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Anyone ever tried making targets from HDPE?


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I shoot a small weekday match at an indoor range. Recently, they have banned us from shooting steel cause they say it's damaging the range. We still want to shoot the match, but options for knockdown targets are limited, so all the regulars are trying to come up with ideas. I've bought a sheet of 1\2" thick HDPE (shatter\unbreakable plastic...essentially the same thing plastic cutting boards are made of). What are your thoughts on how it will hold up, or do you have any ideas about what we could shoot that won't cause ricochets and more "damage" to the range?

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One of the local clubs got some hard foam covers of some sort for the poppers. Basically 3-4 " of this odd dense foam glued to the face of the popper covering all of it, trapping the bullets and splatter. They seemed to hold up pretty well. No idea if someone sells it or they made it.

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My Mother-in-Law. She won't cause ricochets and won't damage the range. :) Not sure how well she'll hold up though. :unsure: Oh well. Nothings perfect. :devil:

Ask her if she can jog 60 ft. in 6 seconds while holding a Bianchi target. :)

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One of the indoor clubs here shoots .22 LR. and uses rubber from conveyor belts. They even have a Texas Star made out of wood with rubber targets.

I have tried conveyor belt (~1" thick) it handles a lot of bullet hits, very difficult to cut though.

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I shoot a small weekday match at an indoor range. Recently, they have banned us from shooting steel cause they say it's damaging the range. We still want to shoot the match, but options for knockdown targets are limited, so all the regulars are trying to come up with ideas. I've bought a sheet of 1\2" thick HDPE (shatter\unbreakable plastic...essentially the same thing plastic cutting boards are made of). What are your thoughts on how it will hold up, or do you have any ideas about what we could shoot that won't cause ricochets and more "damage" to the range?

I do most of my manufacturing work with HDPE. (High Density Polyethylene) There are several grades and types. HDPE, LLPE, LDPE, etc. It starts to soften around the high 260-270F, and really can be pushed through extrusion around 360-400F. I have shot the snot out of it for fun. it is really good as a target. Kind of pricey, but I think it will fill your bill well, as it seems to be the same material they used on the pop-up targets we used to shoot at Ft. Leonardwood in the 80's. When bullets pass through it though, they will not leave an accurate hole as the plastic will flex and melt somewhat as the bullet passes through it. It should fall, but I would be interested to see what thickness you are using and how it performs over time. Wonder if too thick a target might actually catch some slower moving projectiles like heavy .45s. Let us know how it continues to go.

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One of the indoor clubs here shoots .22 LR. and uses rubber from conveyor belts. They even have a Texas Star made out of wood with rubber targets.

I have tried conveyor belt (~1" thick) it handles a lot of bullet hits, very difficult to cut though.

We cut it with a vertical band saw.

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This looks promising, but it's twice the price of HDPE...UHMW...close to the same thing as HDPE, but much more resilient.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-high-molecular-weight_polyethylene

Anyone interested, you can buy HDPE or UHMW from McMasters Carr...a sheet of HDPE 1\2" x24" x48" is $65, same size UHMW is $122...

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