The best UTV gun rack is an overhead rack for open carry you reach fast, a Lock and Ride bed rack when you want the gun out of the cab, or a locking hard case when you leave the machine parked. Which one fits comes down to three things: the gun you carry, where on the machine you want it (overhead in the cage, in the bed, in the cab, or on a rail), and whether it uses your model’s anchor points without drilling. For a Polaris Ranger the two picks are the Kemimoto Overhead Gun Rack and the Kemimoto Lock and Ride Gun Rack. For a RZR, the roll bar holder set clamps straight to the cage. Below we compare mount types honestly, walk the Kemimoto gun and tool mounts you can order here, and say plainly where a locking case from another maker is the better answer.
The four mount types, and when each one wins
Almost every UTV gun carrier is one of four designs, and picking the right type matters more than picking the brand.
Overhead rack. Holders that run front to back in the cage roof so rifles ride above the cab. The Kemimoto Overhead Gun Rack for Polaris Ranger & More uses sponge-lined holders, installs with no drilling, and leaves headroom for driver and passengers. This is the hunter’s pick when speed matters and you stay with the machine. The trade: the gun is open to dust and weather, so it is not what you want parked at a trailhead.
Bed rack. A rack that plugs into the bed anchors and holds guns, bows, or tools up off the bed lip. The Kemimoto Lock & Ride Gun Rack for Polaris Ranger & General locks into the large 1.4 inch Lock and Ride anchors with no drilling, and rubber coated fins with adjustable snubbers grip rifles, bows, rods, or shovels. This is the pick when you want the cab clear and the gun a step behind you. The trade: it is a few seconds slower to reach than overhead, and it rides outside the cab.
In-cab holder. A floor mount, a cup holder insert, or a roll bar clamp that keeps the gun beside you. The Kemimoto Floor Mount Vertical Gun Holder stands a long gun upright on a steel base plate that stops the wobble plastic floors cause, and the holder height adjusts for rifles, shotguns, or tools. The Kemimoto Roll Bar Gun Holder Set is two steel holders with rubber inserts and adjustable straps that fit 1.75 and 2 inch round bars. This is the pick when you want the gun within arm’s reach and do not want to give up the bed.
Locking hard case. A rigid boot that fully encloses the gun, latches shut, and takes a lock. There is no locking case in this lineup, so for that job we point you to the maker in the section below. It is the pick when the machine sits unattended or the weather turns. The trade: slower to deploy, and the case takes more room than a pair of holders.
Match the type to how you actually ride. A hunter checking food plots wants overhead and fast. Someone who wants the cab clear wants a bed rack. Someone parking at a public lot wants locking and enclosed.
Overhead versus bed versus in-cab: where it goes on the machine
Location decides how easy the gun is to reach and how much space you give up.
- Overhead, in the cage roof, keeps the gun up and out of the way and leaves the seats and bed clear. It is the classic Ranger setup. The Kemimoto overhead rack mounts front to back with no drilling, so there is no cage measurement to sweat.
- Bed, on a Lock and Ride rack, puts the gun a step behind the cab. It costs you nothing in seating, and the same rack carries a bow, a rod, or a shovel on non-hunting days. The Kemimoto Double Crossbow and Gun Rack takes this further with four gun holders and two crossbow mounts on one bed rack, every holder adjustable vertically and horizontally.
- In-cab, on the floor, in a cup holder, or on a roll bar, is the fastest reach. The Kemimoto Rifle Holder for Polaris Ranger & General drops into a 2.75 to 3.25 inch dash cup holder and lifts back out in seconds, no hardware at all. Roll bar holders clamp anywhere the tube measures 1.75 or 2 inches.
For most full-size Rangers with a covered roof, overhead is the default because it keeps the gun instant to grab while the roof sheds sun and rain.
The Kemimoto gun and tool mounts you can order here
Here is the honest shape of the lineup: it is deep on open-carry racks and tool mounts, and it has no locking hard case. Everything below is a Kemimoto part in the gun and tool mounts category, and every spec comes from the listing.
For a Polaris Ranger or General. The Overhead Gun Rack (about $90) and the Lock & Ride Gun Rack (about $65) are the two to compare first. Add the Ratcheting Gun and Tool Rack for Polaris Ranger & General (about $60) if you carry an axe or an auger too: the jaws close to the exact size of whatever you load, a red push button opens them one-handed, and the base rotates to point gear clear of fenders and passengers. The Tilting Lock & Ride Tool Rack (about $70) lays shovels, rods, and augers back at 45 degrees instead of standing them up in the wind.
For a Can-Am Defender. The Ratcheting Gun and Tool Rack for Can-Am Defender & More (about $70) uses the plunger-style anchor points already on the machine, so there is no drilling. The Under Seat Gun and Tool Rack for Can-Am Defender & More (about $90) bolts under the seat and stands a bow, shovel, or hoe upright in space you were not using; lowering the seat hides the whole rack.
For a Polaris RZR or any round-bar cage. The Roll Bar Gun Holder Set for Polaris RZR & More (about $46) is the cheapest way onto a machine: two steel holders that fit 1.75 and 2 inch round bars, with rubber inserts to protect both cage and gear. Check the Polaris RZR hub for the rest of the RZR fitment.
What the lineup does not have is a lockable enclosed case, which is the right answer for a machine that gets left alone. Rather than pretend otherwise, we point you to the maker below.
