Target stand prototype. Whatcha think?

[bigVtwin88]

http://i359.photobucket.com/albums/oo33/suckerpunchsally7/2012-05-18142940.jpg

Now I just need time to go to the range and shoot at it. This one took me an hour to build but now that I have the design figured out I could probably bang one together in 20 minutes.:D

[emopunker2004]

looks good to me

[Bawanna]

I agree, very nice. Best take it outside to shoot at, bullets are hell on dry wall, windows, bicycles etc. Plus there might be a good person outside you wouldn't want to hit or frighten. Not likely but could happen.

[cobrasjp]

Looks good.
Just one thought. Is it meant to be portable or do you plan on leaving it at the range? The reason I ask is because it might be a little hard to take back and forth to the range.

[Gliderguy]

Looks like it is designed with the upright "ladder" not screwed to the base section so it could pack flat.

[CJB]

Couple of thoughts from someone who's been there done that -

Making it two pieces is easier to transport (depending on your vehicle), and making the top piece easy to replace (ahem) is also handy.

I think the ones I built in the 80's lasted a summer. Like yours, they were solid. As they got shot up i just cut 'em off and made a little rail on the stub of the bottom part of the uprights so I could slide a new "frame" down in it and let gravity hold it in place.

[Bill K]

My hobby is woodworking and overall I like what I see. Now let me add some critique... Screw some toes to the base so that the stand base is maybe an inch or so off the ground. This will lead to a more stable stand when placed on uneven ground and if left outside the toes can rot and (when and if they do) can be easily replaced. How about making it wider so that you could hang two targets on the stand? This would allow for two shooters or if shooting by yourself to set up two targets for some simple but very beneficial SD drills. Lastly if the stand is going to be left outside consider a similar design but in inexpensive PVC pipe.

[downtownv]

I'd like one up against a sand dune on the jersey shore... it would sure get a lot of attention!

[Tinman507]

9th Street beach in OC?
Think that'll get attention?

[jocko]

or better yet: let an illegal hold it infront of him: Just sayin.

[melissa5]

Looks good, but the middle support will probably get shot up pretty quick.

Here's my target stand that I built from leftovers from another project. The uprights slide out of the base.


http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/8044/dscn2489h.jpg

[mightymouse]

I like the wood and would prefer if I had a personal range.
Just another idea, I made mine from small diameter schedule 40 PVC. Glue the joints you want rigid, leave others for quick set up and tear down. I screwed some larger spring clips into the tubes to hold targets. Easy to replace if some shots get willy-nilly
Don't have a picture, but here is a quick scratch up in Paint.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g22/BowtiedZ/Untitled-1.jpg

[jocko]

out at the range where I go allthe time they have 5 loooong railroad ties about 16 thick and square. might be crossing ties even anyway, they repolace them as needed and I just staple my targets to the ties. course this is an outdoor range at the local Izaak Walton property. No probmels with a 9mm in shooting up theties either, but when the big boys with their high powered rifles use it, well then it is a entire different story.

[Bawanna]

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n538/hopke5/TargetHolder.jpg

Here's my last one. Easy to transport, a little costly on up keep. Difficult to replace.

[Tinman507]

Hey! That's a Boy Scout!!
You're not supposed to be using them as backstops!!

[Bawanna]

Oooops, my bad!

[TheTman]

I'd say it would do the job.

[yqtszhj]

Those 2x4's should hold up fine. I have one that has had hundreds of .22 and 9mm rounds hit it and it's doing fine. The .22 stuff just sinks right in. Mine has a cross member on top and we place shotgun shells on top and shoot them off with a .22 at 25-50 yards.

I like that yours is narrow because I made one that is about 4ft. wide and it takes up the whole bed of my truck.

[Manzanita]

Looks heavy. I had a couple of wood framed stands I used to drag out to the range. Then I made two of the PVC stands shown here (http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu24.htm). Mine are a bit wider with a bigger piece of cardboard that I can tape a B27 target to. The wood strips are thin pieces of chipboard. If one gets shot up, I just cut another strip off a panel of plywood or whatever I've got laying around.

They're super light and very stable. My friend made one and put sand in the bottom. Holds up well in a wind.

