Anyone make their own targets?

[darkeye]

I'm interested in making some sort of metal spinner target, or something that will reset

I'm always broke, so spending money on targets sucks... I usually shoot cans, homemade paper targets, and shotgun shells, but having to go down range every 5 minutes or so kinda takes the fun out of going through 100-200 rounds...

Thanks for any input!

[Avizpls]

Paper- www.mytargets.com

[cuate]

Hi Darkeye!
Been rolling my own targets for a long time. First was paper plates and a staple gun, they are cheap, you can put a round dot on them with a marksalot, also circle hits with same marker and go on shootin, cheap and affordable.

Somewhere I came across 100 yd I guess targets on the internet, saved them to "my documents" and print them off on white 8"X11" paper, cheaper than buying targets.

I try to fire 5 rounds a day of either 30-40 Krag or 30-06 reloads which are very accurate. Being too lazy to even hang paper targets, I have been "busting" limestone rocks left over from house rebuilding. Some started 5X5X12 and then became small cantaloupe size, then golf ball size and now gravel . Bein g a farmer has its rewards. Make some targets and have fun!!!

[bill k]

If you live in a farming town or area look for old plow dics farmers generally give them away around here . It won't spin but you'll hear your shots hit it. Paint it then after you shoot you'll see your hits.
They have a hole in the middle so if you miss just say it went through the hole in the middle.
Bill

[Edward429451]

I've made a few swingers. Scrap construction steel torch cut to shapes or discs. Rebar for legs. Big fat steel washers tack welded to a small piece of rebar welded to the steel disc and slipped over the top cross piece of rebar and tack welded both sides of the washer so the disc wont walk when being hit. Paint different colors, different shapes. Triangles, stars, circles.

Cheap & easy. Scrap steel everywhere if you keep your eyes peeled.

[ssgmac27]

My grandpa made one kind of like what Ed described. It basically looked like a miniature swingset, with three different size targets. It works great. After alot of use, he just welds the holes, and repaints the targets. Good as new. I made a game by hitting all three to get them all swinging, then try to go back and hit them while they are still swinging.

[ConRich]

There are many types of swinging targets that you can make from discarded metal. It helps a lot if you can weld, or if you know someboby who can weld. The material is often free. I have made targets that swing for 22's up to 44mag, the trick is to make the target weight proportional to the weight and velocity of what you intend to hit it with that way you spin the target without damageing it Experiment a bit, you'll see what I mean.I am on a very limitted income, so I try to make all my own targets. I brought a store bought target to a copy center and had them photo copy 200 of them for next to nothing. OK the paper wasn't the same, white glossy paper isn't the best for targets, but it worked for me. The spinning targets are the most fun, you don't need a spotting scope to know if you hit your mark. NEVER shoot at glass bottles,they will come back and bite you, or somebody, metal cans can bite to.

[JRLaws]

I'm so broke, I need a cosigner to pay cash for things. So, I make ALL my targets.

Fun and nearly free targets that do not reset:

My younger brother has subscriptions to 2 or 3 computer gamming magazines. I get his old issues and cut out the full page ads. From this I have hundreds of monsters, villians, hit men and numerous other fun targets.

I bought a compass and marker set from a local $1.00 and under store. The store gives me all the old boxes that I want. I cut the sides out of the boxes, throw a few concentric circles on it, and mark the center circle with one of the neon markers.

I fill old plastic milk, juice, water and soda bottles with water for "exploding" targets.

Put a few drops of food coloring in water (red is easy to see) and then freez about an inch of it in cool-whip type bowls. I stack the "ice pigeons" in a cooler to take to the range. They shatter when hit almost exactly like clay pigeons and clean up is automatic in the summer.

For targets that will reset:

I have two post standing about five feet apart with a third board running along the top. A person could stand the post in buckets of sand or concrete and screw the top on if they needed a mobile stand. I suspend pieces of logs with rope from this stand ( I live in a forest). A direct hit swings the logs back, while a hit off center will get you a crazy swinging and spinning target. When one of these targets gets shot up, I burn it in the winter for heat.

My favorite. I scored a few large boxes from a local department store. My brother was kind enough to allow me to trace his outline on one piece. I now use this template to make my silouette targets. I staple these to a long log down its center. When I hit the hanging target's COM I get a reaction, no COM - no swing. If you want a real challenge, throw and old shirt and cap on the target and give it a side-to-side swing before you shoot, now that's tuff. Shorten the rope if you want a faster swing and vice versa.

To be honest I pretty much shoot anything that is being thrown away. The way I see it, if it's going in the garbage then a few holes won't hurt it anymore.

Hope this helps,

JRLaws

[dave_in_delaware]

I make my own paper targets now. Buying them from the range was getting costly, especially since I'm still learning stance/grip/aim/etc. I use AutoCAD every day at work, so I just decided one day to make my own. I have 2 versions now:

1. 6.5" diameter Bulls-eye target, with right-hand correction notes
2. 2.0" diameter Bulls-eye target, with right-hand correction notes

I have them in pdf format. Just print and go shooting. If you're interested, email me at [email protected] and I'll send them. They have my business card on them, although I never thought anyone else would be interested. I've given out a bunch at my shooting range to others who are learning, too. They say it's very helpful.

[zeisloft]

Dave you dork!! Just kidding, I make mine on auto cad too. 1/4" hidden line grid 1" .5 mm grid plot in 1:1. I also make 500 and 1000yd targets on the big plotter.
~z

[almark]

If you can weld then it's not too hard to make spinners out of scrap metal. Plow disks, rebar... or you can get car parts from a junkyard. Really strapped for cash? You can take an old, stainless steel tablespoon (check out goodwill or garage sales), drill a hole in the handle, and hang it by a piece of wire for .22 practice. They hold up surprisingly well (to .22 lr at least). If you're having trouble finding scrap metal then you can buy steel. If you can't find much scrap steel and you can't afford new steel then you can make swingers out of 2x4s and "armor plate" the part that gets shot with steel. It works fairly well as long as the 2" side is facing you.

Edited to say: Yeah! Let's hear it for AutoCad! The perfect free paper target maker! w00t!

[DT Guy]

I shoot better at 'negative' targets-bright white paper with a black space outlining a white space. The bright white paper helps when shooting at the slightly dim indoor ranges I frequent.

After settling on the 'perfect' target (negative space box with several small black squares of various sizes for checking precision shooting) I ran to Kinkos and had a run of several hundred made.

One advantage is that I can compare apples to apples every time I shoot; I'm shooting the same target at the same ranges, so I can tell if I'm improving. Changing targets all the time prevents this.


Larry