Back in May I wrote about a gun cart I had put together using a used stroller I had bought at the thrift store.
I've used the stroller for a full shooting season now, with success. I took it to the LuckyGunner Blogger Shoot in May, and it was well received, and it sure saved my old back the trouble of schlepping four rifles, a shooting bag, a cooler, an ammo can, and a camp chair from the parking area to the firing line.
Likewise, for USPSA and Action Pistol matches, it's been handy not to have to lug my stuff up and down hills.
I would call the Gun Cart Mark I a success.
But I think I can do better.
While overall I've been very pleased with the cart, after 6 months of use, I think I can improve on the design. First of all, the performance of the small wheels over rough terrain left something to be desired. Yes, it worked, but I now know why so many of the commercial carts out there are built on a chassis of three large wheels.
Some things definitely worked well, even features that the commercial carts left out. The horizontal bar, which I call the Stock Bar (because that's where I lash the gun stocks) especially works well. I definitely think it's an improvement over individual clamps for each gun, which I've seen.
The large deck works well, too, and removing the seating area was a good thing. I sometimes see other carts that have been built from strollers, and the seating is left in place, and it limits the size of the shooting bag you can carry, without adding any positive feature.
It wasn't hard to build the cart, so my plans are soon to visit the local thrift stores and find a three wheel stroller, and build Mark II.
Look for a report when I'm done.
