High power rifle cart/tool/lawn/cart

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88KEYS

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I have just started High Power at my Club; with any shooting sport it cost plenty of money. I have Bushmaster DCM8XR; I like the AR-15 due to weight and like the smaller rifle. I fired over the weekend in a 600 yard qualification for use of the range. I found dragging around just my small amount of equipment, buying more every day. I need a cart, no question. However find that some people use tool carts, lawn carts, which work just fine. I found looking on the net the Target Store has a lawn cart that looks like it would work, at a fraction of the price.

I just wanted to know if any shooters have a tip, for a cart. I would like to get a nice shooting cart, just cannot afford it now?
 
Guess things are changing.

I was old school, when they use to look down on people that needed a shopping cart to pack your gear in high power.

We just loaded everything in a the shooting stool, rapped up the scope stand in the mat, grabbed the rifle and moved on to the next firing line.

I also remember the days in LEG matches you couldn't use a mat, you had to load from the person in rappid fire.

Shoot now days you dont even have to Rise before a rapid fire string.

I suppose next they will use a Bus for the run before the Infantry Trophy Matchs.
 
A lawn cart is probably fine. Look for something w/ larger wheels and a strong rigid frame that you can fasten stuff to. Also I'd go w/ a two wheeled cart rather than a wagon - easier to work with.

I already have a cart, but if I were looking for an inexpensive do-it-yourself option, I'd take a look at a Magna Cart. These are collapsing hand trucks with a wide platform. They're light and inexpensive, and they're seem to be well made.
 
CART

Thanks for the ideas, checked out the Magna Cart online they sell it at Sears for $25.00. I can attached things to it and it might be a good start, it also folds up so you could use a car trunk.

The amount of stuff you need dragging it around seems like a bad idea and then you do not arrive at the line out of breath.

Thanks
 
Guess things are changing.

I was old school, when they use to look down on people that needed a shopping cart to pack your gear in high power.

We just loaded everything in a the shooting stool, rapped up the scope stand in the mat, grabbed the rifle and moved on to the next firing line.

I also remember the days in LEG matches you couldn't use a mat, you had to load from the person in rappid fire.

Shoot now days you dont even have to Rise before a rapid fire string.

I suppose next they will use a Bus for the run before the Infantry Trophy Matchs.
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I hear ya, Kraig, and I'm "new school." Very new.

Too much gear, not enough shooters. Even in High Power and CMP. Looks a little like a geriatric-in-training convention out there.:D

Look, what do you need on the line?
1 - Rifle and a couple of magazines. Maybe 3, tops, if you've got a single-load mag.
2 - Ammo. Somewhere between 40 and 100 rounds depending on the match.
3 - Ear/eye protection.
After that, everything else becomes discretionary.
4 - Shooting jacket.
5 - Mat.
6 - Spotting scope and stand.
7 - "Shooting stool."

Put your ammo in your rifle case, along with the magazines. Your rifle case has a shoulder strap.

Wear your shooting jacket.

Roll up your mat and sling it over your shoulder. Many shoot mats have a shoulder strap. If not, use a piece of rope.

That just leaves the scope/stand/stool.

Collapse your scope stand and roll it up inside your shooting mat. Cover the lenses of your scope and put it in the little carry pocket of your shooting stool.

Rifle over one shoulder, mat over another, pick up your lightweight aluminum shooting stool and walk a couple hundred yards. Your man card will thank you.:p

Leave the unnecessary junk back in the car.
 
Another 'Old Schooler' here. I put wheels on my camp stool and use the scope stand as a handle. Everything gets bungee corded to the stool, rifle on the shoulder and away we go. Homemade accessories can keep save money for bullets and powder. Doesn't matter if it's a baby carriage, hand truck or tool box on wheels as long as it's easy to use and keeps your stuff together. Some of the new commercial Highpower carts have everything except a beer tap. But they're expensive.
 