[Gliderguy]

Manzanita, I built a PVC stand a lot like yours except used all PVC, I like your replaceable wood uprights better. I did get some heavy rebar steel to put in the long base legs, very stable but a bit heavy.

[Infidel proud]

I too built one out of all PVC with one twist, filled the pieces that sit on the ground with sand before I glued them closed, also left the uprights un glued for easier transport and replacement...Its been handy and have some pre cut replacements at the ready since they wont take more than a couple of rounds before breaking

[chrish]

I couldnt build a wooden one that was stable and portable...and bullet proof. So i opted to get one of these. It just rides around in my trunk with a bunch of firing strips. Always ready, takes up almost no space.

http://targetmeister.com/

I got the wyatt earp. One of the best gun related purchases i have made. Highly recommended.

[dkmatthews]

My hobby is woodworking and overall I like what I see. Now let me add some critique... Screw some toes to the base so that the stand base is maybe an inch or so off the ground. This will lead to a more stable stand when placed on uneven ground and if left outside the toes can rot and (when and if they do) can be easily replaced. How about making it wider so that you could hang two targets on the stand? This would allow for two shooters or if shooting by yourself to set up two targets for some simple but very beneficial SD drills. Lastly if the stand is going to be left outside consider a similar design but in inexpensive PVC pipe.

Great suggestion, Bill K. Putting the toes on it will definitely make it more stable.

[yqtszhj]

How well does PVC stand up to a bullet? The folks I shoot with (wife and kids) I am afraid would blast the crap out of PVC. Then I would end up fixing it all the time. Currently now all I have to do is remove splinters when I get home. :D

[Infidel proud]

PVC won't take many rounds before it breaks (one or two)... but I use PVC because I have to hand carry all of my stuff to get to my fav shooting spot. I made the frame extra tall and wide with cardboard taped to it, my target ends up having about a 4 inch oops area around it. Since I did that I haven't had many broken pieces...Wood for durability, PVC for portability...

[bigVtwin88]

I guess I should have taken a minute to give a few more details on the stand. The uprights are 5'8" and 2' inside spacing. The whole thing is two separate pieces so it lays flat in the truck bed. The base is plenty solid and stable but it only weighs about 15 or 20 pounds. I'm planning on shooting a coat or two of flat black paint over the base so it won't soak up water and warp or swell. The toes are a good idea... I was contemplating if I really need them or not. The nice thing is I spent $30 on lumber and had enough to build two bases. I do framing for a living so I always have a ton of short 2x4s laying around the job to make uprights out of. Thanks for the input, fellas.

[LorenzoB]

bigVtwin88, your stand looks great and very well built. Thanks for sharing. It is cool to see all the other solutions too. If you end up needing something more portable, you can always make the top portion out of 2x2's or rip down the extra studs you have left over from your framing jobs.

I found this cool foldable design below and was going to build a couple, but I might try something more like yours because I am realizing I don't really need super portability. I'd rather have more sturdy.

http://www.gunn-fighter.com/flipntarget.html

[Deano]

I just took a couple of old scrap 4x12 pieces as bases, bent some metal brackets, and attached them on each side. Pop in a couple of two by twos at your destination, staple up a piece of cardboard to the poles, add a target, and you're shooting.

Here's some pics:

[JFootin]

I just took a couple of old scrap 4x12 pieces as bases, bent some metal brackets, and attached them on each side. Pop in a couple of two by twos at your destination, staple up a piece of cardboard to the poles, add a target, and you're shooting.

Elegant simplicity, Deano! :yo:

[Deano]

Elegant simplicity, Deano! :yo:

Yes, it's simple, portable and quick to set up. Pretty easy to make too.

[chrish]

I really like alot of the ideas coming out here. I may have to suggest my local range build some of these at the next work day. We only have steel plates hanging at 25yds to 250yds. Closer than 25yds you have to bring your own setup, which is why I purchased the targetmeister (light and small). But something that stays at the range and I don't have to haul it back-n-forth would be nice. I thought about buying a half dozen targetmeisters, but these wooden solutions by Deano and bigVtwin88 would both be cheaper and less likely to grow legs.

[Deano]

My next iteration would probably involve adding a wood piece at each end of the base to allow the metal brackets to be spaced a little further apart. As it is now there is a little wobble in the poles, but it stops once you staple the cardboard to the poles. Spacing the brackets further apart would make things tighter