Mobile target stand; pure genius!

[berettaprofessor]

Not my genius though . Saw this idea a few days back on a youtube video by a guy named Milton Wilson. I've tried just about everything for an easy to carry target stand, from the Champion target "holding sticks" to others, and, while some are light and easy to use, I end up shooting the stand edges sooner or later when I'm using one of the multiple type targets like these with bullseyes near the edge. I also don't have an easy supply of large cardboard pieces to staple stuff too. Anyway, this one fits what I need....and it's cheap. Two pieces of rebar, a few zip ties and a length of "snow fence" and I can hang any target I want with just a few clothes pins. Most of the bullets just pass right through the fence and where it gets shot up, it isn't holding the target, it could last for ages before you'd have to replace the fencing.

For real mobility, it could be made lighter using some of those plastic plant stakes instead of the rebar. And for the real tinkerers, maybe some kind of collapsible poles that you could fold up with the fencing into a small pouch!

 

[troy fairweather]

nice idea there, i use pizza boxes. they stand up and sometimes have patterns to shoot at.

 

[OrangeCat]

this is brilliant.

 

[Armored farmer]

Farm stores have plastic fence posts with a metal spike and a foot peg to push it in the ground. I use them for my portable stands. They would be ideal to use with the snow fence.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Nifty.

 

[shoobe01]

All you guys with dirt on the ground just kill me.


No post or stake goes into the ground within an 8 hour drive of me without a very big sledge. Sometimes, they then don't come out. All portable target stands around here are on, not in, the ground.


Several of the local public ranges have snow fencing to put targets on. Seems to be a known thing and lasts a year or three between replacement being needed.

 

[rdnktrkr]

Down here in Georgia I've never seen a snow fence but I like the idea, I collect campaign signs after elections and use them, I use tape to install the targets

 

[berettaprofessor]

No post or stake goes into the ground within an 8 hour drive of me without a very big sledge

Shoobe01, I agree, my experience driving posts in this area (Flint Hills so within 2 hours of you) is pretty frustrating, but I can usually get a piece of rebar driven in a foot before hitting rock. Drove the ones in the picture with a 3 lb sledge. I'd thought about Armored Farmer's suggestion of the plastic posts with the foot-operated metal spikes and they might work here in the "wet season"....or between May 1st and May 15th.

 

[berettaprofessor]

i use pizza boxes. they stand up and sometimes have patterns to shoot at.

Yeah but the smell makes me hungry!...or draws pack rats to the garage when I'm not using them daily.

 

[sparkyv]

Down here in Georgia I've never seen a snow fence but I like the idea, I collect campaign signs after elections and use them, I use tape to install the targets

Down South it's called construction safety barrier fence, and it's usually orange. We use yards of it at our shooting range. Works great, but you'd be surprised at how frequently it needs to be replaced.

 

[shoobe01]

Shoobe01, I agree, my experience driving posts in this area (Flint Hills so within 2 hours of you) is pretty frustrating, but I can usually get a piece of rebar driven in a foot before hitting rock. Drove the ones in the picture with a 3 lb sledge. I'd thought about Armored Farmer's suggestion of the plastic posts with the foot-operated metal spikes and they might work here in the "wet season"....or between May 1st and May 15th.

Then, will totally try rebar as the anchoring part next time for stands, and other stuff. Two of us 20 minutes putting in a single T-post in NE OK a little while back. Ugh.

 

[Armored farmer]

Shoobe01, I agree, my experience driving posts in this area (Flint Hills so within 2 hours of you) is pretty frustrating, but I can usually get a piece of rebar driven in a foot before hitting rock. Drove the ones in the picture with a 3 lb sledge. I'd thought about Armored Farmer's suggestion of the plastic posts with the foot-operated metal spikes and they might work here in the "wet season"....or between May 1st and May 15th.

You can push t posts in with your hands around here this spring .

 

[jmorris]

All you guys with dirt on the ground just kill me.

No post or stake goes into the ground within an 8 hour drive of me without a very big sledge. Sometimes, they then don't come out. All portable target stands around here are on, not in, the ground.

I shoot all over the place, not just on one target but also different areas of our Country. I agree some are not suitable for being driven into the ground.

For rock, I haven’t come up with anything better than this one. I still use it on other ground when I need a really large stand because it can be any size I want.

It’s 1x2 tubing that takes the little strips of wood, I keep really short hunks to keep the parts together then sub them out for longer strips to hang targets.

Some butchers paper and a sharpie, lots of times.

Less that a foot here but with 8ft strips gives you a gigantic stand, height, width and foot print as you run them through the base as well, don’t need to hammer an 18”x18” stand into the ground if it has an 8ft long foot print.

 

[doubleh]

All you guys with dirt on the ground just kill me.


No post or stake goes into the ground within an 8 hour drive of me without a very big sledge. Sometimes, they then don't come out. All portable target stands around here are on, not in, the ground.


Several of the local public ranges have snow fencing to put targets on. Seems to be a known thing and lasts a year or three between replacement being needed.

We have the same problem. My drive to dirt is somewhat shorter than yours but still not close. Wind is also a problem. I build my portable frames from PVC. I'm currently on my fourth redesign and this one has a length of 3/4" oil field sucker rod captured in the bottom pieces for weight. It's working pretty good. PVC is cheap and light, easy to repair when hit by a stray shot, and can be made to break down easy for hauling. My range vehicle is a two door Jeep Wrangler so I can't haul anything large that stays in one piece.

Snow fence? I didn't recognize it in the posted picture and thought it was cargo netting but remembered seeing some on a trip to South Dakota after reading what it was. It's definately not a necessity in this area.

 

[shoobe01]

I always call it snow fencing, but it's sold in several colors, and used as temp fencing for all sorts of purposes. "Safety Fence" is a common generic.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Tenax-4...rdian-Safety-Barrier-Fence-2A060006/100384030

Some are (or were) steel or fiber reinforced, so need wire shears to cut. Some are solid plastic.

 

[berettaprofessor]

Actually, Armored Farmer may have "hit the nail on the head." The "step-in" fence post idea may be a great one for many of you. A visit to my local Orschleins resulted in the purchase of a pair of step-in posts looking like the one linked here. These plastic posts were $1.99 each at Orschleins (I saw them later at $1.69 each at Menards and in black or white if it matters) and the fact that they have clips built in means that to hang the fence you wouldn't even need the zip ties; two posts and a stretch of the safety fence and you should be good to go. Surely I can step these in, even around here, at least while the ground is wet.

 

[Chuck R.]

I'm in NE KS and we have dirt (approx 4", then clay), so the step in ones aren't that bad to use. As a matter of fact my wife and her friends use them for dog training (Marking blinds) and there's a bunch scattered all over my place.

I don't use them mostly because I have permanent stands put in and the wind. The little paper shooting I do (have about 50 pieces of steel) is while working load development or
zeroing and the tgts on snow fencing would no doubt has stability issues.

 

[243winxb]

Till the wind blows. Seen chicken wire used.

 

[jmr40]

The last time I shot at one of the DNR ranges they were doing basically the same thing with chicken wire. Had to remember to bring clothes pins. You'd be surprised how quickly the wire gets shot up and has to be replaced though.