Recently acquired a 12ga pump, I need another shotgun like a hole in the head, however all my other shotguns have some sentimental value to me, this one will serve well as a “beater”. Which got me thinking of a truck gun. What y’all’s thought and opinions for a 12ga as a “truck gun”?
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Well, if you mean securely locked in a locked truck all the time, that’s up to you. If you live/park in a remote, rural area and the risk of it (or your truck) being stolen are minimal, it’s your call.
I would never leave a firearm in my vehicle - even locked up - unattended. Too much can go wrong.
Just my 2¢.
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Well, we have menacing herds of feral turkeys around here which seem like they could get violent if provoked.
JK
For personal defense from a vehicle, I would want something more maneuverable and on my person (i.e. handgun). For utility purposes in a truck kit, I would sooner have the 10/22. For fighting my way home through the zombie hordes, .223 or better. Maybe there’s case to be made for a chopped down shotgun, but I don’t think I would make it.
A full size shotgun just seems in the way or various flavors of trouble-bait to have cluttering up a vehicle — unless you routinely find yourself on the way home with an unfilled day limit on ducks or something?
Then, very handy. 
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As a “get out and use”, sure. As a “I need to fight from inside the truck” no. I’d rather something more maneuverable.
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If you live in an area where a truck gun is handy for a host of reasons then a shotgun may serve you well. They are a bit less angular and blockey than an AR which leads to some better hidey holes (say low behind the front seats in a gun tube). Slugs would be my pill of choice be they copper solids or 1oz lead depending on your expected threat or engagement distance. It really comes down for your situational environment. That being said most state and federal laws say a long gun in a vehicle must be unloaded while running the roads. Pump shotguns are not the easiest things to get full up round from empty but there are tools available to help you and with a bit of practice loading “onsies” can be pretty fast too. If it’s the only option you have then it’s perfect but if you have other options it may not be the best.
Cheers,
Craig6
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@Travis3 “It’s better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it”.
Cut the barrel down to 18" if legal, oil it good and find a safe place to store it.
Store some birdshot, buckshot and slugs. Have it for a peace of mind if nothing else.
Don’t let anyone “poo, poo,” you. 
It may save a life. 
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What would the top-3 (or however many) list of most-likely uses be for this truck gun?
Hard to have input on whether it’s the right tool for the job unless the job is more clearly defined.
For me, a good truck gun, in theory, would be a full size pistol from the same line as my compact carry gun, with mags/carriers, hidden and locked up, in case something happened to my primary carry gun, or I needed to arm another person, and for me, concealability is almost sure to be desired. I can’t imagine what I’d do with a 12 gauge pump in my truck. But, you aren’t me
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A suitable rifle is not the same thing as AR, and certainly is not required to be blocky.
“It seems to me that the Mini-14 is a curiously successful marriage of the .30 US carbine and the .223 cartridge. It will do everything the carbine would do, but better; and everything the M-16 will do, but better.”
– Col. Jeff Cooper (attr.)
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The good old days. I am in my early 60’s and from the south. When I was a kid and teenager, it was a great thing to have for the farm and killing snakes. So much for the earlier years, a grandma’s house, and plenty of hunting. I live in a place that THIEFT is a bad issue for break ends of cars and trucks, for weapon and money.
I tried to be light and humorous here, but I very much care for your safety and home. Please lock old Betsie up to keep it safe, please.
Thank You !
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I live in a rural area, but I wouldn’t leave a gun in my truck all the time ever. Although we have very little crime where I live, I could not and would not have a gun ‘living’ in a vehicle. My worst fear would be supplying a criminal with a gun too shoot me or my family. I also don’t see a shotgun as a truck gun. Its a bit to long and unwieldy to grab and point from inside the cab of the truck. Now maybe if you had a .50 cal mounted in the bed on a tripod, now that’s a good truck gun, and great for zombies!!
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This would be the only “shotgun” I would want as an inside the vehicle defensive weapon. Load it with mini-slugs, and ahold on tight.
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Don’t forget to turn down your hearing aids!
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Loving all the comments and opinions, always good to hear other people’s perspective. I honestly don’t know what I’ll do with this shotgun, probably just fix it up and keep it as a loaner for someone. I only toyed with the Idea of a “truck gun”, as maybe a long gun to have when traveling. For a “what if scenario” where for whatever reason I had to exit my truck and make a stand, and was in dire need of “crowd control”. An unlikely scenario? Sure, but the way this world is now, I just don’t know. But as always with good Situational awareness and a cool head, we can avoid most of these things. But rest assured, I would definitely have it locked up and out of sight. And I wouldn’t leave it in my truck overnight. Also, though they look bad ass and are fun on the range, I’m not a big fan of the guns like the Shockwave, I like having 3 points of contact on my long guns. But that’s just me.
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A clear mission statement for what sounds like a SHTF case will helps define the tool for whatever “worst case” you want to be best equipped for.
If the plan is to get home by stealth, forage, and barter, my choice would be AR-7 or something similar — max rounds for least weight/bulk and a better opportunity to “make change” in barter.
If the plan is force and pillage to get home or join the insurgency, then something with a little more oomph — I would still go for a rifle over a shotgun for round count and range.
If the plan is to “Alamo” from truck or in other confined quarters, then weapon access and maneuverability is key, however you want to go about that. Plus probably available rounds before reload.
If the plan is to attend riots, I don’t have a suggestion.
You might prep for “everything”, but that might require a trailer. I still think that trying to make a hunting shotgun work for uses beyond hunting just because it’s available is kind of hoping that a Leatherman will see you through an engine rebuild. 
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@techs Oh I’m digging what your putting down but Mini-14’s/30’s are a bit spendy for a beater truck gun unless you happen to have one (or three). I also agree with the good Colonel as he and I are both fans of the Garand/M1 Carbine/M-14/Mini-14/30 operating platform. Similarly the Ruger 10/44 or even the 10/22 would fill a similar niche if the caliber fit the venue. I mentioned AR simply because that fills my price point for a truck gun which is somewhere around $600 (it used to be less than $500 but times change) for something that is going to reside in the cab of my truck. That being said I recently saw an add for a lever action magazine fed .308 from Henry Arms which looked right purty. All options are good but the man was talking about a 12 Boomer.
Cheers,
Craig6
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What are your thoughts on a 7.5" AR15 with the CMMG 22LR conversion kit? It would reduce the sounds and muzzle flash significantly and 22LR is still lethal though not sure how well it would do trying to go through a windshield. Just thinking that at 7.5" you have a very maneuverable rifle but 5.56 is far too loud at that length and would blow out the eardrums of everybody in the vehicle.
Yeah, fair enough. I was just talking about concepts and the intended purpose suggested for “truck gun” — whether an “available” trap or turkey gun would be a reasonable choice and whether an AR would be handy to stow. Thanks for bringing me out of my bunker and into the daylight. Guess I don’t get out enough any more.
A quick look around in 2021 and I see that for semi-auto rifle not 10/22 maybe the option is just blocky .223 “sojer gun” variants. For in-line rifles I see Kel-Tec at a plausible price point, used Mini-14s at 5x what I paid new in the before times, and Brownings also not at knockabout prices. Where have all the flowers gone?
Guess I’ll send Rip 
back to his century now.
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I’d rather a rifle for that. With travel, it’s generally easy to keep it secure, either in the vehicle while you are with the vehicle, or take it in for the night at your destination/any hotel stops.
Even better, it’s really 4 points of contact vs just 2. Strong hand, support hand, cheek, shoulder.
How about a Benelli M4? lol
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