Making a mobile shooting box

[Bavarianbrit]

I was given a bent up trailer that was nea,rly new but that had a tree fall across it. And so started a project I had always wanted to build.
So far - Unbend the trailer, then I was given the sheet phenolic plywood sheet laid flat on the top as shown (it makes the foot of the box) from a nearby recycling centre, it is from waterproof 24mm thick & some more of the same size sheets will make up three of the four vertical sides up to elbow shooting level, the two vertical base sheets that go down to the trailer chassis are made up from the broken trailers original floor it is also phenolic but only of 10mm sheet so I am fitting it out with cross reinforcements inside to stop any lozenging (twisting). I had to buy a big phenolic sheet 1250mmx2500mm for the fourth vertical entrance wall which is 15mm thick this will have a door entrance cut out and the door fitted with a flip up window then two more flip up windows put on the other walls. then a roof added on top and carpet inside to stop any noises from movements, so far it has cost me 80 Euros, a big part of the retirement hobby is keeping the costs down as a challenge. These run around 2700 Euros to buy in Germany.
I will post up more progress photos as it grows.

 

[Tim.243]

I was given a bent up trailer that was nea,rly new but that had a tree fall across it. And so started a project I had always wanted to build.
So far - Unbend the trailer, then I was given the sheet phenolic plywood sheet laid flat on the top as shown (it makes the foot of the box) from a nearby recycling centre, it is from waterproof 24mm thick & some more of the same size sheets will make up three of the four vertical sides up to elbow shooting level, the two vertical base sheets that go down to the trailer chassis are made up from the broken trailers original floor it is also phenolic but only of 10mm sheet so I am fitting it out with cross reinforcements inside to stop any lozenging (twisting). I had to buy a big phenolic sheet 1250mmx2500mm for the fourth vertical entrance wall which is 15mm thick this will have a door entrance cut out and the door fitted with a flip up window then two more flip up windows put on the other walls. then a roof added on top and carpet inside to stop any noises from movements, so far it has cost me 80 Euros, a big part of the retirement hobby is keeping the costs down as a challenge. These run around 2700 Euros to buy in Germany.
I will post up more progress photos as it grows.
View attachment 96236

I like a project, sometimes I set aside the work I should be getting on with until I have worked out the core part of the job, then when I go back to it goes easier.

With your platform how will you move it come the wet weather, also if your roof is supported from the back then you will not have any front post in the way…

Looking fwd to the other pictures


Tim.243

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Here is the 2700Euro version.
Time taken to build plus materials costs lots of money.
Now I am a time rich retiree with a limited future income so I take the other route, and it is a pleasure to actually build my own design after 40 plus years of designing stuff in factories for others to make.

 

[ejg]

Did you build the 2700 Euro version? or is it an off the shelf item?
edi

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Off the shelf, as is offered by many different companies here in Germany.
There are many cash rich but time poor hunters here with game seriously damaging the crops for which the hunter has to recompense the farmers for, so there is a steady market for them.

 

[ejg]

Thanks. I presume TUV safety inspections etc. might drive the price up if one manufactures the trailer high seats in numbers.
edi

 

[The Singing Stalker]

It is something that has been on my mind to build something like this for a while. However I am in the time poor department myself. I did see on YouTube someone who made one that winched up to a height. Go weven this seems like a nice simple idea and would work well. I have a few spots I could use it as well. Maybe next year. Will be interested to see how you get on.
My biggest worry is making it strong enough to be able to tow it so I was more thinking of making it like a curtainsider so you could roll the sides up to let the wind through when towing. Less drag.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Here is a link to the whole 7 part build from a German youtuber.

Mine will be similar when finished.
Martin

 

[Kalahari]

Roll down cammo sides?

David.

It is something that has been on my mind to build something like this for a while. However I am in the time poor department myself. I did see on YouTube someone who made one that winched up to a height. Go weven this seems like a nice simple idea and would work well. I have a few spots I could use it as well. Maybe next year. Will be interested to see how you get on.
My biggest worry is making it strong enough to be able to tow it so I was more thinking of making it like a curtainsider so you could roll the sides up to let the wind through when towing. Less drag.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Here is the latest state of build today, so far the costs are at 110 Euros.

