Gun stand plans

[z28z34man]

Dose anyone have any good plans for a light and portable gun stand. I am looking for something that folds up nicely and doesn't take up much space, but is highly functional. I have seen a few pics on line that I like but no plans for it.

[Littleton Shot Maker]

Off my back porch I use the fold out picnic type table from local camping store. folds ups and fits in my car trunk, light enough I can carry any where. Big enough for two shooters , small enough for one a butt load of gear , they do hole some weight too...

It's Just a table - NOT a bench…but then I still use my Alice pack as my rifle rest, same as if I was in the bush- keep it lo-tech. simple and cheap , That may help you keep portable...

[Wayne Smith]

Do you mean a gun stand - to hold guns when not shooting them, or a shooting stand, to support shooting a gun?

[z28z34man]

I can't find it again but there was one in this fasion that also had a fold out tray for storage that I really liked

[KCSO]

I make a better one that sets up and carries in its own suitcase like box. Unfortunately I can't resize pictures after I made a mistake and updated a program. This one comes out of the box and snaps together to hold 5 guns to a side.

[Duckiller]

#2 sons says I shouldn't buy plans. He claims evey thing is available on Google. I still like to get plans and study them.

[Petrol & Powder]

Just a trick I used when making one years ago - I used a thin board about 1/2" thick and the appropriate length & width. I used a 2" hole saw to make a series of evenly spaced holes right down the center of the board and then ripped the board right down that center line. That results in a series of half moon cut-outs for the barrel rests of the stand. One half of the board becomes the barrel rest and the other half is used on the bottom of the stand to hold the heel of the gun stock.
It's a lot easier than trying to cut a series of half-moon cutouts with a jig saw or similar tool.

You can get a roll of felt the same thickness as the board and glue felt rests in the cutouts but frankly, sanded and sealed pine with not harm the barrels and will not hold dirt and grit like the felt will. I think you are better off without the felt.

I've seen a lot of variations of gun stands over the years but they are all basically the same. A few things to consider: A stand that holds about 5 or 6 long guns is about as wide as you can make it before the stand becomes less "portable". You can make it any length you want but the spacing between the guns and the overall width, results in about a 6 gun max width for a portable stand. It's better to space the guns a little farther apart than to try a squeeze too many into a short distance.

Pine is nice because it is lightweight, inexpensive and strong enough for the job. Hardwood looks nicer, is stronger, takes stain much better but is generally heavier.

The base of the stand (foot) should be a bit longer towards the rear than the front. The guns will be leaning to the rear when placed in the stand and the tendency is for the stand to fall over backwards, not forwards. The "suit case" style stands generally use a small chain or rope to limit the rear legs from opening too far. Give yourself a little extra chain or rope so that you can open the legs a bit farther on uneven ground if you need to.

You'll need gussets or corner bracing on the vertical section of the stand to prevent it from "racking" (twisting side to side). Place those braces in the lower corners to keep the center of gravity low.

Good Luck !

[sparkyv]

Just a trick I used when making one years ago - I used a thin board about 1/2" thick and the appropriate length & width. I used a 2" hole saw to make a series of evenly spaced holes right down the center of the board and then ripped the board right down that center line. That results in a series of half moon cut-outs for the barrel rests of the stand. One half of the board becomes the barrel rest and the other half is used on the bottom of the stand to hold the heel of the gun stock.
It's a lot easier than trying to cut a series of half-moon cutouts with a jig saw or similar tool.

Brilliant!