Target stand

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jmr40

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The 8 year old grandson is getting a BB rifle for Christmas and I've been searching for some type of reactive targets to shoot at. Most I've found are really intended for 22's and wouldn't do much when hit with a BB. So I came up with this and made it from PVC pipe and fittings. I ended up building 2, one to go home with him, and one to stay here. I have other grand kids who shoot when they come over here, but they are either too young, or not interested in a BB gun of their own.

Total cost for both including a can of cement was about $32 and it took me about 30 minutes to make both. I used "S" hooks with one end closed with pliers to hold objects from paracord. I think I'll swap out the "S" hooks for larger ones. These work great for cans, but a bigger hook will hold the clay targets better.

Just an idea I thought I'd share in case someone else could use one.

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Looks great. Go get a 12 pack of Big Red soda in cans. Shake them up and watch his face smile when he hits the can and the spray shoots out everywhere. ;)

Milk jugs & 2 liter soda bottles filled with colored water are also "reactive". Partially inflated balloons, thumb-tacked to a corkboard, make a nice "POP" when hit.
I hope he has a lot of fun with his BB gun.
 
I have 4 grand kids, a 6 month old girl and another girl who turns11 in a few weeks. The boys are 5 and 8. The 3 oldest shoot quite often when they come over and we've already tried most of those ideas with the targets just sitting on my fire pit. The gun is a Red Rider, and it isn't powerful enough to poke a hole in most plastic bottles, they just ricochet back so I've stopped using them. Aluminum cans are the favorite target, especially full ones. Having them suspended from a string will let them shoot without stopping to stand them back up again.
 
This is a real estate sign stand the guy I bought the lot next door from left there. It has a place to put your foot to stand on to drive it in the ground. Works well. I tape a piece of cardboard on it then staple or tape the target.

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This is a real estate sign stand the guy I bought the lot next door from left there. It has a place to put your foot to stand on to drive it in the ground. Works well. I tape a piece of cardboard on it then staple or tape the target.

After elections are over, there are ALWAYS a lot of signs left behind that can do the same thing.
 
JMR, looks good and easy to move. If you patent it and convince a manufacturer to make it, it may pay you big time. Or inspire any number of copy cats. I still like it and admire the thought process.
 
I've been using about the identical gadget for sometime now. They are easy to repair when they catch a bullet and with kids shooting they will.
 
After elections are over, there are ALWAYS a lot of signs left behind that can do the same thing.

I've used that tactic before and they work well to attach paper targets to. But I wanted something to hang stuff from that would move and react when hit. I found several commercially made reactive targets for 22 rifles. But they were so heavy they wouldn't move when hit with a BB. I've been letting the grandkids shoot for a while and aluminum soda cans are their favorite targets. With this frame you hear the hit and the can swings, but you don't have to stop and stand the cans back up every few minutes. Of course the metal frame from a real estate sign would have done the same thing. But I didn't have access to one of those.

When I get time I'm going to replace the S hooks with larger hooks. They work fine with cans through the pull ring. But don't hold a clay target very well..
 
My old boss gave me one of those metal price signs set on springs. Used self tapping screws toount wood slats to staple targets to. It moves on springs when hit and acts as a wind flag in high winds.
 
The 8 year old grandson is getting a BB rifle for Christmas and I've been searching for some type of reactive targets to shoot at. Most I've found are really intended for 22's and wouldn't do much when hit with a BB. So I came up with this and made it from PVC pipe and fittings. I ended up building 2, one to go home with him, and one to stay here. I have other grand kids who shoot when they come over here, but they are either too young, or not interested in a BB gun of their own.

Total cost for both including a can of cement was about $32 and it took me about 30 minutes to make both. I used "S" hooks with one end closed with pliers to hold objects from paracord. I think I'll swap out the "S" hooks for larger ones. These work great for cans, but a bigger hook will hold the clay targets better.

Just an idea I thought I'd share in case someone else could use one.

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jmr40, thanks for the ideas. Mine is a bit different, but along the same line. Just at $30, including 2 concrete form stakes for weight.

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It can stand up to 20 mph wind, but not 35 mph gust. :)

The target backing is 18"x24" corrugated (plastic) cardboard. I'm only going to cement the lower portion so that what gets shot at the upper can simply be replaced.
 
OP - Very nice!

To be more flexible, use oversized 'T' fittings that slip over the verticals (but correct for the horizontals - do NOT glue horizontals to these Ts, there is no need and if they get hit easily replaced), horizontal peices will slide up/down to adjust for height. Drill holes along the verticals and insert nails to keep them in place. Those large plastic spring clamps Walmart sells by the bag will fit over the cross members and clamp on a cardboard to staple targets to. Don't need the fixed top horizontal.

