Leaving a gun in the car 365 days?

9

9mm

New member
So I heard about people having "truck guns" What I wanted to know about truck guns is, where do these people live? do they factor in weather? do you live in the colder area's? Where I live it can get up to 99>102 sometimes in the summer, we had a heat wave with heat index of 110 last year! it was almost a record. I know guns are used in Iraq and are exposed to these temps. But leaving the gun in the car 365 days a year, with closed windows does that cause the pressaure or something to build up? It says warning do not exposing ammo to 120f+ Do you crack your windows or something?
:confused: I would clean it often but I am just worryed about the heat and the shells going off.
 
Why have a gun in your car if no one is there to pull the triggrer. No point to it, other than it gives the theifs a nice suprise. The only time I leave a gun in my truck is if I have to run into someplace that does not allow CCW, then it is locked in a nano vault, and I park in a well lit high traffic area, preferably within view of a camera.
 
When I was in LE we had take home cars. We took them home and used then in our every day off duty use.

I got caught on an EOD Call out one time with out a weapon (except I did find a M-18 and "2" 22 cal shells).

After that I always kept an extra service revolver in my glove compartment, summer and winter (I worked in Anchorage so we had a winter).

Any way I took it out and shot and cleaned it every now and then, no less then once a month.

I never had a problem with it. At the same time I carried a Counter Sniper bolt gun in the trunk, shot and cleaned it more often, again, it never gave me a problem.

Sometimes when bringing the rifle out of the trunk to the warm passenger compartment the condensation would get to the scope, it only took a second to clean that off.
 
A car clout can happen anywhere, anytime, even your own driveway, so I don't. I literally carry everywhere I go, and my off duty is as necessary an item as my pants or car keys.
 
Oopps, I should check my speed loader I left in my car 2 or 3 years ago! Marker heat waves been happening.

I'll get back to you!:D
 
I had a Kel-tec P32 develop a crack in the frame. It may have been the hot Texas summer, or not... Kel-tec fixed it for free. I now only use a metal framed pistol for the same service.
 
The heat inside a car is not going to damage anything (except maybe some grip materials) but after having numerous vehicles broken into I would not leave a gun in a car unless I was standing outside of it with another gun. Think about what your gun may be used for if some creep gets it. As my old man used to say "keep it in your pants, son, until you really need it".
 
I would worry more with the heat causing higher pressures in the round especially if your using +P or +P+ rounds. It is a known fact that heat will increase chamber pressure.
 
I would worry more with the heat causing higher pressures in the round especially if your using +P or +P+ rounds. It is a known fact that heat will increase chamber pressure
Click to expand...

Here's some test data from a 9mm, 115gr FMJ:
at 70F 25,900 psi chamber pressure & 1,233 fps muzzle velocity
at 126F 27,700 psi & 1,240fps

One reloading manual suggests that powder temperature increases chamber pressure by an average of 4% for each 50F. If you are loading rounds within a few percent of your gun's failure chamber pressure then you're probably asking for trouble on a lot of fronts and perhaps car temp isn't your biggest problem.
 
Weather conditions aside, my car has been broken in to on a number of occasions and I'd never be comfortable leaving a gun in my vehicle.
 
I live in TX. It gets very hot here in the summer. I know more than one person who keeps a firearm in his vehicle year round.

The only valid concern is the one voiced on the thread about security. The guns and ammunition seem to stand up to the heat and cold without problems although I think it's prudent to change out the ammunition at least once a year given the temperature extremes it weathers.

The only other thing that might be a concern is that if you have to fire a gun that is very hot, the high temperature of the ammunition can increase the pressure of the discharge. It's probably better not to use ammunition that's already at the top limit of what the gun will handle if there's a potential for having to fire it when it's at "hot car interior in TX in July" temperatures.
 
No problem. Just make sure it's secured, not rolling around the interior, you know. It's a ***** when that .357 slides up under the brake pedal. And clean the lint out of it once in a while.
 
BTW- the Keltecs have metal frames. The grip frames are plastic.
I have kept a (actually 2) Keltec P11s in my car for over 10 years with no problems.
 
My nickeled S&W Model 10 snubbie lives in my car (in Florida heat and humidity). Brass ammo will turn green and get sticky in the cylinder, but nickeled ammo is fine.
 
I personally don't leave my gun in the vehicle unless I'm just going in some place that I can't carry. Then I lock it up in my handgun safe. Sometimes on long drives I will put it there too so I can be more comfortable while driving. My biggest concern is thieves since I have had a vehicle broken into in the past. It was a smash and grab in a parking lot on a Saturday afternoon. They took what they could grab easily since the alarm was going off. Luckily they didn't reach under the drivers seat or they would have added a G17 to the purse and camcorder they grabbed. That's been 10 years ago and I don't leave an unsecured firearm in any of my vehicles any more. I live in TX and the heat has never been my concern.
 
For Ten Years I was the Police car maintenance person for a Northern Ohio Police Dpt. They left their Bernelle Semi Auto shot guns in the car 24/7. They had to use a special lube from Bernelle to keep them running in the cold weather. Other than that the guns and ammo had no ill effects. They trained regularly with the guns and seamed to function fine. They were not kept all that clean. Riding in the cars like that they were subject to a lot of crap, moisture, temperature change you name it. I took them out of the car and unloaded them if the car had to go to a Dealer. Sometimes the K-Nine Car's shot gun was so full of hair I would blow it out with the air compressor.
 
I don't normally keep one in my car because of concerns of (1) condensation/rust, (2) theft, and (3) if another member of my family drove my car, they could be criminally charged with carrying concealed without a license. Please don't tell me they should each get one because it's not going to happen.

I carry a gun on my person and stow it in the car if I am going to enter a designated "gun-free zone."
 
I keep a Taurus 85 and a speedloader in my car all the time ... started when I was working at a place where I couldn't carry ... I shoot the ammo a few times a year and replace it; clean the gun after every shooting ... yeah, it gets hot here in TX, but it doesn't seem to disturb the gun at all ... I keep it in a silicone implanted gun sock ...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top