My Second Match

The time finally came to help set up for our first match in Minot.  I arrived at the range aournd 5:00pm on Friday and met Yellowstone Vic, Charlie Waite and Doc Hell.  For the next 2 hours we set up steel targets, props and tables.  When we finished we were ready for the Saturday match.  The next day I arrived around 10am to help with last minute preparations, the match was set to begin at 1pm with the shooters meeting at 12:30.  When all was said and done we had 10 shooters, pretty good for our first match.  I did pretty well finishing in the middle of the pack but times were already improving.

Build your own gun cart

In the game of Cowboy action shooting you carry around a lot of gear.  Two pistols, rifle, shotgun, ammo maybe a water bottle plus you need to have a place to put your empty shell casings (reloading is a must in this game).  So most folks have a gun cart to lug around all their gear.  There are as many different kinds and style of carts as there are competitors.  Some are simple some very elaborate, from covered wagons to an easy chair on wheels, to a simple Radio Flyer wagon.  I decided that I should build my own cart, to purchase one meant laying out at least $300 and how hard could it be!  Well I am not a carpenter, but I do posess most of the necessary tools including table saw and the like.  So again I went to the internet (a cowboy shooters best friend) for some ideas.  I found a SASS club that had a local shooter who had numerous gun cart plans you could download for free, (since writing this they have made these plans into a nifty book that you can purchase, no more freebies).  So I downloaded the plans, made a list and headed to Menards, 20 hours and around $300 later (not really more like $150.00) I had my very own gun cart.  The problem was I hadn't followed the plans exactly, the top of the cart was meant to lay down for easy loading, but it didn't quite go all the way down.  Plus I had made it bigger than the plan called for, big mistake this made it really heavy.  But still it was a cart and I can fit 5 long guns and all the gear I need to carry very easily.  This cart has served me well in my first year but I have already made plans for a new gun cart, a little smaller and lighter.  Some folks in the club have purchased gun carts that are very nice, they have three wheels and look like a modern buggy.  Doc Hell bought one of those buggies you push your kids around with and modfied it to fit his guns only cost him about $99.00.  These type of three wheel carts are light, easy to use and fold up to fit in a small car.