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$55 Plate Rack


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Supplies:

-10ft 4x6

-10ft 4x4

-1 50lb bag of concrete

-10ft length of 1/2" rebar

-6 tip-over 8" plates (the kind with bases, not included in $55 cost, as price varies greatly)

-12 heavy duty eye-bolts (I used some that had 2.5" long stems with 5/16" course thread, and 5/8" eyes)

-Some strips of scrap steel for protecting wood (optional)

-24" of heavy wall steel pipe, 5/8" or 9/16" (cut in 4" lengths)

Cut 10ft 4x4 in half and concrete into ground 10 feet apart (outside to outside), with 44.5" standing (the remaining 3.5" from the cross bar will make it a standard 4ft tall rack). Then used a table saw to run the 4x6 through in 1/4" increments to rough in a channel for the hinge assembly. Use chisel to clear channel. Attach 4x6 beam to top of 4x4's using long nails or screws. Then, mark out your spacing (I use 16" on-center Bianchi spacing), and sink eye-bolts in just above flush, leaving some play room on either side of plate. Screw in and out to adjust bar tension and plate tilt. Next, weld 4" sections of pipe flush to the bottom-rear of plates. Now, insert rebar through plates/eye-bolts and adjust to achieve the proper tilt/height. Screw pieces of flat steel to the front/top to protect from misses and flak, and test.

Plates just sitting there after I sunk the posts and leveled it all.

IMG_0363.jpg

Channel cut 1.5"x1.25", rebar/plates just laying there.

IMG_0364-1.jpg

Eye-bolts screwed in and spaced out correctly, strips of steel screwed to crossbar.

IMG_0373-1.jpg

Pipe welded to the rear of plate bases.

IMG_0375.jpg

Everything mounted up and plates tilted slightly forward (prevents flak and accidental tipping)

IMG_0377.jpg

Works like a charm with almost no tuning...and I actually hit the plates one handed! :) I plan to add a resetting mechanism, some extra flat steel guarding, and some dampeners to prevent bar wobble with heavier calibers.

http://vid102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/RippinSVT/IMG_0439.mp4

Edited by RippinSVT
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My plate rack started out looking similar. You'll want that steel protecting the 4x6 sooner than later, lumber disappears very quickly when high speed fragments abound. And if you have guests shoot at your range you'll need something to protect the legs, you would be amazed how many people can consistently hit the legs while aiming at the plates...

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My plate rack started out looking similar. You'll want that steel protecting the 4x6 sooner than later, lumber disappears very quickly when high speed fragments abound. And if you have guests shoot at your range you'll need something to protect the legs, you would be amazed how many people can consistently hit the legs while aiming at the plates...

Yeah I'll have steel on the top ASAP when the weather clears. As far as the legs...I suppose I must. I don't think I would ever hit one, but I have no doubt newer shooters at my range will clobber them. lol.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I built a complete resetting system for the above last week. Works like butter and is very robust. Cost me another $30 or so in do-dads (rope, pulleys, springs). I'll post pics soon.

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You had my interest up until you said screw a flat piece of steel to the front. bullets and flat steel don't mix. That becomes amplified when screwed/ bolted to wood exposed to the elements. End result is a two way $55 pie rack. Hence why you don't see flat surfaces on pie racks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited by Rangerdug
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bullets and flat steel don't mix.

Flat steel is the only kind I like to shoot at. If the surface is not flat I replace the steel, cratered surfaces send stuff back, flat and they just frag radially.

Watch the beginning of this video and note that the impacts crater the surface of the steel used and see how much goes back in the direction it came from, then fast forward to 7:30 or so and watch the impacts on a harder surface that remains flat upon impact and you can see what I am talking about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfDoQwIAaXg

Even more flat surfaces on this one than just the plates as well.

131459.jpg

Edited by jmorris
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Supplies:

-10ft 4x6

-10ft 4x4

-1 50lb bag of concrete

-10ft length of 1/2" rebar

-6 tip-over 8" plates (the kind with bases, not included in $55 cost, as price varies greatly)

-12 heavy duty eye-bolts (I used some that had 2.5" long stems with 5/16" course thread, and 5/8" eyes)

-Some strips of scrap steel for protecting wood (optional)

-24" of heavy wall steel pipe, 5/8" or 9/16" (cut in 4" lengths)

Cut 10ft 4x4 in half and concrete into ground 10 feet apart (outside to outside), with 44.5" standing (the remaining 3.5" from the cross bar will make it a standard 4ft tall rack). Then used a table saw to run the 4x6 through in 1/4" increments to rough in a channel for the hinge assembly. Use chisel to clear channel. Attach 4x6 beam to top of 4x4's using long nails or screws. Then, mark out your spacing (I use 16" on-center Bianchi spacing), and sink eye-bolts in just above flush, leaving some play room on either side of plate. Screw in and out to adjust bar tension and plate tilt. Next, weld 4" sections of pipe flush to the bottom-rear of plates. Now, insert rebar through plates/eye-bolts and adjust to achieve the proper tilt/height. Screw pieces of flat steel to the front/top to protect from misses and flak, and test.

