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Brainstorming Shooting Trailer
Captplaid
Member Posts: 20,298 ✭✭✭
Anybody ever thought about setting up a trailer with a shooting bench or platform that you can roll out into a pasture or such and pullout with you. Just thinking what you'd mount to a 16 ft trailer.
Got a 16ft trailer with no deck or wiring, surplus steel, unistrut, steel bench, wood bench, and aluminum pickup toolbox and some lumber lying around. Thinking I could put it together and have a decent portable shooting trailer. Maybe cut down on the stuff I pack for a trip to the pasture to shoot.
Yeah, probably a crazy idea, but if you made a shooting trailer, what would you put on a war wagon?
I figure a gun rack and a big long bench is a must, at least 8 ft.
Comments
The portable shooting bench that Rural King sells would work great mounted to a trailer. It has a pistol brace built in and plenty of room for a lead sled. You can shoot left or right handed from it and it’s comfortable to sit on.
I know a younger guy who built a trailer mounted shooting platform such as you describe. The very first thing you'll need to do is mount a folding trailer tongue jack on all four corners of the trailer. This is a MUST HAVE so start there. After that, I'd suggest a sturdy floor that won't flex as the shooter shifts position(not perforated steel mesh or your brass will fall through) and just go to it. If you prefer a solid wood bench just remember you'll have to align/re-align the trailer for shooting in different directions.
I'd go with something similar to the above portable bench with maybe some way to secure it in case you want to move with the bench in place. A large umbrella or awning will be appreciated so be aware of how that would attach w/o being in the line of fire.
Mr. Shaw ,,,,,,,,
A good friend of mine, retired industrial arts teacher, built one for prairie dog shooting.
Trailer was a 5’X10’ with a 3500# axle. Had a permanent ‘U’ shaped shooting bench, heavy swivel chair, canopy for shade, storage for guns, shooting accessories, insulated cooler, etc. ,,,,,,, all built ‘hell’ for stout.
He traveled from state to state chasing prairie rats.
I have seen a few that p/dog shooters have set up. Two benches and a pickup style tool box to hold rests and sand bags. One even had an umbrella that fit in a mount for shade. Never felt the need for a trailer because it was only took a few minutes for us to slide out our benches and set them up. Most of the dog towns we shot over were a full days worth of shooting each and we only had to set up and pack up once a day. Bob
Guy at our club had a school bus with an overhead door in the back set up to shoot from. Had a reloading bench with gun storage drawers underneath and a couple couches to nap on.
Its gonna be LOUD in there!
I rigged this up for me and my shooting buddy. It worked great for shooting sage rats. I welded wheels on my bench so it would rotate then I sat on a roll around seat. Had a great time in eastern Orygun. I would look at Bruce to see where was aiming and would then pop his target out from under him! Too much fun!
I know a fellow that has built a raised platform on a trailer with a commercially available blind on top. He built it to be able to easily move a blind from one field to another to hunt from.
So why not a shooting trailer?
Wear ear protection...
A retired former US Army pistol team armorer used to frequent the cafe we had years ago. He and his cronies from Ft Benning and elsewhere met annually in the Dakotas to shoot prairie rats for a week or so.
JW, always the tinkerer, made a couple mobile shooting benches out of riding lawn mowers, like Forgemonkeys friend, they had a shade, cooler mount and gun rack. He also made a manual cam down device to stabilize and although it it didn’t pick the wheels off the ground if lifted the machine so there was no rock from the wind, etc.
He actually sold a couple to his buddies
Mule
I guess you have to check with your state. I was told by a fellow who made a shooting table that plugged into his truck's receiver hitch that it was illegal in the state of Idaho because it was considered "shooting from a vehicle". I'm not sure which department gave him the hard time but would assume it was a sheriff's dept.
Good point. May have to unhook from the vehicle before shooting. May even have to have the tow vehicle a certain distance away. Most of those laws apply to hunting though so it may not apply to target shooting.
Am in the process of building a combo hunting trailer with 10 ft. high stand on one end & 6 1/2 x 8 enclosed space for shelter (gets cold here in MN). Salvaged an old travel trailer chassis.
Pictures dammit.
Sorry, not much to look at yet - still working on the floor (insulated). May not get very far this year as winter is just around the corner and it will be too tall to get it inside. You'll have to imagine a 6 1/2 x 8 insulated box with a slightly sloped shed roof (8 ft. high) and a 4 x 6 1/2 x 10 ft. high box attached to the higher end. Windows on 3 sides. I know, pictures or it don't exist. Best I can do for now.