Whether you are chasing antelope on the open prairie, deer in the brush country of south Texas or impala on the velds of Africa, it is imperative to insure that your rifle is safely secured, yet readily accessible when needed. If you lay it on the back seat of your truck, it will probably fall off when you hit a rut. Hanging it in the gun rack on the rear window can also cause a problem in rough country and carrying it vertically in front works, but can be hard on the gun (and hunter) in rough terrain. Firearm safety and convenient carry is what prompted the British Columbia inventor of the Rifle Caddy to design this very simple, yet effective, accessory.

The Caddy uses two nylon straps to secure it to the center console of every vehicle we tested: Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge, Toyota, Nissan, Jeep and Suzuki. If we missed a brand, don't worry; if your vehicle has a center console, the Rifle Caddy will fit and you still have access to the console.

After strapping the Caddy in our GMC pickup, which took all of about two minutes, we put one of our center fire rifles in one slot and a CVA muzzleloader in the other and took off across the fields. They remained secure throughout our test run, although they did wiggle a bit when we hit some deep ruts.

When we parked the truck, each gun was easily and quickly removed, as would be required if we were on an actual hunt. Why someone did not think of this sooner, we will never know. This inexpensive accessory is a definite must have for every hunter with a truck.

However, just to make sure, we asked Krista Berrigan at Rifle Caddy to send Norissa Harman and Jen Adams, from Girls With Guns Clothing, a couple of Caddys for them to try. For those of you who are not familiar with these two gals, they are superb hunters (huntress, if you please). Brains, beauty and outdoor skills of the highest level. They have hunted all over the world and even have their own TV show ("Universal Huntress," on the Sportsman Channel). If they liked the Caddy, it had to be good, as they are very particular about their equipment.

The bottom line is they loved the Caddy. Krista is not getting them back!

Specifications and Features

• Dimensions: 13" long, 10" wide and 6" deep
• Material: 1/8" thick high impact/shock and temperature resistant polypropylene
• Center cavity (between the rifles) for binoculars, wallets, magazines/bullets, etc
• Nylon installation straps included - NO modifications to your truck required
• Easily removed for storage after the hunting season is over
• Colors available: black, camo hunter and military desert tan
• MSRP: $34.95 black / $39.95 camo hunter or military tan

We liked the black and camo versions best. The desert tan seemed a bit too yellow for us, but that is just us. Krista Berrigan told us that some folks with wood stocked rifles worried about the possibility of scraping while driving in really rough country. She suggested that a couple of inexpensive pieces of soft/flexible gas line hose (3/8 in. or 1/2 in. OD) slipped over the Caddy front and back would solve that problem.

We had another thought: cut to fit some moleskin. It remains in place with its own adhesive and is easily replaced, if necessary.

Because Jim has experienced some wild rides across the Wyoming plains after antelope, he also suggested a single Velcro strap to go around the Rifle Caddy in the center to prevent the guns from bouncing when he hit some severe moguls. Ok, not necessary for the normal person, but my Barney Fife is anything but normal.

You can order the Rifle Caddy direct from Krista at: kberrigan@riflecaddy.com and soon through several major retailers in the U.S.