Plates just sitting there after I sunk the posts and leveled it all.

IMG_0363.jpg

Channel cut 1.5"x1.25", rebar/plates just laying there.

IMG_0364-1.jpg

Eye-bolts screwed in and spaced out correctly, strips of steel screwed to crossbar.

IMG_0373-1.jpg

Pipe welded to the rear of plate bases.

IMG_0375.jpg

Everything mounted up and plates tilted slightly forward (prevents flak and accidental tipping)

IMG_0377.jpg

Works like a charm with almost no tuning...and I actually hit the plates one handed! :) I plan to add a resetting mechanism, some extra flat steel guarding, and some dampeners to prevent bar wobble with heavier calibers.

http://vid102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/RippinSVT/IMG_0439.mp4

Your pic links are broken, like to see a pic from the back, Great idea

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

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Supplies:

-10ft 4x6

-10ft 4x4

-1 50lb bag of concrete

-10ft length of 1/2" rebar

-6 tip-over 8" plates (the kind with bases, not included in $55 cost, as price varies greatly)

-12 heavy duty eye-bolts (I used some that had 2.5" long stems with 5/16" course thread, and 5/8" eyes)

-Some strips of scrap steel for protecting wood (optional)

-24" of heavy wall steel pipe, 5/8" or 9/16" (cut in 4" lengths)

Cut 10ft 4x4 in half and concrete into ground 10 feet apart (outside to outside), with 44.5" standing (the remaining 3.5" from the cross bar will make it a standard 4ft tall rack). Then used a table saw to run the 4x6 through in 1/4" increments to rough in a channel for the hinge assembly. Use chisel to clear channel. Attach 4x6 beam to top of 4x4's using long nails or screws. Then, mark out your spacing (I use 16" on-center Bianchi spacing), and sink eye-bolts in just above flush, leaving some play room on either side of plate. Screw in and out to adjust bar tension and plate tilt. Next, weld 4" sections of pipe flush to the bottom-rear of plates. Now, insert rebar through plates/eye-bolts and adjust to achieve the proper tilt/height. Screw pieces of flat steel to the front/top to protect from misses and flak, and test.

Plates just sitting there after I sunk the posts and leveled it all.

IMG_0363.jpg

Channel cut 1.5"x1.25", rebar/plates just laying there.

IMG_0364-1.jpg

Eye-bolts screwed in and spaced out correctly, strips of steel screwed to crossbar.

IMG_0373-1.jpg

Pipe welded to the rear of plate bases.

IMG_0375.jpg

Everything mounted up and plates tilted slightly forward (prevents flak and accidental tipping)

IMG_0377.jpg

Works like a charm with almost no tuning...and I actually hit the plates one handed! :) I plan to add a resetting mechanism, some extra flat steel guarding, and some dampeners to prevent bar wobble with heavier calibers.

http://vid102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/RippinSVT/IMG_0439.mp4

Your pic links are broken, like to see a pic from the back, Great idea

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Perfect some reason I can see it now.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

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  • 1 month later...

I meant to update this thread a while ago. Here's how the resetting mechanism progressed.

First I got a piece of 1" solid round stock I found in a barn that was perfectly straight. I also found some "tabs" for an old field implement, and welded those on to the shaft at correct increments. Once complete, I used conduit straps to secure to rack and as a pivot point. They work fantastic.

IMG_0459.jpg

Next, I had to weld on a lever, but decided to do a hub first so I could more easily retrofit in the future.

IMG_0460-1.jpg

Lever bolted on, bumpers epoxied to reset tabs (act as dampeners).

IMG_0467.jpg

Finally, I added a pulley system to reset plates. I tried several options but this is by far the most reliable. Takes almost no effort to reset even at 30yds out. I had to add a stop pin for the lever to hit and index plates so they'd fall on the bumpers. I also added a return spring to bring it all back to said index point.

IMG_0469-1.jpg

I've shot several thousand rounds at it so far with not one issue. It's more reliable than any unit I've shot at a match. I've tweaked the lean of the plates a couple times but that's no big deal. A .22 knocks them down at 40 yards, and .357 and .45 at 10 yards doesn't phase it.

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