Ok folks. I need some expertise here. I have a longtime friend who is restricted to a wheelchair due to birth defects. So, picture a ninja turtle with no legs, arms that terminate where your elbows would be, one finger on each hand. This is a guy with a heart larger than 10 people combined. Standard power wheelchair with joystick control on the arm rest.

I want to make his dreams of firing ANY firearm come true. I figured if I had some kind of mounting system that I could clamp onto his chair and them mount my rifle to...? I'd like it to clamp securely but not damage either the chair or the weapon. Figure I'd start with my AR, then branch into something else (Glocks maybe?). So any engineers out there want to throw out some ideas? Am I going to get BIT legally if I put a mount on a Wheelchair for target shooting (non hunting) purposes?

I don't see any legal issues around it, and I'd look closely at one of the Larue tripod mounts. It'll work for an AR easily, and should fit a railed pistol without too much work.

Cabela's Ultimate field rest is on sale on the website for $20. it looks like a really good start to a wheelchair mountable solution.


Also, as one who has a non standard arm/shoulder relationship, length of pull is going to be a bitch. you might need to mess around with a collapsible or RRA entry stock.but even better might be an M231 style collapsible wire stock, and use some steel rod to form a custom shoulder rest, probably something that hooks over his shoulder like an M14 buttplate. that way he can use the limited strength in his hand to aim and pull the trigger instead of supporting the weight.

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Great suggestions! All helpful. My AR is currently set up with adjustable stock. May be able to work out a clip or something for the shoulder, as suggested. Will definitely look into those mounts. Thanks again!

You are a good friend, kudos to you.
I must admit, I spit cola out my nose when you said ninja turtle though. You describe things well.

What about a solenoid to actuate the trigger?

That would probably be a fall back.  As an Occupational Therapist, I work with all sorts of adaptations, and I've had the good luck to get some of my training at Center for the Intrepid at Ft. Sam Houston (directly opposite BAMC).  Every Soldier wants to get back into shooting, and they have made some pretty impressive adaptations to allow those guys to shoot.  This is something different.

First, OP, you'll need to measure your friend for length of pull, then find out what sort of strength he has in the finger on his dominant side.  From that,I can see selecting a stock and grip, and choosing a trigger for the adapted gun.  A mount is relatively trivial, once you get the gun to fit your friend.

Be VERY careful with any remote activation. A bad contract or a stick switch can lead to multiple discharges with one finger movement. ATF no likely.

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I have hunted with a lot of quads and parapaligic's in the past. Their are numerous item out ther for someone in you buddy's position. The have a aperatis that you can blow thru with your mouth to shoot. If you would like I can try to dig up some Mfg's

me being in a wheelchair i have thought of the same ideas as you. fortunately i've still got the use of my arms. no abs tho. so stability is so so. thats the most important thing when it comes to me shooting something bigger then my ar's. there are two things that come to mind.

one would be some sort of rifle rest that would go on a table or tailgate that can be wheeled up under. either sideways or straight from the back. if he can lean into it and get the butt of the gun on his shoulder to compensate the kick and his body weight wanting to fall forward, it will be comfy to shoot. something he can put what arms he has up on. he'll know what i  mean. stability is the issue.

two would be something he could roll into that holds the weapon for him and allows his back to rest firmly on the backrest of his chair so he won't go anywhere. again its the stability that is an issue. i'm sure his chair is custom fitted to him and gives him alot of structure and support.

when i'm shooting freehand from the wheelchair i hug my gun and shoot towards the left. it keeps my back firm against the back of my chair and gives me the ability to aim without being unsafe (being that the guns weight will tilt me forward)

with that being said, if you have a 22 lightweight rifle, like the m&p 15-22 or like wise, it will help get the feel and prepare him for a heavier weapon. i keep my vert grip as close as i can to the magwell so i can hug and grab the gun as much as possible. also, if the weapon is front heavy it will throw off his balance. keep the weight to the rear of the gun to help his back support.

if he has a hard time gripping the gun, glue gloves onto the grips so the gun won't come loose. i've seen that help others.

i hope this helps. if anything i can do, or questions, feel free to PM me. good luck and thank you for helping him out. that means alot to me to see this.

I have an axis pro bow vise...they make a portable mount for it....you could mount it vertically....it articulates at 3 different joints. You could easily make a gun mount I thread on the end that normally would thread into the riser of the bow. Solid aluminum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsVTU2HM6A0&feature=youtube_gdata_player