Nahiossi Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 The one thing I noticed at my first shoot was that a gun cart is more than a cool item to have. After every stage I had to trot my long arms back to the boot of my car and keep them there until they were needed again. Pretty much a huge pain in the rear if you ask me! Now Australia is a pretty awesome place but sometimes being a shooter here means that you don't have access to the wide variety of equipment available in other countries. Add to that the tyranny of distance, a less than stellar exchange rate, high freight costs and zero skills in woodworking, it meant that I was going to have to forgo a nice “period” looking cart and go with plan B. One of my work mates was getting rid of an unwanted baby “jogger” style stroller at a very reasonable price (free!) so I snapped it up, dragged it home and took it out to the shed for some modifying. I had seen pictures of many modern 3-gun style gun carts on the web, as well as the carts made by Rugged Gear and used these as a starting point for my cart. I knew that I wanted to have the longarms stored muzzle up as well as having a space for my range bag. The other important consideration was that I wanted the build to cost not much than the stroller did to acquire. This mean that I would have to appropriate my materials from stuff that I had collected (hoarded) over time. I found a milk crate to act as the base for the longarms and dug old my old Quick Fist clamps (used to hold a shovel on the roofracks of my old car) to hold the barrels in place. I ended up only having to spend $11 on the two butt plates (the green things in the bottom of the milk crate). I then stripped off all the unnecessary bay/child seat gear from the stroller. Judicial use of an angle grinder got rid of parts of the frame that would have obstructed the milk crate. Some bungee straps and tiedowns were used to hold the crate in place and voila! the Madmonk Gun Cart Mk1 was born! She ain't the prettiest thing ever to have graced a range but she will do for now Now to wait till Sunday when I get to try her out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nahiossi Posted March 23, 2017 Author Share Posted March 23, 2017 Damnit! I have only just realised that the photo would have been a lot better if I had actually taken one with the longarms and range bag in place. I'' get another photo tomorrow and update the post for you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Pepper Pete 11917 Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Very nice and functional Good job Best regards, Chili Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Nice job, It will sure beat running back to the car. And, at minimal expense! Enjoy and modify from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Betcha the weight will be too far back and she will want to "sit down" when loaded. Guess how I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog McCoy SASS #5672 Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 My first Gun Cart was a milk crate attached to a 2 wheel hand truck. It worked until I was able to find something better. Maddog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youngblood #60304 Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 6 hours ago, Nahiossi said: The one thing I noticed at my first shoot was that a gun cart is more than a cool item to have. After every stage I had to trot my long arms back to the boot of my car and keep them there until they were needed again. Pretty much a huge pain in the rear if you ask me! Now Australia is a pretty awesome place but sometimes being a shooter here means that you don't have access to the wide variety of equipment available in other countries. Add to that the tyranny of distance, a less than stellar exchange rate, high freight costs and zero skills in woodworking, it meant that I was going to have to forgo a nice “period” looking cart and go with plan B. One of my work mates was getting rid of an unwanted baby “jogger” style stroller at a very reasonable price (free!) so I snapped it up, dragged it home and took it out to the shed for some modifying. I had seen pictures of many modern 3-gun style gun carts on the web, as well as the carts made by Rugged Gear and used these as a starting point for my cart. I knew that I wanted to have the longarms stored muzzle up as well as having a space for my range bag. The other important consideration was that I wanted the build to cost not much than the stroller did to acquire. This mean that I would have to appropriate my materials from stuff that I had collected (hoarded) over time. I found a milk crate to act as the base for the longarms and dug old my old Quick Fist clamps (used to hold a shovel on the roofracks of my old car) to hold the barrels in place. I ended up only having to spend $11 on the two butt plates (the green things in the bottom of the milk crate). I then stripped off all the unnecessary bay/child seat gear from the stroller. Judicial use of an angle grinder got rid of parts of the frame that would have obstructed the milk crate. Some bungee straps and tiedowns were used to hold the crate in place and voila! the Madmonk Gun Cart Mk1 was born! She ain't the prettiest thing ever to have graced a range but she will do for now Now to wait till Sunday when I get to try her out. A good beginning mate. A couple of hints from a long time user of Rugged Gear. Find a couple of trays for the stroller, one for the front and one across the back near the handles. Either install another milk cart in the mesh basket or plan on replacing the mesh pretty quickly. It'll wear fast. Make a long gun rack to go in front of the rear basket to hold your long guns (salvaged from an old discarded wooden tall gun rack) to allow you to stand your LG's upright near the center. Make or buy a leaded weight bag and mount it on the front wheel cover. It'll really stabilize the cart from tipping and keeps your reloads close. You have done a good job and with a couple of easy adds people will be wanting you to make one for them. Shoot 'em up Hoss! Youngblood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 good start - i converted a 1930s "bag boy" golf bag cart for my three gun cart - then made it my SASS , no photos yet , advantage is it folds up real compact and nice , you will be making changes - the weight distribution needs to be forward some but the concept is sound , it would take a lot of ammo on the front to offset the long guns at the rear , as you shoot you deplete your counter balance , i like the idea of securing the butts in the crate but you need to secure the tops as well [unless your terrain is a lot different than the three states i shoot in ] you will find bungees a pain if not easy to secure to eyebolts or somesuch and the lack of top support/secure for the long arms to be a nuisance , look into the bolt up accessories for trucks etc for gun racks or the gun holders for four wheelers [all terrain vehicles] allow a lot of flexibility if you think it through , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nahiossi Posted March 24, 2017 Author Share Posted March 24, 2017 Lots of great feedback here! Thanks everyone! @Noz, @Youngblood #60304 and @watab kid you guys were spot on. I stuck my guns in the box and there was too much weight behind the axle and the cart wanted to topple backwards. So modifications were required. I moved the butt plates forward and installed a grab rail from the pile of left over stroller bits (never throiw away anything!) now the bulk of the guns' mass is over the axle or forward of it and there is no chance of falling over. As the grab rail was a smaller diameter then the rear handle, the quick fist clamps were not going to work so I grabbed a couple of bungee cords instead. And as promised here are some more photos - First up the revised position of the long guns with a much more central mass distibution. The shotgun is not as vertical as before but I am sure that this will be ok on the range as the action can be seen to be open. Here it is with the range bag on the front of the cart. There is nothing holding the bag on and whilst the bag does not look the part, it is the same one I use when competing in Serivce, Bullseye and Field pistol matches so I know that it has everything I need for a day's shooting. The last two photos are a bit more of a top down view so you can see in a bit more detail how the guns are situated in the crate and secured to the grab rail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted March 24, 2017 Share Posted March 24, 2017 Every one I know that has built their own gun cart builds at least 4 before they begin to get it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted March 25, 2017 Share Posted March 25, 2017 im with Noz , you will further modify , or start again , i know i revamped mine at least four times over the years , its part of the winter fun , my cart would no longer work well with my three gun gear but it would suffice if i every thought to go back there , the SASS badge might get some looks and comments [it did at the last sporting clays shoot- from fellow SASS shooters] life goes on , fiddlin with you gear is what keeps us young Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nahiossi Posted March 25, 2017 Author Share Posted March 25, 2017 Oh I am sure that there will be additional fiddling. Eventually there may be even some attempt at woodworking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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