strong45side
New member
I have 4 steel targets (8-14") and trying to figure out a fast and cheap way to hang them. Any ideas?
hanging steel targets
- Thread starter strong45side
- Start date
strong45side
New member
Yea I will be hanging with chain, looking for ideas or pictures of homemade hanging frames.
I'll share my experience in this over the last 2 years of having my own range.
I started out with 8" circles. I built a "hitching post" out of 4X4's and hung them underneath with chain. I hung them at least 5" below the cross tie to insure (well, hope anyway
) that I wouldn't accidently shoot the wood. I never shot the wood, but I shot the chain with the occasional errant shot. Dinged up chain, replace chain, force of impact on target causing chain links to expand, blah-blah-blah.
I then decided on some cheap, long hinges. Same thing. I hit the hinge and it got cattywampus (that's a word ain't it?), blah-blah-blah.
I currently have firehose. So far, for this type of configuration, it's the best solution. I acquired 12' of old hose from a demo'ed construction site. Even if you shoot the firehose, it absorbs the hit without much issue. Been working well since Thanksgiving and I shoot almost every weekend.
I have two silouette targets as well. I've always had them hanging from target hangers (what my wife calls "plant hangers" but what does she know?). I had to cut them off at the bottom (I wanted them fairly low to the ground) and I put a T-post behind 'em and wired 'em together for increased strength/stability (the targets are quite heavy). Wish I could claim this as an original idea, but alas, I cannot. Got it from a YouTube guy called Hickock45 who has a ton (maybe more than that) videos of him shooting stuff on his range in TN. I raise my glass in toast to Mr. Hickcock45 and his targeting solutions.
Good Luck with yours.
I started out with 8" circles. I built a "hitching post" out of 4X4's and hung them underneath with chain. I hung them at least 5" below the cross tie to insure (well, hope anyway
) that I wouldn't accidently shoot the wood. I never shot the wood, but I shot the chain with the occasional errant shot. Dinged up chain, replace chain, force of impact on target causing chain links to expand, blah-blah-blah.I then decided on some cheap, long hinges. Same thing. I hit the hinge and it got cattywampus (that's a word ain't it?), blah-blah-blah.
I currently have firehose. So far, for this type of configuration, it's the best solution. I acquired 12' of old hose from a demo'ed construction site. Even if you shoot the firehose, it absorbs the hit without much issue. Been working well since Thanksgiving and I shoot almost every weekend.
I have two silouette targets as well. I've always had them hanging from target hangers (what my wife calls "plant hangers" but what does she know?
). I had to cut them off at the bottom (I wanted them fairly low to the ground) and I put a T-post behind 'em and wired 'em together for increased strength/stability (the targets are quite heavy). Wish I could claim this as an original idea, but alas, I cannot. Got it from a YouTube guy called Hickock45 who has a ton (maybe more than that) videos of him shooting stuff on his range in TN. I raise my glass in toast to Mr. Hickcock45 and his targeting solutions.Good Luck with yours.
We use rebar.Think of the old swing set frames.Two inverted "V" shapes and a horizontal.
At the apexof the Vee weld in and re-enforce a little a shorrt piece of tube or pipe that the horizontal rebar will just slip easily into.It is best if it splays out just a little when assembled,it tightens things up.
So you just carry it downrangde as 2 vee shapes and a crossbar,unassembled.Get thgere,slip the ends on and it looks like a swingset frame.I'd make it 28 in tall,or so.
Hanging the dinger,On the backside of the dinger weld on some tabs,maybe 3/8 thick with a 1/2 in hole.Say,about 2 in square Position the hole so you can put a choke chain slip hook on the tab.You want two tabs up at the top of the target.
You just hook them over the horizontal rebar.
I strongly recomend you have those tabs so the hole is out away from the back of the target enough so the target hangs about 10 degrees tilting the top toward the shooter.This causes ricochet to be banked down into the dirt.
At the apexof the Vee weld in and re-enforce a little a shorrt piece of tube or pipe that the horizontal rebar will just slip easily into.It is best if it splays out just a little when assembled,it tightens things up.
So you just carry it downrangde as 2 vee shapes and a crossbar,unassembled.Get thgere,slip the ends on and it looks like a swingset frame.I'd make it 28 in tall,or so.
Hanging the dinger,On the backside of the dinger weld on some tabs,maybe 3/8 thick with a 1/2 in hole.Say,about 2 in square Position the hole so you can put a choke chain slip hook on the tab.You want two tabs up at the top of the target.
You just hook them over the horizontal rebar.
I strongly recomend you have those tabs so the hole is out away from the back of the target enough so the target hangs about 10 degrees tilting the top toward the shooter.This causes ricochet to be banked down into the dirt.
Edward429451
Moderator
Rebar here too, v-legs as above but dug through the garage and found some steel washers that would fit over the rebar and put a tack weld on both sides of the washer on the rebar so the target would stay centered and not walk. Then some old bolts to tie the steel plate to the washer with welds. Cheap, effective.
I buy 8-10' pieces of rebar, bend them over in a loop, then use wire clamps, wire, and grade 8 bolts to hang the target off of. Drag it down the range and pound the rebar into the ground with a hammer. The target face points towards the ground slightly... all ricochets get aimed back down. For the most part the rounds just splatter when they hit this stuff.
Works great until you put a 7.62x54R through the rebar and have to patch it
Notice the bolt on the right took a direct hit. If you used cheapo bolts, the bolt head would have been blown clean off. Its worth it to use grade 8 bolts here... and put the threads in the back so you can get bolts off if they do get mangled.
Works great until you put a 7.62x54R through the rebar and have to patch it
Notice the bolt on the right took a direct hit. If you used cheapo bolts, the bolt head would have been blown clean off. Its worth it to use grade 8 bolts here... and put the threads in the back so you can get bolts off if they do get mangled.
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