Repurposing non gun stuff as gun stuff

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USAF_Vet

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Does anyone else, specifically those of us on a budget, use non gun items for gun accessories?

I am using an old hardshell camera case and closed cell foam for a pistol case.
I'm also using an old leather multi tool pouch for my single stack magazine (Taurus 709)
I've used various items as slings and straps for rifles and shotguns, with varying degrees of success and failure.


What do you use, and how?
What have you tried to use with negative results?
 
I'm using a garden tool rack from home depot as a gun rack for my beater guns. I went to get another one because this one is over-full, but it was discontinued.

I also used the thick rubber from a set of kitchen rubber gloves as temporary bedding for a 1903 sporter which worked fairly well.

I also have a $20 range bag that started life as a home depot tool bag. Works great.

Matt
 
I had an old jogging stroller that we bought at a garage sale for $7 a few years back. We used it once, then it hung in the basement. Since I've taken up 3-gun, I figured it was time to make a cart. $30 later and this is what I have.

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Lots for reloading. Coffee cans and many types of reusable food containers (esp. stackable ones) that crack or get stained or microwaved too many times make great bins for brass, bullets, etc.
 
I have used a camera tripod case as a carrying case for some of my guns (Mossberg 12ga Bullpup, Carbine with M1A1 folder stock, folding stock M70AB2 or PGO pump shotgun). A musical keyboard carrying case for takedown .22s (AR7 and Norinco ATD Browning clone).

I carry muzzleloader supplies in a old, large camera case with loops on the inside top lid, and around the inside of the main compartment. The loops help organize capper, load tubes, ball starter, nipple prick, nipple wrench, etc.

Adopted a shaving accessories bag into a carry case for a scoped Charter Arms Explorer II pistol (barrel removes).

Sorta: I repurposed a padded military water bottle bag to carry a scoped H&K USP (later decided against the scope on that gun).
 
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I use the nylon camera / phone bags from Walmart for carrying spare ammo and mags when out and about.
 
I use the mesh cage from an old deep fryer and a large stainless steel mixing bowl to separate walnut media from casings after I tumble them. I've also been using two old Cool Whip tubs for brass bins since I started reloading about 12 years ago.
 
Before I got a serious bullseye pistol competitor's box, I used to carry my guns (in gun rugs) in a plastic toolbox.

When I need to carry large amounts of ammunition, I do it in a dufflebag that I got from a Microsoft certification course.

When a friend had to put his mother in Canada in a nursing home, I ended up with her '50s vintage kitchen table. I use it for cleaning and working on guns, making holsters, and building computers.

My gun safe has mostly handguns in it. The less expensive ones usually aren't set up for lots of handguns. Since the safe manufacturers want an arm and a leg for extra shelves, I made my own. Rather than use bare plywood or try to use carpeting, I stapled synthetic drawer liner onto the plywood to protect the finish of the guns.
 
I use a toolbag from Marvins hardware store that cost me about $10, a comparable "blackhawk" or "5.11" bag would probably run about $50 or more.

I use lizard litter for brass tumbling media. Also use coffee, cool whip and butter containers to hold brass, bullets etc. Use a collander (not sure on spelling, sifter thing) to separate my brass from the media after tumbling.

I also use a lot of old film canisters and pill bottles for misc. small parts.
 
I still use a cheap plastic colander and a 5gal bucket to separate media from brass.

I use plastic coffee cans for holding small quantities of brass, large quantities are kept in 2.5gal water containers (the ones you buy with little spouts on them) that I cut a hole in and dry out when they are empty.

I use butter tubs for bullets. Both for storage and when I'm reloading (their shallow profile makes it easy to grab the next bullet).

The kids old booksacks are repurposed for carrying range gear (spare mags, ammo, targets, stapler, tape, etc).

Plastic bags from stores (groceries, Wal-Mart, wherever) get used for picking up and transporting brass back home.

I converted/reinforced an old cheap computer desk into a reloading bench (been using it for 6yrs now).
 
A car tire inner tube cut into strips for scope covers.

A salesman's sample bag as shooting bag, picked it up at Goodwill for $2.

Coffee cans for brass, butter tubs for bullets.

An old sleeping bag for a shooting pad.

A slotted spoon and an cast iron frying pan for melting down wheel weights.

Corncob pet bedding from WalMart and bags of rice for tumbler media.

Probably quite a few others, they will come to me about 20 seconds after I post this. :D
 
I use the diaper bag we got as a gift seven years ago as a range bag. We never really used it for its intended purpose but it works great at the range. Lots of pockets, including a plastic lined, removable pouch in the center and a nice fold out pad to work on. That bag just about changed my opinion about Eddie Bauer products.
 
I fabricated a combination of old but quality leather belts to function as a shoulder holster. I actually had a nice high quality duty shoulder holster back in the mid 80's. But when my wife wanted to start carrying her wheel gun after having used mine, I ended up using the old one as a template to make one for myself. And considering that the real good one's, like mine, were quite expensive, to say the least. So with 6 kids and a wife, buying another wasn't much of an option without taking food off the table.

I've constructed quite a few items, my own arrow fletching system, a shooting system that functions similar to a lead sled, tripod adapters, and what not. Now you've really got me thinking about, and remembering all the stuff I would fashion with just a little thought and ingenuity. I even take measurements and use a note pad sometimes to build a functional reproduction of what I needed by looking at a store model or one a friend had. Back when I was a kid like 10 or so, I came up with the idea to carry a length of rope with me every time I went varmint hunting to be used as a hanging rest from a tree limb.

