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It’s remarkable how complicated it is, building a decent shooting platform.

You would think you could grab some two-by-fours and a sheet of plywood and a few nails and get it over with, and I guess that’s true, but when your platform was done, you would have the following issues:

1. Splinters
2. Rot
3. Rain
4. Sun exposure
5. General disgrace

It would also be pretty hard to take your platform apart and move it.

I decided to use 1/2″ plywood for my shooting surface, and of course, I could not get anything that was treated to resist bugs or water. That means the wood has to be sealed. Like just about all Home Depot plywood, it was also flawed and likely to put splinters in me. It also had a flap of wood that was trying to come loose on one edge.

Day before yesterday, I took an orbital sander and spent 20 minutes sanding my plywood. Then I had to decide what to do about sealing it.

They sell sealers for decks. I thought this was a bad idea. Sealers don’t improve the surface of wood. I wanted a smooth barrier. I finally decided on Rust-Oleum farm implement paint. That meant I had to spend $35 on primer and paint.

“Primer? Who uses primer?” I can hear people thinking it. People named Bubba don’t use primer, and their 3-can camo paint flakes off later. I’m spending around $200 on materials, and I don’t want to have to do anything over a year from now. I want my paint to stay put.

Yesterday I went to get the primer and paint, but I realized I couldn’t paint without fixing the loose flap. That decision cost me a day. I shot Titebond III glue under the flap, put a piece of steel plate over it, and put a clamp on the plate to force it against the wood and flatten the flap. The clamp has been in place since yesterday.

This morning, I realized I had to do something about the edges of the plywood, because rain would go in through them and make the plies come apart. I didn’t think paint would do much good.

I decided to use Flex-Seal or truck bed coating on the edges. Either one should be fine. I just need something that will resist water long enough for it to dry up or run out of the platform.

Today I have to tape up the plywood to keep the waterproofing stuff off the sides, and I have to blast the edges to seal them up. With any luck, I’ll be able to apply primer today. That may take a day to dry. To get the wood primed and painted, I may need three days.

After that, it should be easy to put the roof on. One nice thing is that I’ll have a platform to stand on while I do it.

I’m thinking of putting some screen on the right side of the platform to keep semiauto casings from flying out, but that would bounce them back at me. I guess I’ll be okay as long as I wear a shirt. Guys named Bubba shoot without a shirt. A true Bubba never shoots or drives without removing his T-shirt with the sleeves ripped off.

I’ll put up a photo of what I have now. Picture it with a roof. You won’t be impressed, but I don’t think you’ll fear for my safety.

The roof should be very helpful. The platform will be in a shady area, but shade is not reliable in my pasture. The sun sneaks around the trees.

What next? Maybe I’ll build a bench to sit on. Or I could just toss a couple of $17 plastic chairs out there. That probably makes more sense.

When you’re shooting from a rest that isn’t concrete or part of a mountain, you can’t let anyone touch it, because it will wiggle. I can’t let people sit on the platform. If you think about it, a 1/100″ movement at the tip of your barrel will move your bullet’s impact about an inch at 100 yards. That’s more than enough to be annoying. We’re talking about the thickness of two and a half sheets of paper.

The Bubbacious failings of my platform will be due to lack of skill more than a Bubba attitude. I’m trying to do it well. Unfortunately, doing a B+ job takes about a week, as compared to a 90-minute Bubbathon. You know what they say. Ten percent of the work takes 90 percent of the time.