I am not easily impressed.
I worked in the space program for a number of years, and
worked on many exciting high tech projects.
Many of the “gadgets” we see today in the commercial
markets I had reviewed 20 years ago in aerospace or defense
applications. I
left the space program and started a technology consulting firm
that would become one of the leading high-tech organizational
development start-up consultancies in North America.
Over the past 17 years we have led start-up efforts for
advanced technology companies in everything from
telecommunications to defense to optics to information
technology. I work
in advanced technology still today.
Yet, in all the technological applications I have
witnessed, sometimes it is the simple things that mean the most.
The subject of this article is not really high tech, but
one of the best designs for its intended purpose that I have
seen in a long time.
Campbell Industrial Supply in Sanger,
California has created an innovative Rotary Gun Rack product
that truly fills the bill for those wanting to better manage
their long gun collection. They started building a great rotary gun rack several years
ago with a quality retention band system to keep the long gun
from coming off the rack when rotated.
This system works well and is still in use today in their
retention band rotary gun rack products.
But, what caught my eye at SHOT
08, and again at the 2008 NRA Show, was their
Magnetic Rotary Gun Rack products.
So, Chris at Campbell sent us some of these
products for test and evaluation, and they are great.
We have promoted Heritage gun safes for
many years now, and still do so.
We consider Heritage safes some of the finest on the
market, and the Heritage Traditions safe is the only safe on the
market that gets the Gunblast.com endorsement, and the only
company that offers the Gunblast.com Limited Edition model. Coming soon is an article on a new Gunblast.com Limited
Edition model test, as well as an opportunity for our readers to
now purchase these great limited edition safes at super prices.
Campbell also offers high-quality pistol racks made
specifically for gun safes, and we will provide information on
them at a later date in another article.
Many of our readers don’t have the need, or
the space, or the budget, for a high-quality gun safe.
Instead, they store their guns in a closet, or in the
corner of their bedroom, or scattered around their house or
garage. Campbell has a much better solution to address all these
needs, as well as the needs of gun safe owners who simply need a
solution for temporary storage and cleaning of their guns before
going back into the safe or gun cabinet.
Therefore, in keeping with the spirit of the
recent Independence day holiday, I call this solution
Independence from Gun Clutter.
Campbell has several solutions to help gun
owners today. Their
Retention Band Rotary Gun Rack, developed several years
ago and still a big seller, provides a quality rotating gun rack
with a retention band to keep the barrel (and therefore the gun)
in place. Their new
Magnetic Rotary Gun Racks offer the same high quality
base, 1000 pound ball bearing movement system, and quality
construction as the retention band models, but with a marked
improvement. Instead
of a retention band holding the barrel of the long gun, a
high-powered magnet holds the metal barrel of the gun (rifle or
shotgun) in place. A
gentle tug on the barrel, and you can lift the gun out of the
stock rest and into action.
This is an innovative yet simple design that works, and
works well. In all
my years of testing high-tech products, it makes me wonder why
someone didn’t think of this sooner!
I’m glad Chris and the gang at Campbell Industries did
so, and then completed the project with quality implementation
to produce for the market a reliable and efficient system of
long gun storage. Goodbye
gun room clutter! So
long, storage in bedroom closet corners!
While we always keep our guns locked up securely
in a safe, we sometimes have guns that we are testing leaned
against the walls and benches in the gun room. Doing this, they
can get in the way, and are prone to being knocked over. Placing
them on the revolving gun rack is a much better solution, as
they are not in our way, and are in no danger of being scratched
or dented.
There are several models of the Magnetic Rotary
Gun Rack to choose from, and prices are very reasonable.
Their 10-gun model with a small 18” base should fit
well in any closet or small location, and safely store and
provide immediate access to the long guns within, at a price of
only $209 (plus S/H) direct from Campbell Industrial. They offer a 12-gun magnetic rotary rack on a 22” base for
$229, and a 16-gun on a 22” base for $239.
The bases are the same, but the distances between the gun
rests are different, making the 12-gun rack a better choice with
wide bolt rifles and double-guns, and the 16-gun rack a good
alternative to store the most guns in the smallest of spaces.
How small? In
the span of a 22” diameter, safely storing 16 guns is very
efficient indeed!
Their two largest magnetic rotary racks are on a
30” base. They
have a 17-gun rack for $289, and a 22-gun rack for $299.
All prices are direct from the manufacturer, and do not
include shipping and handling.
Speaking of shipping and handling, I was
impressed with the Campbell products before I even opened the
boxes. The boxes are very large compared to what is inside, meaning
they are packed extremely well at the factory.
Kudos for Chris and his team on making sure the product
gets to the customer safely, even when the boys in brown may
upon occasion drop a box or two.
