Author Topic: I needed a new shooting stand (Read 1649 times)

ironglows · « **on:** March 22, 2021, 02:34:41 AM »

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Being as I have several places to shoot..and sight in my rifles, I have to have a portable shooting stand.
I built one years ago, and it works reasonably well. ...But somehow it has grown considerably heavier over the years.

After seeing a couple on line, I decided to use a Harbor freight saw horse as a base. I did some preliminary sighting in right here at the house, and am ready to go to the field with it, either to my friend's gravel pit, or to my own land, down the road.

The saw horse I used is a very sturdy one, made from 13 ga steel. Here is the saw horse I chose;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzT-Ro8aIN0

Here is a complete shooting stand shown on the web. Mine is similar, except the front part is balanced left to right and the long part extending to the rear is 5.5 inches wide, and I put a molding completely around the surface, to keep rounds, scope caps and tools from rolling off. Also With the narrow projetion to the rear, I still have use of the carry handle
https://www.okshooters.com/threads/under-30-homemade-shooting-table.241163/

BUGEYE · « **Reply #1 on:** March 22, 2021, 03:02:41 AM »

Very nice indeed. I built a portable some years ago that weighed 16 tons.
I don't think harbor freight was around when I built mine. But I wish they had been.
That idea is as good as I've seen and it will save some big bucks.

ironglows · « **Reply #2 on:** March 22, 2021, 04:01:07 AM »

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As I recall, I believe the saw horse was around $19 t0 $21 bucks.. The wooden parts are 1" (actually 3/4") white pine.

The front part is 11&1/4" X 15", set crossways...while the tail section is 6" X 28".. Guess I'll go to the woods this afternoon, since coyote & fox season is running out here, along with woodchucks emerging, and I want to make sure my 22 mag sighted in. I'll take along my new Thompson Center TCR 22 also.

In a couple days, my new Savage .17 HMR gets zeroed also..that one also for woodchucks and coyotes.

BUGEYE · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2021, 07:27:53 AM »

Quote from: ironglows on March 22, 2021, 04:01:07 AM

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As I recall, I believe the saw horse was around $19 t0 $21 bucks.. The wooden parts are 1" (actually 3/4") white pine.

The front part is 11&1/4" X 15", set crossways...while the tail section is 6" X 28".. Guess I'll go to the woods this afternoon, since coyote & fox season is running out here, along with woodchucks emerging, and I want to make sure my 22 mag sighted in. I'll take along my new Thompson Center TCR 22 also.

In a couple days, my new Savage .17 HMR gets zeroed also..that one also for woodchucks and coyotes.

Hunting groundhogs was a favorite sport when I lived in Illinois, but here in Ga. there’s a few GHs and they have to carry dynamite to dig a hole. (They are only in the mountains)

ironglows · « **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2021, 01:47:55 PM »

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I can hear them little buggers now..all those little explosions, echoing through the mountains...

BUGEYE · « **Reply #5 on:** March 22, 2021, 05:42:50 PM »

Quote from: ironglows on March 22, 2021, 01:47:55 PM

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I can hear them little buggers now..all those little explosions, echoing through the mountains...

Yeah there’s a few in the valleys where there’s some soft dirt but south of there in the Ga red clay is where you hear those tiny explosions.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #6 on:** March 22, 2021, 09:38:12 PM »

Further reduce weight by using carriage bolts with washers and wind nuts to secure the top to the base. Take it apart for transport. I love the thinking of DIY that is shared with the Net. Good job and thank you.

My shooting table (for comparison) is a heavy beast of 4' x 4' x 3/4" plywood, three glued legs of 4" PVC, 22.5* bends, and 4" x 3" PVC closet flanges. It is one-man "transportable", by "rolling", but requires a PU truck bed, hitch mounted expanded metal shelf, or trailer to haul it. Storage is problematic as it take up space.

My plywood is cut similarly, significantly wider, left and right hand (Spousal Unit is LH, I'm RH), and all edges are belt sanded smooth. I used to paint them and leave it in the woods. Weather always rots them out in two to three years in the woods. I think I am on my fifth...

Seeing yours, I don't recommend mine. I would ultimately like a permanent concrete bench, but building that "in the middle of a farm road" around which I would have to negotiate a tractor, disk, and PU Truck is problematic.

ironglows · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2021, 02:01:14 AM »

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I used mine yesterday afternoon. It seemed to work well. I put some money into a plastic, Walmart version of a lead sled. For shooting purposes, I may as well have saved the small amount I did pay..although it works well to hold a rifle for scope mounting, etc.

I went shooting with my grandson, down in my own woods. There I use an old logging road to shoot on. It is probably not so level as yours as it follows the 'lay of the land'.
I took a camera with me, inorder to take some shots...only to discover the batteries were dead.. Shucks..no photos !

oldandslow · « **Reply #8 on:** March 23, 2021, 06:44:09 AM »

I have built a few portable tables over the years from very heavy to light weigh as I have aged. I even built my version of a hog saddle/bog pod clamp to use on my HD camera tripod. I finally bit the bullet and bought a Caldwell stable table. It's a heavy rascal but it breaks down into small parts and fits in the back of my jeep and works as good as my heavy builds did and better than the light weight ones.

