Standing Gunrack

Recently I was at a large outdoor sporting goods store looking at gun racks. Deciding that $100+ for something made out of plywood was ridiculous I went home and built my own from salvaged lumber. This is a standing or "deputy" style gun rack, my personal choice. All measurements are approximate.

Step 1: Saftey Warnings

you're all big boys, but a couple of things, I'm working with reclaimed lumber which deserves special consideration. This lumber is very old, it came out a 19th century house in Winter Park, that means the likelihood of the paint being lead based is high, so a respirator was worn at all times and I showered and laundered my clothes after working. Additionally the wood was closely inspected for nails and other hardware to prevent operator or machine damage. The paint was then removed using a surface planer.

Step 2: The Base and Barrel Rack

The base is simply a piece 28 inches long and 10 inches wide squared up. To make the barrel rack a piece 28 inches long was marked in 4 inches from the back and 4 inches apart. Holes were then drilled with a 2 1/2 inch hole saw at each mark. Drill halfway through and flip to prevent tear out. The barrel rack was then ripped down the center to form the half circles.

Additionally a 3 inch piece 28 inches long was cut to front the base.

Step 3: The Sides

Two pieces 36 inches long were ripped to the width of the base plus the front piece, approx. 10 3/4 inches A mark was then made 4 inches from the bottom along the front and 4 inched from the back along the top, the two marks were connected with a line and a cut made along that line. No good pictures but it's clear enough in the assembled photo.

Step 4: Temp Assemble

I used pocket screws to temporarily assemble the rack and check if it worked, if you look closely I had to shift the barrel rack back 3/4 of an inch and subsequently rip that dimension off the back

Step 5: Sand, Stain and Final Assembly

The rack is then disassembled, sanded, stained and sealed on all six sides and reassembled with glue and screws, I also added cleats to the base so the guns couldn't slide sideways. Be sure to check for square.

Comments

[Emperor Towhid]

Are those gun real???????????????

[Tool Using Animal]

Ones "real", one's an air rifle, here's the rest of the family, though it's missing a couple of my latest rifles.

[adam.deiterick]

Ever one owns a M1891/30. (Mosin Nagant). This will be for my MN's.

[troseph]

 I used this instructable to make this gun rack in my closet. Thanks!

[mcscheck]

Couldnt miss that HP995 sittin there..Nice piece for the price Watch out Feinstein just added that to her list as well.. Hah.. Love mine..

[gdmac1959]

Thanks here is a picture of the one I created using your base plan. I used one treated 1" x 12" x 8' long to build mine.

[sgtken]

Nice rack and explained very well. I agree with shooter training. I have six children and I taught them all to shoot and to handle guns safely. My youngest daughter is a state police officer and she recently out shot all but one officer in a qualifying shoot. I was raised on a ranch and gun storage was to keep the guns accessable and clean. I still believe this is important. I live in the city now and if someone that does try to harm my home my family or myself I wat to have access to a gun. and this rack fits the bill. Having a bucket of rocks by the night stand is not going to convince the would be intruder to back off...Sgtken

[bumpus]

that's a nice rack!

[LockervomHocker]

Well, its a nice work. And to say the true, i read all steps.
Its a very good method to put a Gun temporaly away but i think everyone understands its not meant as a "Gun storage". Its a Gunrack neither more nor less. Don t Panic ! All is good !

And thanks again to the Author, i look forward for "Gun storage" Tutorial. ;-)

[microman171]

I dont know about US but isnt it illegal to not have a loked gun ase?? My unle has this haevy steel abinet thing. In NZ you have to get a gun linene to buy a gun. Then after buying a gun you go to the police so they can come to your house to check out the gun cabinet.

[jdege]

Firearms storage safety is a local issue, not a federal one, so there are no laws regarding it "in the US". There are laws of one flavor or another in most of the states, but they are more commonly of the form of liability laws, if an unsecured firearm is used to cause damage. There are only a handful of states that require licenses for the possession of long guns, and none, that I am aware of, that require prior approval of storage facilities.

[microman171]

Cool, it saves having to have the gun cabinet. When I move tho the US I think I will have a gun rack like this but put locks on it just in case.

[Pkranger88]

That's not the case in the U.S. I can have a rifle sitting on the Mantle above the fireplace if I wanted to. Obviously, common sense tells you that if anyone not properly trained in firearm use will ever come into contact with the rack, then the firearms should be kept in a locked storage device. A cabinet is merely one way of doing so. I have a wall-hung gunrack that houses a rifle and a shotgun, but neither are locked. On the other hand, I keep a pistol locked in a pistol box so that it cannot be easily accessed by my nephew. Either way, a locked case or not, firearm education is the key. If the owner of a steel gun cabinet doesn't know how to properly handle a firearm, he is still more dangerous than a properly trained individual with a gun on a rack.

[robodud3]

looks great somthing you could make more of and sell on craigs or ebay as handmade gunrack im sure someone would pay 100+ for it as long as they didnt see this

[LinuxH4x0r]

Nice. Too bad I only have a bow.

[GorillazMiko]

Nice! I will show this to my friend Ben, he uses Instructables, he's ledzep(numbersgohere). Nice job!