Gong target stand

Actual size and strength will be a function of the size and weight of the gong. I'd think a sawhorse would work fine as a gong support and unintentional lead magnet.

The web is loaded down with target support ideas. https://www.google.com/search?q=hom...2Farchive%2Findex.php%2Ft-127534.html;577;563

I don't have pictures but we make ours out of re-bar about 4 feet high, 3 feet wide. We use iron pipe welded together for the corners. The legs slide in to 2, 4" lone pieces of pipe welded to a third piece which is open ended and the top piece slides through it. The advantage is it is easiely taken down and moved. We hang the steel with old pieces of fire hose and bolts. It seems best to have holes in the steel and use carrage bolts that fit flush with the face of the plates where bullets impact. Welding studs to the back of the plate doesn't seem to last as the impact tends to pop the welds. the carrage bolts seem to last the longest. We hammer the legs into the ground about 6" so the wind/swinging gong doesn't knock it over.

Portable Gong Target

Wood legs - 4pcs - 27" x 3 1/2" x 5/8" . Galvanized steel pipe 3 feet long x 5/8" od. (1/2") Targets are 8 inchs in diameter. Center fire is 1 inch thick, an old pipe end cap. The 22lr steel plate is 1/4 " thick. Metal coat hangers to hold targets. Portable unit. Can be knocked over if you get steel plate swinging with center fire rifles at 100 yds. Not so much at 300 yards. Its a little chewed up from bullet splatter over many years use. You may want to try 30" legs for more ground clearance & wider stance. May not get knocked over as easy? [/URL][/IMG] Link to 1 inch thick plate.

marine, Consider using steel. Bullet splatter will erode wood. I have some 4 - 5" wood posts that are ~30" from the steel and they will need to be replaced soon due to splatter erosion. The posts are ~3 y/o.

Steel Gong Safety - Pock marked plates

Pock marked plates like mine above, may send splatter back at the shooter if closer than 35 yards . i shoot at 50 yards with the 357 & 44 mag.

^^^^ This looks pretty good for a portable support. Ours is at a private range so we make them using gas pipe and drive an appropriate sized 2' long piece of rebar in the ground and then slide the legs over the rebar. I have used both 1/2 and 3/4 gas pipe as well as 1/2" EMT conduit. The 1/2" EMT is cheap and you can take a 10' piece and do a right angle bend 4' from each end. We use scrap lumber from crating and bolt a 2' x 4' piece of 1/2" or 3/4" plywood of wafer board to it as a target holder. You could easily make a couple of "T" shaped pieces for portable legs from angle iron and rebar that should last a dozen target holders. What we have found is that no matter how heavy the support is made that eventually it gets shot up to the point it will no longer stand which I why I have gone to light and inexpensive except for the 600 yard gong. It is 3/4" gas pipe with 1" angle iron welded to the front and heavy log chain suspending the gong. We used a 3/8" thick 20" x 30" plate for the gong. At that range most .30 caliber bullets make a dent and bounce but there are a dozen or so holes clear through the current gong, which I think are from a guy who shoots a .300 WinMag or maybe the steel core 7.62 x 54R's.

For years I used an old square reality sign made out of steel. You just push the legs in the ground. I hang different steel plates from it with wire coat hangers. Shooting at steel plates can be dangerous! Be sure you wear shooting glasses & stand far enough back so you are not hit by back splatter or ricochets! Be sure you have side berms as well. Also be careful in the fire season! Some rounds cause sparks! This is a great way to shoot in bad weather. I would stand under my porch overhang & shoot in the rain or snow. Spray paint on the targets and you will be able to see hits better without walking down range! Lay down a piece of old carpet and you will be able to pick up brass with no problems . Have fun!

Walkalong said:

I'd be leery of that one even at 50 yards. Your braver than I am. That poor steel plate has seen better days.

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I once shot a 44 mag at a gong like that set at 50 yrds. I was lucky that the bullet only hit the 4x4 post beside me. You will never see me shoot at a gong like that again.

The web is loaded down with target support ideas. https://www.google.com/search?q=home...ml;577;563

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Nice link, but nobody seems to have done what I do. These all seem to require reasonably level ground, but our back stop is the side of an earthen dam so flat spots are scarce.