Land_Owner · « **Reply #9 on:** March 24, 2021, 12:10:19 AM »

A PAST Recoil Pad (shoulder pad) is my "lead sled" at the bench. If I am facing a range session that will include firing rifles in 270, 308, 338 caliber and their bottle neck cased rounds, I am going to use a shoulder pad to keep from getting bruised. Rice bags, a front rest, a stable bench, and I can "take" the pounding.

Goldie · « **Reply #10 on:** March 24, 2021, 01:16:14 AM »

Quote from: Land_Owner on March 24, 2021, 12:10:19 AM

A PAST Recoil Pad (shoulder pad) is my "lead sled" at the bench. If I am facing a range session that will include firing rifles in 270, 308, 338 caliber and their bottle neck cased rounds, I am going to use a shoulder pad to keep from getting bruised. Rice bags, a front rest, a stable bench, and I can "take" the pounding.

Yeah and those rice bags work wonders as heating pads also. My wife switched from corn to rice in making them. Works great.

ironglows · « **Reply #11 on:** March 24, 2021, 01:28:52 AM »

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As I said, that photo is not mine, but uses the same saw horse. I did use carriage bolts, but I had to use them from the bottom up, to allow the legs to fold back up into the top section. I did place a molding all around the perimeter, recalling how frustrating it is when magazines, scope caps or loose rounds have fallen off stands before
Guess I'll just have to take a pic at some point.

DEACONLLB · « **Reply #12 on:** June 22, 2021, 12:10:57 PM »

I went by Harbor Freight and they only had one of the folding saw horse like that one left, close out 12 dollars I have the plywood so tomorrow I will get busy and assemble me one of those benches.

Deaconllb

ironglows · « **Reply #13 on:** June 22, 2021, 12:55:00 PM »

Quote from: DEACONLLB on June 22, 2021, 12:10:57 PM

I went by Harbor Freight and they only had one of the folding saw horse like that one left, close out 12 dollars I have the plywood so tomorrow I will get busy and assemble me one of those benches.

Deaconllb

Congrats on the bargain..a bit more than half of what I paid. Should make you a good stand.

DEACONLLB · « **Reply #14 on:** June 23, 2021, 08:01:37 AM »

Here is mine complete with a footed adjustable brace. I think it will work just fine and I can lean back and relax my old back. I do have a padded adjustable rest for the rifle but I was too tired to get it out. I received my TCR 83 Rebored rifle barrel back from Jes ReBoring on Monday. Had it done in the new 350 Legend so this new stand will give me something to work with and get it sighted in for the upcoming Deer season.

Deaconllb

ironglows · « **Reply #15 on:** June 24, 2021, 12:41:59 AM »

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It looks great Deacon.. And with the adjustable legs, grandkids, nieces or nephews can use it too !

I "fenced" off an area on my board with shallow moulding, so I could lay rounds, empties, scope caps or magazines on it and they wouldn't roll off.

DEACONLLB · « **Reply #16 on:** June 24, 2021, 09:59:21 AM »

I am going to run some molding around the big part. I have a router table so I will custom make the molding and by using glue as well as finish nails I think it will stiffen the top to the point that I will not need the brace under the wing part. Thanks for passing along a great Idea from another shooter.

Deaconllb

ironglows · « **Reply #17 on:** June 24, 2021, 11:19:54 AM »

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You're welcome, and thank you for doing the idea justice..fine job !

DEACONLLB · « **Reply #18 on:** June 28, 2021, 05:54:08 AM »

Here is the finished product, even sprung for a new rest the old one was Kinda worn out and a new pad was more than the whole rest. If it ever dries up and stops raining I will give it a good test. Enjoy

Deaconllb

ironglows · « **Reply #19 on:** June 28, 2021, 09:04:13 AM »

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Looks good Deacon..good workmanship ! Give us a report after you use it !

DEACONLLB · « **Reply #20 on:** June 28, 2021, 01:41:46 PM »

I am ready for the next project as long as it does not require metal or forging.

Deaconllb

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #21 on:** August 03, 2021, 10:49:33 PM »

i made one from thin walled pvc. You can break it down into a back pack to carry in the woods. Legs adjust by using smaller pipe inside of bigger and drilling holes that i put carriage bolts through. Top is thin alum. plate. Id love to find a piece of carbon fiber about the same size. It would make it weight even less. Actually i dont use it much. Ive got a store bought one like decons that i leave in the field when were crop damage shooting. We usually stay in the same field for a few days so i just stick in the woods at the end of the day. For range work ive got a very solid dug in the ground bench. and for regular deer season for the most part shoot out of a blind. I leave it in the back pack for if we are asked to hunt a differnent field that night and the store bought one is to far out of the way to go and get.