New Gun Racks

[TCups]

Well, they finally came . . .  two new 8-slot gun racks for the gun room, ordered Nov 20 and arrived Jan 5th with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's holidays intervening.  In fairness to Doug, he did contact me and I told him it was OK to wait till after the holidays to ship the racks, as there was no rush on my part.

see:  http://www.damagedwoodstocks.info/Home_Page.html

Here is a brief review:  wood - soft pine, finish - fair, walnut stain with overcoat of varnish(?), cost - $120 each.  These are utilitarian gun racks, but these are neither hardwood nor furniture quality finish.  They are certainly a step up from how I had the air rifles stored in the gun room before I ordered these.  They required assembly after unpackaging, requiring about 5 to 10 minutes each with a Phillips head screw driver.  The hardware was simple -- 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 in drywall screws and 3/16ths bolts with one flat washer and a wing nut.  Doug stained and finished the racks after assembly, so if folded or disassembled, areas of bare, un-finished woods are visible under the pivot joints of the legs.  The racks accomodate 8 rifles with a tight fit.  the left-had slot is too tight to hold a RH bolt action rifle, though.  The bolt won't clear the side of the rack.  Note also that most but not all of the rifles in my collection fit nicely.  The Daisy 853 and Diana 48 (first and second guns on the left, next to the walking stick) don't fit within the 31" clearance between the slot for the butt of the stock and the groove for the barrel.  Note also that the green-felt lined 1 inch grooves for the barrel on the top are a bit narrow for the shrouded barrel of the Gamo HE (the camo rifle) and for the tube of the AA-S410 (4th rifle from the left).  Not apparent from the photo is that the slots cut for the butt plate of the stocks in the bottom of the rack are a bit too tight for the a few of my rifles to slide all the way back in the slot.  On the plus side, the design easily allows springers to be stored with the breech partially opened, so as to spare the breech seals.  On the minus side, it is very difficult to move the racks without removing all of the rifles first, and the size, as noted is just a bit cramped.

These are good, low priced racks for the gun room but would fall short of the typical hardwood finish of better grade furniture (maple, oak, cheery etc.).  The surface is slightly rough and if you look very closely, there are a few drip marks and rough spots.  Nothing too objectionable, though.  They fold easily and would be very good to take along to a local shoot.  

Suggestions for improvement:  on the left hand slot, add another 1/4 to 1/2 inch of clearance for the bolt or the target turret of the scope, otherwise, the left hand slot is too tight.  Widen the base slots for the butts of the stocks by about 1/8th to 1/4 inch and put some felt on the bottom, too.  After all, the wood of the stock is more easily scratched than the metal of the barrel.  Add 2 in of vertical height to the top piece (31 to 33 in) to provide better fit for air rifles with longer forestocks.  Stain and finish the wood under the pivot joints.

Summary:  
Design - very good.
Fit and finish - average.
Value for price - above average.
Utility - good.

Thanks Doug.  I think I will keep these.

[Big_Bill]

Great review of your new gun racks Tommy,

They look great from your photos ! And you may have room now, for a few other babies :)

Thanks for sharing with us.

Bill

[TCups]

Yikes!!  

Being feeble of mind (too much holiday "cheer?"), I had forgotten that I had only paid Doug 50% down.  Doug did immediately respond to a couple of my suggestions and pointed out that the height of the racks was set to accommodate the broadest range of rifles, including shorter rifles as well (for example, CAR-15's), that, with a taller top rail, would not fit in the rack.  Should any of you want to order one, just let Doug know your max/min height requirements or any special sizing needs in advance and he will take care of it.  Other wood types and finish options are available, also.

Doug kindly offered to modify or customize the racks for me (send new legs, etc. if needed).  Thanks, but no thanks, Doug -- not necessary.  My air rifles are very happy and don't want to move out of their new home, being tired of lying around under beds, propped up in the corners, or in various dark closets around the home.  I am well satisfied and plan on keeping these just as they are (never know when I might add a short shooter).  And please forgive my faux pas on the delayed payment balance.  Done, and glad to do so!  The racks are well worth the cost and just what the doctor ordered.  Thanks.

[jdphill]

Thanks Tommy for that Brutally Honest Review. As you pointed out, these Are Utilitarian Shooting Racks. I merely 'dressed them up' with a touch of dark wood stain and three coats of Minwax Polyurethane Satin finish. There are 7 board feet of white pine/spruce, plus hardware and sandpaper, felt, glue and chemistry solvents, stains, &  polyurethane. And lots more man hours than I wish to remember. All for $95.00 (S/H $25 UPS ground). For me this is a Design experiment in efficiencey and utility with a splash of 'Class' from a distance.
I am going to modify some dimensions in the spacing for left hand scope turrets & bolts and the Butt Pad cut outs enlarged. I did have some problems with the finish Quality due to some misguided experimentation with mixing some Coarse Pigmented Stain material I was trying to 'Recycle'.(won't do that again).
My original Design was based on the Premise that my target market was Not going to spend any 'Real' Money on this type product. Not when Cabellas ships Fiberboard replicas from China for less money. If there is a desire and Commitment from any one out there for Hardwood and 'Furniture Grade Finish", I am capable of doing that, But it Certainly Can Not be had for any where near the price point of my original Concept product. Think: Add $100 for starters. Any takers at 195.00 +$25 S/H?
I am also coming out with a 4 gun rack, Unfinished, for $79.00 + S/H$25. I've got a pic of the Prototype (same as the 8 gun rack design but narrow for only 4 rifles).

[TCups]

Doug:

You might offer unfinished racks in pine or hardwood (perhaps you do and I just didn't see it on your web site).  Lots less labor intense for you and quicker/cheaper to produce.  There are more than a few on the GTA with lots of woodworking skills.  In the final analysis, the finish is always a matter of personal preference and the possible variations and amount of time that can be spent, as you well know, are seemingly infinite.  But as the photos show, these don't by any means look shabby.  And the basic design is very good.  

If you hang around air gunners very long, you know that we are all fairly critical in our opinions and always looking for some way to improve.

Thanks again.

[shadow]

Those racks look good to me, I'm impressed and look at all those gal's mingling with each other. Nice setup and I noticed that the rack's are next to a bed, now that's easy access hehehe. Ed

[TCups]

Ed:

The spare bedroom vacated by my son has become the "gun room".

[PeakChick]

My "Home Office" is chock full of BB gun stuff.............