truck toolbox gun rack ideas

[schloff]

Hey folks. I am in the planning stages of a gun rack for the truck. I have a diamond plate locking watertight toolbox and can't seem to get my head straight about what I'm looking for to transport my toys.

The box is 19" inside, by bed width of a full size truck. It should be able to hold 5-6 rifles side by side.

I was thinking about quick 2x4 construction, something with 2 parts. Upper and lower that will capture the guns and not let them bounce around or otherwise get mangled. It will probably have to either hinge or separate with a catch of some sort.

Has anyone out there seen anything like this in your travels?

Thanks,
Dan

[capncarl]

It is fairly common in this red neck end of the world. Use lots of soft padding or the vibration will wear all the finish off the guns. Also beef up the locks to keep the trash from popping open the tool box, which is reoccuring a lot now.
capncarl

[schloff]

I was even thinking of compromising the capacity a bit and giong with some of those utility vehicle gun holders. Maybe mount them to some 2x4s so I can remove them when I'm not carrying rifles, which is most of the time.

I'll only be using this setup when I'm camping with the kids. I'm in a very rural area as well. Not too much issue with slime prying open locked toolboxes (so far, anyway). Most of the crime around here has to do with scrap metal thieves and meth nonsense.

Thanks for the post.

[JimD]

It's different but my gun cabinet has a 2x4 back rail with 1x softwood dividers secured by screws to the 2x4. That let me easily adjust the space to be appropriate for each gun. My double barrel side by side 20 gauge needs a bigger slot for the barrels than my 30-06, for instance. To cushion your setup, you might think about getting a piece of foam like you would use for a seat cushion and cut out the barrel recesses with an electric knife. I think I would still want the wood but the normal contact area would be the foam. You could put the foam up against a wood rack and mark it to leave 1/4 to 1/2 inch of foam to contact the gun before it would hit the wood. Something like this could also be made for the stock end of the guns. Material cost would be low, space would be flexible if guns change and the guns would be protected.

Jim

[capncarl]

Removable racks would be ideal and would ease the transport of guns into the house. Like I pointed out, vibration is a major issue. Vibration inside a truck toolbox is nothing like you feel inside the cab of the truck. I've had a plastic gallon of anitfreeze and quart of oil actually wear through the bottom of the containers because of the vibrations. If your guns are not secured and padded well there could be missing blueing and stock wear. Dust and moisture could also be a problem so consider keeping the gun in a sock or sleeve.
capncarl

[schloff]

Correct. I was planning on using a foam of some sort (one that won't absorb moisture) wherever it comes in contact with the guns.

This is strictly for transport to some land that I own and back to my safe. I won't be keeping any guns in there full time.

It's about a 2 hour drive one way.