I get "concrete form supports" from Lowe's etc. which are steel rods, ~36" tall, pointed on one end to be driven into the ground. I then use an ~24" threaded iron pipe as a crossbar with pipe T's that will slip over the ends of the rods driven into the ground. You could use L's instead of T's but using T's lets me daisy chain the crossbars so I can hang five targets in a row with only six verticals, six T's and and five crossbars. Packs up nice and small, the threads need only be finger tight on the crossbar pipes.


My weakness is the hangers, someone always seems to hit a chain or mounting bolt.

I'll be ordering more of these: http://www.ar500-targets.com/product-p/hangers.htm since I've verified they stand up to direct hits with a 7.62 -- was difficult to hit multiple times, but they are barely marked afterwards and should hold up well. Next I'll be trying some Grade 8 bolts to attach the plates.

OTOH this won't work if your ground is too hard to drive a stake in or too soft to support it.

I'd stop shooting that pockmarked plate.

How does 75 yds sound for handguns?

Just drill another hole in the bottom and run a wire staked to the ground behind the pipe to give it some deflection down

Gongshot brackets work well. Just need to buy your own pipe. Gongshot link:

http://www.gongshot.com/categories/Target-Stands-/

Lowes and Home Depot have metal saw horses. They fold up, have adj legs, and a carry handle. $10-15 each as I remember.

Old cast iron see - saw frame from the school junk pile and a fresh worn out frying pan. I stay "minor" on mine with 32, 38spl, 22, and 22 mag. Of the bunch the mag typically puts the biggest craters in it but very rarely do I have a passthrough.

I tried the saw horse type of setup and it had too many down sides. The big one was with the shrapnel that sticks to anything wood. After you hit several targets the legs will these sharp pieces and it is dangerous to keep around if you have kids/pets. It is cheaper to go this route, but I ended up with metal instead and have had no problems.

I have done a great deal of research and design of portable gong holders. Most of what I have learned was from trial and error, but I do have over 20,000 shots fired on these designs.

I think that I have come up with the best NON-weld stand, it costs under $85, will hold over 300lbs of targets and has never tipped over. I use 3/4" pipe from Home depo. It takes 4 elbow fittings, 2 T fittings and pipe. The stand can be set up in a minute and tears down to fit on even a motorcycle/ car trunk. Please watch the later videos' and look at the stand. I can include a more detail view of the stands, if you want.

Please notice the bullet spray after the hits. These swing targets have never sent bullet parts back at the shooter. I can't say that of some of the MGM targets.

This is my first post on this site and I hope that the videos can be seen.

First ones are when I used wood, later ones metal pipe. That is either the GF or myself shooting. I have over 25 ar500 targets, from 4" to 16".
http://vid1091.photobucket.com/albums/i396/idahosd/tuff_target.mp4

http://vid1091.photobucket.com/albums/i396/idahosd/test%20shots/_DSC3805.mp4

http://vid1091.photobucket.com/albums/i396/idahosd/Karen%20shoot/Karens_first45colt.mp4

http://vid1091.photobucket.com/albums/i396/idahosd/test%20shots/_DSC3803.mp4

Videos work, and nice setup.

The Gongshot brackets work well for me with 3' legs and 4' cross pipe with a 10" AR500 gong hanging from 1/2" chains and S hooks. The set up easily absorbs .30 06 hunting loads, but eventually S hooks and chains will need to be replaced, either from being shot or simply breaking from the impacts.

I made two stands out of 1/2" black iron pipe. I used 4' pieces for the legs, a 3' piece for the cross piece, 1/2" tees and 1/2" street elbows.

The big one was with the shrapnel that sticks to anything wood. After you hit several targets the legs will these sharp pieces and it is dangerous to keep around if you have kids/pets.

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Very true, good point.

I have used the metal sawhorses before and they work okay for smaller plates. I have a couple 11x13 AR500 plates that I use with the folding metal sawhorses.

Folding metal sawhorse is about $18. I drilled two holes in the top and then use the caribiner type clips and eye bolts through holes in the plates and in the top of the sawhorse.

If there is a downside to the sawhorse it's that they are pretty short so the plate hangs near the ground (not a problem depending on sightlines, etc).

The legs get dented with shrapnel but I'm on my original sawhorse and it's seen hundreds of rifle rounds and probably a thousand handgun rounds and it's still doing okay. Had to replace one caribiner when it got shot.