I'm "new school" and have gone to the "old school" of haul-it in the stool. Used to have a homemade cart (axle, wheels and handle on my shooting stool), but if that didn't get to be a bit of a burden at times on the range. Now I toss everything in my shooting stool, use my pit rope for a shoulder strap and carry the rifle case, mat and scope down the line that way. Oh, and when I get out for longer matches, I like a small daypack to carry my water and feed bag. (I'm young, skinny and have been accused of having the metabolism of a 140-lb shrew! :p )

But there are many way to improvise a shooting cart out of your stool. Take a look at some of the set-ups on the line and ask questions of the builders.
 
Not to offend any one here, but you don't need a fancy cart to move your gear. A bucket will work to carry your mags; ammo and little extras you might have. If the bucket has a lid you can even sit on it.

kraigwy is correct in his answer. Old school is tried and true.

I have a shooting buddy I went to Perry with in 07. His range cart more than likey weighed 300 pounds. He had something in his cart for about anything that could happen on the line. If you needed a 9/16" wrench he more then likey had it someplace in his cart. I might be a little extreme here but it seems to be the trend this days to have a massive range cart. I've walked my gear most of my life as a shooter. I have the same shooters stool I got when I first started. I wore out one stool bag and got another but the frame is the same.
 
Great cart at Harbor Fake

A cart makes everything so much easier at a match, particularly when you head for the 600 yard line. I got this little beauty at Harbor Freight for $42 and did the paint job myself (amazing how much you can get accomplished when you're unemployed). They come in red, and it started out in life as a welding cart. The list price is $75, but it was (and may still be) on sale for $49.95 and there's a 20% off coupon in Rifleman.

After I took this photo I strategically placed some eye bolts for bungies. This thing is rock solid, relatively light weight, and handles range terrain with ease. Take all your junk with you.:D

rangecart001.jpg
 
You can go too far with a cart. Some guys seem to pack for a expedition.

At some of the ranges where I shoot, using a cart is as much a courtesy as a convenience. It makes it a lot easier to pack-up and move to the next firing line in a timely fashion, and to generally keep your stuff organized and out of everyone's way. This is more of a factor when you have a lot of people, with multiple relays.
 
Your own needs count

I started off using a collapsable dolly I bought for $5 at a yard sale. I can bungie everything on it and go, and it fits in a small space when not in use. Drawbacks: it will blow over in a breeze, it's not so good on uneven ground or in the mud or sand, and no room for a cooler. I still use it when going to my local 100 yard walk-up range, where everything is paved and I'm only there for a couple of hours. I also empty it as soon as I get to my bench, so no worries there.

This summer I'm going to Camp Perry, however, and I wanted something a bit more substantial since I'll be on the range for perhaps 14 hours at a time and I want adequate stuff with me. I also wanted something easy to move over a variety of terrain. The welding cart fit the bill nicely.
 
Tim R said:
I have a shooting buddy I went to Perry with in 07. His range cart more than likey weighed 300 pounds. He had something in his cart for about anything that could happen on the line. If you needed a 9/16" wrench he more then likey had it someplace in his cart. I might be a little extreme here but it seems to be the trend this days to have a massive range cart. I've walked my gear most of my life as a shooter. I have the same shooters stool I got when I first started. I wore out one stool bag and got another but the frame is the same.
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I doubt Thomas Jefferson would approve of America's marksmen pulling Red Ryders behind them. Or the founders of the NRA... since their initial goal was to improve dismal marksmanship following the Civil War.

Thomas Jefferson said:
A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks.
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We're not even pursuing "moderate exercise" if we can't lug our gear a couple hundred yards.
 
I learned a long time ago, if it says "gun" on it you can probably get something similar at Home Depot for about 1/3 the cost. I polish the furniture with Carnauba floor wax. A half gallon tin runs about the same prices as Casey's 3 oz. bottle of "stock wax" -- and it's better wax.

Have a look at contractor tools, boxes, etc. They basically have the same sorts of needs, only they're out to make a buck, not keep a gun shop in the black. :D
 
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