That was how I did it back in those days, but I still continue to try and create this or that. I think there are more people with the natural skill set to design functional apparatus's that fill a particular nitch. It's a good thing as long as we don't get too crazy.

Speaking of getting too crazy, a friend of mine who was originally from the mid west wanted to build a couple of tree stands when I lived in Flagstaff, Az., which is not really the best place for such devices. We don't have food plots or other type of lands at all similar to the mid west, almost everything is giant public lands that probably account for more than half of the state. Sorry for the long elaborate summary. But anyway, he built his stands from PVC, and mind you, this guy was about 6' 2" and weighted probably 280 lbs, maybe more. To put it simply, fortunately landed on some soft pine needles, other wise he might not have survived.

GS
 
Anyone around the 28-35 year old range remember POGs? Those little milk caps that kids used to collect and play a game based around them being stacked, and struck with a heavy one called a slammer?

Anyway, turns out that POG containers are the perfect size for storing revolver moon clips!
 
I have a tool box that I put extra ammo staples nails hammer big marker and whatever else in.
I forgot bags once so I used a pair of jeans I had in the car for a rest. Not the greatest but for an improve thing it served its purpose.
 
I use a Life Support Products oxygen case as an ammo/accessories case. It's a split-opening, bright orange, plastic case used by rescue personnel, and normally carries an O2 cylinder and various masks/cannulas for administering oxygen to medical patients. The slot for those masks/cannulas is perfect for my shooting glasses. The box came from a squad for which I used to work when the cases were replaced with more-compact nylon ones.

Like the OP, I also use a knife pouch as a magazine carrier.
 
I got a dish drainer from Walmart which works well as a pistol rack. Vinyl coated wire, perfect.
Unfortunately, after I bought one they were apparently discontinued. Haven't found any since.

I carry long guns to the range in a Fender Strat gig bag. But that isn't because I don't have gun cases.
It is because all of my '2.5-kids-1-dog-and-a-Prius-uber-millennial' neighbors don't need to know and don't really want to know.
.
 
Large empty ice cream tubs with handles hold a variety of cleaning items and supplies.

Large empty laundry detergent containers are used to sort out and store spent brass.

I drink Folger's instant coffee, and the latest style of "jar" it comes in is plastic, with a flip top lid. I routinely save these, for a variety of shop purposes. With respect to guns, I save the "cling free" after it has been used once in the dryer, stuffed into a Folger's container, to be later used when cleaning brass in the tumbler. Also keep all the desiccant packs that come with things purchased in such containers and used as needed in storing ammo.

Before I retired, I saved the unused "Rhino wipe" cloths that came with computer toner. These make great cloths for gun cleaning, and if I were to run out of patches, could be cut to use for that purpose. Still have a couple of dozen, which will probably last me as long as I'm around. Toner kits also came with sponge tipped cleaning tools (imagine something like oversized q-tips, but with spongy tips. Great for applying grease, or cleaning receivers with solvent.

Empty "snack size" Pringles containers are kept to hold various small items when working on firearms -- screws, scope rings, etc. Half a dozen or so of these stack up compactly when empty, and can be used as needed.

Not necessarily in the same vein, since these were items purchased for the purpose described:

A variety of "non-gun" fluids get commonly "repurposed" for gun cleaning. On my self I have Windex for the Mosin, and various automotive fluids and oils (for my versions of "Ed's Red").

I watch milsurp outfits for cheap shoulder strapped bags intended for other uses for carrying ammo in magazines and in en block or on stripper clips.

I have a tool kit with tools specifically for working on firearms at the range, or in the field, carried in a Stanley tool bag.

Probably other things too...
 
It is because all of my '2.5-kids-1-dog-and-a-Prius-uber-millennial' neighbors don't need to know and don't really want to know.
I didn't think that the "Prius-uber-millennial" types were all that into raising families. I thought that was more the SUV crowd. :rolleyes: My neighbors are more into Duck Dynasty, and only care about how many guns I have if I have more than they do. I try not to let them know, so they won't feel like they have to go out and buy more just to keep up with me.
 
In a pinch I've used a heavy duty cardboard box with "U" shaped cutouts in the folded in (opened with the flaps pushed inside) ends as a gun cradle/cleaning station. Use a cordless drill with a shotgun cleaning rod and a wire brush to clean & polish the chamber of shotguns to remove the build up of plastic fouling from the chamber.
 
I have used various camera and all-purpose bags (those with lots of extra pockets), for my range bag. I typically carry all my handguns in zippered pouches in one bag and then ammo and accessories in another.
 
I also use butter tubs and tupperware/gladware for storing brass n bullets. I use map or poster tubes for storing my extra barrels (mainly shotgun) and old film container (you can still get them at most film developers for free) to store chokes in.
I also use an old bottle rack I found at a thrift store to organize my pistols. I am thinking of getting a wire spice rack for storing all my solvents. I went in with a friend and picked up 3 40-50lbs bags of corn cob (two types) and walnut shell for the tumbles. I use a heavy duty garbage can to store it and have 2 scoops fashioned from an old #10 coffee can. I seperate my used media into a 5 gallon paint bucket then once its used twice I add Brasso to it and use it for final polish on completed ammo. I have an old broom handle pushed into an opening on my bench to hold the shop towels on a roll. I used empty 1lbs powder bottles to store buckshot and slugs I've molded. and I use an old pair of jeans, remove one leg and sew the crotch to pocket cut closed. Makes a handy scabbard for toting shotguns around, and you can use the pocket to hold your chokes.
 
the old 3 drawer plano tackle boxes make a great cleaning component/materials storage and organizing

I re purposed my wife's shoe rack into a pistol rack
 
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