Reactive target...check it out..

Tyroma

Tyroma

CGN Regular
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Location
Norfolk County, Ontario
Hey Gang....

Just finished making my first attempt at a reactive steel target...a dualling tree.

I found a few nice designs online and based my model on a few of them.

I made the plates out of 5/8" mild steel plates and the rest out of 1/4" steel plate and angle iron. The whole unit comes apart with 4 bolts (with captured nuts) and a central pivot shaft that holds all the plates and acts as the hinge. It also fits inside a standard hard side plastic rifle case for ease of transport.

Cost me about $85 and 3-4 hours of work.

Can't wait to get out and shoot at it!

Let me know aht you think.

TY
Dualingtree.jpg

Dualingtree2.jpg
 
That looks great, well done. However, I don't want to be the guy shooting on the left, and hit that green light!!!
 
where can you shoot those targets?? i just joined an outdoor range today, but they don't allow steel targets because of possible ricochet.

what you made looks pretty good and indestructible, but they don't look like they are pointing downward (slightly) to allow the bullets to ricochet downward into the ground.
 
yes :( i did. but i don't have much choice, it's only a 10-15 minute drive compared to the almost 2 hour drive to MVMA. i can go to cdtsa every day if i wanted to, but could maybe make it to MVMA once per week if lucky, and it would have to be an all day event to make it worthwhile.
 
Mike Oxlong said:
I'm planning on going to MVMA this Friday afternoon (20th). You're welcome to be my guest.....
Click to expand...

thanks for the offer mike! sounds good, but i work that day, only get tuesdays and wednesdays off. unless i finish early on friday, it would take me some time to get there.
 
You could lean the tower forward to make the plates angle the right way to have ricochets head downward.
What happens if the shot is a glancing blow and the plate only travels to the straight back position. How do you get the plates to return to the forward position?
It looks like a great design, if you can post some plans that would be great.
 
I've been shooting at steel targets for a few matches this summer. Bullets hitting solid steel don't ricochet. They vaporize into a spray of lead with the occasional jacket that arcs slowly away with an arc near to the plane of the face of the steel it hit.

Ricochets only seem to happen when the angle the bullet strikes at is very shallow such as the ground of the range or perhaps the 45 degree faces of the center support. The actual arms will just produce a spray of lead and copper that extends out from the face of the plates.

We see this a lot since with every hit of a low placed target the sand jumps in a line that is an extension of the plate's face.

Your target looks great but I'm wondering about the plates swinging hard enough to bounce back to where they started. If that happens you may want to incorporate a pin or bump that the swinging plates have to jump over to move from one side to the other just to dampen out the bounce.

Most of the swinging targets like this I've seen so far are setup so they lean forward. This does two things. It helps slightly to direct the lead spray downwards, although some will still fly up and out to the sides. And it also serves to encourage the swinging plates to swing forward so they don't end up part way around when they come to rest.
 
Good points from all...To answer a few questions...

1. How do the plates return to the forward position?

A. The whole unit is leaned forward about 3-4 degrees so that the plates naturally fall forward and stay there. This also prevents possible ricochets.
BCRider had it correct when her said...
Most of the swinging targets like this I've seen so far are setup so they lean forward. This does two things. It helps slightly to direct the lead spray downwards, although some will still fly up and out to the sides. And it also serves to encourage the swinging plates to swing forward so they don't end up part way around when they come to rest.

2. How did you cut the plates?

A. Plasma cutter...one of the coolest tools out there. Something strangely satisfying about cutting through metal with air and electricity.

3. You may need to spike the base down..

A. Dispite the small appearing base, it is quite stable. To test it, I have been hitting the plates with a large hammer. Haven't been able to knock it over yet. I'll find out when I get to the range. If need be, I'll weld tubes to the end of the legs that I can drive 10" rods through.

4. WHere did you get the design/could you post plans?

A. The primary inspiration for this design came from this site www.rts-canada.ca/nk300.shtml I like the idea of the central pivot rod instead of individual hinge mechanisms. Makes it easy to disassemble, and easy to replace plates if need be. The base is a bit different on mine, because as I stated, I wanted to make it able to be disassembled and carried in a rifle case.

I also like to shoot long range rifle, so I made it stron enough that I can shoot it at 100m or more with my Savage 10fcp.

Thanks for all the comments!

TY
 
Update...

Well, I took 'er out and shot 'er up the other day.

Worked great! The .22 rounds out of my Sig Mosquito and the wife's Walther P22 were strong enough to flip the smaller plates IF you placed your rounds in the centre or further to the edge of the circle. The larger plates didn't swing, but they did make a satisfying sound.

All the plates reacted a bit better to the 40S&w rounds...THAT flipped the large plates! There was not damage to the plates save for a very light dimple. Next I am going to shoot the targer at 100m with a 223.

There were also quite a few hits on the centre post...glad I made it out of 1/4" stainless, as I have seen other dualing trees where the centre is all shot up....mine didn't even take a scratch!

Overall, much more fun that punching holes in paper or pop cans! No richochets either...all bullet debris made a nice straight cut into the soil below the target.

Ty
 
that's excellent! i wish i could shoot at steel targets here in Calgary :( only place i can go to shoot steel is almost 2 hours away. and the outdoor range 10 minutes from my home doesn't allow it.
 
Nice set up. The only thing that you might have a problem, after a few rounds the round bar might bend and you'll have a problem pulling it out to change the plates:)
 
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