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I'm thinking about picking up a pair of identical, inexpensive handguns to be permanent fixtures in my cars. Mainly because I tend to do a couple of short trips a day in my "house clothes", which don't require me to leave the vehicle (usually something like a Taco Bell or bank run). In those cases, it would almost take more time to put on my carry rig than the actual trip would take. So I'm considering getting a pair of guns I can leave in the cars, which will always be there in the same place in case I ever need them.

One vehicle is a 92 Mazda Miata convertible, which tends to get a little damp on humid days. What would be a good option there to avoid rust problems?

I'm open to anything including revolvers. I prefer less expensive though since I'll probably end up buying two... possibly something like Taurus stainless revolvers?

Shoot me some ideas!

I guess I could install a shotgun rack on the Miata's rollbar

I would recomend a taurus judge I am not a fan of revolvers but I keep 1 in my truck because 1 it requires little maintenance, 2 since most confrontations are going to be at close range a 410 shell is plenty nasty and last but not least a bore that big will scare off most BG's plus you don't have to be accurate with a shot gun. Outside of the truck I recomend a glock

S&W Sigma, SW9VE, plastic and stainless steel, 16+1rds, $299 at Academy, $50 rebate from S&W, lifetime warranty, made in the USA.
If you don't want to spend $250, a Hi-Point 9mm runs around $160. They are plastic and ?, made in the USA and have a lifetime warranty. They are probably the closest thing to a disposable gun that you could find.
My vote goes to the Sigma!

Regards, OE

I would avoid a car-gun in a convertible and figure out a way to carry. One of my cars is a Z4 and there just ain't a place for a handy gun in it.

Same here with a Z3.
I do keep a P11 in the trunk, in a lockbox.
But there is no good place to keep a pistol handy in the passenger compartment.
Glovebox does not lock. I could possibly fit a holster under the driver's seat, but I haven't.
I have used a number of inconspicuous containers to keep a gun in reach - a "daytimer" holster, a CD case, even a cardboard box.
But the other half of that equation is that nothing is secure in a convertible. When you park, you have to lock it in the trunk.

Purplehood wrote:I would avoid a car-gun in a convertible and figure out a way to carry. One of my cars is a Z4 and there just ain't a place for a handy gun in it.

Hi Purplehood, I see in your sig, that you have a micro desert eagle, how do you feel about it as a mouse gun? and just to stay on topic, that's an easy to hide gun that won't take much space in the car.

Personally, I'm a fan of tiny .380's for car duty, they fit just about anywhere including under your thigh (in a small holster of course). Can't disagree with a Judge 410 in your glove box though either, although I don't know about the sound factor of firing a 410 from a car???. For most modern guns i wouldn't worry to much about rust, just oil it well every once in a while.

MDE as a mouse-gun. Size-wise, yes. I have never shot any other .380 so I cannot compare it. But it has a nasty recoil that hurts the web of your hand between the thumb and forefinger. Two of my brothers, my sister-in-law and myself all hate to shoot it.

If a Miata is typical of a convertible, I seriously doubt that the Judge will even fit in the glovebox.

Well, a Rossi 38 is only 250 Bucks at Academy, even my fathers old rusted out one still fires and cycles just fine. My only problem with them, is they are so LOUD compared to my S&w.
But yeah, Revolver all the way. I would feel strange about having a Plastic gun in the oven that is a Car in Texas.

For you Z3 and Miata drivers, have you considered a Safepacker by The Wilderness?

I have one, and it works as advertised. You carry the gun "concealed out in the open" and you can attach it to your seatbelt. If you have to leave the vehicle, you take the Safepacker with you, and your gun is still concealed.

I don't use it every day, and I don't drive a convertible, but I do use it with some degree of regularity, particularly when I need to leave the house in "house clothes" as stated above in a previous post, and want to carry without bothering with a holster and a belt.

Another possibility, of which I also have one, is the Versipack by Maxpedition. Both products are great for those times when you need to grab a gun and go without the need to "dress up."

The Annoyed Man wrote:For you Z3 and Miata drivers, have you considered a Safepacker by The Wilderness?

I have one, and it works as advertised. You carry the gun "concealed out in the open" and you can attach it to your seatbelt. If you have to leave the vehicle, you take the Safepacker with you, and your gun is still concealed.

I don't use it every day, and I don't drive a convertible, but I do use it with some degree of regularity, particularly when I need to leave the house in "house clothes" as stated above in a previous post, and want to carry without bothering with a holster and a belt.

Another possibility, of which I also have one, is the Versipack by Maxpedition. Both products are great for those times when you need to grab a gun and go without the need to "dress up."

That Safebacker looks handy for any car.

Purplehood wrote:MDE as a mouse-gun. Size-wise, yes. I have never shot any other .380 so I cannot compare it. But it has a nasty recoil that hurts the web of your hand between the thumb and forefinger. Two of my brothers, my sister-in-law and myself all hate to shoot it.

If a Miata is typical of a convertible, I seriously doubt that the Judge will even fit in the glovebox.

Sell that desert eagle then and put the $ towards maybe a Kel-Tec, Ruger, Diaomondback. I've always liked the look of the desert eagle but holding it and racking the slide always looked like it would just chew up your hand lol. You could probably pickup 2 KT's for about $600 or 2 LCP's for $700, maybe less. From experience the recoil on the LCP is not to bad, doubt you would even notice it in self defense situation.

Purplehood wrote:That Safebacker looks handy for any car.

It is. And either the Safepacker or the Versipack are available in a nice tactical tan color, so you don't have to surrender your Man Card for using one.

My son calls my Versipack a "tactipurse."

And by the way, one of those two solutions, or both, is a darn sight cheaper than buying two additional pistols. Spend only $60-$80 or so on a means of carrying concealed out in the open, and then put the savings toward that new Springfield M1A you've always wanted.

The only thing I would even consider is a Hi Point in 9mm or .45. They are inexpensive but made like bricks and if they are properly maintained will take being left in a car.

I considered and even left guns in my cars before but I kept thinking about some criminal getting to in and harming an innocent so I just decided to do the little extra it takes to take my bug or carry gun with me. I might suggest you get another kind of holster that you can use with your "house clothes" or maybe a small bag made to carry a holstered gun. I carry my larger gun in a bag with me if I would have to otherwise change cloths to carry a gun or simply take my little Kel Tec P3AT in a neck holster I got here: http://www.comp-tac.com/product_info.php?products_id=45" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . They are only available for KT or Ruger as far as I know.