Rain Target Experiment

[IronEqualizer]

I did an experiment with some targets over the past two days to see how they held up in rain. We had two days of steady rain mixed with occasional heavy stuff. I used a rust oleum clear laquer and sprayed a light coat on the targets. The targets except for one was coated only on the front side. Oddly the one coated front and rear is the only target that showed any signs of curling up even with a roofcap on it. The roofcaps were pieces of cardboard sprayed with the laquer. Two of the targets I took old shot up targets and wood glued them to the back of the new targets to give them a double thickness. One of these I left exposed without a roofcap. I shot these occasionly and used Shooters Connection pasters to cover the holes. The pasters stuck great even if you stuck them on a part where water was beaded up. After two days in the rain these held up great and even the one that had no roofcap did not have the typical head sag although it did start to separate but I think it could be cured with glue closer to the edges. Without roof caps the targets could still be set in any position or height without problems. I have not seen how many targets 1 can of spray will cover. I am thinking at least a dozen. At $4 a can a match worth of targets could be done for around $30. The wood glue cost and old targets are inconsequential.

AL

PHOTOS

[kevin c]

We've tried rain proofing targets as well, and our experience parallels yours. Other observations:

Sprayed targets hold up well, but patching tape won't stick if it gets wet (the glue dissolves).

Raincaps work well. What we did was to screw two short sticks to the inside edges of the upright target sticks, one on each side, just above shoulder level on the target, and angled forward. The tops of the target sticks and the screwed on portions are at the same height, and the short lengths were cut on the diagonal so the bevelled edges are up. A piece of cardboard or an old target stapled on top served as the rain shield (the head of the target has to be below the top of the sticks). Between the waterproofing and the raincap, the targets worked fairly well.

We tape the top edge of the target to keep rain from getting in and softening the targets from inside.

A cheap spray gun and a gallon container of water based polyurethane will do a hundred classics, and about eighty metrics or IDPA targets (on both sides).

[ChuckS]

here is a flood of more info...

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=570678

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=549284

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...ost&p=72913

Later,

Chuck

[Aristotle]

tagging for later read