 

[mchughcb]

Great job. Keep us up todate on progress.

 

[sauer]

Looks good but I wouldn’t want to be towing something like that if solid and height...

Something similar but that either drab olive or camo screen / fabric / tarpaulin sided
And some kinda frame you could pin together with decent pins and securing clips on a bit of chain so that essential drive to location and build up with no or next to no tools....

Idea being it all strip down and lays on floor / box of the trailer and no different to a standard trailer for towing...

Somebody probably done something similar before

Paul

 

[Bavarianbrit]

This one will only be used on the 350 hectares around my home village, so there is no need for any road use as all these areas are well served by farming tracks. My main concern was to reduce the risk of richochets by being higher up.
Most German hunting organisations state that a 10 degree entrance to ground angle is the minimum to try for so that the bullet will not skate along the ground like a flat stone would on a lake.
The lift up window panels, I will also be having one in the door, will have perspex sliding windows inside the box to control the wind on the back of your neck. Plus all the lower inner walls will be carpeted to stop bump noises when swinging the leather office managers chair I was given by the neighbor, oh comfort pure.
It has taken me a long time to build it so far as I have used all my time consuming modelmaker apprenticeship skills that I had learnt but that had lain dormant for the last 45 years, all the hundreds of screws were for instance put into countersunk holes, everything at risk from weather was bitumen sealed and a full drawing was first made before starting work on it to prove out the concept which really did help later with scaling the dimensions in the workshop.
I like the corner window concept we will see how it works out in practice.
Martin

 

[mchughcb]

Yes sitting down and designing it first can take some time. I use sketchup to draw mine first.

 

[Greymaster]

Roll down cammo sides?

David.

Are you imagining the cammo-kazi?

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Finally got it finished yesterday. All round flip up covers for the windows which are perspex sliding in old recycled grooves in floorboards used as runners. It is also carpeted to minimise sounds and has a comfy swivel chair. Now bring the boar on!!!

 

[Gunner]

That looks awesome and must have given you a good sense of satisfaction. Remember to take your boots off before entering as you won’t want muddy footprints on that nice cream carpet!

 

[mchughcb]

Looks good. What have you learned building it?

 

[Bavarianbrit]

At 68 years old it did hurt the hands a lot as there must be over 1000 screws in it (all my carryover stock of English screws was used up, as now living in Germany they had to go and this gave me the chance to change over to metric). All sawing was done by hand - hence the pain as I do not have a circular saw "they scared me after doing my apprenticeship as a modelmaker".
Do sketch it all out first to scale to minimise any mistakes of which there were some small ones.
Make the sides up as small enough parts to assemble as a kit, most of this was done alone so it had to be so.
Get a safe ladder with a wide footprint as it gets very wobbly up there.
Total cost of build was around 120 Euros all the rest was recycled from the local recycling tip which my pal runs, so it fits in with my life ethos. I wanted it to outlive me.

 

[tarponhead]

It is something that has been on my mind to build something like this for a while. However I am in the time poor department myself. I did see on YouTube someone who made one that winched up to a height. Go weven this seems like a nice simple idea and would work well. I have a few spots I could use it as well. Maybe next year. Will be interested to see how you get on.
My biggest worry is making it strong enough to be able to tow it so I was more thinking of making it like a curtainsider so you could roll the sides up to let the wind through when towing. Less drag.

Good point. Would an old Trailer tent work? Pull cammo netting over the top when in the field - mobile hide! Tow with an ex-army landrover and see how like an AA position you could make it look. Maybe add an Bofors L70, for high flying targets. Seriously though, great project Bavarian Brit, looking forward to seeing the result.

Is it deposited at a location for a period of time? I'm wondering why a pop-up hide won't do the job - there will be a good reason for the steady market.

Also, could you use an old fibreglass caravan and gut it? there are any number of old caravans for sale for a few quid. Paint/Wrap it - job done!