Shooting Box

[ike]

My wife gave me a shooting box for Christmas. She has made arrangements for a local Amish wood craftsman to make it I need the plans. I have looked at some pictures, I have Ideas, I need to see some plans. Can you send me some? What are the mistakes you made in design? Thanks for your help.

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Ike,
The boxes that I have seen are as varied as the people who use them. Most of what I have seen have some sort of shelf or tray that you can put your small items in (capper, picks, flint, etc.). Below the tray is enough room to put your horn, powder can, bottles of lube and such. I renovated a hand made antique chest for my range box. In fact I am still fiddling with it, adding and improving. I'll take some pics tomorrow and send them to you.
Sounds to me like you will get a dandy box. What a present!
Scott

 

[ladysmithtrading]

ask him to use 1/2 thick material, he may have to plane down 3/4 stock to do so, this will cut the original unloaded box weight by a third, trust me, you'll be happier with the weight reduction and the 1/2 stock will be plenty stout for a range box, I know from experience

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Yes, 1/2 inch will work. The chest I renovated was made from 1/4 inch fir. I had to plane and glue some 1/4 inch fir to bring it up to 1/2 inch. I would not go below 1/2 inch thickness.
Scott

 

[bob1961]

once i get my dovetail jig i was thinking of going 3/8" fer my box thinkness :v .............bob

 

[ladysmithtrading]

Bob, 3/8" will work if your using hardwood, cherry, maple, oak, etc.or even poplar, most Amish items are crafted in pine or fir, wouldnt go less than 1/2" on a softwood.

 

[jdixon]

The December issue of Muzzle Blasts, (NMLRA's monthly magazine) in the Bevel Brothers section there is a discussion of shooting boxes found at the range @ Friendship during this past fall's national shoot. No plans but there are 10 different picutres of boxes to get ideas from.

 

Good point. Most of the shooting boxes I have seen were so darned heavy that they were basically a burden to the shooter. Add all the stuff you need to keep in them and you have created a Sea Chest. Plaining down the carcas to 1/2" would be a great help. Also - a sugestion - have him make the drawers out of poplar or some other lighter woods. The faces of the drawers - oak, maple whatever looks good to you and makes you happy. Most of all - congratulations to you for having such a thoughtful wife.

 

[CrackStock]

Here are some pics and measurements from a set of box components that Mark Lachney had made for some of us.

The minimum interior height should accommodate a can of your favorite powder. Mine is Goex, which I think is 6 1/2 inches high. Check this measurement as it is critical!

My box is 11 inches across which allows for stability and it can hold two longguns and a range rod across it front. It is also 15 inches long.
The front wall extends 1 1/2 inch below the floor in order to hold the box at the edge of your loading bench to support your long guns while being loaded. See the side view of the box. This is an important feature to remember during construction.

There is an interior partition which makes a powder compartment at the rear for two cans of your favorite powder. This also strengthens the box. This is glued and then screwed with counter sunk screws.

A lower wall makes a spearate partition a bit forward to separate your ammo and accoutrements. I made mine lower, but some people want it deep for greater strength. I set these based upon loading blocks that I used at the time. Customize this for your owns needs.

The flap out to the front has cuts to accommodate two guns, a set of 5 round balls in .50 cal (If I had to do this over, I would router a groove rather than cut the opening as I went from mostly shooting .50s to .40s and those drop through!) a hole for a short starter and an L shape cut for your range rod.

I found the latch and most other hardware at Lowes. I added corner protectors and used some nice hinges and a bit of chain to hold the flap when it is open. Leather would work.

I hope that some of this is helpful -- I turned the box on its side to show the underflap which seats the box onto the loading bench when I heard the ugly sound of two different size ball containers dump their balls into the box! :shocked2: These are .403s and .395s. I am debating tossing the into the lead pot or getting out the micrometer...

CS

 

[AeroncaTAL]

Ike,
Here are the pics of my range box. As I mentioned above, the box is an hand made antique that I renovated. It measures 23 1/2 inches long by 10 1/2 inches wide by 11 1/2 inches tall. I lined it with 1/4 inch fir that I planed to bring the thickness up to 1/2 inch. I made a tray to hold miscellaneous items and a small area for the powder and lube.

Here is a sketch of a box I saw yesterday in the newly rebuilt Lewis and Clark fort at Ft. Clatsop in Astoria, Oregon. The domed box was approximately 14 or 16 inches on a side. What caught my interest were two leather straps that held it closed. The straps were held to the box by brass tacks and there was a ring buckle arangement that locked them down. I may do something like that with my box.

Good luck with your box and post pictures when you get it.

Scott

 

[skunkskinner]

This one works well for me.It is 16"x24"x10"and stands 3 feet tall,the legs are removeable.It needs a tray and more notches on the other side.

 

[AeroncaTAL]

One member out at the black powder group I belong to has a box that almost looks like a chest of drawers. He built it out of old barn wood and the handles for the sliding drawers are antler. Pretty cool looking shooting box.
Scott