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Need advice building shooting boxes.


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How do you build your shooting boxes? I need to build some shooting boxes for my "backyard" practice range. Our local club uses wood 2 X 2"s with 1 X 4"s(that have holes drilled in them for stakes) across the corners. Two problems. The wood boxes do not seem to hold up too long with the constant staking down and pulling up. The treated 2 X 2's at our local building supply stores are so warped that I would not take them if they were free.

I am thinking of just building mine out of light guage 1 & 1/2 steel square tubing with 1/4 X 2" flat bar(with a stake hole drilled in it) for diagonal bracing and staking purposes. The downside to the steel is that no matter how I paint them I will always be repainting them because any reasonably priced paint does wear off. The steel even though the same actual dimensions will not feel the same under your feet(cleats) as the wood does because the wood gives and moves around more than the steel. The steel boxes should last forever because I will store the steel ones inside most of the time. Another positive to the steel is no possibility of getting splitters in our hands. The steel ones should be more dificult than wood boxes to damage when pulling up the stakes also. I can cut and weld so I will not be paying labor on this.

The other option is to buy 2 X 4's and rip them into what amounts to 2 X 2's since no straight 2 X 2's are available in my area?

With the cost of materials I do not want to waste money. Thoughts? Opinions? Any ideas and pictures would be appreciated.

Bobby H.

Edited by atomicbrh
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I use pressure treated 2x2s, drilled to prevent splitting, then screwed together with gussets screwed to them to keep them square.

Give your gorilla's a crowbar to remove the stakes instead of letting them just rip/tug up the boxes. :devil:

I've used 3/4" PVC pipe and you can drill through the corner joints for stakes. But we like the 2x2's better. Either one is pretty cheap.

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Steel will last the longest but you could have a dozen PVC ones for the price of one steel. Yes, they will crack and split once the sun has had its way with them but 10' of 3/4" costs under $2. I charge more than that to turn my welder on.

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I made mine out of 1" square tube steel with 1/2" bar about 2" long welded to each corner

to stick in the ground and hold them in place. They have been thrown around and tossed in with poppers for three years now and are holding up great. My range is gravel so they sort of work into the ground and are almost flat when set up. If your ground is really hard you might want to use flat instead of square.

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Steel will last the longest but you could have a dozen PVC ones for the price of one steel. Yes, they will crack and split once the sun has had its way with them but 10' of 3/4" costs under $2. I charge more than that to turn my welder on.

+1 for PVC.

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Steel will last the longest but you could have a dozen PVC ones for the price of one steel. Yes, they will crack and split once the sun has had its way with them but 10' of 3/4" costs under $2. I charge more than that to turn my welder on.

+1 for PVC.

PVC is also a lot lighter than wood or steel and doesn't splinter, cut, or rust, so they're easy to carry during setup and tear down.

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I made mine out of PVC with some 90 degree elbows. They are not glued together so I can change box sixe. Two sets of 3' boxes and 4 pieces of 2' that I use with target feet and cardboard to create a barricade. If I am planning to run between them I have some U bolts to keep them from sliding. 3/4" is better than 1/2" but more expensive.

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  • 1 year later...
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Thin box tube, welded together and drill 2 3/8 hole in it for 2 stakes. Cheap, and last a lifetime. Obvious downside is you need a way to cut it and a welded.

Edited by Seth Long
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1/2" PVC is the ticket, just glue only one end of each elbow to one side and you can easily take them apart to take to the range to practice. I have 3 of these boxes made for training and w ith 2 bungees they pack nicely for easy transport well

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If you are using USPSA rules, there are minimum height requirements, some of the suggestions above won't make it.

We went the PVC route about 2 years ago, 8 boxes, have 2 left. They break easier than the pressure treated wood. We bought a box of the metal corners and used wood 2x2s the second go around. We have broken just one. Two screws and the broken section is replaced. Wood is also easier for the competitor to stand on without breaking it. Wood holds paint better too.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The 2x2's predrilled have always worked well for us. Using some 1/2 in plywood to reinforce the corners and providing a place to stake them down makes them last a long time. Haven't had to use pressure treated wood if keeping them stored in a dry area.

Good luck.

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