Beautifully crafted heirloom quality gun cleaning box.

By Jim Lepage, Vice President, Orvis Fly Fishing

If you’re like me and a lot of other hunters, the box you keep your gun cleaning accessories in might just be one that you hide in the bottom shelf of the work room or in a closet. Maybe it’s not even a box, but a bunch of drawers throughout the house, so your cleaning supplies are always scattered and hard to find, especially when you need them most.

I admit, my own gun cleaning accessories used to be scattered all over the place or hidden away because the box I kept them in wasn’t anything I, or my wife, wanted hanging around in sight. But with all the grouse, woodcock, ducks, deer, and turkey hunting I do, I learned pretty quickly just how important a great gunning box can be to save you time and to help do a great job at cleaning your guns.

When I designed the Orvis Solid Maple Gunning Box, I wanted a box that had the storage, trays, locking drawer, and stable gun stand any avid hunter wants to keep his supplies organized and gun secure when cleaning it. But I also wanted a box that was handsome and solidly built, as well-crafted as a fine piece of furniture, not something you hide in the closet.

At first, I’d looked on the market for such a box. But I couldn’t find one. I’d find a lot of storage on one box, solid drawers on another box, a box that functioned ok but lacked good looks, but nothing that had it all. Finally, I decided the box I wanted needed an Orvis design. A design that drew on the expertise and passion of my fellow hunters at Orvis. Having just left Pratt and Whitney, putting together a blue print for a gunning box seemed like it would be much easier than designing prints for jet engines. But I quickly realized that when you give passionate hunters a chance to get together to discuss the features needed for the ultimate gunning box, and in addition to make one that deserves a place in the center of a game room, well, that’s a challenge of high order.

This box meets that challenge.

It’s such a fine piece, I keep mine right out in the living room. You’ll be proud to leave yours out in your den, living room or library, too. It’s a great complement to a room with gun cabinets or bookshelves with decoys and wildlife art; it’s a piece you’ll care about as much as you do your guns and other quality gear.

Crafted of solid maple — not soft pine as are many other boxes — it holds up to years of use, and it resists scrapes and scuffs when you’re cleaning your gun on it. Plus, it has that gorgeous cherry finish that develops a fine patina that just gets better and better looking with age.

But unless you’re a drake wood duck, you can’t rest on good looks alone. That’s why the Solid Maple Gunning Box functions better than any gunning box to make organizing your supplies and cleaning your gun easier than ever. It features:

• A stable, hinged gun stand with felted mounts that holds and protects your gun securely for cleaning; stows under a handy removable top; is part of the gun box so it’s always on hand, can’t be lost, and never needs to be inserted into slots as most others do
• 5-compartment tray that fits back into box and supports the gun stand to keep all supplies within reach
• 5-compartment bottom drawer with quality dovetail joinery that holds boxes of shells and keeps extra cleaning supplies at your fingertips
• A small key lock on the bottom drawer to secure ammunition
• Solid brass pulls and handles

You’ll find that your Orvis Solid Maple Gunning Box is not just the best way to organize your gun cleaning supplies, nor the best place to set your gun when cleaning it. It’s a fine addition to the guns, decoys, and other sporting gear and art you’ve treasured for years. It’s truly an heirloom piece to be enjoyed, appreciated, and used for generations to come.