Follow to the question about the steel targets
Here are a couple of pictures to show how the tripod stands work. It’s a simple design and works well. You may notice a wood block on the back leg. I added that to make the rear leg sit higher since the stand is positioned on a slope and it needs to be tilted forward enough to allow the mounting surface to have a rearward pitch. This allows the steel plate to swing when it’s hit. You don’t want it to be rigid.
The plates in the picture are not hardened steel. They are the inner blanks from the fabrication of large diameter pipe flanges. The take pistol rounds with little affect, but the .223 round at 60 yards leaves craters. I had the plates on hand so I use them until I become concerned about odd ricochet. I have some AR400 and AR500 targets ready to go.
Here is the rear view showing how the plate is bolted to the stand. I use ½” bolt with Nylock nuts so I don’t have to tighten the bolt down. I want the plate to swing a bit.
I also want to offer an idea to those folks making wood framed target stands. Splatter from each round hitting the steel can erode the wood frame over time. On the large target stand I made from wood, I attached the top rail in front of the uprights so the plane of the splatter would be in front of the uprights.
In this close-up, you’ll notice lots of craters in the steel. I found this steel treadplate when I moved onto our property. It’s not hardened material. Since I’m using it at 200 yards, I’m not concerned about ricochets. I’m saving my nickels and dimes for one of the full-sized IPSC targets in AR500 steel!
The purpose of this next picture is to show how the top board is mounted in front of the uprights, thereby keeping the bullet fragments from wearing the uprights. They will still hit the base, but it’s not as close.
Happy shooting!
Here are a couple of pictures to show how the tripod stands work. It’s a simple design and works well. You may notice a wood block on the back leg. I added that to make the rear leg sit higher since the stand is positioned on a slope and it needs to be tilted forward enough to allow the mounting surface to have a rearward pitch. This allows the steel plate to swing when it’s hit. You don’t want it to be rigid.
The plates in the picture are not hardened steel. They are the inner blanks from the fabrication of large diameter pipe flanges. The take pistol rounds with little affect, but the .223 round at 60 yards leaves craters. I had the plates on hand so I use them until I become concerned about odd ricochet. I have some AR400 and AR500 targets ready to go.
Here is the rear view showing how the plate is bolted to the stand. I use ½” bolt with Nylock nuts so I don’t have to tighten the bolt down. I want the plate to swing a bit.
I also want to offer an idea to those folks making wood framed target stands. Splatter from each round hitting the steel can erode the wood frame over time. On the large target stand I made from wood, I attached the top rail in front of the uprights so the plane of the splatter would be in front of the uprights.
In this close-up, you’ll notice lots of craters in the steel. I found this steel treadplate when I moved onto our property. It’s not hardened material. Since I’m using it at 200 yards, I’m not concerned about ricochets. I’m saving my nickels and dimes for one of the full-sized IPSC targets in AR500 steel!
The purpose of this next picture is to show how the top board is mounted in front of the uprights, thereby keeping the bullet fragments from wearing the uprights. They will still hit the base, but it’s not as close.
Happy shooting!
