and Chevy pickups.
Gunner Fab JK Door Mounts Of all the products we tested, these may be the best constructed. Now we wish they would expand the selection to include more vehicles!
Price: $ 115 (Dodge Pistol Mount); $ 395 (JK Door Mounts); $ 395 (JK Center Rifle Mount)
Kolpin Rhino Grip The
Kolpin Rhino Grip has become a standard by which other racks are judged. We used it for many applications from trucks to ATVs. With a multitude of configurations and base plates, this rubberized wonder secures a variety of gear — from firearms to fishing rods and everything in between. It works equally well bolted onto an ATV rack as it does a Jeep roll bar or a home-built bracket behind the seat of a pickup. Once installed, the Rhino features soft rubberized fingers with a rubber topstrap to keep firearms safe, secure, and finish-damaging rattle free.
Price: $ 45.99
