jblomenberg16
Grandmaster
Many of you have probably read many of the posts over at "The Box o' Truth" site (The Box O' Truth - Ammo Penetration Testing). I was particularly surprised, and subsequently inspired by the article regarding the effectiveness of sand to stop various rounds.
I typically shoot out in the country on some family land. We have roundly 400yds of open field (alternating between corn and soybeans during the growing seasons) and then a dense woods behind where we shoot. We also shoot down hill, at maybe a 2-3 deg angle. So, most of the time when we shoot, the rounds exit our targets, and hit the ground somewhere in the open field. It is pretty soft soil, but there is the occaisonal richochette.
In an effort to be a little safer, and to keep from increasing the lead content of the local soil 8) , I decided to put the sand to the test. I built a very simple target stand for roughly $50, including the cost of the sand, from lumber and materials from the local Home Depot.
The frame for the target is made from 2x6's. 2 10' boards is enough to make the frame and support legs. The horizontal and vertical parts of the legs are each 4' long. I then framed a 24" box at the top using 2 21" boards cut from the remaining 2x6. This was screwed together with some 3" deck screws.
I then cut rounghly 2' x 2' squares from 1/2" MDF. I have used this with good success in the past to staple targets too. I had originally just nailed these on with a pnuematic brad nailer, and found out after one shot that the brads weren't enough to hold the boards on. We managed to empty all 150lbs of sand onto the ground. :shock: So, we repaired it by screwing the boards on with some 2" drywall screws that I had brough along just in case. Spaced every 4-6" or so was enough to hold them on for the next shots.
At the top of the frame, I drilled a couple of 2" holes with a hole saw, and then connected them by cutting the middle out with a jig saw. This is where the sand is dumped into the target box. This is perfect for dumping in the sand from a 5 or 10 gallon bucket. I made a cover for this hole from MDF, and screwed it down. It isn't really needed, but does help keep any left over sand from getting out of the target when you're transporting it.
I also cut a 2" hole in the bottom of the target with the same hole saw. This is the drain for the sand. I fashioned a small door to cover the drain hole out of the same MDF, and attaced it to the box with a hinge. 2 screws hold the door shut when the sand is in the target. I also put a little cork gasket material on the door to help seal the hole, but that is probably not necessary.
A couple of handles on either side tops it all off and makes it easy for 1 man to carry empty, or 2 to carry with the sand in it.
As configured you have a cavity that is 21" x 21" x 5.5" deep, accounting for the thickness of the 2x6. This will hold around 150 lbs of sand, depending on what kind you put in. I bought 5 of the 60" tubes Home Depot is selling as weight for cars and trucks in the winter, and used 2 1/2 tubes worth of sand. This isn't very fine sand, and has a bit of gravel in it.
The target worked very well stopping 9mm Luger and 7.62x25 pistol rounds, and also 10 rounds of Golden Tiger from my SKS. However, 8mm Mauser was a bit much for it. The first shot we fired at this target was from the Mauser, and it blew the back off when it was just attached with brads. After fixing that and replacing the sand, it stopped 4 more rounds.
I put 4 more rounds in about a 1" group into the target after that, and once again saw the sand start to come out. It turns out I blew a hole out the back of the target, as can be seen in the 3rd picture. I think it was as much from the shock as anything, and not necessarily the round pennetrating that much further. So, I'm going to come up with something a little stronger for the back, which may just be some 2x6 boards cut into 2' lenghts and attached to the back.
Once we were done, we were able to open the drain door at the bottom, and empty the sand back into the sand bags. We didn't sift through it to find the rounds this time, but we're pretty confident we caught them all since there were no more holes in the back of the target.
So, after some beefing up of the back of the target, and maybe the front too, we'll put it to more tests in the future. Feel free to build one for yourself, and PM me if you have any questions, or want a more detailed bill of material.
I typically shoot out in the country on some family land. We have roundly 400yds of open field (alternating between corn and soybeans during the growing seasons) and then a dense woods behind where we shoot. We also shoot down hill, at maybe a 2-3 deg angle. So, most of the time when we shoot, the rounds exit our targets, and hit the ground somewhere in the open field. It is pretty soft soil, but there is the occaisonal richochette.
In an effort to be a little safer, and to keep from increasing the lead content of the local soil 8) , I decided to put the sand to the test. I built a very simple target stand for roughly $50, including the cost of the sand, from lumber and materials from the local Home Depot.
The frame for the target is made from 2x6's. 2 10' boards is enough to make the frame and support legs. The horizontal and vertical parts of the legs are each 4' long. I then framed a 24" box at the top using 2 21" boards cut from the remaining 2x6. This was screwed together with some 3" deck screws.
I then cut rounghly 2' x 2' squares from 1/2" MDF. I have used this with good success in the past to staple targets too. I had originally just nailed these on with a pnuematic brad nailer, and found out after one shot that the brads weren't enough to hold the boards on. We managed to empty all 150lbs of sand onto the ground. :shock: So, we repaired it by screwing the boards on with some 2" drywall screws that I had brough along just in case. Spaced every 4-6" or so was enough to hold them on for the next shots.
At the top of the frame, I drilled a couple of 2" holes with a hole saw, and then connected them by cutting the middle out with a jig saw. This is where the sand is dumped into the target box. This is perfect for dumping in the sand from a 5 or 10 gallon bucket. I made a cover for this hole from MDF, and screwed it down. It isn't really needed, but does help keep any left over sand from getting out of the target when you're transporting it.
I also cut a 2" hole in the bottom of the target with the same hole saw. This is the drain for the sand. I fashioned a small door to cover the drain hole out of the same MDF, and attaced it to the box with a hinge. 2 screws hold the door shut when the sand is in the target. I also put a little cork gasket material on the door to help seal the hole, but that is probably not necessary.
A couple of handles on either side tops it all off and makes it easy for 1 man to carry empty, or 2 to carry with the sand in it.
As configured you have a cavity that is 21" x 21" x 5.5" deep, accounting for the thickness of the 2x6. This will hold around 150 lbs of sand, depending on what kind you put in. I bought 5 of the 60" tubes Home Depot is selling as weight for cars and trucks in the winter, and used 2 1/2 tubes worth of sand. This isn't very fine sand, and has a bit of gravel in it.
The target worked very well stopping 9mm Luger and 7.62x25 pistol rounds, and also 10 rounds of Golden Tiger from my SKS. However, 8mm Mauser was a bit much for it. The first shot we fired at this target was from the Mauser, and it blew the back off when it was just attached with brads. After fixing that and replacing the sand, it stopped 4 more rounds.
I put 4 more rounds in about a 1" group into the target after that, and once again saw the sand start to come out. It turns out I blew a hole out the back of the target, as can be seen in the 3rd picture. I think it was as much from the shock as anything, and not necessarily the round pennetrating that much further. So, I'm going to come up with something a little stronger for the back, which may just be some 2x6 boards cut into 2' lenghts and attached to the back.
Once we were done, we were able to open the drain door at the bottom, and empty the sand back into the sand bags. We didn't sift through it to find the rounds this time, but we're pretty confident we caught them all since there were no more holes in the back of the target.
So, after some beefing up of the back of the target, and maybe the front too, we'll put it to more tests in the future. Feel free to build one for yourself, and PM me if you have any questions, or want a more detailed bill of material.
