Rifle carry on bicycle

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Once A Upon a Time

A Stevens bicycle rifle.

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here's my idea;
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I know it will conflict with the fork a bit, that's why it's still a drawing. I think I'll be making is out of light brown leather (not blue) with some nice tooling work. MAybe a metal subframe so it can just mount to the fork leg. Of course it will be a lot of unspung weight which is bad... I'll make it to fit a lever gun, another reason to get a lever gun. This way I can stop, draw rifle and shoot without even dismounting or taking my eyes off the target.

Does an orange bike count as enough hunter orange?:neener:

What should I line it with to protect the rifle? Leather will wear the finish off quickly...
 
Hey, kungfu.
I went the opposite direction insofar as road bikes go. I picked up a Kona Jake-the-Snake and pulled off the Michelin knobblies and installed some
Axial Pros. After a few centuries and many miles with the local club, I'm now
running Panaracer Paselas on that bike. Unfortunately, the bike takes up too much space inside the minivan (which can't have anything noticeable on the outside... nature of my job) so I have the Montague.
As you can see, if you scroll back to my picture post, the folding Paratrooper has one thick-assed frame tube in place of the top-and-down tubes.
My rifle is a Marlin levergun, which is excellent for the purpose, and after much consideration, I'm looking at securing a scabbard parallel to this main tube. It'll protrude a little out front, but that's fine (I'll have a rack up there anyway).
I've put a lot of thought into your fork mount, and the only problem I'd have with that is all the extra weight on the steering assembly, but that's obviously been dealt with in the past with some success and I'd imagine it's more a matter of getting used to it than anything else.
I also considered leaving the rifle home, and relying on my XD. The bike's job, however, is to get me home over a considerable distance, and I'd feel more comfortable if I had a rifle handy, for the long term.
If, for whatever reason, I feel I shouldn't have a rifle on the bike (say, a societal breakdown which leaves a lot of law-enforcement intact) I may break it down and/or find a place to cache it before heading home.
Of course, ya can't do this sort of thing without some support for the bike, too. A Park roll-up toolkit, Topeak Morph pump (thing o' beauty. I didn't have a floor pump for nearly a year after I got my first Morph), tubes, lube, etc.
Then, of course, the Jym-supportin' stuff, like food, water, and such.
The list gets longer, but I'm sure most of you are familiar with the contents of a decent mobile survival kit.
Remember, even if you have a few hundred pounds to haul (for whatever reason), you can walk the bike with the load on it (say, a deer), without much more energy than it'd take to walk under a far smaller load. That's what the VC did in 'nam, and just ask the Frogs how well that worked out.
 
I don't have the 50 to 100 acres, only 30. I use a bike for quick dashes around the property, never tried it with a rifle, thanks for giving me something new to try! :) Like others have suggested I think choice of rifle would help. I'd just sling it though. I'm fond of my SBR Uzi for handy carry. It won't do as a deer rifle, but for general defense/fence checking it's fine.

There's a nifty article on wikipedia about "bicycle infantry", has some cool trivia and pictures:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_infantry

Also found a Stevens bicycle rifle on gunsamerica...for nearly $1k. From my quick web search a couple of companies made .22 "bicycle rifles".
 
That'd be a neat collector's item, but I don't guess I'd carry around a thousand dollar .22 on a bicycle much, when I can use something like an AR-7 or my 10/22 with a folding stock. It was a really cool idea, and looked like it was perfect for
kids like me (well, like I was... once) who liked to go places, and to shoot.
Of course, it wouldn't be PC to advertise such an evil item to innocent children.
 
jd46561, I just got a Swiss milsurp rifle scabbard from a evilbay auction, and it's just like the one in the photo you posted of the Swiss military bicycle. :) Do you have any more info on the bike in the photo?
 
to legally ride down to the range, have the rifle slung over your back with muzzle pointing at the ground with magazine detached/empty... right?

I think thats a legal method over here... have yet to try it tho :D
 
Bicycles have seen much military use in Finland during the 1941-1944 war
and after that even in UN operations. They are still used in conscript training.
After all they offer low maintenance, decent speed even in poor roads and are very quiet.

Picture from Cyprus 1964 UN peacekeeping operation.

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PKM, do you know what kind of bikes the Finns are using now? IIRC they used Swedish made bikes during the WWII era, but the Swedes have gone over to a hybrid three speed made by Monarch.
 
kungfuhippie said:
I'm day dreaming, it evolved into a question.

Story first, deep breath...

First off I don't really like horses. But my dream is to move outta the PRK and buy some nice wooded/farm land 50-100 acres. I plan on having a cow or 10 (pets not food) and farm part as well for personal use. I will need to patrol my land on occation for hunting, fence mending, etc. I've had bad expirences with horses so I don't want one. I love mountain biking so would probably either ride my bike or walk. I don't want an ATV or dirt bike for daily use. My fat butt could use the exercise anyway.

How should one carry a rifle on his bike? I would probably use a lever action or semiauto. Maybe a deer rifle too. Over the sholder could be bad with offroad riding, maybe a holder like CHP uses on their motorbikes?

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Since you are in CA...

Per CA laws...
The unloaded rifle will need to be in a case.
If the case is designed for a firearm, then the case can be unlocked.
If the case is not designed for a firearm, then the case needs to be locked.
 
When I was a kid we did it all the time by strapping our 22s to the frame.
One of my shirt-tail cousins in Germany sells the electro boosted bikes . Those are pretty cool, even for an old guy like me.

BTW: I tried pet livestock... eventually after lots and lots of work and money, they start to look tasty...
 

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Those STGWs are really long guns, btw :D. I'm guessing it was slung. Imagine biking all that stuff up and down the freaking Alps all day :barf:

TCB
 
I'm jealous.
I've got a 4-wheeler and can't get around more than 1/3 of my lands perimeter, total. Flat-landers.... bicycle or trail bike, powered or not, too much up and down and those d@&N thorn trees. I just walk it, take a bit but I enjoy the wandering. Always looking for those piggies :)
 
In Wisconsin because a bike has no motor, you can ride the forest trails with your gun loaded and slung or in a scabbard. On paved roads you have to be unloaded but do not have to be cased.

I small game hunt and sometimes deer hunt from my mountain bike. Its nice and quiet and you see more game.
 
I made this rig up last year. So long as under 1hp and can't do over 20mph, it is street legal without insurance, title, driver’s license or plate in AZ. The 3 wheeler is a Schwinn Meridian, a 34cc Honda 4-stroke for power, the reduction gearing was calculated to handle any of the hills around here. Wife and I have ATVs, but this rig is just plain fun. The LED running lights and turn signals are my design, a small 12v lead acid battery is charged by a 6 watt, 12v, wheel driven generator, over 125 mpg.

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Keep the rifle away from your body in case of a crash (even crashing with a concealed pistol on the belt HURTS--ask me how I know), and away from the bike to prevent it from getting fouled up in the drivetrain and/or handlebars. How? A trailer! Take a look at the BOB models for mountain bikes. I've hauled a pair of rifles 15 miles round trip with a bicycle and a trailer.
 
Those nylon rifle/shotgun scabbards are inexpensive and have molle straps on them to attach to just about anything. I put one on the front fork of an old Honda Trail 90 with velcro straps. No reason why that wouldn't work on a bicycle.
 
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