Homemade Stalking/Shooting Sticks

[ChrisR 0]

Came over all DIY the other day & decided to make myself a pair of stalking/shooting sticks.

 

So off to Homebase & purchased two green plastic coated garden poles & promptly lopped 4 inches off the ends.

 

Drilled through & fitted a nylon washer in-between them then fitted a nut & bolt with a dab of thread lock to stop the nut from un-screwing as I couldn’t find a Nylock nut to suit.

 

Then fitted two Duplon hand grips & drilled through to fit a length of webbing from an old ratchet strap, two large headed pop rivets fixed the webbing to the poles.

 

Then rummaged around in our hiking rucksacks & found a clip that used to hold two Leki walking sticks together, perfect for clipping the lower part of the poles together whilst walking.

 

Hey presto……………... home-made stalking sticks!

 

Just need to add a dab of dark paint to the nut & bolt & the rivet heads to dull them down & waiting for two plastic end caps to turn up to finish the job.

 

Cost was:

 

Poles £2.98

Hand grips £5.50

End caps £3.60

 

Total £12.08

 

 

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

[FJager 0]

Very handy mate, never used shooting sticks out here, are they something that is worthwhile looking into?

[ChrisR 0]

Very handy mate, never used shooting sticks out here, are they something that is worthwhile looking into?

 

If you can't use a bipod because you shoot woodland area's as I do then they are very useful. Also useful in open ground if you need to stand for a shot.

 

Chris

[Guest JohnGalway]

Damn nice job those sticks Chris, well done

[v-max 2]

Hello & nice but i made the same mistake of pinning them & i found that you are better getting a very thick/heavy rubber band from horse store place thus you can slide it up/down for your height. I found myself sitting down-kneeling & the sticks were no use that splayed out.

[dogs-n-natives 1,182]

Hello & nice but i made the same mistake of pinning them & i found that you are better getting a very thick/heavy rubber band from horse store place thus you can slide it up/down for your height. I found myself sitting down-kneeling & the sticks were no use that splayed out.

Well made chris

When I made some out of the same type of pole I also used a thick rubber band. Worked well for me.

Im glad you posted this, as I havent used sticks for a couple of years, they are very handy in many situations.

Going to get myself out and make some before I start on the roe bucks.

[dicehorn 38]

Hello & nice but i made the same mistake of pinning them & i found that you are better getting a very thick/heavy rubber band from horse store place thus you can slide it up/down for your height. I found myself sitting down-kneeling & the sticks were no use that splayed out.

 

Yup, that is the problem if you pin them - you can only stand to shoot with them. Sometimes I end up having to sit in a hedge where standing is not practical.

 

I made mine from the same poles that ChrisR used, however for the handles I bought some sponge pipe lagging (you know the stuff that lags your pipes in the loft (£1.45) and cut off two 7 inch lengths (Which leaves plenty spare) Then off to my local dairy farmer who gave me the inner lining tube from one of his teat cups - cut the tubing off next to the bulbous bit, then slid the bulbous bit over both sticks, now have sticks that I can adjust to standing, kneeling or sitting - total cost to me £4.50

 

Peter

[jackg 7]

I copied a design from a fellow stalker.

Buy a 34mm hard wood dowel 2.4m long.

 

Cut it to your height, shape a hemisphere on one end and a blunt point on the other.

 

Then find a friendly wood worker with a circular saw and cut it down its length in half, so you end up with two lengths of dowel of your height by 34mm semi circle less the saw cut. Approximately each one is 16mm thick.

 

Then clamp the two pieces up and drill a 6mm hole 9 inches from the hemispherical end and use a 6mm nut and bolt to clamp them together.

 

And then Sadolin them.

 

A pair of sticks that look like piece of dowel.

 

The first one I made I used 25mm dowel but when it was cut the two legs were bendy and not strong enough.

 

The dowel cost £14

 

AS can be seen here: http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z129/ja...nt=P1010479.jpg

Edited May 6, 2008 by jackg

[DROVER 0]

Hello & nice but i made the same mistake of pinning them & i found that you are better getting a very thick/heavy rubber band from horse store place thus you can slide it up/down for your height. I found myself sitting down-kneeling & the sticks were no use that splayed out.

 

Yup, that is the problem if you pin them - you can only stand to shoot with them. Sometimes I end up having to sit in a hedge where standing is not practical.

 

I made mine from the same poles that ChrisR used, however for the handles I bought some sponge pipe lagging (you know the stuff that lags your pipes in the loft (£1.45) and cut off two 7 inch lengths (Which leaves plenty spare) Then off to my local dairy farmer who gave me the inner lining tube from one of his teat cups - cut the tubing off next to the bulbous bit, then slid the bulbous bit over both sticks, now have sticks that I can adjust to standing, kneeling or sitting - total cost to me £4.50

 

Peter

Thats how I made mine and most of the stalkers and game keepers I know nice and cheap

[dicehorn 38]

Hello & nice but i made the same mistake of pinning them & i found that you are better getting a very thick/heavy rubber band from horse store place thus you can slide it up/down for your height. I found myself sitting down-kneeling & the sticks were no use that splayed out.

 

Yup, that is the problem if you pin them - you can only stand to shoot with them. Sometimes I end up having to sit in a hedge where standing is not practical.

