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Staging the Long Gun

By

Cree Vicar Dave – SASS Life # 49907

I asked an old friend the other day how he was doing. He shot back that every day he can get out of bed and stand vertical is a very good day. At our age standing vertical is indeed good even if it requires some effort.

But for long guns staging vertical is not always a good idea. You are probably aware of someone restaging a rifle or shotgun vertically only to have it slip or turn on its axis and end up on the ground making for a bad experience. Match Directors are becoming more aware of this and are expressing a desire to have all long guns staged horizontally.

Rifles resign themselves well to the prone position. Shotguns, though, are another matter. Not all shotguns are created equal. Winchester ‘97’s’ do well in a horizontal rack but double barrels have a tendency to close or rollover. Staging a hinged shotgun parallel to the earth most always depends upon a flat surface such as a bale of straw, table, etc.

With these dilemmas in mind I set out to design a horizontal rack friendly to all long guns while fitting into the stage scheme. I find that my thought process functions quite well with my body also in the horizontal mode, but there is a slight problem of my eyes slamming shut in this position.  It says in Proverb 20:13 ^"Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare."  So I have to force myself to stand straight up from time to time to keep from becoming a slacker

After many sleepless hours and a couple of proto-types I’m pleased to reveal the Cree Vicar horse, mule and cow take down props. They are designed so as to have two animals fit on one 3/4" x 4’x 8’ sheet of plywood. I used seven ply, exterior glue, sanded both sides plywood. It costs a little more but stands up better under the elements.

All the legs are approximately 18" wide by 36" high, while the bodies are around 18" deep by 48" long. The legs fit intertwined on the plywood while the bodies are belly to belly. The legs are slotted 3/4"wide by 9" down from the tops and the bodies have corresponding slots cut from the bottom so that when the legs are in place they are even with the top of the body. The slots have to be wide enough to accommodate 3/4" plywood plus any paint applied plus a horse hair or two for clearance. I found that some of the animals swelled a little from moisture and had to make the adjusted relief.

After a slight rounding of the edges they were sanded. One coat of undercoat latex was used with a finish coat of acrylic. The Missions Director of our Church volunteered to paint the critters for a donation to the mission fund by our club. She superbly painted the animals and put a finish coat of clear acrylic spray on them. They look great and almost come alive on the stage.

The tops of the horse and mule legs have grooves in them on each side for staging long guns. I applied deer skin, held in place by DAP acrylic silicone clear caulk, to protect firearms. To accommodate a double barrel I designed a saddle that slides over the body and supports the gun under the hinge. This keeps it upright for staging and provides for viable restaging. The saddle is easily removed to provide room for the ‘97’. The shotgun saddle and the cattle horns were made from excess plywood. Dog drawings are also in the mix. Remember to always follow all safety and health rules when working on or displaying projects.

These props are quite easy to make for someone with woodworking talents and ability. If you would like actual size drawings you may obtain them for a $35.00 donation to Sucker Creek Saddle & Gun Club.

If interested contact Cree Vicar Dave at: creevicardave@hotmail.com