Silhouette Target Stands

[jtexfisher]

Newbie! Finally got a set of 1/5 scale targets to start woking with. Then came the thought....they need something to set upon. I'm considering using some wooden sawhorses. Is that a good idea? What is normally used to hold them?

Thanks!
Harold

[Dee]

Wooden saw horses would be fine so long as you never shoot low but we all know that ain't gonna happen. Wood will not absorb the energy as well as some steel and will probably cause animals to fall when hit. It will get torn up really quickly as well. If you can find some channel iron that is at least 3" wide on the flat side with 1" sidewalls that should handle it and is about the smallest channel I have seen used for rails at a match I go to regularly.

On my home range I use 5" channel iron 4' long and fitted into the holes of cinderblocks. This works perfectly for both my chickens and turkeys but is to tight for pigs and rams. My long distance range has 2 firing lines that allows me to only need 2 rails at varied distances. This makes my pigs and rams a few yards short of exact but close enough for practicing.

Here you can see how I have mine setup. If you look further back along the tree line you can see the 8" I-Beam I use for pigs and rams that is 11' long.


The 3-5" channel should work good for you just get them long enough to have room for 5 Rams with a rams width between them. Also get some swingers as they are great to have as well on the home range.


Dee

[Jerry G]

I think railroad rail turned upside down works the best.

[yankee]

I have shot rimfire silhouettes off of 2x4's wired onto metal posts. 2x4's and 1x2's sharpened on one end and driven into the ground. 1/4 inch iron rods with pads welded on "the same size as the animal foot" and driven into the ground. Grader blades, rail road rails and ties, channel iron of various sizes, valves from cylinder heads, large bolts and off the ground and rocks and concrete blocks. If you have more than one target on a stand the stand should have enough mass that a low hit into the stand will not knock the target off or the targets next to it from the vibration.
Just think of what you can set a target on and have fun.