Cowboy Gun Carts

"Circle the wagons and load your guns!"
~Wagon Masters, circa 1870

When I first started visiting SASS matches I was struck that everybody has a gun cart. It's a wheeled cart that holds your long guns, plus your ammo, supplies, tools, drinks, and usually has a place to sit down. At the time I thought that was kind of silly, but I was wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrongity, wrong wrong! I'm just using a six gallon bucket with a seat lid on it, and carrying my rifle and shotgun by hand. However, the rules state that long guns must always be pointed up. That means I have to make two trips every time we move from one stage to another. I missed the description of the shooting instructions on my second stage because I had to go back for my bucket! The folks with the carts just drop their long guns into their racks and wheel to the next stage.

A lot of these carts have built in work trays, so you don't have to wander off and find a place to sort things out. I was always looking for a horizontal surface to put my task on. I've decided that a gun cart is a necessity for a serious shooter.

There is a company that makes gun carts, but most of the carts I've seen were either built by the owner, or built as part of a cottage industry. There are also many plans available for sale on the Internet. Usually they're either made of wood, or welded up with angle iron. This makes them pretty heavy and bulky, but very sturdy.

I'm really looking forward to getting to the Ranchito (and all my tools) and making my own cart. I have some ideas for my own version. I'm really liking my bucket seat too, so I'll be making something that looks more rustic but incorporates a place for my bucket. I've got tons of cedar on my land, so I'm going to rough it out using limbs and branches, and only buy some wheels. Ideally, it would also work as a cart for hauling out deer carcasses, or maybe even on a pheasant hunt with Pop.

Check us out at hydegunsmithing.com.

Tar isteach agus a chur orthu!