Home made shooting sticks

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Bowhunter1

New member
I got a few pairs of 3/4 inch dia. (36" long) oak dowells from Home Depot and I want to turn up some shooting stix. I'll use a screw and some washers to join them about 5 inches from the top, but...

1)Since the wood is very light in color, I was wondering whether I should stain it with something dark (I'd like it very dark brown so it does not stand out, but will also consider camo if I can find a way to apply a nice camo pattern). What stain/cammo shoould I get?

2)Also, maybe I should treat it with some waterproofing stuff?

3) I would want the rifle to rest on some kind of leather sling which I'll attach to the business end of the sticks. In essence a leather strap a few inches long that will hang semi slack (like the letter "U")when the sticks are spread out. This way the rifle would rest against/on the leather sling, an inch or two above the joint, and not against the wood itself.

I'm still working on the details, so... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gifI'll look forward to your suggestions...

D.
 
Good luck...send pics when done.

With Love...the kids here at PM


ps....many stains also have sealers built in. Seler is a must.
 
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I have never used the wood BUT.. I do know that carbon arrow blanks make fantastic shooting sticks. A couple Castarating bands to keep em together and some rubber shrink tube over the rest end and yer set. Nice light weight shooting sticks at a small price!!!
 
I too purchased the dowel rods. IMHO any stain to darken them up s fine. I put rubber caps on the ends. Drilling them for a connection will weaken them. I just tied my together with a piece of bungy cord. With this type of attachment you can just slide the bungy up or down to
accommodate sitting or standing shooting positions.
 
I've had good success with fiberglass arrow shafts, the ones used for bow fishing. I simply wrap a rubber band or two around them and call it good. They're light, strong, and not as noisy as many of the other products on the market. ~6mm
 
I got two graghite take out shafts from golf clubs with grips still on. put sheep castration band to hold them together camo tape, and they are great. Also good walking stick.
 
Guess I'm the odd guy out. I just cut a couple of sapplings and black tape them together. Been doing it for years for the boys so that they have good solid rests... Don't need any finishing, camo-ing or other fancy do dads...
 
I went to Home Depot an bought (2) 1/2 inch PVC pipes 4ft long. I use 6 O rings to put them together. I camo them with camo tape.
 
I just got a few cans of spray paint (black, green, and brown) and kind of striped mine leaving a few places for the wood to show through. It came out pretty nice. Make sure you use the satin and flat black. The others can leave a shiney coat. I also had some extra mole skin laying around I used where my gun will rest. You can also staple some leather or rubber tubing on the rest.
 
I made a set some time ago using Varmint Al's setup. I ended up using MAX-4 camo tape on them and they really blend in well. Stable and solid. I made two sets at once and gave one to a friend. So many different home made sticks out there. But this design by Varmint Al is a good starting place. Thx MH
 
I made up several sets using hardwood dowels, about 3/4" or 7/8", I don't remember. I stained them a dark Walnut and covered that with my Cedar Arrow Shaft final finish. It's shiny, but that's ok as it is as hard as a rock. I made leather saddles to join the two sticks together and it serves as a rest for the rifle. The saddles can be moved up and down on the sticks for the correct position you sit in. I also put rubber caps on each end to protect them.
I got the design from one of the magazines I subscribe to.
The leather saddle is the key to the design.
Don
 
Here's my customized version of Varmint Al's sticks. I used an eye bolt for easy adjustments in the field. Also, I wrapped the tops in athletic foam and tape for padding, then painted it all camo.
f85178bc.jpg



And here's a set of matching mini sticks for prone shooting.
PP01.jpg

PP02.jpg


Both fold up flat and compact.
PP07.jpg
 
I took an old shock corded tent pole and two long 1/4" nuts. I took the tent pole apart and made two shock corded lengths about 36" long, drilled out the nuts to slide over the tent pole about 5" from the top, laid the nuts together and drilled an 1/8" hole all the way through them and bolted them together (actualy I fabbed a long rivet) A little golf club grip tape around the top of the poles and I have a set of collapsible shooting sticks that fit in my pack.

AWS
 
I actually know someone who uses a pair made of arrow shafts, but I'd personally like something with a little more heft.

Al's sticks look great, though. and the small tripod for prone position looks really cool...

Where do you all get those sheep castration bands from?
Are those the same as the ones used to keep the reed in place on those open reed custom calls?

Thanks and God bless... D.
 
Bowhunter, go to a farm supply store and ask for elasterator rings. I believe they come in packs of 250. A lifetime supply /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif They are the same bands used on open reed calls.
 
Hi, Fiberglass electric fence posts work great. They come in 3/8 and 1/2" up to 60" in length. They come white which is good for snow but take paint well. They are strong, quiet, and aren't affected by moisture or heat. About $1.25-$1.75 at farm stores. I have made and use many versions.
 
Quote:
I got two graghite take out shafts from golf clubs with grips still on. put sheep castration band to hold them together camo tape, and they are great. Also good walking stick.


Good call there, GP!
They must have something in the water here in Ogden... I had the same idea about 2 weeks ago! There's a golf shop by where I work and I just went in there one day and asked kindly if he had any graphite shafts that were broken and he gave me 4. Stopped by IFA and picked up a pkg of those castration bands for 99 cents. Best pair of shooting sticks I've ever owned. The rubber golf grips help protect the rifle, they're long enough for me, they're very cheap, so I won't feel bad about getting them lost or broken, and easily replaced.
 


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