Homemade Target Stand

[AfghanVetOrcutt]

I've been going to my parents place up in the mountains (Arnold area) and shooting. I'm getting tired of just shooting cans and those dumb self healing targets you can get from Walmart aren't doing it for me. I found plans online and decided to build my own. Total in parts ~$30 and about 1.5 hours of work (included a trip to OSH and then Home Depot because OSH didn't have the wood).


5x 16in pieces, 2x 3ft pieces, 2x Tees, 2x 90degree elbows and 2x end caps.
The stuff is 1 1/2in sewage/drainage piping they had at OSH, it was $0.73/ft.


Didn't use glue so I can disassemble it and transport it easily in my trunk (I have a Ford Focus hatchback.)


The wood pieces are 1in square, not sure what type of wood, it was only $3 for a 6 ft piece so I bought four, two for backup. I used Gorilla Glue and attached some of the green Scotch-Brite scouring pads inside the pipe to keep the wood from wobbling, seems to work quite well so far. The cardboard is just an extra moving box I had lying around that I cut up, I can use the flaps from the top and bottom to reinforce the middle once I shoot it all out so I can maximize the use of the cardboard.

I'll take it with me this weekend when I head up to Arnold and test it out, along with my brand new Primary Arms 3x compact ACOG-like optic that just arrived as I was typing this.

If anyone has any suggestions about improvements feel free to comment. Also, if anyone knows of a good place to get cardboard for cheap let me know!!!

[SURVIVOR619]

Nice work man! Add a couple of cross-bars and you can repurpose this at home for ladder golf!

It'd be cool if you could fortify somehow to hang a steel plate!

[AfghanVetOrcutt]

I don't have a torch or even the minimal amount of knowledge to even get into metal work. I stick to PVC, wood and electronics soldering. I don't get out enough to justify spending the bucks on steel either. Maybe later on in life I will but right now this will suffice.

[SURVIVOR619]

Neither do I. I think you can get steel plates with "ears" already built in and hang with chain.

Forgive any unintended detraction from your stand. It looks nicer than the PVC posts used at my local outdoor range.

Again, nice work brother!!


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[sixoclockhold]

When you get some extra cash, try poultry netting at Depot. Put thousands of rounds through it so far and still original. Top stick you can hang a bowling pin in back or fruit from a back extra piece of mesh flap. My wood is 1x2...1 1/2 inch pvc 15" and 23" cross pieces.

All Good

[AfghanVetOrcutt]

I like that idea of netting but what would be a practical way to attach targets? I like to use shoot n see or something similar. I was thinking about making an add on PVC top with just one cross piece and two elbow joints so I can hang 2 liters, bowling pins etc etc. I could also use a female to female adapter and add an extra foot to make it slightly taller and still accomplish the same thing. The PVC I got is sturdy to support the idea.

[sixoclockhold]

Shoot and C is all I use, staple gun to the wood on w/e side the wind is blowing from and use plastic or metal clips from the .99 cent store. Haven't lost many clips to bullets, I'd say 4 so far, started with about 20. I made 3 stands, cost about $20 ea., good for the desert and playing tactical man.

BTW the top piece of wood is removable, drilled a hole in each end and drove a nail in the vertical piece of wood, it just sits on the nails but with the 2 cross pieces its sturdy as a rock. The poultry netting is plastic so you just roll it up with the wood attached for easy transport. Netting is stapled to side wood only. Compact is the game.

[AfghanVetOrcutt]

Do you have the netting pulled tight to stop the targets from flopping in the wind or is that not really an issue? I'm guessing you just stapled the netting to the frame as well?

Clips like these? This is what I imagine I would try.

Crappy picture, here's the link

[sixoclockhold]

plastic ones I got (8) for a buck at .99, metal found on a clean out office job, had to cut the inside out with tin snips because the netting is 3/4 inch holes.You ccould use wood clothes pins too I would imagine

[AfghanVetOrcutt]

Cool, thanks. I think I'll swing by OSH and look into the netting, I like that idea better than buying new cardboard all the time.

[XVIga_Rob]

I use basically the same stand. Only differance is that I also use "T's" on the top of the verticle risers and then use a piece of rebar as a cross bar. From the cross bar, I hang an 8" AR500 plate. It has ears and I just use large "S" hooks to hange the plate from the cross bar. On the cardboad backer, I attach whatever paper target I want.

If you want a good way to hang/suspend clay's, check out sure site target hangers. http://www.suresiteinc.com/

[AfghanVetOrcutt]

How much are clays? Are they inexpensive? I like that idea as well. Jeez all the suggestions are good and are just going to make me spend more $$. Damn.

[LCU1670]

When I made mine, the only difference is in the base I used different diameter pvc tubes so I could slide one into the other to make it smaller for storage and transport and to adjust widths for different size targets.

[pennys dad]

great design :-)

Mine is similar: I use 2" ABS piping and 2 connectors. using the 2 connectors, allow me to have a low to the ground cross beam. I also take a 2ft ABS pipe and cut it into (2) 1ft pieces and use these as the leg holders. Since I mainly use corrugated plastic backers with 1"x2"x5' wood legs. I screw the backers onto the legs and i am ready to go. I like the idea about the chicken fencing to hold clays and such, I will be trying it. ALCO Target has a stock of mini clays I have been wanting to get, i just didnt have a reason :-)

[Dan000]

Nice. Would pvc stand up to shooting steel plates at 100yds with 223, would the fragments damage it I mean?