 

I made mine from the same poles that ChrisR used, however for the handles I bought some sponge pipe lagging (you know the stuff that lags your pipes in the loft (£1.45) and cut off two 7 inch lengths (Which leaves plenty spare) Then off to my local dairy farmer who gave me the inner lining tube from one of his teat cups - cut the tubing off next to the bulbous bit, then slid the bulbous bit over both sticks, now have sticks that I can adjust to standing, kneeling or sitting - total cost to me £4.50

 

Peter

Thats how I made mine and most of the stalkers and game keepers I know nice and cheap

 

I know Drover - they will all get around to our way eventually when they realise the limitations that putting a bolt and nut in the sticks restricts the true potential of their use :whistling:

 

Peter

[ChrisR 0]

I know Drover - they will all get around to our way eventually when they realise the limitations that putting a bolt and nut in the sticks restricts the true potential of their use :whistling: Peter

 

:thumbdown: :tongue4: :tongue4:

 

Chris

[dicehorn 38]

I know Drover - they will all get around to our way eventually when they realise the limitations that putting a bolt and nut in the sticks restricts the true potential of their use :whistling: Peter

 

:thumbdown: :tongue4: :tongue4:

 

Chris

 

OK OK Chris !!!! Not knocking your sticks whatsoever - a good job done. The issue I have is this. A do a lot of stalking (woodland and in more open areas where I stand to shoot). However I use my sticks also for sitting out for fox and rabbits. As we all know lying down to shoot fox and rabbit is ideal, however grass does grow and I therefore need to be able to sit using my sticks. If you use sticks that are fixed with a bolt when you are sitting down, you end up with your sticks spreading possibly 5 feet or more and then run the risk of the pointy bits sliding on the ground especially when you place the rifle on them. Being able to move the rubber bit up and down will maintain the minimum spread to enable the rifle to always be stable.

 

If you were to try a pair sticks as I have described I am convinced you will appreciate the difference. Remove your bolt and try the bulbous end of the inner lining. PM your address to me and guess what? I will send you an inner lining- that's how convinced I am

 

I, on occasion add another stick to the two to make a tripod and this makes everything even more steady especially for long shots

 

Peter

Edited May 8, 2008 by dicehorn

[ChrisR 0]

OK OK Chris !!!! Not knocking your sticks whatsoever - a good job done. The issue I have is this. A do a lot of stalking (woodland and in more open areas where I stand to shoot). However I use my sticks also for sitting out for fox and rabbits. As we all know lying down to shoot fox and rabbit is ideal, however grass does grow and I therefore need to be able to sit using my sticks. If you use sticks that are fixed with a bolt when you are sitting down, you end up with your sticks spreading possibly 5 feet or more and then run the risk of the pointy bits sliding on the ground especially when you place the rifle on them. Being able to move the rubber bit up and down will maintain the minimum spread to enable the rifle to always be stable.

 

If you were to try a pair sticks as I have described I am convinced you will appreciate the difference. Remove your bolt and try the bulbous end of the inner lining. PM your address to me and guess what? I will send you an inner lining- that's how convinced I am

 

I, on occasion add another stick to the two to make a tripod and this makes everything even more steady especially for long shots

 

Peter

 

Hi Peter

 

I do take your point about bolted sticks spreading too far when sitting but I did make mine specifically for standing, I appreciate that a banded stick is more adaptable so I would like to make up a set like yours so PM sent & thank you for the offer of a teat cup inner lining, I look forward to receiving it & will let you know how it goes.

 

The end caps finally arrived & I think they finish my sticks off nicely.

 

Chris

 

[dicehorn 38]

OK OK Chris !!!! Not knocking your sticks whatsoever - a good job done. The issue I have is this. A do a lot of stalking (woodland and in more open areas where I stand to shoot). However I use my sticks also for sitting out for fox and rabbits. As we all know lying down to shoot fox and rabbit is ideal, however grass does grow and I therefore need to be able to sit using my sticks. If you use sticks that are fixed with a bolt when you are sitting down, you end up with your sticks spreading possibly 5 feet or more and then run the risk of the pointy bits sliding on the ground especially when you place the rifle on them. Being able to move the rubber bit up and down will maintain the minimum spread to enable the rifle to always be stable.

 

If you were to try a pair sticks as I have described I am convinced you will appreciate the difference. Remove your bolt and try the bulbous end of the inner lining. PM your address to me and guess what? I will send you an inner lining- that's how convinced I am

 

I, on occasion add another stick to the two to make a tripod and this makes everything even more steady especially for long shots

 

Peter

 

Hi Peter

 

I do take your point about bolted sticks spreading too far when sitting but I did make mine specifically for standing, I appreciate that a banded stick is more adaptable so I would like to make up a set like yours so PM sent & thank you for the offer of a teat cup inner lining, I look forward to receiving it & will let you know how it goes.

 

The end caps finally arrived & I think they finish my sticks off nicely.

 

Chris

 

 

Chris

 

Should be with you Tuesday - postal gods willing

 

Peter

[ChrisR 0]

Should be with you Tuesday - postal gods willing

 

Peter

 

Arrived Safely Peter, many thanks. I look forward to giving that a go.

 

Chris