Military-themed guncart photos?

[Captain Lee Bishop]

I'll soon be painting up my gun cart (when it gets here, that is) and I already have some pretty good ideas how I'll be painting it up. Can some folks post some pics here of their military-themed CAS guncarts? I was looking to see what others have done, maybe there are things I hadn't thought of yet...

['Monterrey' Jack Brass]

CPT L. B.

Guncart/schmuncart - just go with a carbine sling, flapped holsters and a prarie belt or cartridge box/es and you'll be stylin' mon ami...!

v/r

Monterrey J. B.

[River City John]

When I used a guncart, I painted it Confederate Grey and used a natural wood ammo box as a carrier.
I have used a sky blue frame and an OD ammo box, labeled for the Navy cartridge I use, on the same cart.
After that, any color that suits is alright to use, seeing as how the idea of a guncart is a modern interpretation of how to wrangle your accessories for a match. . . .
if it artistically satisfy's your choice of conveyance, then go for it!
Remember, you are the Commander.
Choose what works best for you.
RCJ

[Books OToole]

Hmmmmm....

Maybe that is why Custer lost at Little Big Horn.  They left their gun carts as Fort Lincoln.


Books

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Good one, Books!

[Captain Lee Bishop]

I figure that I'm never going to impress too many people for a massive collection of Western stuff or having more guns than anyone else, as my focus has been into my WW2 collection (which is quite head turning at displays) and I can't repeat the same commitment into CAS. I just don't have that much money.
I figured, however, that while I'm no gun cart maker, I could turn some heads with what I did with it afterward (picking it up on Sunday, have the paint already for it). My intention is to paint it a dark green color and trim it with various insignia. My current idea is to paint the crossed sabers on the box lid and my "CAS guidon" somewhere on it. If there's space, I'm also going to be painting a SAA on each side of it somewhere, to look like my won pistols. I also have other ideas, but I'm not sure if there's room or not. I have quite a bit of experience in such things, after painting pilots' jackets and steel pots for re-enactors and veterans. Check out my website, it'll give an idea of the kind of stuff I can do, even if it's really not CAS-related: http://www.freewebs.com/willysmb44/

[sharps54]

Captain,
That's a pretty neat site, good work!! I understand about not having the money to do everything to a tee. While I actually like 'Monterrey' Jack Brass's suggestion for say a NCOWS match or a special match (at least while I'm still young enough to carry that much) the little I have seen of SASS style shooting a guncart is definately nice. I am going to start with a homemade non-military themed one to get me going but later I hope to have something a bit more fancy.

Of the subject you mention the 1st Stryker Brigade on your site, was that the unit that the 9th Regimental Combat Team (1/9 INF, 2/9 INF, 3/9 INF) got reflagged to in 1995 or 1996? I moved up to Ft. Lewis with 1/9 in 1993 when we closed Ft. Ord but then I left in 1995 and didn't keep track of all the changes they did. I thought they were made part of the 25th but then I heard that they went to the Strykers. Oh well, have a good one.
Mild Myles

[Captain Lee Bishop]

Of the subject you mention the 1st Stryker Brigade on your site, was that the unit that the 9th Regimental Combat Team (1/9 INF, 2/9 INF, 3/9 INF) got reflagged to in 1995 or 1996?

I was in 3rd Brigade, 2nd ID, from 1998 to 2001. It had actually been re-flagged from a Brigade of the 3rd Arm'd Division out of Germany in I think 96.
When I got there, it was the "red headed stepchild" brigade that pretty much existed to support operations in Korea. People used to see us deployed places, wearing the Indianhead patch, and launch into discussions about Camp Red Cloud, or other such places on the DMZ, to which we'd have to explain now ALL the 2nd ID folks were in Korea. We got released from that mission I think about 1999, when the Chief of Staff announced that one Brigade would be converted over to a mobile force with light vehicles. This was in response to the issues over the ill-fated Kosovo mission, where the Army took forever to get heavy vehicles in place. The name "Stryker" came much later (it's also the name of the street that the Brigade HQ is on at Ft Lewis, I wonder if there was a connection there). When I was there, it was all about the conversion from a mechanized unit to one with wheeled vehicles. We tested all kinds of vehicles from various nations (the Italian one was the worst, none of our dismounts could even fit in the thing) and initially started using the Canadian LAV-3. We knew the new vehicles were on the drawing board, they came in actually much faster than anyone thought they would. I left active duty in May of 2001, we were still using LAVs up to that time. Cav wasn't my branch then, but we did have Cav units organic to the Brigade by then. I resigned my commission for good in 2006 as I'd had enough of the Green Machine due to messed up legs that I'm still fighting the VA over, but that's a totally different story that I'm quite sure nobody wants to hear!

[sharps54]

I resigned my commission for good in 2006 as I'd had enough of the Green Machine due to messed up legs that I'm still fighting the VA over, but that's a totally different story that I'm quite sure nobody wants to hear!

Thanks for the response. I understand about the VA, my body isn't the same as it ever was either! It sounds like I was luckier then you though. I do get some disability for my neck and one knee (how come everyone forgets how to read wind speed on foreign wings jumps? ) but overall I am still failry well off. I understand being the red headed stepchild, when we moved up to Ft. Lewis we were supposed to be a stand alone light infantry brigade (I think they wanted us to be 2/75 "Lite" if you get my meaning) but it didn't work out. Light Infantry at that time was very much like a nest of baby birds, "feed me", "move me", "help me"! We had 33 HUMVEEs and two 5 tons in the battalion and they all belonged to HHC, the line companies had no vehicles except the supply HUMVEEs S-4 "loaned" to the Supply SGTs. We made up for that with our famous Manchu 25 miler road marches. Of course we did similar ruck marches in 5/21 INF (L) at Ord we just didn't get fancy belt buckles for them!

OK, CAS content, I look forward to seeing your guncart, sounds like it will be really neat. I am going with this take down version with a couple of modifications Arcey came up with. http://www.kansascas.com/russ_gun_cart_plans.htm Later I hope to do a stagecoach or wagon type cart.
Mild Myles

[Captain Lee Bishop]

Well, I picked up the gun cart today. Saw it from a long way off, the closer I got to it, the more the realization hit me:
Holy Crap, it's varnished! 
Yep, I''d have to take it totally apart, strip it completely down then start over. As I was putting it into my vehicle, I realized that just wasn't going to happen.
So, my plans have been put back only slightly.