I used 3/4" galvanized pipe and rebar. Targets hang from proof chain on split rings and shackles.

That might be a quick route...a couple T's, some 45's and some 3' or 4' lengths for legs and crossbar. Tuck nicely in truck too.

My design is... Different. I used a T at all 4 corners. On the bottom, I used a 2" piece, then another T for legs. Unscrew one of the legs, and turn the other ones in and it lays flat in the back of the truck. Mine is 2'x4'.

At the top corners, there is a 4" piece that sticks out, and is where the split ring hooks onto. On the end of those 4" pieces is another T, and I pound a 6' piece of rebar through that into the ground to act as a stabilizer.

It's not the lightest rig, and I wouldn't want to haul it 600 yards (especially with the plates on it) but it works really well, and I can set it up in a matter of minutes.

The 2x4 frame is made of 3/4" galvanized pipe, in case that wasn't clear.

I've seen several setups that were made of just about all rebar. Very slick, but good god if they don't want a ton for the kits. And me, with no welder... Meh. The pipes work well. And if I shoot one, they are cheap enough to replace.

Thanks to all for sharing some steel wisdom. This target is going to be a learning experience. The plates are 2 - 6" and 1 - 8" (from Arntzen) and the framing is oak 1 x 2's. The top beam is held on by pull pins to keep setup quick and transport easy. I tried to configure it where the nearest wood is 10" away from any aiming point. This target will be used at a max of 600 yards and the plates are sized as such. I'm hoping I can keep the bullets away from the wood but I'm sure it's going to happen. Perhaps a repair kit will be added to the target bag for now. I don't want a blown wind call wrecking my day at the range.

I hung the plates with a two ply firehose instead of chain in an effort to keep them from flipping over. It should withstand many hits before needing replacement. Will see if it's stiff enough to keep the plates from flipping over. I do run spikes into the ground on the front of the base.

Thanks for the tip on the Rustoleum paint. I believe it was their clean metal primer that I have been using on my steel.

If this doesn't work out I'll keep the pipe or T posts in mind. Thanks again for all the help !

quote:

Originally posted by jlemmy:
I'm hoping I can keep the bullets away from the wood but I'm sure it's going to happen. Perhaps a repair kit will be added to the target bag for now. I don't want a blown wind call wrecking my day at the range.

Wild-assed guess depending on your chambering and bullet, but at 600 yards a missed wind call of 3 to 5 mph gets you from the center of the 8" target to the wood supports.

Your neck of the woods may be blessed with relatively calm or consistent breezes -- I'm not so fortunate. I size my steel at roughly 2 MOA per shooting position with .308 and 6.5CM, then move in a bit for .223 which gives it 2.5 to 3.0 MOA. I still have more than my share of misses, as many days I experience 5 mph changes within a shot or two and directional changes of 150-180 degrees over the course of a day.

The range I shoot at has berms on three sides and protects a bit from the wind. A quick plug into the ballistics program shows a 3:00 wind at 6mph will move me 10 inches into the wood support. So I see your point on the fact that it will happen. I was getting a bit bored with the 12" popper body on the rigid stand. Perhaps I sized too small. We shall see how it goes. Maybe some larger steel and more bullet resistant uprights will be in my near future.


Edited to add, Just purchased some brackets to use 3/4" pipe for the framing. Thanks to all for setting me strait

Figured as much. Ive had great luck with Arntzen and they seem to be really nice folks.

quote:

Originally posted by jlemmy:
The range I shoot at has berms on three sides and protects a bit from the wind.

Your range sounds better protected from wind than mine.

I'm on the prairie southeast of Denver, not far from the Palmer Divide which serves as a dividing line for wind/storms dropping down from the Rocky Mountains. From my highest/farthest shooting positions, a line of tall & mature pine trees is at my back -- to the west, and the (sort of) prevailing winds. I shoot downhill, maybe 50-60 feet drop to the longest target, and I cross at least one shallow gully or rounded ridge to the targets. The prairie has nothing taller than yucca plants to block the wind. On any given day I can have wind from 6 o'clock all the way to 10 o'clock in the morning, then switch to from 6 to 2 o'clock in the afternoon. A couple of weeks ago I experienced what we call "up slope" winds -- from 12 0'clock (the east), fish tailing mainly right, but sometimes to the left.

