Building Target Stands

[treillw]

Want to build some target stands for practicing. Figure there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Any good ideas?

I want to be able to throw them in the back of a truck and place them at ranges between 100 and 1200+ yards. I'd like to shoot paper and steel.

Thanks!

 

[tmwinds]

PVC stand and wooden target frame. Don’t glue the pvc. Makes it easy to disassemble and repair when you shoot a leg off.

 

[treillw]

PVC stand and wooden target frame. Don’t glue the pvc. Makes it easy to disassemble and repair when you shoot a leg off.

Not a bad idea. Do they blow over in the wind?

 

[tmwinds]

Not very often. The wind would have to be pretty stout. Make the horizontal legs long and carry a few sandbags.

 

[hpshooter]

Not a bad idea. Do they blow over in the wind?

Drill a couple 3/8 holes through the feet and use landscaping timber spikes or aluminum tent pegs like come with the inexpensive nylon tents to anchor them.

 

[tmwinds]

Drill a couple 3/8 holes through the feet and use landscaping timber spikes or aluminum tent pegs like come with the inexpensive nylon tents to anchor them.

Perfect, going for my drill now.

 

[mikecockcroft]

How I make them. They won’t blow over and light enough to throw in truck. Wood frame slides in and locks down

 

[ckaberna]

PVC stand and wooden target frame. Don’t glue the pvc. Makes it easy to disassemble and repair when you shoot a leg off.

Haven’t thought about this for rifle but built my son one for holding paper and tuning bows. Works great for that and the stake idea will make it even better.

 

[Dave Zander]

I had leftover Pex pipe and some fittings from plumbing my house.
works pretty good.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

These are all great ideas i sure appreciate it.

 

[treillw]

I had leftover Pex pipe and some fittings from plumbing my house.
works pretty good.

Pex is the flexible water supply piping? How did you make one from that? Pics?

 

[mousegunner]

Had a couple made from plates that sat under railroad ties where they were drove in the spikes. Heavy but short and wind would knock them over but I had a wide target frame that caught the wind like a sail.

 

[Chiquita]

I have about 3 white PVC frame target stands in different sizes. They are made out of 3/4" OVC pipe and I drive 1/2" EMT electrical conduit into the ground and slide the stand on conduit which keeps them solid in windy conditions. For backing I use cardboard and zip tie it to the frame. I have a smaller/shorter version (half the size) that I use when I am at the range without any ground covering that I shoot in prone. The smaller/shorter version is closer to the ground.


For steel target stand I use these. The legs are again out of 1/2" EMT conduit, the top bar is from Uni strut. Because of adjustable legs I can have the stand on flat ground or on a side of the hill and still performs well.
The EMT conduit is relatively strong. I have had the legs shot out and they are still hanging on.

 

[K9TXS]

My base is a typical frame numerous companies make. I made a wooden frame and put a piece of color plast on it. I can put multiple targets on it, check drops on bullets at different distances, etc.. The wooden frame is held together with biscuits and is very sturdy. I do put a weight on the leg of the frame so it doesn't blow over. I've had the base for many years and the target frame is about 8 years old now.

 

[MikeMcCasland]

 

[Jarhead6870]

Target stands for steel targets can either be long term or short term; I prefer long term. Using wood or PVC with steel plates are short term solutions that can cause issues with shrapnel. I prefer using either EMT or rebar for my steel plate stands and crossbars. There are several ways to accomplish the task depending on the hardware. Below is a link for leg brackets that are very versatile and will provide decent support for steel targets. I use EMT conduit from the local Home Depot or Lowes and cut it to my desired lengths. Easy to assemble/disassemble and store. To hang my long range steel targets, I use either fire hose or conveyor belt. For shooting extreme long range, I use leg brackets that are made from 3/8" AR500 and use 1" EMT. It is very strong and supports a target made of a 1/4" piece of 36" - 40" square steel. For smaller targets at 1200 yards, the brackets linked below from Shooting Targets would work well.

Leg Bracket Link: https://shootingtargets7.com/products/multi-tube-target-stand-brackets

For paper targets, I use stands similar to the one shown by K9TXS. I made my own but another option for something compact are ones made by Sickfab. Not cheap but they break down small, and I mean small.

Sickfab Target Stands: https://sickfab.com/target-stands

Hope this helps...

 

[mousegunner]

My base is a typical frame numerous companies make. I made a wooden frame and put a piece of color plast on it. I can put multiple targets on it, check drops on bullets at different distances, etc.. The wooden frame is held together with biscuits and is very sturdy. I do put a weight on the leg of the frame so it doesn't blow over. I've had the base for many years and the target frame is about 8 years old now.

View attachment 1303689

That's just like my stand that got shot! I have 2 sets of bases and a tall frame like yours and 2 shorter ones also. I also have one out of welded rebar that can be hammered into ground. Next is a holder for some metal targets I want to get. I'm thinking saw horse brackets and 2x4s but that's for next spring.

 

[Dave Zander]

Pex is the flexible water supply piping? How did you make one from that? Pics?

 

[Dave Zander]

Yes its 3/4" pex.
I ran a 2.5" long screws thru the pex near each corner, push a piece of cardboard over the screws, Staple target to that. It's probably a little pricey as the elbows and tee's aren't cheap but had them laying around anyway. i can rotate the legs 90 degrees so it will lay flat for transporting.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Real estate signs.