Folding / portable shooting barricade

[PingPang]

I'm interested in building some type of shooting barricade for training at my local rank. I've seen the Viking tactics one and like it although I'm not totally convinced I need something six feet tall.

My concern is with portability. I drive a midsize car and would need to get it in and out of the trunk and would prefer not to scratch up or beat up my vehicle.

I've seen several groups show there's cut in half and hinged.

I've even thought about just two short pieces of two by four on the back with Wingnuts to hold it together which I think will work just fine.

In regards to the feet, I've seen several people use folding hinges two make it more easily transportable but the directions and photos are unfortunately not very clear, at least not to someone who has very little knowledge Construction.

I was hoping to try and find something with legs shorter than six foot and maybe that implements spikes or some types of weight for the added stability.

Can anyone point me in the right direction? I'm either overlooking it or I'm not finding any on the internet.

 

[azrocks]

What's a shooting barricade? Do you mean a target holder?

 

[Sam1911]

No, no. He's talking about a portable version of something like a Bianchi barricade. A portable wall segment for practicing various drills of shooting around cover.

Viking Tactics has published a set of plans for making one they like: http://www.vikingtactics.com/v/vspfiles/pdf/vtacBarricade.pdf

VT just gives an example, really. It doesn't have to be 6' tall. We've got a pair we use that are more like 3' tall, and some that use a whole 4'x8' sheet of plywood, giving you more options for how to use it.

It's kind of hard to figure out how to make the instructions much simpler, though. You'd need some basic carpentry tools and the more careful a job you do with the construction the more durable it's likely to be.

I can see cutting the sheet in half and putting a few hinges across the joint so it could fold up. You'd need a strut or two to fasten across the back to stiffen it up when you're using it. Those could be fastened on with 1/4"-20 bolts and wingnuts.

The support legs don't have to be 6' long, either. I'd figure out how you want to transport it and measure that space. Can you get 5' long feet into your car?

 

[azrocks]

Oh, gotcha. Thanks. I'll shut up now lol.

 

[PingPang]

I think 5ft will fit. I typically drive mid size sedans (Accord, Altima's, etc).

I was thinking of 3-4ft, drill holes so that it can be spiked to the ground for more stability.

The concern I have is less about the length and more about the width of the angles used to hold up the plywood.

 

[Chuck R.]

I built a couple of the VTACs for my place, they are large, heavy, but very stable.

VTAC 9 Hole:


I also have one I made out of corrugated plastic on a normal target frame. It is lightweight and weather proof. All you'd have to do is construct a PVC frame:



Here's a pic of one a friend bought using commercial legs:



This works pretty well, is portable and as light as the materials you make it out of. I imagine you could make similar legs out of PVC and 1/4" plywood.

Another option would be making a Bianchi Barricade, which is only 2' wide and 6' tall, but you can either hinge it or make it shorter. Another "ultra-light" option is to just use a piece of cardboard on a couple furring strips on a regular target stand.

Chuck

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

I find that trolling the local flea markets is the best way to get the perfect thing like this you can repurpose. I am sure you could find a refrigerator box or something similar that would suit your purposes.

 

[Chuck R.]

I made one of these (Bianchi Barricade) out of scrap wood in a couple hours Friday evening. Been practicing the IDPA Classifier and didn't have one. I made mine Fixed like the plans since I don't plan on moving it, but it would be simple to modify to be portable:

Chuck

 

[Sam1911]

Ours are made so that the base (which is about 3' shorter than that one) has a pair of 2x4 rails screwed inside the long sections with a gap that's just big enough to let the upright section slide down through and sit on the ground. Drop the base on the ground, drop the upright into the slots and it holds up just fine. No need for the brace off the back, and there's nothing to bolt together.