P95Carry
Moderator Emeritus
Posting this here - seems about the most appropriate place ........
Quite some weeks ago we had a thread going where reactive targets cropped up .. I briefly described my old one and how it was made but ... no longer had it, due to a moment's generosity during my last move ... it was easier to give it away than bring it .... stupid!! I missed it.
So .... prompted by a wish to make another (albeit not quite as heavy), and thinking this could be useful at our shoot here next Sunday .. decided to drop everything and make it!! Thought you may be interested to see the thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whole thing was made very much out of steel - ''what I had'' ... this included some 1" x 2" x 10 gauge channel for spokes (15" long each) .... 3" x 5" x 1/2" plate for ''paddles'' ...... and a center piece of tube which was about 3/16" wall thickness and an I/D of 25mm. The pivot rod was a length of 25mm round bar .... turned down at one end to allow for hammering deformation .. and also lightly turned down along the pivot length to allow for a free fit on the round bar.
The spokes are welded on to hub at 120º to each other, and some other pieces of scrap 1/8" were welded across spokes to reinforce a bit and take some stress off ''hub'' welds.
The ground stake is rather light weight unequal angle .. off a bed frame!! But again all I had ... it should survive - if not a new stake will have to be made out of something heavier. The pivot round bar is welded into the included angle very generously! It and the stake take quite a beating!
A quick spray of matt black was thrown at it and then paddles sprayed white as a base coat for the fluoro orange to finish . that will soon disappear I expect but is easily touched up. The only final touch needed is a suitable I/D washer to go on pivot for hub to rest on . to ensure free spinning without binding up too much.
Only welding rods I had on hand were rather aged and were good at sticking and sputtering .. so weld quality well below my usual standard.
Here are some pics .......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The stake with pivot round bar in place - top reduced in dia to accept hammer deformation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The hub area sitting over the stake pivot round bar. Showing also the scrap pieces added for ''spoke'' bracing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Front view of a paddle to show attachment to channel .... which is used ''on its side''.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rear view of a paddle to show attachment to channel - it is welded on all sides...... the crap welds are embarrassing!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The whole deal ...... with one paddle presented pretty square on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Again .. whole deal but as it can sometimes finish up .... two paddles showing. Normally the rear one will be used as the target.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some will be concerned re shooting at steel things ..... and of course some care is needed. However, I used my old one extensively .... even weakened and put holes thru with .308 etc!! But .. for normal use with handgun bullets, even mag loads .... the energy of impact is partially absorbed by the assembly ... and any ''splash'' or bounce has never so far come back ..... a bounce back from a berm is probably as or more likely.
Plus .. I usually won't use this any closer than 25 yds ... and at that range any splash would be very unlikely to be actually square on the shooter .... it is invariably to one side or the other - if noticeable at all. Glasses are of course a wise precaution as with any shooting activity.
On a good day .. it is possible to follow one rotation with another .. as a paddle comes available ..... and make a whole mag keep the thing turning!!
So - there you have it!!
Quite some weeks ago we had a thread going where reactive targets cropped up .. I briefly described my old one and how it was made but ... no longer had it, due to a moment's generosity during my last move ... it was easier to give it away than bring it .... stupid!! I missed it.
So .... prompted by a wish to make another (albeit not quite as heavy), and thinking this could be useful at our shoot here next Sunday .. decided to drop everything and make it!! Thought you may be interested to see the thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whole thing was made very much out of steel - ''what I had'' ... this included some 1" x 2" x 10 gauge channel for spokes (15" long each) .... 3" x 5" x 1/2" plate for ''paddles'' ...... and a center piece of tube which was about 3/16" wall thickness and an I/D of 25mm. The pivot rod was a length of 25mm round bar .... turned down at one end to allow for hammering deformation .. and also lightly turned down along the pivot length to allow for a free fit on the round bar.
The spokes are welded on to hub at 120º to each other, and some other pieces of scrap 1/8" were welded across spokes to reinforce a bit and take some stress off ''hub'' welds.
The ground stake is rather light weight unequal angle .. off a bed frame!! But again all I had ... it should survive - if not a new stake will have to be made out of something heavier. The pivot round bar is welded into the included angle very generously! It and the stake take quite a beating!
A quick spray of matt black was thrown at it and then paddles sprayed white as a base coat for the fluoro orange to finish . that will soon disappear I expect but is easily touched up. The only final touch needed is a suitable I/D washer to go on pivot for hub to rest on . to ensure free spinning without binding up too much.
Only welding rods I had on hand were rather aged and were good at sticking and sputtering .. so weld quality well below my usual standard.
Here are some pics .......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The stake with pivot round bar in place - top reduced in dia to accept hammer deformation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The hub area sitting over the stake pivot round bar. Showing also the scrap pieces added for ''spoke'' bracing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Front view of a paddle to show attachment to channel .... which is used ''on its side''.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rear view of a paddle to show attachment to channel - it is welded on all sides...... the crap welds are embarrassing!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The whole deal ...... with one paddle presented pretty square on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Again .. whole deal but as it can sometimes finish up .... two paddles showing. Normally the rear one will be used as the target.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some will be concerned re shooting at steel things ..... and of course some care is needed. However, I used my old one extensively .... even weakened and put holes thru with .308 etc!! But .. for normal use with handgun bullets, even mag loads .... the energy of impact is partially absorbed by the assembly ... and any ''splash'' or bounce has never so far come back ..... a bounce back from a berm is probably as or more likely.
Plus .. I usually won't use this any closer than 25 yds ... and at that range any splash would be very unlikely to be actually square on the shooter .... it is invariably to one side or the other - if noticeable at all. Glasses are of course a wise precaution as with any shooting activity.
On a good day .. it is possible to follow one rotation with another .. as a paddle comes available ..... and make a whole mag keep the thing turning!!
So - there you have it!!