New Gun Rack

So I got sick to death of having some of my nice rifles crowded into a safe, risking damage, having to remove bolts, and target sights etc, etc. Yes I could get another safe, but I've always wanted a rack to display some of my stuff, so yesterday I built one.
It holds 12 rifles with ample room so none of them touch each other with bolts in, bayonets fitted and sights on.
I might build another bigger one too, for the other wall in my gun room.
I just used 16mm cover sheets of HMR MDF, I am using it unfinished, clean face out, but I might paint it one day if I could be bothered.

I made a router jig, using a tracing collar, for the rounded cutout to fit the fore end and cut one of the long sets. Then I used an inverted flush trim bit in the router to copy this set to fit the butts.
I then ripped these down to finished depth, and used a 5mm radius rounding over bit to round the appropriate edges.
I then made the carcass, and jigged up the rifle holder sets, fixed these off, and put on a back.
Then I fixed it to the wall, 300mm of the ground, and filled it up with some of my favourites.

all it needs is a lick of paint and it will be perfect !!!! wish I had a gun room like tbone's

Won't that chain scratch the trigger guards and triggers?

I love having my rifles displayed but I've gone the opposite direction and got a good heavy safe to protect them from both theft and fire and that's where I keep all but a couple these days.

Nice display rack Tbone!

I did something similar several years ago using a small antique gun cabinet I bought from an estate auction.

I keep all my guns in a large safe, but wanted to display a few of them at a time -
(Mostly so I could see them!)
I rotate different rifles at different times, as seen from some of the photos I just found on my hard drive.

I'd be worried about the chain though - no matter how careful, it will leave marks if used much.
I bolted a heavy duty, plastic covered cable lock to the wall studs and then mounted the gun cabinet to the wall, leaving only enough cable to reach through and lock. (Just an idea)

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...6/sling1-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ndGarand-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...974Large-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...3/Garnad-1.jpg

I still have a couple of rifles displayed as real wall hangars, but they are actual 'wall hangar' value. One of my dad's business friends gave him this rusty old trapdoor many years ago because he was afraid of guns and someone had given it to him.
It's worth very little, but made a neat wall hangar.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...rapdoor3-1.jpg

I did the same to my RC Mauser K98 (Upper right) - It doesn't have a lot of value, but I think it made a neat display.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...96Medium-1.jpg

It's not nearly as secure as a safe, but it would slow someone down with the cable, and I only display a few guns at a time.
Sad we can't display our guns like we used to, even with full security systems now, but it's a fact of life.

yes I agree with the chain criticism, but it is only a temporary measure until i get some plastics coated wire braid or wire rope... I'd also like them to be individually secured to a main line, so that to remove one only means handling the one

I built a rack similar a while back and I used a wool blanket cut into strips and glued to the inside of the notches to avoid and wood to wood damage. Worked very nice. Since you didn't plan on that you could use craft felt it being thin would still protect but not use up to much of your space for the butt stock to fit into.

If you do paint it you might also go to the effort to put a strip of cheap white LED lights along the top to shine down on the rifles. Then just put a narrow face board along the top to hide it from view and to keep any glare out of your eyes.

I think if I go to that trouble I'll build another better one. This serves a purpose for the moment, and gives me some good ideas for the next one, RE accurate sizing and layout, and basic router jig setups req'd.
This rack took me about 2 hours to knock up out of free material. When it suits me to build a nicer one or few, I've got good dimensions to take off, a list of improvements, and a jig system to route cutouts as req'd to whatever dimensions I deem most suitable.
I hadn't thought about strip lighting, but that could be housed in a routed trench in the top panel and would be quite nice, but then I'll have to pretty up the rest of the room to do it justice, Hmmmm...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mark W.

I built a rack similar a while back and I used a wool blanket cut into strips and glued to the inside of the notches to avoid and wood to wood damage. Worked very nice. Since you didn't plan on that you could use craft felt it being thin would still protect but not use up to much of your space for the butt stock to fit into.

If you do paint it you might also go to the effort to put a strip of cheap white LED lights along the top to shine down on the rifles. Then just put a narrow face board along the top to hide it from view and to keep any glare out of your eyes.

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Mark,

I installed a small LED strip in the top of my old cabinet and it worked great!
You can see it in this photo with the door open. With the door closed it covers up the light casing and wire. The LED's don't put out any heat. There's a small switch on the outside top so the light can be turned off and on, and the power cord is routed behind the cabinet to an outlet.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...06/light-1.jpg

Unfortunately I would need 20 of those racks and I just don't have the room, so the walk-in closet has a steel door and a deadbolt.
Then there the 50 or more handguns and the stuff with go-fast switches.;)
I don't worry about the 2 inch mortar or the PIAT as they are only display items since you can't get ammo for them

Oh by the way that's a very nice workshop you have.

That rack looks good!

Don´t much like the fancy American glass cupboard safes for living area display. Think tbone´s suggestion is about best as it replicates the way the rifles were originally stored by the military. How about getting hold of a genuine mil gun room rack (as far as I can remember there was also a felt strip around the curves for the rifles to fit snugly). They must be available somewhere as surplus. All firearm HAVE to be kept in a certified safe over here that can be inspected at any time by the authorities and proof that the safe is appropriately certified must be registered with the police dept.

I went about my safe rack the same as T bone, but staggered them one in one out, and got a couple extra in the space. Just means you need to lift a front one out to get the rear one without dragging the bolt knob an another. (old pic... note the MLE didn't fit :banghead:
Attachment 35171

There is also this rack, holds 20 SMLE's. Has a steel bar that sits in and then sliding doors go on and padlocked. I chucked a handfull in it for a pic the evening I got it before it went on the wall.
Attachment 35170

It makes a great backdrop for portrait pics...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tbonesmith

This rack took me about 2 hours to knock up out of free material.

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And the same thing would take me a week- or more. And probably two or three iterations.

Nice gun racks and talented wood workers. Great job guys!
I don't have the wood working tools or space to build a project.
I scored some pre fab racks from here. Firearm Racks
You can buy complete racks or build some of it your self.
I'll let you know how it turns out.