In this modern day and age, there’s no shortage of “tactical” storage options whether it’s for your house, truck, or any other place. A company that specializes in vehicle tactical holders is Grey Man Tactical (GMT) who can provide specialized kits depending on your car storage needs. With my range days featuring more than enough rifles that don’t always fit as well as I would like them to in the back seat of my car, a rifle storage rack was the perfect solution to have the things I need in my car close and on hand. While reviewing this product, it also became evident to me that some enthusiasts would prefer to have their rifle available in any case where you may need to quickly deploy a rifle from a vehicle. This Grey Man Tactical kit provides it all, so let’s get straight into the action.
Overview
Being reviewed today is Grey Man Tactical’s Vehicle Rifle Rack Kit (#207) which they sent us to test out. This kit includes a 12.25×21 MOLLE panel, 2 rubber clamps for a rifle, 1 double pistol mag pouch, and 1 large admin pouch. For the price of $150, you get the ability to install this rack behind the passenger seat of your vehicle to store things like an AR-15, pistol magazines, med kits, and even things that aren’t gun-related like your window scraper, fire extinguisher, and even baby diapers.
The utility that this kit provides can be used by gun enthusiasts and non-gun enthusiasts alike. Now that we’ve covered a short overview of what we’re reviewing, let’s get the box open and get to our first impressions.
First Impressions
The packaging for this kit was extremely well executed. Each individual piece of the kit was individually bagged and labeled. The appropriate bolts and washers were placed in the bags that those bolts went into, making installation extremely simple. Everything was very clean and well put together.
The GMT MOLLE panel itself is polymer, which didn’t end up being an issue when testing the function of this kit. The MOLLE straps on the pouches were sturdy enough to hold my weight, which is nice since I’ve had some MOLLE equipment tear on me during testing before.
Though the pouches were sturdy, they were difficult (and in some cases, impossible) to place on the panel appropriately. While we’ll get into that when we get to the cons, I was just glad to have installed the kit with no tearing in the straps or seams. Aside from the stellar packaging and the quality material, there wasn’t much more to this kit. Since we somewhat touched on the installation, we might as well get into the details of how it was to fully install and use.
Installation
As much as I didn’t know about this product, I would’ve expected more directions to come in the box. The one sheet of paper that contains the directions will get your panel installed behind your front seat, but you’re on your own for attaching the pouches and clamps. This isn’t a very complicated system, so even if the directions didn’t specify how to attach everything to the panel, I was able to get it figured out.
I like how there are two separate headrest straps in the package. My headrest came off, so I was able to use the headrest straps that passed through the headrest bars. There were still the straps that went around the headrest just in case your headrest doesn’t come off, so it’s nice to see GMT thinking about all types of cars.
The one hiccup I ran into when installing the kit was the MOLLE system on the mag pouch. I’ll first suggest that no matter what, please take your panel off the seat to attach the pouches. I tried to attach them while the panel was on the seat and it was both uncomfortable and difficult. The panel comes off with four easy buckles, and once it’s off it’s miles easier to put your pouches and clamps where they need to be. The issue I ran into installing the kit was the length of the MOLLE straps on the pouches.
Since the panel is polymer, it’s much thicker than what you would traditionally stick MOLLE pouches on. This also means your straps need to be a little longer to accommodate for the thickness of the panel. The straps of the magazine pouch were found to be too short, meaning it wouldn’t install all the way through the webbing. The pouch is still secure, and I’m not worried about throwing too much weight around anyways, but this was the only struggle I ran into for the installation.
Functionality
This kit came at a very convenient time, as I was moving from Nebraska to Missouri on short notice. This allowed me to test the function of this kit as I had multiple firearms and accessories to move in one trip.
The first thing I noticed is that you could move the clamp traditionally placed at the bottom of the panel, and transfer it to be side-by-side with the other clamp. This may take some reorganization of your pouches, but if you play your cards right, you can turn this rack into a 2-rifle rack. This would mean you would only have one clamp holding onto each rifle, but since I wasn’t worried about deploying a firearm, I was more than ok with letting the butt of the stock sit on the floor with the barrel of the gun sitting in the clamp.
No matter who you are, I would always suggest carrying a medical kit inside your personal vehicle. The admin pouch that comes with this kit is very nice and held my med kit like it was made for it. If I wanted to, the admin pouch would also be good for things like magazines, range brass, toiletries, diapers, ratchet straps, and anything you may need on the road. Similarly, the magazine pouches that come with this kit are used in my car as flashlight and multi-tool holders. You could even use these pouches to hold snacks for when you’re picking the kids up at school.
Moving back to the clamps, I was very pleased to see that my window scraper would also fit in the clamp. No more days of accidentally throwing it onto something I have in my back seat and getting it wet. And since the clamps are rubber, there is an elasticity to them that opens up their uses. For instance, you could fit a small fire extinguisher in the bigger clamp which is a great idea for first responders, or people who drive a whole lot.
At first glance, this may look like a simple kit for your car to hold magazines and an AR-15, but I was really shocked with all the applications I could mold the kit to fit over the month or so I used it for. Hopefully I’ve inspired some people to take the plunge into a versatile piece of kit, but let’s first look at the overall pros and cons before a conclusion is made.