Locking hard cases: the honest gap (direct to maker)
No product here locks a gun inside a rigid shell. If that is the job, the long-running maker option is the Kolpin Gun Boot 6.0, a rigid enclosed boot with a hinged hatchback that latches, takes a lock, and carries a removable foam liner. It mounts through a Kolpin bracket sold separately, so budget for the matching mount. We do not sell it, and the specs are theirs, not ours.
Two things to keep straight. First, an open rack and a locking case are not competitors; many owners run a rack for the field and a case for transport. Second, “best” here is honestly type-dependent: the overhead rack wins for speed, the bed rack wins for a clear cab, the locking case wins for security. There is no single winner, only the right match for how you carry.
Which gun rack should you buy?
- You hunt from a Ranger and want the gun overhead and fast: the Kemimoto Overhead Gun Rack, about $90.
- You want the cab clear and the gun in the bed: the Kemimoto Lock & Ride Gun Rack, about $65, or the Double Crossbow and Gun Rack, about $130, if bows ride along.
- You want the gun beside you in the cab: the Floor Mount Vertical Gun Holder, about $80, or the cup-holder Rifle Holder for a Ranger or General, about $80.
- You run a RZR or any 1.75 to 2 inch round-bar cage: the Roll Bar Gun Holder Set, about $46.
- You park the machine unattended or ride in weather: a locking hard case such as the Kolpin Gun Boot 6.0, direct from the maker.
The chart lays out the mount types by two things buyers actually weigh: how fast you can grab the gun versus how secure it is when you walk away. Open racks sit high on speed and low on security; the locking case is the reverse; the under-seat rack lands in the middle because the seat hides it. Every placement traces to the design facts in the table below.
Mount type comparison (same data, accessible table):
| Mount type | Example | Speed to draw | Security parked | Gun protection | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overhead rack | Kemimoto Overhead Gun Rack | Fast | Low | Sponge-lined holders, exposed | Order here, about $90 |
| Floor mount holder | Kemimoto Floor Mount Vertical Gun Holder | Fast | Low to medium | Steel base plate, height adjusts | Order here, about $80 |
| Bed rack | Kemimoto Lock & Ride Gun Rack | Medium | Low | Rubber coated fins and snubbers | Order here, about $65 |
| Under seat rack | Kemimoto Under Seat Gun and Tool Rack | Slower | Medium (hidden under seat) | Auto-clamping jaws | Order here, about $90 |
| Locking hard case | Kolpin Gun Boot 6.0 | Slower | High | Fully enclosed, lockable | Not sold here, direct to maker |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best gun rack for a Polaris Ranger?
For most Ranger owners it is the Kemimoto Overhead Gun Rack, because it runs front to back above the cab, keeps the floor clear, and installs with no drilling. If you would rather keep the gun out of the cab, the Kemimoto Lock and Ride Gun Rack locks into the 1.4 inch bed anchors and holds rifles, bows, rods, or shovels off the bed lip. If the machine gets left alone, a locking case from a maker like Kolpin is the safer call.
Should I get an open rack or a locking case?
It depends on whether you stay with the machine. An open rack is faster to draw and better for active hunting where you never leave the gun. A locking hard case fully encloses the gun, latches, and takes a lock, which is what you want when the UTV sits parked at a trailhead or public lot, or when the weather turns. Many owners run a rack for the field and a case for transport. This lineup covers the racks; for a locking case we point you to the maker.
Does Maxt Offroad sell a Polaris Ranger gun rack?
Yes. The gun and tool mounts category has 17 Kemimoto options, and several list the Ranger by name: the Overhead Gun Rack, the Lock and Ride Gun Rack, the Floor Mount Vertical Gun Holder, the cup-holder Rifle Holder, the Double Crossbow and Gun Rack, and two Lock and Ride tool racks. What the lineup does not have is a locking hard case, and we would rather say so than send you the wrong product.
Will a gun rack fit my UTV?
Fit comes from the anchor point, not the brand of machine. Lock and Ride racks need the 1.4 inch bed anchors on a Ranger or General. The Can-Am racks use the plunger-style anchor points on a Defender. The cup-holder rifle holder needs a 2.75 to 3.25 inch dash cup holder. Roll bar holders fit 1.75 and 2 inch round tube, so measure your cage before you order. The overhead rack and the floor mount list no drilling and fit the Ranger and more.
What about carrying a bow, an axe, or a shovel too?
Pick a ratcheting tool rack. The Kemimoto ratcheting racks for the Ranger and General, the Can-Am Defender, and the CFMoto lineup close their jaws to the exact diameter of whatever you load, so a bow, an axe, an auger, or a rod rides without rattling, and a push button opens them one-handed with gloves on. The Lock and Ride Gun Rack also grips bows, rods, and shovels, so one rack can cover hunting season and chore season.
From MaxtOffroad
On gun mounts the lineup is deep and the gap is honest. If you run a Polaris Ranger, the Kemimoto Lock and Ride Gun Rack is the one we point to first, because it locks into the 1.4 inch Lock and Ride anchors with no drilling, its rubber coated fins and adjustable snubbers grip rifles, bows, rods, or shovels, and it holds everything up off the bed lip, so it earns its spot on days you leave the guns home and carry a shovel instead. If you want the gun overhead, the Overhead Gun Rack does that with sponge-lined holders and no drilling. What we do not have is a locking hard case, so for a machine that sits unattended we send you to Kolpin and tell you which type fits how you hunt, rather than sell you the wrong thing. Browse the full gun and tool mounts category, or start from the Polaris Ranger hub and the Ranger hunting accessories guide.
