I saw this design a while back on the old Snipershide and wanted to try it out as it looked like something that would be cheap to build, light and portable.
I bought everything for the stand at Homedepot for a total of $38 bucks.
3X 6' 1/2" rebar.
1X 3/8" eye bolt.
1x 1/4" U clamp.
2x carriage washers 3/8"
1x 3/8 nut.
1x 3/8 washer.
1x 3/8 nylon lock nut.
1x spring to fit over 3/8 eye bolt.
The target is a Big Dog Steel 25% IPSC 1/2" AR500 gong. It is slightly bigger than an I-Phone5. I mounted it with a piece of conveyor belt and two half inch bolts. The spring works well when directly mounting a steel gong to the eye bolt as it makes it spring back when hit.
It was easy to fold up and load into the truck. It was very comfortable to carry over my shoulder with the target attached. Pretty darn light too.
I carried it up the hill and pushed the legs into the ground about 4" and finger tightened the U clamp. Solid as a rock. I shot at it off the tripod at 300 yards. First sitting then standing. Sitting was easy and I kept all rounds center of the target which reacted with a good backwards swing before returning to its original spot. It did this every time.
Standing was not so easy and I missed a few shots while getting the sling tension right. This turned out to be a good thing for the test since I ended up shooting one of the stands legs. Apart from getting bent by the 175 SMK there was no damage to the rebar and it was a quick fix back at home with a hammer to get it straight again.
Overall, I love it! Its light, portable, easy to carry and survives direct hits. The heaviest gong I have had on it was a round 8" AR 500 but I'm sure it could handle more weight. Hopefully this gives someone an idea on how to build a good, strong and affordable steel target stand.
I bought everything for the stand at Homedepot for a total of $38 bucks.
3X 6' 1/2" rebar.
1X 3/8" eye bolt.
1x 1/4" U clamp.
2x carriage washers 3/8"
1x 3/8 nut.
1x 3/8 washer.
1x 3/8 nylon lock nut.
1x spring to fit over 3/8 eye bolt.
The target is a Big Dog Steel 25% IPSC 1/2" AR500 gong. It is slightly bigger than an I-Phone5. I mounted it with a piece of conveyor belt and two half inch bolts. The spring works well when directly mounting a steel gong to the eye bolt as it makes it spring back when hit.
It was easy to fold up and load into the truck. It was very comfortable to carry over my shoulder with the target attached. Pretty darn light too.
I carried it up the hill and pushed the legs into the ground about 4" and finger tightened the U clamp. Solid as a rock. I shot at it off the tripod at 300 yards. First sitting then standing. Sitting was easy and I kept all rounds center of the target which reacted with a good backwards swing before returning to its original spot. It did this every time.
Standing was not so easy and I missed a few shots while getting the sling tension right. This turned out to be a good thing for the test since I ended up shooting one of the stands legs. Apart from getting bent by the 175 SMK there was no damage to the rebar and it was a quick fix back at home with a hammer to get it straight again.
Overall, I love it! Its light, portable, easy to carry and survives direct hits. The heaviest gong I have had on it was a round 8" AR 500 but I'm sure it could handle more weight. Hopefully this gives someone an idea on how to build a good, strong and affordable steel target stand.
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