Headrest Rifle Mount: Easy Access in the Truck

If you're reading this, chances are at some point you've thrown a rifle in the back seat of your truck or SUV. Heading to the range, heading out camping, working your property in a farm truck, or maybe even on your daily drive. Chances are when you got to your destination it wasn't where you left it, having slid across the seat or fallen on the floor.

That was us as well. We designed an option to help - our Headrest Rifle Mount (HRM). Tool-free install on the factory headrest posts, stock on the floorboard, QuickFist grabbing the barrel, held where you put it and ready to grab when you get out.

This page covers the Tarheel Expedition Engineering Headrest Rifle Mount (HRM) and the optional truck seatback MOLLE panel that hangs off it — how people use it, what it is not, and when to add the panel.

What this is (and is not)

This is a transport and access setup for when you are using the truck — woods, farm, camping, range days. It does not have a lock. It is not a locker. It is not theft-proof. It is not for leaving a firearm in an unattended vehicle, and it is not for use around minors.

If you need secure storage, buy a vehicle safe or a locking storage drawer for the trunk. This mount keeps the rifle off the floor and seat, in a known spot, easy to grab when you step out.

The HRM clamps to standard headrest posts and secures with thumb knobs. No drilling, no tools, no permanent modification. A QuickFist holds the barrel; the stock sits on the floorboard. Small QuickFist ships with the mount (up to about 1.375"); a larger QuickFist is optional for thicker handguards or grabbing suppressors (up to about 2.25").

Where it actually helps

Camping, woods, farm truck. You get out and the rifle is where you left it and easy to grab; not under a seat, not in a case you have to unstrap while everything else is still packed.

Range days. Less rattling against the floorboard, the seat, or other gear on the drive there and back. 

Truck seatback MOLLE panel: accessory storage first

The panel is for hanging gear on the back of the seat: spare magazines, pouches, IFAK, gloves, flashlight, recovery bits, radio, granola bars, whatever you already run on MOLLE. It’s a rigid aluminum panel that mounts to the HRM, not a soft organizer that sags when you load it. Mounting the panel to the HRM as the top mounting point means it doesn't shift around like soft panels or panels held on only with straps. 

On some HRM installs, adding the MOLLE panel adds stability to the HRM as well.  That’s an added bonus, not the pitch. The job of the panel is storage.

Offered in two sizes; 14x20 and 18x20. 

A MOLLE radio clip for metal panels is already available if you want the radio on the panel. Other panel attachments are in testing and development, check back soon for more information. 

Next panel batch in stock later this month. Backorders accepted.

Options: HRM only vs MOLLE panel vs complete seatback system

If you're looking for a quick simple rifle storage solution, the standalone HRM is your go-to. 

If you don't need the HRM, and don't care about the rigid mount and just want a seatback panel, the MOLLE panels are available on their own, and will come with two nylon straps to secure to the seat.  It can also be added to an existing HRM this way. 

If you're wanting the whole system at once, our Seatback System comes with everything out of the box: HRM, Panel, and all needed hardware for install. 

Install

The HRM and panels install in minutes, not a shop day. Adjust the HRM to the headrest and secure with thumb screws, no headrest removal. The MOLLE Panel bolts to the HRM on the Quickfist studs. The bottom of the panel secures around the bottom of the seat with a nylon strap. Tighten and done. 

Fitment

Built for trucks and SUVs with standard headrest posts. Common fits include Toyota 4Runner, Tacoma, Land Cruiser, Lexus GX460/GX470, Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator, Ford F-150, Chevy Colorado, and similar. 

Responsible transport

Be responsible. We recommend carrying rifles in "patrol" configuration with an empty chamber, safety on. Loaded magazine in it is your call. Don't leave it in an unattended vehicle, don't use it when you have minors who can access it, and follow all laws and regulations. 

Ordering

- Rifle mount only: Headrest Rifle Mount for Trucks & SUVs
- Panel (backorders OK; next batch later this month): Truck Seatback MOLLE Panel
- Mount and Panel together: Truck Seatback Tactical MOLLE Panel System