Target Stands

[Dan Bone]

I'm about to start getting the steel cut to make targets, but it seems the bigger question is how to mount them and what type of stands to use. Please send in your ideas so we can do this right the first time.

[Flexmoney]

Here is the base. These are completely modular pieces.

The base has the two vertical pieces of angle iron welded to it. The post (more angle iron) slips down into the base.

[Flexmoney]

Here is the top. There are three pieces here (plus the bolts).

- The first piece is the actual plate. It has a piece of angle iron welded on the back...with a couple of hole for the bolts.

- The post. You can easily change to a different height post.

- The "connector unit"

Here are a few links to where we've talked about this stuff before.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...=steel,and,post

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...c=5336&hl=steel

[Dan Bone]

Karl, my computer crashed and I lost your email. The Eno's site doesn't give your email either so I can't respond. Drop me a note a dbone@ec.rr.com

[shred]

Here's how the Steel Challenge hangs their targets (actually this is a stop plate-- the others aren't quite so fancy)-- note the splatter-into-dirt angle and spring for maximum movement (= makes more noise, easier to see and makes the plates last longer).

The stop-plate impact sensor is that bundle low down on the pole.

[Dan Bone]

I thank everbody for their inputs but pricing for materials, labor and heartburn started to slide this project into the "too hard to do" catagory. After weeks of research and frustration I ended up buying the complete Steel Challenge outfit from Karl at GT targets http://www.gttargets.com/. Karl spent plenty of time answering my questions and educating me on the good/bad aspects of target design. He even sent me a sample target to try first. You're not gonna find many people who will do that for you. Then after we cut a deal he went out of his way to get me the targets and avoid shipping fees. I couldn't be happier. Great professional quality targets, excellent price, I'd HIGHLY recommend the GT target system to anybody looking to get their club started in the steel competitions.

If you're in the N.C. area drop on in and let's ring some steel. Look us up at http://www.actionvillepracticalshooters.org/

Steel season opens in March.

[EricW]

I should have taken more pics when I was in Oregon. A guy at TriCounty had the most simple, cheap, easy, and reliable steel setup you can imagine . He welded up tripods out of rebar - each with a long, rebar upright, then hung the plate off a bolt on top of the upright. The plate holes were keyholed so that all you had to do was slip the plate over the head of the bolt and it locked on. The plate swung freely for good ring action and low wear.

Genius.

[kimel]

You want pics like that Eric bring your camera Sunday. That is pretty much how we have ours set up...after we copied Bill. We haven't managed to kill a stand yet and yes, they have been hit a few times.

Another neat trick which may not be original but which has worked well for us is to lay out the stages once and then use surveyor's "whiskers" to mark the spot for each plate. These whisker's are those long colored plastic brush things you see at construction sites that are held into the ground with a long spike. I haven't a clue as to what they are really called. Any surveyor's supply place will have them and they are real cheap.

We put ours in last fall and they have survived quite well. They also stick up through the snow (usually) making it easy to find the positions. We used two different colors so we can have two different stages laid out in each bay. Setup before a match takes about 10 minutes and changing from stage to stage takes less than 5 minutes. No worries about anyone tripping over them like they would a stake and they hold up much better than paint in a gravel or sand bay.

[Bill H]

Karl at GT Targets is a great guy to deal with. I get all my steel targets and target stands from him.

Bill

[Tangram]

Many interesting do it yourself ideas in this thread. But I am interested in a few prefabricated steel targets-five plates to set up Five to Go. GT Targets has some reasonable prices but seem to be near the Atlantic.

Does anyone know of a target maker on the Pacific side especially in Washington or Oregon?

Thanks

[shred]

MGM?

[Loves2Shoot]

In the NW

R@R Racing

[Chills1994]

note: merged threads

I like the idea of having a wooden post to hold the metal plate.

Thanks,

Chills

[pmd]

These are the stands I made - pretty simple - I used 1x1 angle, 2x4 tube and 4" plate, I also made some with 2x2 angle inplace of the 4" plate.

The 2x4 tube I used is 1/8" and needs shims to support the 2x4's.

GT Target Stands also makes and sell nice ones..

Paul

[Steve J]

I believe they use GT Targets and since GT is a forum dealer, I can paste a link to what you're looking for GT Targets

[Flexmoney]

I've posted the ones that we use. You should be able to dig them up with a search. "modular" would be a good search term. Ours don''t use wood though, they use angle iron for the posts. Posts take lots of hits.

[Chills1994]

Thanks pmd and Steve J for the pic and the link.

I was wondering how the plates attached up top.

