You could pound in some t posts and get a few smaller steel targets that would be easy to pack in and out with you. The t posts are cheap, so even if someone were a good enough shot to cut one in half you wouldn't have lost much.
Our two local hillbilly gun ranges are ran by the Forestry Service, They have nice ambidextrous shooting benches under a shed and a 100yd stretch cleared out of the woods with a huge berm at the end.
Unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing permanent to shoot at. It is BYOT and if you leave it, don't plan on coming back to anything but a pile of splinters or scrap metal. It will look like it went to Cambodia when you come back.
I am always scrounging around for a rock or some pointed sticks and trying to pound them in the ground with said rock to prop a piece of paneling, feed sack or a box to Choot at when there.
Made this out of an old generator frame, two self tapping screws and a piece of scrap in nothing flat. Now its "Drop and Choot" and chuck it in the back of the truck when I'm done. Problem solved. More time Chootin and less time scrounging.
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I guess “cheap” is subjective, but I’ve never considered t posts cheap even though I’ve used them as you describe. A few years ago I found a deal online for AR500 4”, 6”, and 8” round steel targets and bought shepherd’s crooks from Lowe’s to hang them on. They really work best for handgun shooting, because one rifle shot usually bounces them off the “crook”.You could pound in some t posts and get a few smaller steel targets that would be easy to pack in and out with you. The t posts are cheap, so even if someone were a good enough shot to cut one in half you wouldn't have lost much.
Mudflap is a great idea.When that wood dies you could possibly screw a mudflap to it and put paper targets on it.
I like your use of the old frame.
Excellent.
Mudflap is a great idea.
When I worked at the power plant we used the conveyor belts used to transport coal as target backers that was donated.
Worked great on everything but .25 and .32 auto. The bullets would bounce back.
They would take thousands of rounds before needing replaced.
USPSA and The Steel Challenge Association recommend a minimum of 23' between the shooter and the steel for safety which is closer than your incident. I have shot thousands of round of everything from .22 rimfire to .40 to .45 ACP and been around tens of thousands of shots at that steel for many years without seeing anything but some tiny brass fragments coming back.Speaking of bouncing back, I bought what I consider a high end 18” steel gong target at the Wannamacher show a few years ago, and I got the bright idea to shoot my 45 at it from about 15 yards. Let’s just say the bruise on my leg took a while to go away.
The only steel I shoot with any handgun now is lightweight enough the the bullet will swing the target.
I will be putting together a target like Cowbaby’s tomorrow.
It’s definitely an AR500 target, because it takes 9.3x74, 270, and 300 WM rounds without even making a dent. I was shooting 230 gr hardball out of a 1911, and in hindsight, I didn’t have the target canted enough. For the record, the steel plate weighs somewhere around 50 lbs.USPSA and The Steel Challenge Association recommend a minimum of 23' between the shooter and the steel for safety which is closer than your incident. I have shot thousands of round of everything from .22 rimfire to .40 to .45 ACP and been around tens of thousands of shots at that steel for many years without seeing anything but some tiny brass fragments coming back.
Steel plate manufacturers recommend a downward cant on the plate so the splatter is dispersed down and away from the shooter.
One incident I experienced when new to shooting was shooting at mild steel with a high power rifle at 30 yards It created a crater and sent the entire splatter right back at me.
In your incident, did the steel dent where the bullet hit the steel? If so it wasn't AR-500. What bullet used?
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