Wrought Iron Rifle Rack

[SR James]

Where can I get a wrought iron rifle holder? The ones I've seen consist of a long stake stuck in the ground with an S shaped hook at the top that holds two rifles.

 

[blacksmithman64]

Ask any blacksmith on this site! :wink:

 

[ohio ramrod]

Yep I,ve made quite a few back when I had the forge fired up. Stumblin wolf has his forge fired up so give him a P.M.

 

[Brasilikilt]

isn't actual wrought iron a little tricky to get a hold of nowadays?

I love the sound of what you're describing though, it should work just as well if it's made of mild steel

 

[greyghost]

We've got a guy in our club makes them. I've got two of them but on the ones he makes, besides the "S" shaped piece at the top, which is approx a foot long, he puts another approx 8" bar about a foot up from the bottom of the sharpened stake to hold the butt of the rifle off the ground. They are really nice and the last I heard he was getting $ 25.00 for them. :applause: :wink:

 

[blacksmithman64]

isn't actual wrought iron a little tricky to get a hold of nowadays?

yep, practically non existant. Sometimes old bridges that are being replaced will be made of wrought.
Mild steel is the best replacement for wrought iron but its harder to forge weld and more prone to rusting as you probably well know!

 

[blacksmithman64]

Paddlefoot can you post a pic? Sounds to me like the rifle might slip out of a setup like that.

 

[Claude Mathis]

Here's one version. I've also seen them with the "S" welded to the top.
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=10787

 

[RC]

Paddlefoot can you post a pic? Sounds to me like the rifle might slip out of a setup like that.

I think... :shocked2: ..that bottom bar is to help stop rack from tipping over,(an pushing it in hard ground), least it is on mine.. if ya get one, get a tall one,with a hook fer yer bag an horn too... :thumbsup: very handy... we take ours to every vous an shoot to hold guns while cleanin.....funny how trees seem to be lackin at most 'vous campin sites... :haha:

 

[greyghost]

Wolf, I forgot to mention that the bottom bar is at a 90 degrees from the S bar. Don't have a pic right now, will try to get one today.

 

[blacksmithman64]

Ain't that always the case! :shake: I made a one off about 2 years ago for a fella, the top of the post was a dragon head and I riveted a bar below that for the s-hook which was worked into arms and claws that held the guns.'Course, I didn't get a pic... :shake:

 

[ameling]

Too many things I've made over the years I never got pictures of ... too many ...

Tiss a common fault many people have.

Wrought iron is still available. There is one company in Sweden still making bars. Yes, it does get pricey.

The main source up here in NE Iowa is old wooden wagon wheel rims, wagon parts, and old bridges being scrapped. Most any scrap yard can set some aside for you - if they know what to look for. The big problem is the sizes of the material you find. Most are pretty large. But occasionally you can find some really old re-rod that is wrought iron. Then you can get some rod far closer to the normal sized stock you want.

One other option is something called PURE IRON. One plant out East got talked into making a specialty run of iron. It is almost chemically pure iron. It works and acts very much like true wrought iron. It just doesn't have the scale inclusions, or develope that "wood grain" type structure. But it also is "soft". You need a larger/thicker sized piece of Pure Iron than you would need with modern welding iron/steel. It will bend faster/easier cold than the modern stuff.

Some knife makers have been paying between $2 and $5 per pound for real wrought iron. It's all a matter of what you have available in your area.

And, nowdays, modern welding-shop iron/steel is just called ... wrought iron ... by most people. Just one of those little word things.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[SR James]

Thanks for all of the replies. I should have said "forged iron" instead of wrought. Not being a 'smith, I didn't realize I would spark a debate on the availability of real wrought iron!

 

[blacksmithman64]

No problem! :haha: Now you can consider yourself more educated than a flatlander! :rotf:

 

[Poor Private]

My son and I did a bit of experimenting to try to find the best way to hold our Enfields in our tent. I didn't like just tossing them down alongside our bedding. So what I came up wioth and it worked. We purchased a pair of those flat bar lantern hooks that goes over your 2x4 ridge pole.like an upside down U. A musket fits in there just perfect and the upturned ends you can hang your kit from. So his stuff is on his side and mine is on my side. No more dewy muskets in the morning. And with the tent flaps open the cross breeze helps them to dry out after a cleaning. Also We found out once that some spectators(most likely kids) dropped gravel down the barrels of our muskets when they were stacked outside the tents-now they stay inside unless we are using them. It's a good thing we also safety check before firing blanks, can you see the faces of those pestky rebs when a couple loads of gravel comes at them!! :shocked2: To make a long story short if your storing or have them on display outside your tent use a tampion or inspect them before using!!