Neat shooting range idea - share yours

[Grimjaws]

I have always kept the big cardboard sides from large screen TV purchase or big amazon boxes to use at the range. Idea is to tape this cardboard to the wood targets so it’s easy to grab when done and your not leaving older target stapled into the wood (pet peeve of mine clean up the darn target when you’re done!)

I use cheap paper plates as targets and as I was going out to shoot some of my recent acquisitions and some older guns I came up with another simple idea. I labeled the targets for the gun I was gonna use on it. Worked great on the 10 yard wood frame.

Made for a fun day and just thought I’d share this idea.

So care to share any range ideas you may have?

 

[Baxter6551]

Great idea and some great guns (actually all) in that photo.
And …. That’s a lot of cleaning for one range session !

 

[Eric300]

I do the same thing. I use them for firearm, air rifle, and archery targets. I'll cut up large appliance size cardboard boxes into usable/storable sizes and cut some into 8.5" x 11" for target backers for my bullet traps. Some I'll cut into silhouette shape combat targets. I also use the smaller size paper plates. Cheap and effective! My 100 yard backstop behind my house has 3 rows deep of stacked RR ties and 8 high with a large mound of dirt behind them. I put wooden pallets in from of the RR ties and staple the cardboard backers to the pallets. When the pallets get shot up, I just toss them in the bon fire pit.

 

[Bald1]

Tonneau Cover packaging makes great backer. Especially if you have an 8’ box. You can get 3 out of each side. I used to color a 2” or 3” circle on the center of a sheet of paper. Then I’d go to work and make 20 copies when nobody was looking.

 

[RobertJ.]

We have a home business (it's a long story) where we utilize quite a few large cardboard boxes, so I like to use these as target stands at my spot out in the woods where I shoot. I take them out there folded up, then tape them once I get there. I reverse the process when I leave. The larger box on the top is covered with painter's paper, which is necessary after using it several times. And I love paper plates as targets.

And before anyone wags their finger, there's a small hill hidden behind the brush!

 

[Breakaway500]

Remote control cars/trucks and some flying drones..all moving targets.
One person evades the fire.....while the other gets to shoot em. Then switch positions. You could score by shots fired to disable...have various stations..

Could get quite expensive but it would be challenging and fun! . (you asked..)

 

[swsig]

I shoot at an indoor range where targets are held by overhead trolleys. Thus, I don't need refrigerator cartons as target backers. Any old 12"x12" piece of cardboard will do. I tape the cardboard securely to the paper target. It greatly reduces the tearing of the paper and leaves cleaner holes so I can get more shots into a given target. That's especially important for a shooter like me who groups so many shots into the bullseye.

I also use the same Birchwood-Casey target every time. That way, I have a consistent basis for comparing accuracy across many range sessions. I have years of data from each of my guns from these targets. As an accuracy score, I calculate the percentage of my shots that hit within a 4"x4" square around the bullseye.

Below is one of my better targets (did you think I'd put up a lousy one? ), from my Shield 45 @ 15 yards, standing, two-hand. I was shooting American Eagle FMJ 230g. Note that the holes are much cleaner than what you'd typically get from round-nosed .45 acp with an unbacked target.

 

[lihpster]

I have about 4 of these.
Access Denied

Couple of 1X2s and a piece of cardboard box and I can paste targets to it all day long.

 

[Walkin Horse]

I know it makes a mess but these are so much fun

 

[JayCeeNC]

The US Postal Service will ship you cases of free cardboard boxes of many different sizes.

They never check to see what you use them for.

 

[DWalt]

Political signs make good target backers and are free and plentiful after elections. I am talking about the plastic corrugated board type which have the heavy wire supports that stick into the ground. I made a fairly heavy wood base with holes in it to stick the wires into. I have been using them for many years. They are far superior to corrugated cardboard. You will never use cardboard again as they are much stiffer and also waterproof.

My other range suggestion is to make up a dedicated hand tool kit for range use in case repairs are needed. Whatever you think you need. Mine has a small ball peen hammer, pliers (regular and needle nose), a knife, an assortment of very small to medium sized screwdrivers, small vise grip pliers, a wire cutter, a medium file, and a set of Allen head wrenches. Also several diameters of steel rods up to about 8" long. Mine are 1/4", 5/16", and 3/8", 3 each.Those rods come in handy more often than you might expect.

 

[djohns6]

I keep a couple of the political signs around and I also use the cheapest Dollar Store paper plates I can find .
Here's another tip ... A lot of people use those Shoot And See type targets . They usually have some peel off dots around the outside of the circle that nobody uses . I find these targets at the range and use the dots for my bulls eye on the paper plates .

 

[Maddog 521]

I use old decks of playing cards. We wear out a lot of cards playing Cribbage and then save them for the range.

 

[Sevens]

The club I shoot at has a lot of steel targets and we throw a lot of 9/40/45 at them. But there’s also a ton of scattered empty 12ga hulls everywhere and when my #1 shooting bro is there with me, we set up dozens of these empty hulls and break out the rimfire pistols.

Quite often it’s S&W Model 41’s, Ruger Mk II/III or Sig Trailsides.

Then we duel, usually starting at the far left and moving to the right, skipping none. It’s a lot of fun to draw a bead and begin the trigger press only to see the empty hull go flying because you were a fraction of a second too slow. At 10-15 yards, it’s a fun challenge and the misses go up if you rush the shot.

The hulls will be happy to take many shots, you only need to set them up again. The only time this game doesn’t work well is on heavy wind days as the wind will knock ‘em down.

 

[Kinman]

I volunteer building target frames for my gun club. We have used 2 x 2 wood framing for years. We use a substance called Choroplast, which is virtually the same as the corrugated political sign material. It is sold in 4 x 8 sheets, to the tune of $14 per sheet and is going up radically. It holds up to weather and works quite well, makes a bit of a mess when it is shot apart. My major complaint is what terrible shots people are, I am constantly repairing the frames. I have tried to impress the importance of centering the target on the backer but people don't listen and want to hang two targets side by side on a 24" backer. This puts the target over next to the wooden frame, any shots wide left or right will begin tearing up the frames. I like to joke about our members ability to shoot, I usually say "Our shooters have no standards." Ground strikes are not uncommon, as well as shooting the roofing structures, there are numerous holes in the benches and holes where someone overloaded a .44 magnum and blew the cylinder apart.

 

[bearfoot]

suggestion for the target pistol paper plates. the size drawn / printed out is up to you. has helped a couple of buddies that sometimes disliked their snubbies while target shooting. I call it a mushroom print. start w/ a 2" dia. half circle, 1/2" bar from the middle/bottom of circle, 3/4" down. so what it should look like is a mushroom cap. front sight align w/ bar/ top of front sight on the borrom of circle.

 

[bk42261]

I find that the "dividers" in the middle of 30 packs of beverage cases are a pretty good approximation of the torso area for patterning my defensive weapons, especially shotguns.

 

[SMSgt]

I thought this thread was going to be something useful like hiring all the unemployed gun bearers from the old Tarzan movies to reload your guns and magazines while you kept shooting.

 

[kev74]

I like to save up gallon milk jugs for rifle day at the range.

Filled up with water, they blow up nicely with fast bullets.

 

[URIT]

I staple a 6" paper plate, 3X5 card, 3X3 Post-it, and a 1.5"X2" neon post-it to the cardboard backboard.

I position the center of the 3X5 card 14" above the center of the paper plate to represent heart and ocular. The other two Post-it are placed to the right or left of the 3X5 to represent a half facial target view and a single eye target.

My POA is the staple in each of the targets.