DIY Shotgun Case

[Brewster20]

Went looking for a hard case for my 1962 Browning Auto 5 Lite 20, and found that a factory case is in the neighborhood of $ 400. At that point I decided to build my own. Some white pine for a frame, birch siding for the sides, walnut for accent pieces, and a few other bits, an old leather belt for side reinforcements, an E-Bay "Browning" belt buckle, piano hinge, velcro, felt for inner lining and Naugahyde for the outer cover. A few other bits and pieces as well as a set of western spur straps. Everything was sources locally except the Browning buckle. All in, about $150.
Here it is:

 

[Thringer]

very nice man, how long did it take you?

 

[Brewster20]

I'm retired, so about a week and a half, mostly ripping those small strips of walnut on the saw !

 

[rembolt]

Nice job .it looks very professionally built .

 

[Bugout]

Very nice looking case, great job!

 

[Juster]

I am in awe, great work sir!

 

[canvasback]

Very nicely done. Love the piano hinge.

 

[j2kool]

very nice, your a craftsman ... awesome piece !

 

[cfinck]

Very nice, you may put browning out of business if you start selling them.

 

[silverfoxdj]

What's the weight of it?

 

[red_bailey]

Beautiful; great craftsmanship from what we can see.

Very nice, you may put browning out of business if you start selling them.

$150 in materials plus hours and hours of work, you'd have to sell them _above_ the factory price to make it worthwhile. No danger to Browning. But great job!

 

[dilly]

Hey! Great job there pal. I would love to hear more details on the build. Any lessons learned etc.

 

[Brewster20]

What's the weight of it?

The box empty weighs about 4 lbs. The frame is white pine, 3/4" and the siding is 1/8 Birch siding (left over from another project) so not a lot of weight, but the frame is air-stapled and the sides are glued.

 

[crash277]

Nice job .it looks very professionally built .

X2

Doesn't look home made!! I hope I have some skills when I retire hah

 

[Brewster20]

Hey! Great job there pal. I would love to hear more details on the build. Any lessons learned etc.

MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE !!!
Piano hinge from Home Hardware, Luggage handle from Lee Valley, wood from Rona, fabric from Fabricland Ottawa
The felt is quite stretchable when applying, as is the Naugahyde. Laid down with white glue from Home Hardware...the pre-school type.
I use OLFA knife blades to "shave" the edges of the felt for a more finished look. The only power tools used were a bench saw, palm sander air nail gun and a scroll saw. A carpenter's square and a set of small machinists squares are required to get proper right angles. The edges of the box are reinforced with an old leather belt, cut in 7" strips, and folded lengthwise (use a vise for this, wrap with elastics for a couple of days to maintain the curve)
Cheers

 

[dilly]

Thanks very much. I will have to try this.

 

[3macs1]

Beautiful Job

You know those vintage tan hard Browning cases you mentioned a few years back a shop ( probally 20 now )was going out of business and must have had 15 of them for sale new for 50 bucks each to clear them out and like a complete idiot I bought just two
Must have been a new kind of stupid in those days
Cheers