I use 1-1/4" verticals, 1" horizontals, 1-1/2" x 1" Ts as 'sliders' ovder the verticals. Do both horizontals this way and you have almost infinite adjustibility.

I'll post a photo if it will help.
 
OP - Very nice!

To be more flexible, use oversized 'T' fittings that slip over the verticals (but correct for the horizontals - do NOT glue horizontals to these Ts, there is no need and if they get hit easily replaced), horizontal peices will slide up/down to adjust for height. Drill holes along the verticals and insert nails to keep them in place. Those large plastic spring clamps Walmart sells by the bag will fit over the cross members and clamp on a cardboard to staple targets to. Don't need the fixed top horizontal.

I use 1-1/4" verticals, 1" horizontals, 1-1/2" x 1" Ts as 'sliders' ovder the verticals. Do both horizontals this way and you have almost infinite adjustibility.

I'll post a photo if it will help.

Please do post a photo. I'm intrigued, but am one of those people who can't visualize in his head worth a darn.
 
Stale crackers turn into dust, aluminum cans are OK too. With BB’s just watch out for targets that will “shoot them back”.

Any metal or sealed plastic/rubber targets are a no go for me.

I can handle a little splatter from time to time but you upset a new shooter once and they might not want to come back.
 
Here are some pics, the T is sideways and slides up and down over the vertical pieces of the stand.

Really don't want to glue anything unless it won't hold otherwise, makes it much easier to repair. HTH

Photos posted below, did it wrong first time!
 
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Looks great. Go get a 12 pack of Big Red soda in cans. Shake them up and watch his face smile when he hits the can and the spray shoots out everywhere. ;)

Big Red, that tastes too good, get some cheap Shasta. Didn't think anyone else knew about Big Red.


Stale crackers turn into dust, aluminum cans are OK too. With BB’s just watch out for targets that will “shoot them back”.

Any metal or sealed plastic/rubber targets are a no go for me.

I can handle a little splatter from time to time but you upset a new shooter once and they might not want to come back.

Yes, be careful with backstop material, I had a piece of OSB that I stapled some targets on for the kids to get an idea where they were hitting and those BB's came right back at us. Guess it's been too long since I fired a BB gun, didn't expect that, good thing they had their glasses on.
 
The 8 year old grandson is getting a BB rifle for Christmas and I've been searching for some type of reactive targets to shoot at.

When I was a young'un, reactive targets were the most fun to shoot at. Wasn't interested in a score, was more interested in seeing something react to me hitting it with a BB.

I remember when I was about 10 I had an indoor target of maybe 4" neon colored plastic gingerbread person shaped spinnies that pivoted in the middle and a matching dart gun. It was logo'd with Dragnet or some other cop show stuff on the tin background. One day my cop Dad had some wax bullets that had no powder in them some cop co-worker had given him and he popped one at my little target with his .38. Bent the heck out of it and I was so mad about it. Didn't do me any good, didn't get a replacement. One of the tragedies of my childhood, although I wonder in this day and age what would be said about a child's toy that had him shooting at human-ish looking targets.
 
Yes, be careful with backstop material, I had a piece of OSB that I stapled some targets on for the kids to get an idea where they were hitting and those BB's came right back at us. Guess it's been too long since I fired a BB gun, didn't expect that, good thing they had their glasses on.

That reminds me of a SASS side match story. The target was 3/8” plywood cut in the shape and painted to look like something but I forget what it was...,anyway at the buzzer the fellow draws and bang, bang...waits for the command to clear and reholster...looks back to the RO, he’s not there. He’s on the ground rolling around holding himself below the waist. I guess a 125gn SWC hurts even after bouncing off plywood.
 
That reminds me of a SASS side match story. The target was 3/8” plywood cut in the shape and painted to look like something but I forget what it was...,anyway at the buzzer the fellow draws and bang, bang...waits for the command to clear and reholster...looks back to the RO, he’s not there. He’s on the ground rolling around holding himself below the waist. I guess a 125gn SWC hurts even after bouncing off plywood.

Ouch!
 
Here is one I put together a couple weeks ago. Black iron piping and fittings. Will probably upgrade the hangers, but zip ties are cheap and easy to replace.

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I was able to find several commercial targets made of steel or heavy rubber. But I was concerned that they would be too heavy for them to move when hit with a BB. They are really designed for 22's or some even centerfire cartridges. The aluminum cans have worked well for us so far. I tried some plastic bottles, but was getting ricochets instead of punching holes in them. I'm sure cookies, crackers and other similar targets will work too.
 
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