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rifle bracket mounts
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Rev. Scott
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:05 pm    Post subject: rifle bracket mounts Reply with quote

I now have two lovely sets of upright rifle mounts. I expect I should bolt them up now. Question...I have no hardware included on either. I live in a rural town, but my local hardware store has an impressive selection of metric fittings. What sizes should I go shopping for?
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Captain Spalding
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 10:06 pm    Post subject: Re: rifle bracket mounts Reply with quote

That's a very good question. If you have the Parts Manual available here, you can see the brackets on PDF page 162 and 163, along with specifications for the hardware.

I have a single set of the brackets, yet to be mounted. The question is where to put them and how. The only obvious place is the triangular sheetmetal part on the package shelf behind the seats.

In the diagram both parts of the rifle mount are called Rifle Brackets. For our purposes, let's call the one that holds the stock the "bracket", and the one that holds the fore end the "clamp". So we know a clamp bolts into the triangular sheetmetal behind the seat, with 4 bolts. Where is the bracket that corresponds to that clamp supposed to be located? If it goes under the seat, then the bottom seat cushion will impede storing the rifle. If it goes on the inner rocker panel far forward enough that the rifle avoids the seat, the rifle will impede passengers entering and exiting the rear seat, as well as making the fore end of the rifle snap into the clamp at an odd angle. In addition, bolts are called out as the hardware for the bracket, but there are no holes in the body to receive those bolts, so why aren't large sheet metal screws specified? Or RivNuts? There's no way to attach a regular nut from the inside of the rocker panel.

I believe that four sets of hardware were sometimes, perhaps even typically, mounted in the vehicle. The pair on either side of the rear seats, and a second pair on the floor between the inner rockers and the front seats. In the case of these other rifle mounts, the clamp would be mounted with bolts through the floor pan. The bracket would be fixed with sheet metal screws through the inner rocker, as the holes in the bracket don't face the floor.

I must be missing something. It would be nice to have detailed photos of the brackets mounted.
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Captain Spalding
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 10:43 pm    Post subject: Re: rifle bracket mounts Reply with quote

This photo would seem to indicate that the bottom seat cushion on military 181's didn't go the entire width of the car.
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Al Capulco
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2018 11:09 pm    Post subject: Re: rifle bracket mounts Reply with quote

There are adjustable brackets that were used at times, but the rifle mounts will bolt right up. I should have some bolts in the garage somewhere. I will look for you in the morning.
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Ron Domeck
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 10:38 am    Post subject: Re: rifle bracket mounts Reply with quote

I heard the foam set cushion was shorter for the mounts
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Al Capulco
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 2:15 pm    Post subject: Re: rifle bracket mounts Reply with quote

I can't find my bag of rifle mounts screws . But they are 5m x 10m for the top bracket behind the rear seats. You can use a pan head or hex head. Here is a picture of the brackets that were used.
The top adjustable bracket was only used when a different rifle was issued.
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Last edited by Al Capulco on Tue Jan 23, 2018 7:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Eric Goodman
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 4:41 pm    Post subject: Re: rifle bracket mounts Reply with quote

Here is a pic of the Rifle brackets mounted from my VW Thing Registry archives. I will get you the size of the bolts also. Looking for info now.

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Eric Goodman
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:21 pm    Post subject: Re: rifle bracket mounts Reply with quote

Its 10mm
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Rev. Scott
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2018 5:33 pm    Post subject: Re: rifle bracket mounts Reply with quote

For those still playing at home. I'm no good with technology, so no pictures. Got the upper mounts installed (had to chase some paint from those treads) with a m5x10 bolt and washer...easy peasy. It started to rain, so I knocked off for the day. I can see the dimples in the rockers for the lower mounts, but did not explore if they were covered with a filler, or need to be drilled and tapped. Either way, I will need to fabricate those angle brackets, shouldnt be a problem, but it will have to wait...other more pressing things to attend to. Once I get all the specs laid out for those...its just as easy to make ten as it is two. Chime in if you need a set, and I'll figure cost...might just have a local machinist knock 'em out. So there we are. Cheers.
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Captain Spalding
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 30, 2018 1:15 pm    Post subject: Re: rifle bracket mounts Reply with quote

Rev. Scott wrote:
. . . Either way, I will need to fabricate those angle brackets, shouldnt be a problem . . .

Hi Rev,

I started buying the parts piecemeal and I think I have the angle bracket. I'll see if I can find it and get you some measurements. Not that they couldn't be made in a few minutes out of angle iron, but if you were going to go to the trouble to have a fabricator do them, why not see about doing them right.
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 31, 2018 1:14 pm    Post subject: Re: rifle bracket mounts Reply with quote

Okay. I've got a nice drawing finished. But it's a PDF, drawn 1:1 scale so the fabricator can use it as a template if he or she wishes. If you want to PM me with an email address I'll send it out.
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