Bottom line -- I experience almost constant changes in wind speed and direction. Except for almost always an hour or so late in the day, when the sun gets low. And the targets are gleaming in the warmer light of late day. And the birds are singing. And my "cold shooter" issues are well behind me. Now if I can just get one of those cart girls from the golf course to serve drinks and repaint targets, life would be good....

Here's a question that probably doesn't rate it's own thread. How do you guys carry your "stuff". Between chronys, spotting scopes, torque wrenches, ammo, kestrel, mat... Well you get the idea. I'm at the point where I need a shopping cart and look like a homeless man. I picked up a big range bag the other day, but some stuff like the spotting scope (POS by standards here but still my POS) seems better to ride in their own cases. Then I'm back to the same issue. Too much stuff.

I back my truck right up to the firing line. It's like two steps from the back of the truck to the bench.

As for getting it out of the house and into the truck, I have a combination of range bags, grocery bags, gun cases, random shit. Lol

Fritz,

Here is a pic of my range. As you can see it is very sheltered. Nothing like what you have to deal with. What is a change in elevation At the end of the day you will be a far better shooter with the challenges you face. It's all geography I'm afraid. There simply isn't anything like that out here. I'm going to do some traveling this year to push my limits. Thanks for your help and guidance.

As far as gear, count me with those that drive to the firing line. At worse to drop off then go park. At best to fire a dozen feet from my vehicle.

Here's one of my better prone shooting positions -- 9 of my current 10 target location options are shootable from this position. The dam face is 460 yards away. The the farthest target in this photo is beyond the dam, at 636 yards.


This photo is from the above-noted 636 yard target back towards the shooting location above. The trees on the ridge line are about 650 yards away. The dam can be seen in the top third of the photo.


I took my GPS unit today to measure elevations. My estimates were a little off -- the shooting location above is at 6,556' and the 636 yard target is at 6,448', for a difference of 108 feet. My longest shooting lane of 804 yards goes from 6,599' down to 6,450' -- a drop of 149 feet.

Geez, I sure live in the wrong part of the country. That looks like a lot of fun.

Made some changes to the target based on the feedback received here. Just waiting on some set screw stop collars to keep the targets in place.

Hey, that's pretty damn nice! Where did you get those red parts? And great idea on the pipe caps - I'm going to get them for the feet on my stand!

Thanks, I'll bring it along next month

quote:

Originally posted by exx1976:

Where did you get those red parts?

Link

With a 100yd zero, is a 9.5 MOA comeup typical for .223 out of a 16 inch barrel shooting 400yds?

The Winchester and Federal websites called for around 5.5 or 6 MOA. 9.5 seemed like a lot so I thought you guys would be the ones to ask if this is out of the ordinary.

I took a few shots at some paper 400yds away and it was low using the websites data but 9.5 brought it up onto the paper. 55gr Wolf Gold FMJ ammo, dialed in at +3.5 MOA at 300yd, for comparison.

That is a lot of come-up for that distance.

Have you verified your height over bore and muzzle velocity?

I zero at 36, with a 2.6 height sight over bore, and a 16" barrel - I use MILs, but the ballistic calculators have always been pretty damn close when I know my numbers and have everything plugged in correctly.

quote:

Originally posted by Baron Flynt:
With a 100yd zero, is a 9.5 MOA comeup typical for .223 out of a 16 inch barrel shooting 400yds?

A really accurate ballistics curve requires muzzle velocity, sight height over bore, and air density altitude.

Assuming 3.5 MOA to 300 yards, elevation requirements for 400 yards are likely in the 6.5 to 7.0 MOA range. Elevation of 9.5 MOA is probably for 475-ish yards.

Scope tracking accuracy can be an issue. You should also see that your scope mounts are solid.

Uriah & fritz,

Thanks very much for the info. I'll check my mount, scope and height over bore.

quote:

Originally posted by jlemmy:
Made some changes to the target based on the feedback received here. Just waiting on some set screw stop collars to keep the targets in place.

I think you'll find this is a good setup. The stop collars are a good idea, as they will keep the targets from stacking up on top of each other -- or the support legs.