Home made DOPE card holder

[Shuggy]

With all my normal ranges closed, attention naturally turns to tweaking and updating kit. For some time I have wanted a rifle mounted DOPE card holder to allow me to quickly see my ballistic data. I never find using a ballistic app on my phone that great, especially with gloves in the cold and wet.

I had looked at all the fancy folding machined ones, such as those from Ulfhednar, MK Machining, or Hawk Hill Custom, but you are looking at £90 for the Ulfhednar, or $90-120 for the US ones, plus the usual postage, VAT and fees.

A bit of Google-Fu found a robust ID card holder/card wallet with a metal clip made by ‘GOVO’ - £14.99 off Amazon. This has a clear plastic face for the front card and room to hold 4 extra cards behind. I also obtained some blank PVC ID cards for 64 pence each. You can use a dry wipe marker, but personally I prefer an old fashioned chinagraph (grease pencil) which works well in the wet and wipes off easily with a rag.

To fix the card to the rifle I wanted to use a flexible joint so that I could tweak the position and fold it flat when not in use. A cable or wire was the obvious choice. This needs to be flexible, but not so bendy that it sags or gets knocked out of position easily; and with a soft plastic coating to protect my scope. I had some PVC coated 2-core copper mains cable that was left behind by an electrician after he redid my fuse box, which proved to have the ideal balance of stiffness, flexibility and surface finish.

So what do you think? It’s definitely not as pretty as the fancy machined versions, but I think that it will do the job nicely; and at a far lower cost too.

[DaveT]

Great idea and I am looking at Amazon and ebay to see if a mounting shoe for picatiiny rails is available from Smallrig or others.

[Catch-22]

If it works and does the job, then that’s all that matters. Nice!

[DaveT]

I am tempted to just shell-out for the Hawk Hill but no USA vendor seems to ship internationally . Surely not an ITAR item?!

[John MH]

Buy direct from Suphr

[DaveT]

John...I have an email enquiry out with them about a direct Pic rail mount version as the website specifies a Spuhr-specific mount.

[Catch-22]

I got the HH holder direct from SPHUR when I ordered a mount from them. Made it more palatable with combined shipping. The version that attaches direct to the mount is very slick. 

[DaveT]

Nice! 

[FB66]

3 hours ago, DaveT said:

John...I have an email enquiry out with them about a direct Pic rail mount version as the website specifies a Spuhr-specific mount.

Dave

Please could you let us know how you get what they say or your workaround? Was reading the thread and about to order when realized I would need to buy some new mounts too.

Thanks

Mike

[DaveT]

Will do.

American vendors have a Pic rail version so Spuhr must make them but I can't see them on their website!

[Barrelsniffer]

Recently bought this cheap and cheerful one from jackal firearms, does the job.

https://www.jackalfirearms.co.uk/collections/shooting-accessories/products/cole-tac-cheat-sheet

[DaveT]

Spuhr have just told me that they don't stock the Picrail mount version.

Stumped!

[FB66]

Hi Dave 

Thanks and have ordered Ulfhednar from https://www.skytterlinken.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=dope+card

Mike

[maximus otter]

I'm looking at these devices - £20 is cheap? - and I'm wondering why anyone couldn't make one out of:

8" elastic cord

A 60p cord lock

A Bic Crystal ballpoint pen tube

A 3" x 3" laminated "dope" sheet

- and some glue?

❓

maximus otter

 

[Popsbengo]

16 minutes ago, maximus otter said:

I'm looking at these devices - £20 is cheap? - and I'm wondering why anyone couldn't make one out of:

8" elastic cord

A 60p cord lock

A Bic Crystal ballpoint pen tube

A 3" x 3" laminated "dope" sheet

- and some glue?

❓

maximus otter

 

Here's one I made earlier...

Blue Peter

[maximus otter]

No disrespect to Jackal, but I don't see even £20 here.

maximus otter

[terryh]

MaxO,

In base matl. probably not, add in costs of running business(and possibly making in the UK) and then making a living then £20 for the convenience is OK.

T

[terryh]

Out of interest (boredom?) an arm mounted 'dope card' would personally be better?

You do not need it all the time and I loathe putting crap onto a rifle, actually always looking to make things lighter/simpler.

So utilising the same OP's card holder , which is quite nicely made (unfortunately in China) and some wide knicker elastic :

All I need to do now is work our what it could be useful for? 😉

 

[Shuggy]

I played around with it just like that and ultimately decided that I preferred it on the rifle. Bear in mind that I shoot exclusively on ranges, rather than hunting or PRL style events. Therefore stuff on the rifle doesn’t bother me very much.

The absolutely simplest version would be to punch a hole in one of the blank ID cards and tie it onto the rifle with paracord  - cost about 65 pence.

However, DaveT’s response got me thinking about camera fittings, so I have a few more bits arriving which should replace the existing cable lash up. I reckon that I may  be able to build something just as good as the Ulfhednar or Hawk Hill, for about half the cost. I will post again if it all works.

[DaveT]

Shuggy..I found a few bits of universal joint thingies but nothing for pic rail attach. What did you uncover?

[Shuggy]

This - from Ant Supplies at £12. Ant seems to supply mainly cheap Chinese stuff, so I will report back on quality when it arrives.

[brown dog]

Blimey, that spuhr one is definitely a solution looking for a problem!😂😊

I think this is being rather over-thunk: K.I.S.S

Bit of tape on the stock or inside the rear flip up ..and sharpie....

...

[Shuggy]

Choices are good: we should end up with workable solutions from 65p to £100. But some people will always want the ‘reassuringly expensive’ option! 

[lapua]

Knocked this up in about 10 mins

1” delrin, 6mm threaded hole

1”-30mm reducers

6mm gutter bolt

kydex offcut

spare 30mm ring

 

sits on my top picatinny rail where the lamp goes

[Shuggy]

Very neat!