All of the Magnetic Rotary Gun Racks are made
from marine grade plywood with maple veneer on both sides.
The wood veneer is then hand-rubbed with Carnauba wax for
protection and beauty. The
pedestal is manufactured of steel tubing with a welded metal
plate on both ends. It assembles with bolts.
The metal is powder-coated (baked-on finish) for
durability. High
powered magnets are underneath the protective felt on the barrel
rest for each long-gun, and “stick” the barrel of the rifle
to the gun rest. A
clever design for ease of access to your guns.
And, each rotary rack has a 1000 pound capacity ball
bearing base that allows for ease in rotation, even when loaded
with the heaviest long guns.
When you pick up the box the UPS guy delivered,
you’ll understand why he was cussing you under his breath when
he left your package. The
rotary gun racks are pretty heavy, but this is a good thing.
I thought there may be a problem with balance, such as
loading guns on one side but not on the other, and feared the
rifle rack would tip over, but we didn’t experience this
problem at all. This
is probably greatly due to the weight, but also another good
design benefit.
The Magnetic Rotary Gun Racks are offered in
either dark walnut or light oak finish; your choice same price. For taller guns or very long scopes, larger length pedestals
are available.
Another product offered by Campbell, and along
the same lines as the rotary gun racks, are the fixed
position corner gun racks.
For those of us with limited space and that cannot find
enough corners in a room to lean your long guns, this is a
product you will truly love.
Their Magnetic Corner Gun Racks offer the same magnetic
retention system as their magnetic rotary racks, but they do not
rotate. They have a
fixed base and are designed to be place in the 90-degree corner
of a room. They
offer a Retention-Band 6-gun model for $129, and a 6-gun
Magnetic model (as tested) for $159.
Prices do not include shipping and handling.
The quality and features are similar to the rotating
racks; quality, heavy-duty gun storage systems for the corner of
a room. Providing
quick access, good looks, low cost, high quality, and the
ability to put 6 guns in one corner makes these a must for any
gun room or gun storage closet.
Note that you may need to stagger the larger scoped guns,
meaning you may only get 3 scoped guns in the 6-gun corner rack.
Our gun rooms at Gunblast.com now have Campbell
Rotary Racks to efficiently store, and provide immediate access
to, guns that are not in our safes for storage.
Guns that are awaiting cleaning, that are subject to
upcoming tests and evaluation, or guns that we want to put
somewhere before taking out and shooting them, often now get
placed in our Campbell Racks.
How impressed are we with Campbell’s gun rack
products? Not only
are we using their products, we took them on as a Gunblast.com
advertiser. All our
advertisers are “invitation only”, and they are not invited
unless we like their products.
We like the products of Campbell Industries, and feel
that you will as well.
So, if you have long guns looking for an
efficient and inexpensive storage solution, whether to keep on
hand for intruder protection, to aid in storage when cleaning,
to have available for rapid acquisition when getting ready for
that special hunting trip, or for efficient storage in the
corner of a room or closet, you can’t do much better than to
consider the long gun racks of Campbell Industries.
Good quality. Efficient
design. Not a lot
of money.
To order Campbell Industries' products, contact Chris or one of his team
members at 800-932-9518, email info@gun-racks.com,
or go to www.gun-racks.com
- to look at the heritage Safes line, go to www.www.heritagesafe.com.
Or better yet, simply click on the banners below (or on the
Gunblast.com home page) to go directly to their websites and
order systems.
And, who knows, your wife may be very
appreciative of your new organizational skills.
Greg Quinn
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A well-outfitted gun room with Heritage and
Campbell products. Shown is a Heritage
Gunblast.com Limited Edition T3060 safe in Ivory, 2
12-gun Campbell pistol racks and one 6-gun pistol rack
on the top shelf, a Campbell 16-gun pistol rack on top
of the safe, and a corner magnetic rack and 17-gun
rotary magnetic rack from Campbell Industries.
Two Campbell Industries 12-gun pistol racks fit
perfectly inside the top shelf of a Heritage Tradition
"Gunblast Limited Edition" T3060 safe. These
pistol racks should be a "must have" with any
safe order.
Campbell Industries 12-gun pistol rack.
Campbell Industries 16-gun pistol rack.
Storage space for 18 pistols plus 24 long guns
make the Heritage/Gunblast Limited edition safe and the
Campbell pistol racks a great combination for any home
of the firearms enthusiast. Shown are two 12-gun
Campbell pistol racks and a 6-gun pistol rack on the top
shelf of a T3060 Heritage Gunblast Limited Edition safe.
Your gun collection is well organized, safe from
fire and intruder, and ready for action when needed.
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