Grounding barrels

[TXMXRACER]

I have been tasked with making some grounding barrels for our 3-gun matches. I have the barrels but I need an idea on how to make a base for them to set at an angle to keep the muzzle downrange. I was wondering if anyone has any pictures of this setup or any other ideas I could use.

Thanks,

shane

[Craigar45]

Go here and look at the pic in post 93. You can see R&R racing's elegant solution. Shallow red box that kept muzzles down. Lined with astro turf. It held two long guns easily, and there was a piece of 1x screwed at the top at a 45 degree angle for your pistol to sit flat in. Worked very nicely!

C

[TXMXRACER]

That looks like a good idea. Do you remember how the bottom was anchored? I was thinking of using plastic barrels so if anyone has an idea for those I would love to hear it.

Thanks,

shane

[benny hill]

We just nail them to the ground & put a large piece of carpet in the bottom.

[RiggerJJ]

You don't need to angle them or do anything fancy, pointed straight down is the best. 35 gallon Rino trash cans work the best, they are rubber/plastic with handles. set them in place and stake em down with long metal stakes like rebar thru the handles and zip tie them into place. they won't move a bit. put a bit of carpet in the bottom if you wish.

The abandonment racks that R&R used were quite a bit of bother to build (compared to a $12 rubber trash can), and had a few flaws... they were too deep for short people with short guns, the legs could be kicked out from under them rather easily, and the pistol portion of them were not too good for lefties...

for pistol, use a plastic oval shaped trash can about the size of a small office trash can (wal mart, $2.98). cut a 4x4 4 inches long and screw it in the bottom at one end to make a muzzle cup at the other. then fasten it down ON THE GROUND (to keep from sweeping your feet) with stakes, screw it to the side of a long gun dump barrel, to a prop wall, etc.

this puts ALL abandon guns muzzle down into the dirt. you can walk down range all you want with the gun in the barrel/bucket, reset the stage and score, etc, then come back to the barrel and clear the gun with the competitor. Just put a little thought into the rest of the stage and things usually work well...K.I.S.S.

jj

Rocky Mountain 3 Gun

Edited July 29, 2008 by RiggerJJ

[TXMXRACER]

Thanks guys---looks like I need to get to work now.

[cking]

Some people are real fussy about the muzzle. so straight down got some complaints. So we did a V type baby mainger, Higher at the rear by using some 2X4's lined with carpet with two sand bags in front. No scratches and bags with catch a AD.

[Joe4d]

Check out "Grainger" all kinds of barrel holders. Used for storing transporting and dispensing fluids from drums. You might get a design idea from the pictures.

[RiggerJJ]

Don't really understand the problem with "muzzle down" dump barrels. Have been using them for years in RM3G and local matches, they work great, and are cheap and EASY. once the gun (long gun or pistol) is in the barrel or small trash can, the shooter, RO, target setters, etc can move anywhere on the range doing what they need to do, then recover the abandoned gun after everyone returns up-range. makes stage reset a breeze. Most of the time we bury the barrel a few inches. If the worse happens, an AD into the barrel, the round will go into the ground and stop, and not skip down range somewhere...

jj

[fastshooter03]

Glad to hear your using barrels and not rectangles like at the FN/CMMG match. I had a learning experience after shooting with bipod down and trying to set it on the horizontal grounding "Box" with the legs still out it got tippy and fell over. Luckily the RO grabbed it even though it would have only tipped over onto the wooden spool that the box was on.

A barrel would have saved me some penalty points

Nick