I should have mentioned that the coloring on the stock is not mud. I have this blind in a stand of small alders and getting in the back of the stand is very tight. I end up rubbing the stock against some of them that have been rubbed by the young bucks(how the h*ll do the move thru that stuff) and it stains the stock. Also if my rig had the extended fender flairs(the next project) tthe guns would be totally protected.

 

I wonder about having tucked yourself into a disaster waiting for a place to happen. You have a passenger on a single rider quad (and that aint no little kid on the back) - and obvious equipment in the pack on the rear rack, and your kind of trapped in with the guns outside your legs. hmmmm.. and your riding in hilly mountainous country.... hmmmmmm???

No, I'd say that you've done just about everything possible to set yourself up for a roll-over that neither you or your friend are going to escape from.

And I know as I've been there and done that and continue to have the surgeries to recover from it. Hopefully those guns are not loaded as it would be just added karma for the gun to go off after the quad rolls over you.

Other then that - no problem.... Good luck!!

 

WhoDat; We ride mainly logging roads and a couple of semi abandon roads into where we hunt. There is only one tricky place and we always dismount the passenger for that. I haven't rolled it or flipped it on it's back yet and don't plan to, did get some pretty scary leans out of it a couple of times. First I'm already crippled up enough and I took way more chances in my youth than necessary, for which I pay a painful price everyday of my life. I will never heal from the deer verses motorcycle deal in 1994, the last big error of my life. So I don't push it at all anymore. I recognize the dangers and don't push the envelope. My buddy Blaine isn't any better off than me, we are both disabled veterans. So even if we do screw the pooch we know what to expect. Thanks for the concern though. When Blaine is with me we only have one long gun with us as Blaine is a pistol hunter this year, so the left side is clear for escape if necessary. Now the wife is a different deal all together, she is only 5'4" but is always in charge and don't like nursing me much either.

 

I think you have a good idea there for a holder that lets you get at your gun quickly, with only the minor worries of, dirt, mud, rain, snow and obsticals hitting it. I still put my gun in a case during transportation, since here in Oregon it is against the law to ride with a loaded gun on an ATV. Makes needing to get at it in a hurry a "NO NEED". [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Oregoner; It is also illegal to carry loaded long guns on or in any vehicle in Washington. However we are hunting gated private land and we are camped almost 5 miles in and the gamies would have to hike alot farther than would be worth it to them. We are legal to carry loaded handguns(always) though and it's in a very flat cross draw and quicker to use than any long gun no matter where or how carried. Am concidering a holster on the tank bags for next year. The back complains about the Ruger's weight on the belt after a day in the woods, even with tactical suspenders to put the weight up on my shoulders.

 

Bear,
Great idea on the gun rack. Liked it so much, I made my own setup, with a couple of modifications.

Where you mounted the cup holder I decided on picking up a pvc downspout adapter instead.
It converts from standard rectangular downspout to I believe a 4 inch round bottom. I picked up
a slotted pvc "drain" cover to fit the bottom of the downspout, and attached the two together
with 4 small screws. I like this due to the smaller opening for my gun barrell (less chance of it
bouncing around). The rectangular opening is just a bit bigger than a pack of cigarrettes, and
seems to hold the barrell steadier than I'd think the round would.

Like some others mentioned, my only problem was with the mud. I have no problem with a bit
of rain hitting the gun. (heck, I darn near drowned today deerhunting <g&gt[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img], but due to the
wetter than normal conditions were having here in WV it made things a mess.

I'm probably going to modify things a bit more before I hit the woods next week for the last 4
days of deer season. Might try to modify either a short piece of pvc pipe, or downspout for
the bottom of my rifle. Just needs a slight shield... doesn't have to look too pretty... just be
functional.

BTW, it was a hit with the other members of my hunting club. Just needs some tweaking.....

 

GonePostal; The wife and I just picked up a '05 400I on monday and took a short ride that afternoon. With it's wide fender flares the mud problem will be gone. After the first ride on the 400 she said to go ahead and put flares on the 250 and that will solve the mud problem there. So far the rifles and shotguns I've carried haven't done much moving around at all, then again I'm not into the go fast thing anymore and I always take it pretty easy on the trails when hunting.