Well its happened... I knew it would one day!

willowbank

Well-Known Member
Late this afternoon I met up with a good friend to go stalking, he dropped me near one of his high seats and cheerfully waved bye, good luck, see you in an hour.

I trudged the 500yds to the seat, visually checked its condition and proceeded to ascend the 12 or more rungs up to the double seat some 15ft high, I had just placed the rifle safely in the seat under the shooting rail and did a little spring with my right boot to "boost" me up to the next rung when it happened..... CRACK the rung (3"x2") gave way and dumped me in a heap at the bottom clouting my head enroute to the ground.

Ouch says I, not good.

On inspection the rung had failed due to an internal flaw in the wood, no visible signs at all plus a little rot no doubt as it was a well weathered seat.

My intention now is that any seats I am responsible for will have every rung wired to the uprights, my friend agrees as this could have resulted in broken bones, completely avoidable.

Regards WB
 
Very lucky man , what about the rifle were did that end up needless to say it was'nt loaded whilst you climbed the seat.

Glad your ok though.

Mark.
 
Very lucky man , what about the rifle were did that end up needless to say it was'nt loaded whilst you climbed the seat.

Glad your ok though.

Mark.

Deffo unloaded, I had just placed it safely in the seat before negotiating the last rungs to get under the shooting rail.
Yes very lucky thanks, walked away with just a slight headache.
WB
 
Agree with Bobj could have been a lot worse might have damaged the rifle.

Glad you and the rifle are OK.

W
 
rungs should ALWAYS have strong wire supports. always, unsuspecting (non-shooting) users and children might crawl up into them, and low and behold, you'll probably be held responsible if anything happens (whether it's deserved or not).

just another 'best practice'.

hope you're ok and safe.

regards,

PKL
 
I was up a metal framed one which broke on me at the start of this season - guess it just rusted (though I do weigh 16 stone)... it's not just the wooden ones that fail :)
 
lucky man.

last year i dropped a shooting buddy of at his chair and i set of for mine,

heard a shot about 2 hours later and after a text saying can you help, have a large fallow and have sore finger.

when i got to him he was covered in blood all down his right hand,

I thought and said: what you doing you plank, never do the work with no gloves on, and you have cut yourself in the meantime,

turns out he had got to 3 runs from the top of the seat and placed his right hand on the last section on the right to guide himself into the seat (large fellow) as he turned to sit and as he placed his bottom on the seat the front section snapped, pulling down the rifle rest section past his supporting hand like a guillotine removing a large section of skin from both his thumb and his forefinger.

made of a steel/allow construction, the bolts had snapped after rusting out, (all now replaced with galvanised nuts and bolts)

he than sat there bleeding for about 2 hours took the shot and still waited until i get back yo him.

bob.
 
I had a timber seat vandalized by a jealous neighbour. He took a chainsaw to a seat with rebated and wired rungs. The wire started at the top of each leg and crisscrossed each step all the way to the bottom so there was in fact a double strand on each step. I was able to rebuild the seat, but I reckon he b####ed his chain!
I have brought in my 2 Chinese made, American labelled metal highseats for a quick going over before finishing up the doe season. I substituted most of the bolts and pins at the start of the season, and the remainder are going in the scrap bin. Cr#p is too good a word to describe them. Pure rust and the nylocks don't lock. Funny thing a Chinese made seat bought 10 years ago is built like a brick outhouse by comparison.
If you put out a seat where there is the remotest chance of joe public getting access then you have to double up on the safety factors. It's not difficult in my case as mine have to carry 6' 2'' and 16.5 stone!
Bobjs , your mate is a proper sportsman!
Ion
 
glad you are ok it could have been nasty , thats why i use solid 16 or 20mm solid round bar they dont rott away, atb wayne
 
join the club we had a seat that some of the rungs cut through, but luckly no one used it as the ******s who did the deed left a note saying next time they would cut it down while in use, rights for animals group.

paul
 
Lucky is right. Glad nothing bad happened.

Does Scotland have the problem of radicals cutting the rungs half way through; from the back side?

We have that problem ins Germany and may a hunter have been crippled and killed as a result.
 
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