I'm pretty good at getting "stem" hits and the resulting ding noise off a steel stem or post makes me think I actually hit the circular plate instead.

(slight thread drift on)

Our local club plays it so that it's a + 5 seconds tacked on to your run if you don't make up a miss before you hit the stop plate.

(drift off)

Yeah, I would have to price out an all steel post vs. a 2 X 4 post.

Our local club also uses old car rims/hubs for the bases. Pardon the plug, but Max Davidson makes our targets. Here's his website:

http://www.gunsteel.com/HOME.HTM

[AlamoShooter]

GT targets are good and the cap /top is for a 2x4 with slot for the hook on the target. My club uses the GT targets with steel stand/ post and just a ring at the top to hold it.

The target post at the World shoot use a 4x4 with and elaborate top to hang the target out 12" in front of the post that is set in the ground. I would think most of us could build three stands for what one of thoes would cost. they are nice though

You can email any one of the "Mikes" off the Steel Challenge web site and they would be happy to send info with a link to the builder.

Even my 1" wide steel post takes a betting at every match I don't like the idea of having hand fulls of splinters when I try to set up and take down = so I have stuck with the steel post that have worked for 25 + years now.

11 of our target stands are over 27 years old.

Jamie

[shred]

I'm sure I've posted pictures of the SC plates here at least twice. But, they're held on steel stands, with a 4x4 'shield' in front.. the wood does nothing but stop bullets.

[AlamoShooter]

I'm sure I've posted pictures of the SC plates here at least twice. But, they're held on steel stands, with a 4x4 'shield' in front.. the wood does nothing but stop bullets.

I thought that that 1" steel post behind the 4x4 was atached to the 4x4? It looked to me like the steel was tied to the wood?

But I may be wrong ...again

[shred]

I'm sure I've posted pictures of the SC plates here at least twice. But, they're held on steel stands, with a 4x4 'shield' in front.. the wood does nothing but stop bullets.

I thought that that 1" steel post behind the 4x4 was atached to the 4x4? It looked to me like the steel was tied to the wood?

But I may be wrong ...again

This time I think you might be.. here's a stop plate from a couple years ago. The cross-brace and stand don't touch or the impact sensor wouldn't work.

[AlamoShooter]

.... ....I think that photo has been doctored up

Or .... I am just very good a being wrong.

I guess that when I looked at them I was trying to fugue out how to put a wood blocker on my stands for a larger event.

Funny how the "Eye Witness" thing is.

You were Rite, I was wrong You were Rite, I was wrong You were Rite, I was wrong You were Rite, I was wrong You were Rite, I was wrong You were Rite, I was wrong You were Rite, I was wrong You were Rite, I was wrong You were Rite, I was wrong You were Rite, I was wrong You were Rite, I was wrong You were Rite, I was wrong

[Chills1994]

pmd wrote:

The 2x4 tube I used is 1/8" and needs shims to support the 2x4's.

Take a look at the pic pmd posted above ^^^^

I'm thinking if you drilled at leat one hole in the back of the steel tube upright and welded a hex nut to it you could use a hex bolt or a thumb screw to clamp the 2 X 4 inside the steel tube instead of using shims. You might have to drill another hole and weld another hex nut on the narrow edge of the tube also.

Thanks for merging these threads Flex.

In the picture of the stop plate with the sensor, that looks like way more than a 4 X 4 "shielding" the sensor. I'm thinking it's closer to a 6 X 6 and it looks like a hardwood like maybe from the scrap bin at a lumber mill or pallet factory.

[AlamoShooter]

pmd wrote:

In the picture of the stop plate with the sensor, that looks like way more than a 4 X 4 "shielding" the sensor. I'm thinking it's closer to a 6 X 6 and it looks like a hardwood like maybe from the scrap bin at a lumber mill or pallet factory.

... See!...I told you the photo was doctored up

OK! ...OK ! OK I was Wrong about the the 4x4 too! I was Wronggggg OK wrrrongA

Seams like as many of my bullets them dam 4x4 6x6 eat-up from me I would remember.

Officer the robber was 6 feet tall and had a red hat and black shirt & Ahaa or was it a black hat and red shirt and 5feet tall.

Edited January 25, 2008 by AlamoShooter

[Ron Ankeny]

Our local club also uses old car rims/hubs for the bases.

That's what we use, as does Weld County in Colorado. Just weld a piece of pipe to the rim and bolt the target on with a spring between the steel and the pipe post. Be sure to toss a bag full of sand on the rim to prevent splatter from coming back. If you are concerned about the metallic ring from hitting the post, wrap it up with old fire hose or an inner tube.