Mounting a gun on a Sled?

[AlaskaCub]

Interested in the different ways that you guys are attaching your rifles to your sleds. Some guys say use a gun boot and permanently mount it, others say use a scabbard and rig something up. So what do you guys use and some pics would be awesome.

 

[AlaskaCub]

Anyone...Anyone?

 

[Mr. Pid]

I have a sling on my rifle to wear it on my shoulder. For riding I go over my head and shoulder. I bash my machines through the alders. I adjust my body to protect myself. It makes more sense to me that the rifle should be with me, not the machine.

 

[WaterWolf]

There was a post last year I thought covered a lot of this. Ya might try doing a search.

 

[AlaskaCub]

I did search back in the forum, but theres very little info or pics, mostly just a couple descriptions of nuts and bolts and clamps and such. But I see pics all the time here and elsewhere of rifles mounted on sleds and most of the time it appears guys are using gun boots with some kind of mounting brackets or creative installation methods.

 

[ironartist]

Bracket

Bracket

I came up with a bracket a couple years ago that mounts to your sled that accepts a koplin gun boot. I personally use a leather scabard and just strap it to to cargo rack I like it better exept I have to wrap a cloth where it snaps shut or it packs up with powder that blows in.

 

[ironartist]

Koplin boot

Koplin boot

This is the only pic I have of where the boot mounts it's just kinda hard to pick out to see, the sled I also designed for the guy it splits and the front is a log arch for pulling logs and the rear pins to it for his cargo sled.

 

[AlaskaCub]

Thanks ironartist, thats kind of what I was thinking. Kolpin makes a gun boot mounting bracket that has a knob on the outside that gives you a lot of adjustment of the angle that the boot points, and it appears that it can be mounted right on the tunnel and not take up any of the cargo area. Carrying a gun across my back will get old just like it did riding a wheeler, especially when you have a good ways to go before you plan on hunting. This is the one I am looking at.


http://www.kolpinpowersports.com/products/gun-boot-cases-brackets/boottector-bracket.html


It oughtta mount real easily through the tunnel and keep the nose of the gun boot inside the floor board.

 

[WaterWolf]

Well if'n ya get'r figured out please share with us. I'm still trying to figure out how to take my old rack off and modify a bigger one. And I'm a techno dummy.

 

[AlaskaCub]

Will do, with pics to boot!

 

[Akres]

When you get your Kolpin boot, take and weld a couple of inch or so long pieces of square steel tubing to the underside of the top rail on the rear rack. Use carriage bolts and rubber spacers, with wing nuts and you don't need a clumbsy mounting system. When the boot is removed, all that you have on the machine is about two ounces of square tubing and they don't catch on everything, like snowsuits and bushes. Done a lot of them that way, and everyone likes them.

 

[AlaskaCub]

No can do on the welds, the new Tundra LT 500 has Aluminum rails.

 

[Blue Thunder]

Gun Mount

Gun Mount

Buy a set of gun mounts for a 4-wheeler and mount them to the handle bars of the snow machine. Easy to get to, but sometimes covered with snow.

 

[Akres]

No can do on the welds, the new Tundra LT 500 has Aluminum rails.

Then use the same set up, only weld the tubing pieces to round two piece clamps and bolt them on. Sandwich the aluminum rack in the middle of the clamps. You could even use two plates with square holes to accomodate the carriage bolts. With aluminum, I would try to get as much surface area as possible, because of the stress factor.

 

[LuJon]

I just wear my eberlestock pack. Slide the rifle down in the built in scabard and go! No snow problems, the rifle is allways with me, it is padded, and I can have it in my hand very quickly.

 

[AlaskaCub]

Lujon dont those J100 (104/105) series packs have the scabbard that hangs down 20" or so below your butt with the barrel pointed down? Cant see how that would be comfortable to ride with. Now maybe a Badlands 2200 or 2800 would fit the bill a little better for wearing as they go butt stock down and barrell pointing up, but truly I'd prefer to just have the gun close by and easy to get to without wearing it the whole time if you know what I mean. I am gonna hook up the gun boot I posted above to the rear tunnel this week and I'll post a few pics of it, seems like the best bet for my needs.

 

[northway]

guns

guns

Cub,

I know my dad used to have one of those Koplin cases with the mount on his sled. I found out using it for trapping, that it shook, vibrated, bounced so much that the Koplin case would actually crack and break. I ended up mounting mine with the barrel part of the case right on my foot rail, and the back part of the case bolted into the tunnel. This gave you a tight hold and the case could not bounce, etc. Worked for many years and no issues. I think a solid rest is the way to go and it is pretty much out of your way. Do not mount it somewhere in your way. The other thing about the mount that you can buy is that it sticks up kind of high and there will be that moment when you are in reverse, when you forget about it and you hit it into a tree and "snap", your case is broke. Keep it mounted on your foot rest and low. You may even be able to run a bolt through your case into your rack if it lines up well.

 

[LuJon]

Lujon dont those J100 (104/105) series packs have the scabbard that hangs down 20" or so below your butt with the barrel pointed down? Cant see how that would be comfortable to ride with. Now maybe a Badlands 2200 or 2800 would fit the bill a little better for wearing as they go butt stock down and barrell pointing up, but truly I'd prefer to just have the gun close by and easy to get to without wearing it the whole time if you know what I mean. I am gonna hook up the gun boot I posted above to the rear tunnel this week and I'll post a few pics of it, seems like the best bet for my needs.

Yes it does but there is enough play that I just push the scabard off to one side of the seat and it rides comfortably. It also works on a two up ATV but on a single seater the barrel hits the rear fender. I still use it on single seat ATV's for short distances but for long distances I would certainly prefer a gun boot.

 

[truth2ak]

Kinda agree

Kinda agree

I am kinda with Mr. Pid.

I have a small backpack I wear with essentials uncase I would happen to get seperated from my sled and I take my rifle strap and drape it over my shoulders with my backpack sandwiched between me and my rifle.

I have heard you should always keep the really important stuff attached to your person but I am open for objections.

 

[AlaskaCub]

Well I went out riding today looking for some fur to shoot and since I was using an electronic caller and it is still so early in the winter, I brought my .204 and my 338 just in case a bear showed itself. I strapped the gun boot to the side of the sled with bungies and it sucked, the thing was flopping around all over the place. I slung the .204 across my back and that equally sucked. I got to figure out something cuz I mounted the Kolpin mount tonight that I linked earlier and the aluminum tunnel is not rigid enough to support it. It wiggled all over the place by just moving it with my hand. I got some pics of ideas from a fellow forum member and I am gonna get creative. Heres a pic from today, god it was beautiful out there!