Pros
I was very impressed by this kit’s ability to be so simple, but have so many uses for me. The strapping system was solid, yet easy to manipulate, making the deployment of whatever was in the clamps quick. The fact that the clamps could fit fire extinguishers and window scrapers is also a huge plus, as I’m not carrying an AR-15 around in my car all the time. Here is a list of the other pros I found while testing the GMT kit:
- Easy buckle removal system & carry handle
- Clamps can fit more than just firearms
- Pouches hold different equipment/med kits
- MOLLE attachment compatible
- Quick access from the driver seat
- Holds really heavy firearms and equipment with no problem
The firearm I used for testing was a heavy-barreled AR-15 with a long barrel and a heavy scope. I had to place my clamps at the very far ends of the panel, but the kit was able to accommodate my very long AR-15 with a very long scope on top of it. While the big seller of this panel is for quick deployment, I could see an AR with a red dot or smaller optic being a better choice for these clamps, but it’s also good to know that the panel will take your ARs with long optics on them.
The whole MOLLE compatible system is the major win for this kit. I chose this kit because I already have MOLLE AR-15 mag pouches, but I do not have as many pistol mag pouches on hand. This kit is convenient because I can slap on any admin pouch, dump pouch, med kit, or magazine pouch that has MOLLE straps. Not only does this open up the type of attachments you can add to the panel, but it also allows you to store what you need without being restricted to specific items in specific pouches. Like I said earlier in the article, I use the pistol mag pouches for my multi-tool and my flashlight, while keeping pens, small medical equipment, and a ratchet strap in the admin pouch in case I need any of those things.
The last thing I really feel deserves to have attention brought to it is how the panel is able to hold weight. As mentioned before, the panel clips off from four clips that hold the straps to the panel. You can bring just the panel into your home to load it up, and just clip it into the straps on your way out to the car. Similarly, you can just take the whole panel out when you get to the range and have all your equipment right there with you.
Even with the gun in the clamp, this panel held around 15 to 16 pounds worth of guns and equipment with zero issues. Not only is this much more weight than most tactical shooters would place on the panel in the first place, but it’s also mostly in one firearm and optic that had its weight focused on the three screws used for installation. Whatever you have to put on this panel, it can carry i
Cons
While writing up the con list, I kept thinking I was forgetting something. The more I used it in my everyday operation, however, the more I really learned how much utility this kit has. No matter the product though, there are always negatives, so here’s a quick and short list of the cons I found with the GMT panel kit.
- Some of the MOLLE webbing didn’t fit the panel
- Difficult to fasten the panel tightly to the seat
- Could increase chances of a break-in
When installing the panel onto my backseat, I found it somewhat difficult to keep the strap tight while manipulating the panel. It almost felt like the buckle was too loose to keep the strap where it needed it to be to remain tight. Regardless, while it ended up being tight enough to be functional, I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing some of the retention of the strap. In the future, I may add some bungees to keep everything locked down a little tighter.
I don’t think it’s a deal breaker to find that some of the MOLLE straps were too short to go all the way through the panel. In fact, I guarantee that some buyers don’t even know how to properly attach MOLLE equipment, and they’re still finding some great use with their GMT kits and pouches. However, it was slightly annoying that I couldn’t get the pistol mag pouches attached appropriately.
The last thing I want to point out for a negative aspect is that this will attract attention to your car if you don’t have tinted windows. A pouch on the back of a passenger seat that looks like it could hold something could be tempting for people looking for an easy break-in target. Now, if someone were to break into my car to get whatever was in my admin pouch, they would be sorely disappointed to gain the ratchet strap and medical supplies that are in it.
However, it is a slightly higher risk that your vehicle could be targeted at the local grocery store while you’re inside doing your shopping. If I end up visiting a shopping center or grocery store that I’ll take some time away from my car, I’ll most likely end up taking the panel off and temporarily placing it in my trunk and out of sight for any would-be thieves. Like the MOLLE straps, this isn’t a deal breaker, however, it is something I need to bring to the attention of potential purchasers of this type of equipment.
Application in the Real World
Even if you’re not a gun nut, you should listen up. The Grey Man Tactical kit reviewed today has applications beyond just firearms. While it would be nice to throw some AR mag pouches on the panel and have your kit for range day on the panel, it’s also nice to be able to throw in some snacks for the kids, or make sure your car is prepared with a med kit or fire extinguisher in a place that’s easy to get to.
We went through all the functionality parts of this kit, so I won’t spend much time repeating myself. If you ever find yourself with a couple of spare benjamins and you want to throw an upgrade into the inside of your vehicle, Grey Man Tactical is where it’s at. If you already have a bunch of MOLLE attachments lying around, you could even get by with just the panel and a gun mount.
Since it’s compatible with all MOLLE attachments, you could throw anything you want on that panel. That being said, the application for a kit like this from GMT has as many uses as the user has in their imagination. My panel will be used for storing my med kit, multi-tool, and flashlight just in case I need them.
Final Thoughts
Over the course of testing, I found myself forgetting the panel was even in the car. It was nice to have my ice scraper in the weapon mount, and since I could deploy it from the driver seat, it also saved me some time in the morning. If you have long or large scopes on your rifle, keep in mind that you might have to make some adjustments on the panel. The AR I used for testing has a big scope on it, and while it wasn’t too big of a problem, I did have to move some clamps around to get the rifle to fit.
Regardless, I think it’s very easy to say that the pros outweigh the cons a thousand times over, and this is a kit worth looking into. Grey Man Tactical might have other kits to fit your needs, so I would advise checking them out and seeing what kind of products might bring a new level of convenience to your vehicle and firearm-related storage needs.
Growing up, Buck was taught about firearm history and appraisal. Getting to know so many different firearm platforms eventually lead to his long-distance shooting exploration. While his main hunting past time is coyotes, he still find just as much satisfaction punching steel at distance. Every shot taken is with the purpose to become a better shooter.