Driving target stands into desert ground

[MarikinaMan]

Hello,

I wanted to get some advice from people with experience shooting in Socal desert land.

I am assembling a desert shooting gallery set up and am trying to device my target stands. For my 8 inch gongs stands, I am thinking of using T-posts with hangers.

My question is, does anyone have experience in driving t-posts into socal desert ground with a t-post driver? How hard is it? How much force is required?

Both my shoulders are damaged from previous injury and I can't exert too much force with them, or they will hurt badly.

I have driven iron shephered hooks into hard desert ground with a mallet. I can do 1 sheperd hook, but pounding on a few in results is aggravating my injuries.

Any advice, or alternative options appreciated.

[desertrider]

It's really going to depend on location. Choose a place with a good backstop that isn't in rocky areas. Find places in foothills where there is evidence of rain runoff with washes in the area. This usually works out well for me because the ground tends to be either sandy or firm ground.

I hang my steel on A frames with angle iron for uprights. My angle iron is 48" tall and I usually drive them into the ground 10~16". I have 3" "footpegs" rivited to the inside of the angle iron that lets me drive them into the ground with my boot by just stepping on it. If the ground is sandy I drive the angle iron in a few inches past the footpeg with a hammer.

Here's the footpeg...




One of my A-frames at 200yds. That's an 18" square, 3/8" thick AR500 plate hanging on it. It isn't bowed because of the weight of the plate, I pegged the beam with a .308 round.

You can see part of one of my other frames bottom right in the pic (I think at 100yds).

[Mitch]

Back in the 1980s I used to go out to a place near Palm Springs with my dad and his cronies. Since they always went to the same spot, and it was a pretty remote spot, they took the time to dig post holes in the ground and then insert PVC pipe to accept target stands. The tops of the pipes were even with the ground, and they capped them with plugs to keep the sand out between visits. Made it very easy to set up targets on subsequent visits.

Not sure how I feel about that these days. On the one hand, the PVC pipes were invisible and the place was pretty remote; on the other hand, it is sort of trashing up the desert and making permanent alterations (the pipes are probably still there to this very day). Just throwing it out as an idea.

[71MUSTY]

I usually drive them in with the butt of my 1006.




J/K

[fal_762x51]

When we use to shoot around North Edwards, all of our stuff was A-frame stands.

[Jimi Jah]

I use campaign roadside signs. Those have thin steel poles that slide right into the desert sand. Cleanup is easy, placing them is easy, they weigh about 10 ounces each.

Slap a Shoot-n-C on them and shoot some democrats!

[Jimmy's]

When we use to shoot around North Edwards, all of our stuff was A-frame stands.

What?

[MarikinaMan]

Thanks for the ideas. Ive got the paper target frames (A frames) covered. Also have the larger gong set ups figured out.

What I am trying to figure out is a stand set up for 8 inch gongs hanging at eye level for pistol and birdshot. I'd like to have 4-6 of these for the desert.

As previously said, its not easy driving these into desert ground. The campaign signs and A frames wont take theses 4 pound gongs. They wont survive repeated hits.

I found a pencil point diggin bar. Will give it a shot. http://www.lowes.com/pd/Truper-Tru-P...ng-Bar/3055437

Thanks for sharing what you got!

[Carcassonne]

I used saw horses made from 2x4 studs to hold up some steel dongs.

I used these brackets from Harbor frieght. http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of...ets-67163.html

You can make the legs any length you want. I used 6 foot studs for legs so the targets were 4-5 feet off the ground. Perfect for pistol shooting.

.

[BigBamBoo]

I used saw horses made from 2x4 studs to hold up some steel dongs.

Your wife/girlfriend does not get mad at you for using her toys for shooting at? And wow....I give her props for using ones made of steel....go girl!


.

[cannon]

I use campaign roadside signs. Those have thin steel poles that slide right into the desert sand. Cleanup is easy, placing them is easy, they weigh about 10 ounces each.

Slap a Shoot-n-C on them and shoot some democrats!

I thought I was the only one that did that. One week after election day if The signs have not been removed. I go target stand collecting.

[MarikinaMan]

I used saw horses made from 2x4 studs to hold up some steel dongs.

I used these brackets from Harbor frieght. http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of...ets-67163.html

You can make the legs any length you want. I used 6 foot studs for legs so the targets were 4-5 feet off the ground. Perfect for pistol shooting.

.

Nice. I have those for larger gongs. They work well for what you say but Im still trying to figure out an easier storage, portage, deployment and pack up system.

I am going to buy a digging bar like above and will see if its any easier and faster. The sheperd hook system is so low cost and easy (except the digging part) its worth another try.

[Ross]

Get some steel re-bar - about 24" and tie (or connect in some way) a 12" piece of PVC pipe to the re-bar so PVC is about 1" from one end of the re-bar.

Make a few of these (in even numbers of course)

Get a Baby Thor (3lb sledge) and drive re-bar into sand/soil where required to support target frame(s).

Remove at end of shoot.

[MarikinaMan]

Get some steel re-bar - about 24" and tie (or connect in some way) a 12" piece of PVC pipe to the re-bar so PVC is about 1" from one end of the re-bar.

Make a few of these (in even numbers of course)

Get a Baby Thor (3lb sledge) and drive re-bar into sand/soil where required to support target frame(s).

Remove at end of shoot.

If I understand you correctly, use these as digging spikes with the pvc as holders? Genius.

[Jimi Jah]

I thought I was the only one that did that. One week after election day if The signs have not been removed. I go target stand collecting.

This year was a bust, very few signs around here. I'm looking for some Shrillary/Kamala-toe signs next November. I used some steel target stands and destroyed all of them. .308's are deadly to them.

I feel pretty good destroying a Democrat. It's much cheaper too.